See All of This Company's Exhibits Find More Exhibits Like This
Exhibit 11.1
WIPRO’S CODE OF CONDUCT TO REGULATE, MONITOR AND REPORT TRADING BY DESIGNATED PERSONS AND THEIR IMMEDIATE RELATIVES
A. OBJECTIVE AND APPLICABILITY
Insider Trading is prohibited by both Law as well as by Wipro Limited’s (hereinafter to as the “Company”) internal policy. Insider Trading generally involves the act of subscribing or buying or selling or dealing of the Company’s Securities, when in the possession of any Unpublished Price Sensitive Information (hereinafter referred to as “UPSI”) about the Company. It also involves disclosing or procuring any UPSI about the Company to/from others who could subscribe or buy or sell or deal in the Company’s Securities. Insider Trading invokes severe civil and criminal penalties not only on the Insider but also on the Company in certain circumstances under Securities Statutes of the United States of America as well as the regulations issued in India under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015.
This Code is also subject to SEC regulations wherever applicable in addition to the SEBI Regulations.
The Company’s Code of Conduct to Regulate, Monitor and Report Trading by Designated Persons of the Company and their Immediate Relatives (hereinafter referred to as the “Code”) aims to provide an understanding of not only the Law but also of the Company’s Code. Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives shall be governed by the Code for dealing in Securities of the Company. Greater onus is put on the conduct of employees who have exposure to UPSI related to financials in course of their jobs.
The Code also lays down the guidelines, policies and procedures to be followed by Wipro, its Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives as to prevent violation of the Law on Insider Trading by these persons.
This Code also provides procedures to be followed for transactions involving the Securities of the Company in the form of American Depository Shares (ADS/ADSs) issued under the stock option plan of the Company. This amendment also provides an overview of the Company’s duties with respect to Securities Exchange Commission disclosure rules mandated by Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD).
The purpose of this Code is to comply with SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015 (“Regulations”) as amended from time to time.
B. DEFINITIONS RELEVANT TO THE CODE
The definition of the terms referred to in this Code is attached as “Annexure A”.
C. COMPANY'S STATEMENT OF POLICY FOR PREVENTION OF INSIDER TRADING
Consistent with being a Company committed to good Corporate Governance and in compliance with applicable Law, the Company hereby issues the following general and specific policies for prevention of Insider Trading.
A. GENERAL POLICIES
A1. Prohibition of Insider Trading
The Company hereby STRICTLY PROHIBITS any action that constitutes “Insider Trading”:
A2. Appointment of a Compliance Officer
The Board of Directors of the Company hereby appoints Chief Financial Officer of the Company as the Compliance Officer of the Company who shall be responsible for;
A3. Constitution of an Insider Trading Compliance Committee
B. RESTRICTIONS ON COMMUNICATION AND TRADING BY INSIDERS
B1. Communication or procurement of UPSI
B2. Trading when in possession of UPSI
This would mean that if a person who has traded in Securities of the Company has been in possession of UPSI, his or her trades would be presumed to have been motivated by the knowledge and awareness of such information in his or her possession.
Exception: Trading when not in possession of UPSI or where both parties shared the same UPSI without being in breach of the Regulations and both parties made a conscious and informed trade decision or other conditions as may be applicable under the Regulations as provided below;
B3. Prohibition of certain Communications
B4. Individual and personal responsibility of Insiders for complying with the Law as well as the Code
Every Insider has the individual and personal responsibility for complying with the Law. The Code provides only the guidelines, and appropriate judgment should be exercised by Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives in connection with any dealings in the Securities of the Company.
B5. Compliance to the Code of Practices and Procedures for Fair Disclosure of UPSI
The Company as well as all Insiders shall comply with the Code of Practices and Procedures for Fair Disclosure of UPSI attached hereto as “Annexure B.
B6. Compliance of the Confidentiality Policy
The Company as well as all Insiders shall comply with the Confidentiality Policy on UPSI of the Company attached hereto as “Annexure C”.
B7. Policy and Procedure for inquiry in case of leak or suspected leak of UPSI
The Company upon becoming aware of an incident involving a leak or suspected leak of UPSI, shall initiate appropriate inquiries as per the policy and procedure attached here to as
“Annexure D”.
C. TRADING PLAN
An Insider who may be perpetually in possession of UPSI is entitled to formulate a Trading Plan in line with Regulation 5 of SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015 and present it to the Compliance Officer for review and approval.
The Compliance Officer shall review the Trading Plan to assess whether the plan would have any potential for violation of the Regulations and shall be entitled to seek such express undertakings as may be necessary to enable such assessment and to approve and monitor the implementation of the plan.
D. POTENTIAL CRIMINAL AND CIVILLIABILITY AND/OR DISCIPLINARY ACTION
D1. Criminal and Civil Liability for Insider Trading
Insider Trading attracts severe monetary penalties as well as imprisonment under various Laws. The Law authorizes both regulatory agencies as well as aggrieved third parties to proceed against the person violating Insider Trading Law by way of injunctive action, disgorgement of profits or losses avoided, nullification of the Dealings, etc. It will not make any difference if the Insider has not personally made any profit from the Insider Trading. Liability also extends to any person who trades on “tips” provided by or through an Insider, or who “tips” anyone else.
If any Insider who;
shall be liable to a penalty of up to ₹ 25 Crores or three times the amount of profits made out of Insider Trading, whichever is higher. Insiders may also be liable for improper transactions by any person (commonly referred to as a "tippee") to whom they have disclosed non-public information regarding the Company or to whom they have made recommendations or expressed opinions on the basis of such information as to trading in the Company’s Securities.
The consequences of Insider Trading violations can be severe under U.S. law. The Securities and Exchange Commission takes the position that these laws apply to all transactions in shares or options of companies listed for trading in the U.S. whether or not the actual trades take place in the U.S. This would mean that apart from a penal provision, it also has the power to order for imprisonment.
SEBI and SEC have imposed large penalties on violation of Insider Trading Regulations and even when the disclosing person did not profit from the trading. SEBI, Indian Stock Exchanges, SEC and the NYSE have extensive surveillance facilities that are used to monitor trading in Securities. If a Securities transaction becomes the subject of scrutiny, the transaction could be investigated. As a result, before engaging in any transaction, all Insiders covered by this policy should carefully consider how regulators and others might view the transaction in the event of the slightest suspicion.
In such cases, the Company is required to communicate names of Insiders violating the Code to SEBI who may also question such Insiders for those trades. Insiders shall be solely responsible for any such action taken by SEBI on those Insiders.
D2. Possible Disciplinary Actions
Designated Persons of the Company and its material subsidiaries, who violate this Code shall also (without prejudice to such action being taken against such Designated Persons by regulatory agencies or other third parties under Law) be subject to disciplinary action by the Company in accordance with the guidance provided under the Sanctions Framework adopted by the Board of Directors and as may be determined by the Insider Trading Compliance Committee from time to time. Such action may include monetary penalties, wage freeze, suspension, ineligibility for future participation in the Company’s stock option plans, recovery, and/or termination of
employment. Any amount collected in accordance with the guidance provided under the Sanctions Framework shall be remitted to SEBI for credit to the Investor Protection and Education Fund administered by SEBI under the Act.
D3. Company’s obligation to report violations
In case it is observed by the Company/Compliance Officer that there has been a violation of SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015, the Company shall promptly inform the Indian Stock Exchanges/SEBI of the same, as may be notified from time to time, in such form and such manner as may be specified by SEBI from time to time.
Further, upon becoming aware of an incident involving a leak or suspected leak of UPSI, the Company/Compliance Officer shall promptly inform SEBI of such leaks, inquiries and results of such inquiries.
D4. Protection against retaliation and victimization
Any employee who files a voluntary information disclosure form with SEBI under Chapter IIIA of the Regulations, will be protected against retaliation and victimization as required under the provisions of the said Regulations.
E. DEALING IN THE COMPANY’S SECURITIES BY “DESIGNATED PERSONS AND THEIR IMMEDIATE RELATIVES
E1. Trading Window Closure
Even in a case where the Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives are not in possession of UPSI, Trading in the Securities of the Company by “Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives” is STRICTLY PROHIBITED during the period of a Closed Trading Window as mentioned under this Code or as determined by the Compliance Officer from time to time.
The Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives shall be permitted to deal in the Securities of the Company only and only when the trading window is open by following the procedure envisaged in this Code.
Exception: The prohibition on Trading by Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives during the period of a Closed Trading Window as mentioned in para 2 herein above shall not apply in respect of:
E2. Procedure for dealing in the Company’s securities by “Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives”
In the event of Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives getting possession of or receiving UPSI after the date of submitting the request for either sale or purchase but before the execution of the trade, such persons are required to inform the Compliance Officer of the change in this position and shall refrain from trading in the Securities of the Company till the time such information becomes generally available.
However, the above restrictions shall not apply to a case where a sale has been made by the lender/ bank/ financial institution invoking the rights under the loan agreement pursuant to which securities have been pledged with such lender/ bank/ financial institution.
ii) In addition, the following actions are the Prohibited Actions: Internet message boards, chat rooms and discussion groups – In an effort to prevent unauthorized disclosure of information concerning the Company, Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives are prohibited from posting or responding to any posting located on/in Internet message boards, chat rooms, WhatsApp, discussion groups, and other publicly accessible social media forums/messaging platforms. Violations of this policy can lead to disciplinary action up to, and including, termination of employment.
Whether option exercises and associated transactions are subject to the Closed Trading Window depends on the nature of the exercise transaction and, in particular whether there is an associated sale as explained in the following paragraphs.
F. DISCLOSURES OF TRADING
Initial Disclosure:
Continual Disclosures:
Disclosure by other Connected Persons:
The Compliance Officer under this Code may require any other Connected Person or class of Connected Persons to make disclosures of holdings and trading in securities of the Company as may be determined by the Company in order to monitor compliance with the Regulations.
G. DISCLOSURE BY DESIGNATED PERSONS
Designated Persons shall disclose their names and Permanent Account Number, or any other identifier authorized by law of the following persons to the Company annually and as and when the information changes;
Also, the Designated Persons shall disclose the names of educational institutions from which they have graduated and names of their past employers on a one-time basis.
H. CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS TO THE CODE
For purposes of this Code, the Company considers that the exercise of stock options or awards made by the Wipro Equity Reward Trust (but not the sale of any such shares) is exempt from this Code, since the other party to the transaction is the Company itself or the Trust and the price does not vary with the market but is fixed by the terms of the option agreement or the plan.
I. APPLICABILITY OF CODE TO INSIDE INFORMATION REGARDING OTHER COMPANIES
This Code also applies to UPSI relating to other companies, including the customers, vendors or suppliers (“Business Partners” and/or “Channel Partners”), and companies competing with the Company in large/material deals and/or strategic partnerships, and/or mergers and acquisition transactions of the Company, its subsidiaries and associate companies, when that information is obtained in the course of employment or business.
All Insiders should treat UPSI about the Company’s Business Partners and/or Channel Partners and companies competing with the Company with the same care required with respect to information related directly to the Company.
J. INQUIRIES REGARDING THE CODE
Please direct your questions as to any of the matters discussed in this Code to the Chief Financial Officer or to the Secretarial team of the Company, and they can be reached at corp-secretarial@wipro.com.
J. DOCUMENT HISTORY
ANNEXURE A
DEFINITIONS RELEVANT TO THE CODE
i. Commencing with the sixteenth (16th) day prior to the last day of any financial period and ending with 48 hours after the disclosure of such financial results or any other period as determined by the Insider Trading Compliance Committee from time to time but at least from the end of any financial period till 48 hours after the disclosure of such financial results;
ii. Commencing from the date when the stock exchanges are communicated that the Board of Directors of the Company will be considering declaration of final or interim dividend, issue of rights or bonus issue, buy back, public issue, convertible debentures, etc. and ending 48 hours from the date of making public the said decision of the Board;
iii. As may be specifically notified by the Compliance Officer from time to time.
Further, Unpublished Price Sensitive Information, shall also include the information, obtained in the course of employment or business, that is not generally available which upon becoming generally available (including large deals, mergers and acquisition transactions), is likely to materially affect the price of the securities of the Business Partners and/or Channel Partners and companies competing with the Company.
(2) Words and expressions used and not defined in these regulations but defined in the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (15 of 1992), the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (42 of 1956), the Depositories Act, 1996 (22 of 1996) or the Companies Act, 2013 (18 of 2013) and rules and regulations made thereunder shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in those legislation.
ANNEXURE B
WIPRO’S CODE OF PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES FOR FAIR DISCLOSURE OF UPSI
(This code is being adopted in satisfaction of Regulation 8 (1) of the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015)
A. OBJECTIVE OF THE CODE
The objective of this code is for fair and prompt public disclosure of UPSI by Wipro Limited, (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”) its subsidiaries and associates. Regulation Fair Disclosure Rules released by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission prohibits listed companies from selectively disclosing material non-public information to certain investors or securities professionals without broad prior public disclosure.
B. UNIFORM AND UNIVERSAL DISSEMINATION OF UPSI
The Company has adopted a Disclosure Policy in line with Regulation 30 of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 as amended. The Disclosure Policy defines Material Event and Material Information. Prompt public disclosure of UPSI shall be done no sooner than credible and concrete information comes into being in order to make such information generally available.
Material Events mean events that a reasonable stakeholder dealing with the Company would consider important in deciding to engage and deal with the Company, its services and in its securities. Whether any particular information could be considered Material by a reasonable stakeholder depends on specific circumstances existing at a particular point of time.
Material Information- Material Information shall mean Material Events meeting the requirements of the Disclosure Policy.
When a Material event or Material Information triggers disclosure, the Company shall promptly furnish the Material Information to all stock exchanges where its Securities are listed. Information published on the website of a stock exchange, would ordinarily be considered generally available information.
The information released by the Company to the stock exchanges may also be released to the press for wider circulation. The information released by the Company to the stock exchanges may also be hosted on the Company website www.wipro.com for wider circulation.
C. INTERACTIONS WITH ANALYSTS, INVESTORS AND RESEARCH PERSONNEL
The Company shall ensure that the following guidelines are followed while dealing with analysts and institutional investors.
In order to maintain a transparent and effective two-way communication between a Company, the financial community, the Management shall interact with equity research analysts, investors and other members of the investing community from time to time.
During these interactions, the Company will ensure that no UPSI is disclosed selectively to any one or group of research analysts or investors, to the disadvantage of other stakeholders. In structured communication events, the Company may make arrangements to ensure that the interactions at the event are available to the public simultaneously. This simultaneous access may be achieved by making arrangements for simultaneous audio broadcast of such interaction/ calls over the phone or internet or suitable media with due notice of such interaction. Recording of the proceedings in suitable media will be made available on the official website for a period of 5 years.
Handling of unanticipated questions
The Company shall promptly and carefully deal with analysts’ questions that raise material issues outside the intended scope of discussion. Unanticipated questions may be taken on notice and a considered response given later. If the answer includes UPSI, a public announcement shall be made before responding.
Medium of disclosure/dissemination
Disclosure and dissemination of information may be done through various media so as to achieve maximum reach and quick dissemination. All disclosures to the stock exchanges must be made promptly.
Company’s website
The Company’s website (www.wipro.com) may provide a means of giving a direct access to analyst briefing material, significant background information and questions and answers.
D. PROMPT DISSEMINATION OF UPSI THAT IS DISCLOSED ELECTIVELY
In the event of selective disclosure of UPSI, inadvertently or otherwise the Company shall respond promptly to ensure prompt dissemination of the UPSI as per clause B above.
The Compliance Officer and or Chief Investor Relations Officer shall respond promptly and fairly upon learning of the selective disclosure. In this context, rumors or media speculation (including quotes of unnamed persons) shall not be considered as selective disclosure.
Exception: Sharing of UPSI by an Insider to any person including other Insiders in furtherance of legitimate purposes, performance of duties or discharge of legal obligations.
E. RESONSE TO REGULATORY AUTHORITIES
The Company shall respond appropriately and fairly to queries on news reports and requests for verification of market rumours by regulatory authorities. The Company will endeavor to respond promptly to such requests.
F. OVERSEEING AND COORDINATING DISCLOSURE
The prime responsibility for overseeing and disclosure in the Company shall be on the Compliance Officer designated under Wipro’s Code of Conduct to Regulate, Monitor and Report Trading by Designated Persons and their Immediate Relatives.
The Compliance Officer shall be responsible for;
The Compliance Officer shall approve the disclosure of the information in advance.
Chief Investor Relations Officer or the Company Secretary is designated to deal with dissemination of information and disclosure of UPSI.
The information filed by Company with stock exchanges under a continuous disclosure requirement may be made available on the Company’s website.
G. RESPONDING TO MARKET RUMOURS
All the stock exchanges where the Securities of the Company are listed are required to be informed well in advance the name and address of the Compliance Officer to whom the exchanges may refer any market rumours for verification.
Such a communication to the stock exchanges may include fax number, telephone number and email id of the Compliance Officer.
On receipt of requests from any of the stock exchanges for verification of market rumours, the Compliance Officer shall ascertain the factual position and thereafter appropriately and fairly respond to such queries or requests.
At the time of making such response, the Compliance Officer may decide as to whether a public announcement is necessary for verifying or denying rumours and then make the disclosure.
H. POLICY ON HANDLING OF UPSI AND DETERMINATION OF "LEGITIMATE PURPOSES"
The Company will handle all UPSI on a need-to-know basis and no UPSI shall be communicated to any person except in furtherance of legitimate purposes, performance of duties or discharge of legal obligations.
“Legitimate purpose” shall ordinarily include sharing of any UPSI relating to the Company with any person including other Insiders in the ordinary course of business or for genuine business situations, to perform their duties and discharge their legal obligations.
For the purpose of illustration, the term “legitimate purpose” shall include sharing of UPSI in the ordinary course of business by an Insider with partners, collaborators, lenders, customers, suppliers, merchant bankers, legal advisors, auditors, insolvency professionals
or other advisors or consultants, provided that such sharing has not been carried out to evade or circumvent the prohibitions of the Regulations.
Any person in receipt of UPSI pursuant to a “legitimate purpose” shall be considered an “Insider” and due notice shall be given to such persons to maintain confidentiality of such UPSI in compliance under the Regulations.
As a general principle, sharing of information for any event or transaction that qualifies as UPSI under the Regulations will qualify as a “Legitimate purpose”. Given below is an indicative list of transactions that will qualify as a “Legitimate purpose”:
Additionally, the Compliance Officer may from time to time determine and identify any other information, transaction or event to qualify as a “Legitimate purpose” for the purposes of the Regulations.
DEFINITIONS RELEVANT TO THE CODE
ANNEXURE C
WIPRO’S CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY ON HANDLING UNPUBLISHED PRICE SENSTIVE INFORMATION (UPSI)
This Policy applies to every director / employee of Wipro Limited and its subsidiaries, affiliates, sister concerns, associates and channel partners (hereinafter “WIPRO”) and is in addition to the obligations set out in Wipro’s Confidentiality Policy which can be found on mywipro>MY POLICIES>MY INFORMATION SOURCE
The importance of this Policy can be seen from the following:
Your Responsibility
You are required to maintain as secret and confidential all UPSI. Therefore, during your employment with WIPRO and for a period not less than six months after the termination of your employment with Wipro (irrespective of the circumstances of, or the reasons for, the termination), you are required NOT TO disclose, procure or allow access to any UPSI to and/or from others.
In case of any violation of this Policy or any doubt in relation to this Policy, discuss the matter with the Compliance Officer.
Guidelines for Preservation of UPSI
The Company as well as all Insiders must strictly comply with the following policies for preservation of unpublished price sensitive information;
ANNEXURE D
WIPRO LIMITED
POLICY AND PROCEDURE FOR INQUIRY INTO LEAK OR SUSPECTED LEAK OF UNPUBLISHED PRICE SENSITIVE INFORMATION
A. OBJECTIVE AND PURPOSE
Wipro Limited (“Company”) has formulated a code of conduct to regulate, monitor and report trading by designated persons and their immediate relatives (“Code”). The Code also lays down restrictions on communication or procurement of UPSI.
Securities and Exchange Board of India (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 2015, as amended (“Regulations”) requires listed companies to formulate written policies and procedures for inquiry in case of leak or suspected leak of UPSI.
This policy captures the framework for the Company to inquire and take appropriate actions in the event of it becoming aware of a leak or suspected leak of UPSI and shall be read in conjunction with the Code.
Unless otherwise defined, all capitalized terms used herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them under the Code.
B. CONFIDENTIALITY OF UPSI
An insider is restricted from communicating or procuring any UPSI to or from any person except where such communication is in furtherance of legitimate purposes, performance of duties or discharge of legal obligations.
The Company as well as Insiders must strictly comply with the following policies for preservation of UPSI:
C. INCIDENT AWARENESS AND RESPONSE
Any unauthorized access or sharing of price sensitive information prohibited by law or the Company’s policies may result in leak of UPSI.
Designated Persons and other Insiders are expected to report to the Compliance Officer if they come to know of any incident involving leak or suspected leak of UPSI. In case of any inadvertent disclosure of UPSI by an UPSI holder to any non UPSI holder, it shall immediately be brought to the notice of the function head who will in turn notify the Compliance Officer.
The Company may become aware of an incident involving leak or suspected leak of UPSI either suo motu or through its Ombuds process or through any other mode. Upon becoming aware, it shall be the duty of the Compliance Officer to bring the same to the immediate notice of the Insider Trading Compliance Committee.
Within 7 days of being notified of the incident, the Insider Trading Compliance Committee shall set up a committee (“Inquiry Committee”) to inquire into the incident and submit its report. The Inquiry Committee shall consist of such employees as the Insider Trading Compliance Committee deems fit.
D. INQUIRY PROCESS
The Inquiry Committee shall, having due regard to the circumstances, inquire into the incident to ascertain the source or cause of leak or suspected leak, the persons involved, and necessary corrective steps to be taken to mitigate the associated risks.
The Inquiry Committee may formulate its own procedures and may take one or more of the following actions in connection with the inquiry:
The Inquiry Committee shall complete the inquiry within3 months of its constitution or such further period as the Insider Trading Compliance Committee may decide. Upon completion of inquiry, the Inquiry Committee shall submit its findings and recommendations to the Insider Trading Compliance Committee in writing.
E. OUTCOME OF INQUIRY
The Insider Trading Compliance Committee may, based on the findings and recommendations of the Inquiry Committee, decide appropriate course of action in connection with the incident. Without prejudice to the generality of the aforesaid powers, such actions may include one or more of the following:
F. REPORTING TO AUDIT COMMITTEE
Upon becoming aware of an incident involving leak or suspected leak of UPSI, the Compliance Officer shall inform the Audit Committee. Further, the Compliance Officer shall also share periodic updates with the Audit Committee until closure of the inquiry and completion of necessary remedial measures.
G. CONFIDENTIALITY
Any information about the incident, including identity of persons involved, inquiry, findings, actions taken, etc., shall be confidential and persons associated with the inquiry shall maintain complete confidentiality of the same.
H. REPORTING TO SEBI
Upon becoming aware of any incident involving leak or suspected leak of UPSI, the Compliance Officer shall promptly inform SEBI of such leaks, inquiries and results of such inquiries as required under the Regulations.
I. LIABILITY UNDER LAW
Any action(s) taken by the Company in connection with an inquiry shall be without prejudice to any other action that the Company or any other aggrieved third party may take in accordance with law. Further, SEBI or any other regulatory agency may also take necessary actions under law to proceed against the persons who have violated the law.