Complying with all laws, rules and regulations and conducting business in accordance with high ethical standards is at the heart of everything we do at CMS Energy Corporation and Consumers Energy Company. We are committed to ensuring that our Boards of Directors, employees and suppliers understand the requirements pertaining to their specific job duties, as well as, our standards of conducting business with integrity.
We strive to instill a strong ethical culture throughout our companies. We believe that compliance with laws, rules, regulations and policies and reinforcement of ethical behavior starts in the individual business units. Ethical conduct, sound business practices and lawful activities are a part of our everyday business activities.
Our Boards of Directors have appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who has responsibility for coordinating, monitoring and reporting to them on compliance matters for our companies. The Codes of Conduct and Guide to Ethical Business Behavior are the backbone of our compliance and ethics program. The Codes of Conduct are not simply a set of rules, but set forth the Guiding Principles of our corporate culture of ethical behavior.