MNKD 2018 Proxy Statement

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES AND BOARD AND COMMITTEE MATTERS I NDEPENDENCE OF THE B OARD OF D IRECTORS As required under the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) listing standards, a majority of the members of a listed company’s board of directors must qualify as “independent,” as affirmatively determined by the board of directors. Our Board of Directors consults with the Company’s counsel to ensure that the Board’s determinations are consistent with all relevant securities and other laws and regulations regarding the definition of “independent,” including those set forth in pertinent listing standards of Nasdaq, as in effect time to time. Consistent with these considerations, after review of all relevant transactions or relationships between each director or any of his family members and the Company, its senior management and its independent auditors, the Board of Directors affirmatively has determined that all of the Company’s directors other than Mr. Castagna is independent within the meaning of the applicable Nasdaq listing standards. Mr. Castagna was determined not to be independent under applicable Nasdaq listing standards due to his position as an executive officer of our company. In making this determination, the Board found that none of the directors has a material or other disqualifying relationship with the Company. I NFORMATION R EGARDING THE B OARD OF D IRECTORS AND ITS C OMMITTEES We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of business conduct and ethics. Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and adheres to corporate governance guidelines to assure that the Board will have the necessary authority and practices in place to review and evaluate our business operations as needed and to make decisions that are independent of our management. The guidelines are also intended to align the interests of directors and management with those of our stockholders. The charters for various Board committees set forth the practices the Board will follow with respect to board composition and selection, board meetings and involvement of senior management, Chief Executive Officer performance evaluation and succession planning, and board committees and compensation. Our Board of Directors adopted these measures to, among other things, reflect changes to the Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules adopted to implement provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, as well as the charters for each committee of the Board, may be viewed on our website at www.mannkindcorp.com. B OARD L EADERSHIP S TRUCTURE Our Board of Directors is currently chaired by Mr. Kresa. As a general policy, our Board of Directors believes that separation of the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer reinforces the independence of the Board of Directors from management, creates an environment that encourages objective oversight of management’s performance and enhances the effectiveness of the Board of Directors as a whole. As such, Mr. Castagna serves as our Chief Executive Officer while Mr. Kresa serves as our Chairman of the Board of Directors but is not an officer. We expect and intend the positions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer to continue to be held by separate individuals in the future. If in the future we conclude there is a compelling reason for the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer to be occupied by the same individual, we would expect to appoint one of our other directors to the position of lead independent director to help reinforce the independence of the Board from management. R OLE OF THE B OARD IN R ISK O VERSIGHT One of the key functions of our Board of Directors is informed oversight of the Company’s risk management process. The Board of Directors does not have a standing risk management committee, but rather administers this oversight function directly through the Board as a whole, as well as through various standing committees that address risks inherent in their respective areas of oversight. In particular, our Board is 10