Corporate compliance

HUGO BOSS AG and the companies of the Group operate in different countries and regions, and, accordingly, different legal environments. At HUGO BOSS, corporate compliance in the sense of measures designed to ensure compliance of the Group and its companies with laws and regulations issued by public authorities, internal corporate guidelines and codes of conduct that the Group is committed to observing, is a key task of management. This includes antitrust and anti-corruption regulations. HUGO BOSS AG expects legally unobjectionable conduct from all employees in their daily work.

A compliance department that reports directly to the chief financial officer as chief compliance officer supports the Managing Board's monitoring of an effective compliance management. The central compliance office and compliance officers in the Group companies ensure that the compliance program is implemented throughout the Group and that it has been continually enhanced since its introduction. The Audit Committee is regularly informed about the compliance office's activities.

To ensure the legally unobjectionable conduct of employees and to establish a corresponding basis, HUGO BOSS has summarized principles of conduct applicable throughout the Group in a code of conduct and more in-depth corporate guidelines. The code of conduct and the corporate guidelines mainly focus on rules on conduct in competition, on avoiding conflicts of interest, on the appropriate handling of company information, on ensuring fair and respectful working conditions and on anti-corruption. HUGO BOSS does not tolerate conscious misconduct and persistent infringements of the code of conduct.

Employees are continually familiarized with the rules of the code of conduct and the corporate guidelines and thus sensitized to the observance of compliance rules. To this end, HUGO BOSS holds classroom training and has also set up a worldwide e-learning program that the employees concerned have to complete regularly. The e-learning program is being rolled out to all subsidiaries of HUGO BOSS.

Employees can can obtain advice on issues concerning the correct conduct of employees from their supervisors and the compliance officer. As a supplementary reporting channel, HUGO BOSS also established a global ombudsman system. Employees, but also third parties (suppliers, customers), can confidentially notify an ombudsman if there are indications of fraud, infringements of antitrust law or breaches of compliance guidelines. If desired, it also possible to remain anonymous.