Compliance: The Foundation of Our Business
Telekom's business is built on integrity, respect, and compliance with the law. That is why compliance is so important to us.
Put simply, compliance means clearly following rules and doing the right thing. At Deutsche Telekom, compliance means complying with legal requirements, internal company policies, and ethical principles.
Deutsche Telekom's entire business is built on these principles. Everyone has a role to play in putting them into practice. This benefits the company itself, its employees, customers, suppliers, and shareholders.
Compliance organizational structure: Avoid risks – safeguard business success
To help ensure integrity and legal compliance across the Group at all times and address compliance risks effectively, Telekom has a comprehensive Compliance Management System (CMS). Responsibility for this CMS rests with the highest level of management. Deutsche Telekom's Compliance function provides employees with guidance and makes mechanisms and tools available to prevent, detect, and pursue violations. The Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) of Deutsche Telekom AG and the Group Compliance Management unit are responsible for designing, further developing, and implementing the CMS across the Group. Dedicated Compliance Officers work within each operational segment and National Company. Their role is to implement the Compliance Management System and compliance objectives locally.
The global compliance network and close international collaboration are important factors in helping our employees around the world follow our rules.
These are the core elements of our Compliance Management System:
Prevent
Our primary focus is on preventing potential misconduct. Through training and innovative measures such as interactive discussion formats, we promote compliance awareness among our employees.
Employees can also access the "AskMe" advisory service. There, they receive guidance and support to help them act appropriately in uncertain situations.
Detect
Deutsche Telekom has established a whistleblower portal. Anyone can use it to submit anonymous reports of potential compliance violations. Specially trained employees investigate and review the information in strict confidence. We also use regular audits to make our business processes secure and transparent.
Respond
We have clear rules about what is permitted and what is not. We value behavior that follows our rules and values, while we do not tolerate misconduct. We consistently investigate misconduct and take appropriate action.
Deutsche Telekom was among the first DAX companies to have its Compliance Management System regularly reviewed externally. These reviews have repeatedly confirmed that the system is appropriate and effectively implemented.
