Audi 2013 Annual Report Download - page 209

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT
COMPLIANCE // RISK MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT REPORT
206
A
COMPLIANCE
Ensuring that corporate decisions are made in accordance with
the relevant laws, internal rules and values is of fundamental
importance to the management of AUDI AG. In light of this, the
Audi Group has developed a preventive approach to the concept
of compliance, setting up its Governance, Risk & Compliance
area several years ago now. As part of this approach, commercial
and legal issues are bracketed together both organizationally
and thematically. This area is led by the Chief Compliance
Officer, who reports directly to the Chairman of the Board of
Management. His main remit is to advise and support the Board
of Management as a whole, as well as coordinating all necessary
measures to assure compliance. A Board Directive provides the
basis for this. Against this background, the Chief Compliance
Officer also reports on behalf of the Board of Management of
AUDI AG to the Audit Committee of the Supervisory Board on
compliance-related issues. In order to ensure that compliance
is more firmly anchored in the individual divisions of AUDI AG,
each division now has its own Risk Compliance Coordinator,
who acts as a multiplier in relation to compliance issues.
In 2013, compliance activities were further intensified once
again at a national and international level. The main focus of
the compliance program was, in particular, preventive mea-
sures in relation to anti-corruption and cartel law, with the aim
of guaranteeing that they are adhered to over the long term.
On-site training sessions were held at the Ingolstadt and
Neckarsulm plants, providing employees with subject-specific
information material, which can also be accessed via the intra-
net. The internal communications campaign “Protect what
you love” was continued, incorporating brochures, newsletters
and accompanying information on the intranet. Induction events
were staged for new employees, providing information on the
Audi Code of Conduct and fundamental compliance issues.
Compliance activities involving the subsidiaries were also fur-
ther stepped up. Numerous staff training sessions on relevant
compliance issues were held at the various subsidiaries.
AUDI AG is connected to the Volkswagen Group’s global anti-
corruption system. Independent lawyers, acting as ombuds-
men, are the points of contact for any information, including
information provided anonymously. In conjunction with the
Volkswagen Group’s Anti-Corruption Officer, this creates the
structural framework required to detect and prevent corrup-
tion. In addition, all employees may contact the Governance,
Risk & Compliance area for advice at any time.
In the context of the preventive approach to compliance, the
early identification, assessment and management of risks is a
particular focus, be it in the form of interviews in the divisions
and subsidiaries or through standardized risk surveys.
Training in cartel law will be provided again in 2014, with the
provision of advisory services on anti-corruption also continuing.
Further components of the compliance program for 2014
include the introduction of a business partner check and anti-
money laundering measures. The internal communications
campaign will also be further developed across a range of
media, and extended to cover additional compliance issues.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The Audi Group has set itself the goal of managing the Company
in a value-oriented and forward-looking way in the interests of
its stakeholders, and, in particular, adopting a careful approach
to risks. A Group-wide risk management system and internal
control system have therefore been in place for years now, based
on the internationally recognized standard of the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
As well as identifying and assessing risk, these systems also
encompass the definition and implementation of internal con-
trols along the entire value chain. The risk management system
and the internal control system help the Audi Group to comply
with the requirements made of it at both a corporate and a stat-
utory level. Group-wide guidelines and standards are anchored,
for example, in an internal Board Directive, and ensure that risks
are recorded and assessed uniformly across Audi. The content
and methodology of the risk management system are commu-
nicated in a way that is tailored to specific target groups through
training sessions, information events and internal communica-
tion media such as the Audi intranet.