ERGO Corporate Governance

Corporate Governance stands for the responsible management and monitoring of a company with a view to creating long-term added value.

ERGO views good corporate governance as a key challenge and an essential prerequisite in order to create long-term value for all relevant parties.

Corporate Governance

A large number of legal and corporate regulations set the framework for the responsible management of the company.

Compliance at ERGO

ERGO’s Compliance Management System ensures the observance of statutory and corporate regulations within the organisation, thus protecting customers’ interests and avoiding risks to the Company.

Regulations and Guidelines

As a financial services provider, we rely to a great extent on trust. In order to prevent any - however unintentional - reputational damage, clear rules of conduct for all members of the Board of Management, employees and self-employed sales staff are required.

However, it is our common understanding that we do not just wish to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. We feel committed to high ethical standards and principles.

  • In order to make our views of an integral corporate conduct transparent, we have defined and laid them down in binding Codes of Conduct. The Code of Conduct for all salaried employees, senior executives and members of the Boards of Management of ERGO Group AG and its German and international subsidiaries provides guidance for legally impeccable behaviour based on ethical principles.

    With the Code of Conduct, we express our understanding of value-based management. The Code also includes a procedure to report any contraventions of law in order to be able to immediately act on any possible misconduct.

    Code of Conduct for staff, senior executives and management of ERGO and its companies:
    ERGO Code of Conduct (PDF)

    A separate Code of Conduct for the self-employed sales agents of German ERGO companies has been laid down jointly by their representative associations and ERGO. The rules mark the commitment of both ERGO and its sales partners to attach the utmost importance to the quality of business, advice to customers and dealings with each other within their cooperation.

    Code of Conduct for self-employed sales agents of German ERGO Companies:
    ERGO Code of Conduct for Sales Agents (PDF)

    The ERGO Group signed up to the Code of Conduct for Sales Agents of the German Insurance Association (GDV) on 1 July 2013, making it one of the first insurers to do so. It concerns all German subsidiaries selling insurance products.
    GDV Code of Conduct for Sales Agents (German website)

    The ERGO Supplier Code of Conduct is designed to help ensure that all third-party suppliers providing goods and/or services to a ERGO company meet our standards for protection of the environment, fair and respectful treatment of their workforce, safe working conditions, zero tolerance regarding corruption, and ethical business practices.
    ERGO Supplier Code of Conduct (PDF) 

  • The Guidelines include clear instructions and offer assistance on what to heed when organising incentive trips and events in order to ensure that incentives are in accordance with ERGO's guiding principles and the Company's objectives.
    The Guidelines are addressed to all members of the Boards and salaried in-house and field staff of ERGO Versicherungsgruppe AG and its affiliated companies in Germany and internationally. The text explicitly states if and when self-employed sales agents are addressed, too.

    The Guidelines substantiate the ERGO Codes of Conduct and includes mandatory rules on selecting, planning and organising incentives and incentive events.

    Guidelines on Incentives (PDF file)

  • Companies throughout the world increasingly have to contend with the threat of fraud. It can take many forms, ranging from straight loss of assets (e.g. due to theft, fraud or embezzlement) to corruption (e.g. bribery) and manipulation of accounts (e.g. deliberate understatement of reserves). The risk of falling victim to fraud increases with a company’s size and the complexity of its organisation, processes, systems and products. The financial loss for a company can be considerable, and the consequences for its reputation devastating.

    Total protection against crime is not possible, but much can be done to reduce the risk. In ERGO’s Code of Conduct, the Board of Management sets out the main rules and principles for lawful and responsible behaviour by legal representatives, managers and all other employees. As a complement to the Code of Conduct, the Anti-Fraud-Management Directive lays down rules and principles aimed at ensuring that ERGO Group companies have appropriate and effective systems in place for preventing, detecting and reacting to fraudulent activity.

    Anti-Fraud-Management Directive (PDF file)

  • The German Stock Corporation Act requires stock corporations to have Articles of Association. They determine the company’s legal name and the registered seat, as well as the amount of share capital and the number of members on the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board.

    ERGO Articles of Association (PDF file)
  • ERGO and the companies belonging to the Group acknowledge their responsibility for environmental protection and sustainability. The sustained protection of environment and society is an investment into the future. We consider environmental protection as an essential part of our corporate governance. Our aim is to protect and preserve the environment and the natural basis of life of today’s and future generations.

    ERGO Environmental Guidelines (PDF file)
  • Since 2017, Munich Re publishes a separate non-financial statement for the Group as a whole, including ERGO, in accordance with Sections 289b (3) and 315 (b) of the German Commercial Code (HGB).

    Non-financial statement Munich Re

    You can find detailed non-financial information on ERGO under “Sustainability Reporting”.

    ERGO Sustainability Reporting

German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act

ERGO is expressly committed to respecting and upholding human rights in accordance with international standards. We take our corresponding due diligence obligations seriously and have established processes to identify possible risks of human rights being impaired and to manage them with appropriate measures.

EU Disclosure Regulation

Transparency about aspects of the sustainability of our products and the underlying investment decision-making processes – also in the context of investment and insurance consulting – is of particular concern to us. In accordance with EU Disclosure Regulation, we have therefore summarised all the necessary information for our clients.

Responsibility at ERGO

ERGO and its Group companies are committed to acting responsibly and with consideration for all stakeholders. We uphold sustainability in all our business dealings, supporting our employees, protecting the environment and supporting future generations. Our Sustainability Report provides information on how we understand corporate responsibility.