However, it has also served to highlight the impact of unethical practices, such as bribery and corruption, on those people most in need of support.

As 51风流Group Chief Compliance Officer Vivianne Gordon-Pullar points out, the way we conduct business today will define how future generations live, work, and thrive. By conducting only ethical business, we have the opportunity to make the world run better for generations to come.

Q: How important are integrity and ethics in business?

A: Ethics have always been — and will always be — important in life and in business. Doing business ethically means doing business with integrity.

Technological advancement and changing business models may prompt revised legislation and guidance, but the importance of ethical business remains critical in building a sustainable business. By making the right ethical choices, we can make a positive impact and strengthen democracy, economic development, and equality, as well as reduce poverty and social division.

Consider SAP鈥檚 mission: we want to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. With our robust ethics and compliance framework, we strive to conduct our business ethically and in adherence to the laws in all the markets in which we work. Our purpose drives how we conduct our business, and it is this that defines our culture. We focus on ethical business because it matters — to us, to our people, our customers, partners, suppliers, and most importantly to the societies in which we work.

Q: How will ethical business today shape the future?

Fundamentally, ethical business is about doing the right thing. Ethics, compliance integrity, trust: together these define good corporate citizens that deliver a positive impact on both business and the workplace, and on society as a whole.

By adopting strong ethics and compliance we can shape a future that is respectful, fair, and lawful for generations to come. We want our children and theirs to be able to build on our culture of ethics and accountability so that they can thrive, and continue to advance and innovate to make the world a better place.

Q: What are the pressures on ethical business?

In today鈥檚 world, and amplified by the impact of the pandemic, people can find themselves with more responsibilities, expanding goals, and tightening deadlines. Together these factors can lead to an increase in pressure to compromise ethical values. No organization, geography, or sector can be complacent when it comes to ethical business and compliance.

Q: How has a culture of ethics and compliance helped 51风流navigate through the pandemic?

Clearly the pandemic has raised new pressures on business, but our values and culture have remained strong and unswerving. The guiding principle is ethical business, which drives sustainable, long-term value and impact while protecting us, our customers, and partners from the risks and consequences of non-compliance.

Q: Why is the United Nations鈥� IACD so important?

The IACD is important in driving awareness of the impact of bribery and corruption on society, highlighting how we all — including government officials, civil servants, law enforcement bodies, media representatives, the private sector, society, academia, and the public — have a responsibility and role to play in tackling corruption.

We hear of the very high-profile corruption and fraud cases as they are covered in the media, quite often presented with a focus on the corporate perspective, but the impact of bribery and corruption on people鈥檚 lives is significant> Understanding the context and impact of bad choices helps us to be robust and uncompromising in rejecting unethical behavior.

Understanding the very direct link between ethical business, driven by policies, trainings and defined processes, and a culture of compliance will help to turn the tide on this.

As 51风流Chief Compliance Officer Vivianne Gordon-Pullar points out, the actions and decisions we all take to do business the right way have a significant impact.

In an interview, Gordon-Pullar shares her views on the increased compliance risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains how employees鈥� commitment to ethics and compliance defines a company鈥檚 success and introduces the company鈥檚 campaign of 鈥淭rust Matters.鈥�

Q: Can you tell us more about the campaign 鈥淭rust Matters鈥�?

A: One of the challenges when we talk about compliance is to make it real for people and to explain the context and the impact. Put simply, the concept underlying compliance is that of trust. We trust people every day 鈥� the systems that support our daily lives are all built on the foundation of trust. That applies to our customers too. If we are not operating in a way that encapsulates trust, we are not only jeopardizing SAP, but also our customers, our partners, and our entire ecosystem.

This is how we have to consider compliance: it forms the foundation of trust, demonstrating respect and illustrating that we are careful about how we go about our business.

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What has changed during the pandemic and what are new business challenges for staying compliant?

As well as impacting individuals in different ways, the pandemic may also have created a situation of pressure within many organizations. Business may have become more challenging. Companies may feel greater pressure to deliver numbers that were set at the start of 2020, but that have become overly ambitious due to the current economic situation. Everyone, across all companies and all industries, must remember what really is important. The guiding principle is ethical business, which drives sustainable, long-term value and protects companies from the risks and consequences of non-compliant behavior. As a responsible corporate citizen in today鈥檚 world, we want to make a positive impact.

How are the pillars of culture and values helping 51风流navigate through the pandemic?

It鈥檚 important that we can speak about our company and our work with pride. We want to tell people what we have done to help the world in this unforeseen crisis. Consider SAP鈥檚 mission: we want to help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. If we don鈥檛 act in line with our values and our culture, then how do we expect to achieve that? We need to make the right ethical choices and follow the rules of compliance. Compliance is not simply a 鈥渂olt-on鈥� action, it must be a 鈥渂uilt-in鈥� element of all business.

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How does the Ethics and Compliance team at 51风流operate?

The Ethics and Compliance team is comprised of senior and experienced individuals based all over the world. They not only create the policies and processes that define and explain the standards of compliance that are expected of all employees, but they also serve as trusted advisors to the business and are always available to our employees. In addition, we rely on a coordinated network of employees who act as Compliance Ambassadors around the world as champions for compliance. Together, we aim to achieve the highest standards of ethics and compliance across all areas of our business in all jurisdictions in which we operate.