HUGO BOSS considers governance and compliance risks, IT risks, and personnel risks to be among its main organizational risks.
Governance and compliance risks
All HUGO BOSS employees are required to comply with the Code of Conduct applicable throughout the Group and the compliance rules applicable in specific areas. The Group companies are subject to regular risk analyses and detailed audits where applicable. Adherence to the compliance rules is monitored by the central Compliance department and breaches are reported accordingly to the Managing Board and Supervisory Board. Corporate Governance and the Corporate Governance Statement, Combined Non-Financial Statement, Anti-Corruption and Bribery Matters
Breaches of data protection laws represent a substantial compliance risk. The Group counters this risk using a system that complies with data protection laws and through appropriate technical and organizational measures. All employees are educated on data protection matters through activity-related training courses, the obligation to adhere to the Code of Conduct, and a separate duty of confidentiality. All internal processes and systems for processing personal data are measured on an ongoing basis and continuously improved to ensure compliance with legal data protection requirements. Combined Non-Financial Statement, Social Matters
IT risks
Smooth business operations with efficient processes are strongly dependent on a powerful and secure IT infrastructure uniformly implemented throughout the Group. Serious failures of the Group’s IT system may result in significant business interruptions. In addition, cyberattacks can lead to major and long-lasting system interruptions, loss of confidential data, and the ensuing loss of reputation and liability claims. A long-lasting system interruption might have a significant impact on business operations, for example on the processing of goods in our warehouses. In order to reduce these risks, preventative system maintenance and security checks are carried out by the central IT department on a regular basis, multilevel security and antivirus concepts are implemented, and job-related access rights are assigned. In addition to this, access control systems, daily data backups of the Group-wide ERP system, an uninterrupted power supply, as well as regular online training sessions for staff all aim to increase IT security within the Group. The Internal Audit department regularly monitors the security and reliability of the IT systems as well as the effectiveness of the implemented control mechanisms.
HUGO BOSS anticipates that global cyberattacks may continue to increase in the long term, especially in the context of mounting geopolitical tensions and the availability of new technologies based on artificial intelligence. The impact is expected to further increase as dependence on technology grows, bringing with it unknown but severe consequences. HUGO BOSS consequently regards them as an “emerging risk.” With the objective of further improving the ability to respond to potential cyberattacks, the Company aims to keep working on the continuous development of its information security program. In this context, HUGO BOSS has implemented a dedicated security information and event management system, which is intended to provide a complete overview of the Group’s IT security.
Personnel risks
Successfully executing our “CLAIM 5” strategy and achieving our 2025 financial ambition is largely dependent on the know-how, commitment, and performance of our global workforce. Ensuring a fair and value-based corporate culture is intended to provide a strong foundation for this. Personnel risks mainly relate to recruitment bottlenecks, shortages of specialists, and excessive employee turnover. HUGO BOSS counters these risks with a forward-looking personnel planning, comprehensive development and training measures, the continuous development of its performance-based compensation system, as well as flexible working models to better combine work and private life and to promote employer attractiveness. To measure employee engagement on a regular basis, HUGO BOSS conducts an annual employee survey in cooperation with Great Place to Work Germany. In this context, in 2023, the overall satisfaction amounted to 77% (2022: 78%). The Company has set itself the goal of maintaining a strong level of at least 75% of overall satisfaction also in the years to come. Employees and Teams