It is a fundamental principle for Demant to compete for business on fair terms and solely on the merits of our services. Demant is committed to avoiding the use of corruption, wherever we do business. Through anti-corruption risk assessment, we have identified the functions that are exposed to the highest risk in respect of corruption and bribery. These, among others, include employees that are in direct contact with public officials, for instance by participating in negotiations for public tenders on Demant’s behalf.

We have implemented policies and guidelines to mitigate corruption risks throughout our organisation. This includes an Anti-Corruption Policy, Gifts & Hospitality Guidelines, containing country-specific appendices with local monetary limits and a Third Party Compliance Code, which contains a section on anti-corruption, and which is included as an appendix in contracts with third parties.

We ensure that all employees are aware that they can safely report concerns through our whistleblower hotline. We have had several global campaigns promoting awareness about the hotline and, most recently, awareness was created through our global Code of Conduct and Whistleblower e-learning launched in H1 2024 in 11 languages.

Among other things, the e-learning informs the employees about the whistleblower hotline, how to report and what they can report and provides information about our anti-retaliation principles. In 2024, all employees globally were asked to complete the e-learning, and we plan to relaunch the e-learning every three years. In addition, the business ethics champions appointed in each subsidiary globally help raise awareness about the Code of Conduct and anti-corruption policy and guidelines, which apply to all employees globally, thereby assisting in the prevention of corruption and bribery through training.

In 2024, 58% of all Demant employees completed the e-learning. 76% of highly exposed employees, who are the target group for our 2030 target, completed the training.