The company
At ALSO we want to improve people's quality of life with the help of technology, based on our ecosystem.
ALSO introduced the MORE strategy in 2011.
The company stands for growth that is reproducible, scalable and profitable, as well as ethical and responsible toward current and future stakeholders.
Four activities help ensure that we achieve these goals:
M for Maintain stands for securing what has already been achieved, further expanding the ecosystem, and maintaining the dominant position in developed markets.
O for Optimize refers to the continuous optimization of business models and processes to increase ALSO’s operational excellence and financial success.
R stands for Reinvent. ALSO aims to continue growing with the transactional business model while also significantly increasing the share of net sales generated with solution- and service-oriented business models.
E means Enhance, strengthening through acquisitions. This is primarily about expanding ALSO’s position in markets where it is already a leading player and establishing new business models in markets where ALSO does not yet have a dominant position, developing these, and gaining a foothold in new markets with the existing business models.
For us, responsible corporate management means growing sustainably and profitably, acting ethically, and improving people’s quality of life with technology.
This encompasses environmental issues such as CO2 emissions and avoiding waste, as well as social issues such as data security and passing on digital expertise across all generations.
We have defined four activities that together form our LESS sustainability strategy.
- LOWER: The aim is to reduce our CO2 footprint using measures such as lowering energy consumption and heating costs, switching to electricity from sustainable energy sources, and targeted waste management.
- ENHANCE: To encourage responsible use of resources at the company and further reduce our environmental footprint, we are enhancing our sustainability reporting. For this purpose, we set up a system that first identified all relevant areas for ALSO (materialities) in an analysis and then underpinned these with a monitoring and reporting matrix.
- SECURE: Cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges of increasing digitalization. This relates to both the security of data traffic in the cloud and the protection of individuals’ privacy. This also includes responsible use of data on the basis of the GDPR. The security of business (risk management and compliance) in the interests of sustainable corporate development and the resulting security for employees and customers are also important elements.
- SUSTAIN: We actively contribute to making skills and knowledge about the use of digital technologies available to civil society, and especially to children and young people. To this end, we get involved in local initiatives in our national companies.
Walter P. J. Droege
Member and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of ALSO Holding AG since 2011 and Chairman of the Board Committee.
Peter Athanas
Member of the Board of Directors of ALSO Holding AG since 2014 and Chairman of the Compensation and Nomination Committee.
Rudolf Marty
Member of the Board of Directors of ALSO Holding AG since 1993 and Chairman of the Audit Committee.
Gustavo Möller-Hergt
Member of the Board of Directors of ALSO Holding AG and Chairman since 2014. Chief Executive Officer of the ALSO Group and since 2011 a member of the Group Management.
Gustavo Möller-Hergt
Member of the Board of Directors of ALSO Holding AG and Chairman since 2014. Chief Executive Officer of the ALSO Group and since 2011 a member of the Group Management.
Ralf Retzko
Chief Financial Officer of the ALSO Group and since 2011 a member of the Group Management.
Thomas Meyerhans
General Counsel and Senior Vice President Human Resources and since 2020 a member of the Group Management.
Compliance
Our primary goal is not to meet minimum legal requirements but to be among the best in exercising entrepreneurial responsibility.
The attorney Dr. Carsten Thiel von Herff is the ombudsman of the ALSO Group for compliance issues. The ombudsman is available to staff members and third parties as an independent, external contact for information regarding violations of the ALSO code of conduct, particularly in cases of criminal acts or agreements restricting competition
Dr. Thiel von Herff is professionally obligated to maintain confidentiality; upon request, he will also investigate complaints/tips provided anonymously. The information will be forwarded to ALSO only after consultation with the provider of the information. The objective is to assist the company in handling compliance violations without the person providing information about the violations having to fear adverse effects.
Ombudsman
Dr. Carsten Thiel von Herff
c/o Thiel von Herff Rechtsanwälte
Detmolder Strasse 30
DE-33604 Bielefeld
Phone: +49 521 557333-0
FAX: +49 521 55733-44
ombudsman@thielvonherff.de
compliance@also.com
Code of Conduct
The Code of Conduct is the foundation of our corporate ethics. It guides all our commercial activities and daily interactions. Our Code of Conduct can be summarised by the following basic rules:
Avoid Conflicting Competition
We avoid entering into a conflict of interest to the detriment of ALSO, in particular, it is not permitted to engage in activities that compete with ALSO.
Agreements and Advantages
We follow the laws of our respective jurisdiction as well as internal regulations and commitments. In particular this applies to the prohibition of entering into anti-competitive agreements and the prohibition of accepting or offering improper advantages.
Human Dignity & Human Rights
We respect human dignity and human rights. Every employee at ALSO receives the same opportunities without discrimination.
Confidentiality
We keep confidential information like business, financial or technical data of ALSO and other confidential internal documents and data secret.
Company Reputation
We are asked to assist in the enforcement of the ALSO principles of conduct and to pay attention to the company’s reputation.