Committed to compliance and control
Maintaining a robust compliance and control culture is another important way in which we gain the trust of clients, as well as investors and regulators. At Credit Suisse, we strive to conduct our activities according to the highest standards of due diligence and in strict compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in all our markets globally. We expect each employee to be personally accountable for ensuring the activities within their remit are compliant with our internal rules and policies and for reporting or escalating issues of concern.
Conduct and Ethics Standards
The way we interact with clients, external stakeholders and each other is of key importance for the delivery of our strategy. At the same time, shareholders, clients, employees, legislators and policymakers are focusing increasingly on the ethics, behavior and integrity of banks. With the introduction of a set of six Conduct and Ethics Standards across the bank in 2017, we have sought to ensure a common understanding and consistent expectations in respect of our culture and conduct. The Conduct and Ethics Standards are underpinned by a governance framework consisting of a Group Conduct and Ethics Board (CEB) chaired by two of the Group’s Executive Board members, as well as dedicated divisional CEBs and a joint CEB for our Corporate Functions. Our Conduct and Ethics Standards are sponsored by the Board of Directors and the Executive Board of Credit Suisse, which underscores their strategic importance to the bank. While continuing to reinforce the behavior we expect from employees, we achieved a solid baseline of awareness and understanding of the Conduct and Ethics Standards in 2018 as a result of consistent, sustained communication – both on a top-down basis from the Executive Board and through divisional and functional face-to-face dialogue. Our Conduct and Ethics Standards are an integral part of our core HR processes, including recruitment, onboarding and performance management. While reinforcing and strengthening the way we reward positive conduct and commitment, as demonstrated by the Credit Suisse Employee Awards, we also continue to address negative behavior through our repositioned and targeted disciplinary process.
Additionally, in 2018 we appointed a conduct and ethics ombudsperson within Credit Suisse who serves as an immediate point of escalation for any potential sexual harassment issues. This ensures appropriate senior management awareness and will have a direct impact on our ability to promote a culture of equal opportunity and fair treatment within the organization.
Client skills and compliance
Credit Suisse offers employees a wide range of training programs involving traditional classroom instruction, e-learning, video-based courses and online learning communities. Additionally, employees can complete short training programs on their mobile devices, enhancing the user experience. Each employee completed at least four mandatory training modules in the course of the year, depending on his or her area of responsibility. In 2018, we launched over 60 new mandatory e-learning programs on regulatory topics such as financial crime, cyber security and information awareness, as well as compliance with our Conduct and Ethics Standards.
Our client-facing employees complete courses on cross-border activities and on EU requirements such as the EU Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II). In addition, a new course on general data protection was conducted to train all relevant personnel before the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in May 2018.
Talent development key figures
In 2018, we offered our employees around the globe a wide range of specialist courses and trainings.
