In addition to the Corporate Governance principles, Hannover Rück SE has adopted a more extensive Code of Conduct (www. hannover-re.com/50943/code-of-conduct.pdf). Complementing our corporate strategy and the Corporate Governance principles, it establishes rules governing integrity in the behaviour of all employees of Hannover Rück SE and is intended to help members of staff cope with the ethical and legal challenges that they face as part of day-to-day work. The rules defined in the Code of Conduct reflect the high ethical and legal standards that guide our actions worldwide. It is our belief that integrity in dealings with our stakeholders constitutes the foundation of a successful enterprise. In both our strategic planning and our day-to-day business activities, we therefore aspire to consistently apply the highest ethical and legal standards; for our actions and the way in which every single one of us presents and conducts himself or herself are crucial in shaping the image of Hannover Rück SE.

Sustainability of enterprise management

The strategic orientation of Hannover Rück SE towards sustainability constitutes an increasingly important element of the enterprise strategy. The aim is to achieve commercial success on the basis of a solid business model in accordance with the needs of our staff and the company as well as with an eye to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. We strive to reduce as far as possible the greenhouse gas emissions produced by our day-to-day business activities in order to come closer to reaching our goal of carbon neutrality. In so doing, we are demonstrably taking responsibility for a sustainable future. In 2011 we defined for the first time a concrete Sustainability Strategy setting out our primary objectives in this field. Not only that, in the year under review we again presented our Sustainability Report in the form of a so-called “GRI Report” (Global Reporting Initiative). Further information on the topic of sustainability is provided on our website (www.hannover-re.com/60729/sustainability).

Three of the members of the Supervisory Board in the year under review were women. In addition, one of the members of the Supervisory Board’s Nomination Committee is a woman. The programme for the advancement of women that had been implemented within the workforce in 2012 encourages the fostering of promising young female professionals through a variety of targeted measures and supports enlargement of the proportion of women in management positions.

Targets pursuant to §§ 76 Para. 4, 111 Para. 5 Stock Corporation Act

In accordance with the Act for the Equal Participation of Women and Men in Leadership Positions in the Private Sector and the Public Sector, the Supervisory Board of the company was required by 30 September 2015 to define a target quota for women on the Supervisory Board and Executive Board of the company in the period until 30 June 2017. After extensive deliberations the Supervisory Board decided, in due consideration of the term of office of the Supervisory Board and the current mandates and contracts of service of the members of the Executive Board, to define within the specified period – without prejudice to possible decisions to the contrary that may be taken as warranted when the time comes – a target quota for women on the Supervisory Board of 30% and an anticipated continued quota of zero for the Executive Board. Should events result in the currently unforeseeable appointment of a new member of the Executive Board, the Supervisory Board shall give preference to a potential female candidate in case of equal personal aptitude and professional qualifications. The company’s Executive Board defined a target quota of 16.8% with the same deadline for the two levels of senior management below the Executive Board.