Quest Holdings and the Quest Companies as a whole approach Corporate Governance holistically, building on people, systems, Policies and Processes, while managing and operating within a coherent, flexible and well-structured Corporate Governance framework that is in line with their principles and rules of Sustainable Development, as well as Greek legislation. Quest Group’s Corporate Governance as the core of corporate operation, enhances transparency, responsible corporate operations and employee responsibility, makes decisions in a collective way, analyzes opportunities and risks, and sets qualitative and quantitative goals, ensuring sustainability and protecting the interests of Shareholders and Stakeholders. Quest Holdings participates in the strategy of its subsidiaries and develops the general guidelines, the policies and the principles that govern their operation, as well as the training of the employees on these issues. It is also worth mentioning that for Quest Group the absolute compliance with the applicable legislation in the applicable policies and procedures of the relevant corporate bodies is a non-negotiable value. Regulatory Compliance also has wider impacts on the sustainable development of the markets and countries in which the Group operates.
Applying the fundamental principles of Sustainable Development, Quest Holdings has set targets, among other things, to fight corruption, transparency in administration and corporate responsibility. As a result, over the last three years, it has made significant steps towards creating a strong transparent operating environment, including:
Creation of an Ethical Conduct Policy: Within 2016, the Ethical Conduct Policy was drawn up and approved by the Boards of Directors of the Group's Companies, in which the rules of conduct were formulated, according to which Management wishes to design and operate all activities of the Companies are followed by executives and all employees to avoid any incident of corruption or bribery. Ethical Conduct Policy provides guidelines for offering and accepting prizes of financial value to staff, engaging in politics, customer and supplier relationships, sponsorship and donations, keeping records of financial transactions, and conflicts of interest.
Creating a Supplier's Code of Conduct: In the framework of the Group's Procurement Policy, which aims to provide a structured, effective and controlled operating framework for procurement of materials and services, and setting out all the basic guidelines, principles and rules, according to which responsible commissions are made, the Supplier Code of Ethics was created in 2017. The Code describes the Group's positions, serves as a tool for assessing existing and future suppliers, claims that suppliers owe not only to comply with the law but also to apply best business ethics practices and has been published on all company websites. In addition, the Group has implemented, for its key suppliers, criteria for sustainable development, human rights and work practices, in their assessment, in accordance with the principles of the UN Global Compact.
3. Development and implementation of Risk Management Policy and Process: Group Companies systematically investigate and manage the risks that may arise and create barriers to the achievement of their business objectives. They follow the Risk Management Policy and apply valuation and management procedures according to the ISO 31000 standard. By applying these, the company's methodical investigation, analysis and risk management is achieved, including the risks of fraud and corruption
4. Representations to third parties: In the context of dealing with possible cases of corruption, the Group's Companies Board of Directors were reorganized, groups of representatives of companies with different levels of approvals and different representation issues were set up. Now the company's representatives are divided by topic of representation and by level of financial commitment, and two representatives are required for any company commitment. It is also worth mentioning that specific tables for authorizations have been developed for internal approvals.
Human Resource Development Program "Living our Values"
Of high importance for Quest Group is the education and development of Human Resources, as only through the cultivation of the Group's Principles and Values a unified concept and a unified corporate culture is achieved. “Living our Values” program aimed to highlight core values, dissemination and dedication of employees to them and began to be implemented in 2014 at all levels of employees. The values of the Quest Group are "Customer Satisfaction", "Ethics and Integrity", "Teamwork", "Innovation", "Entrepreneurship" and "Documentation and Evaluation"
Transparency in Quest Group companies is also assisted by internal control mechanisms, quality control departments, internal audits, auditors' work and open contact with stakeholders through institutionalized surveys, questionnaires, customer service reviews, complaints and complaints.
