With a good conscience

He is happy to help. At any time, no problem. Dr John Maurer has been a corporate lawyer at HHLA and a compliance officer since 2008. His job requires him to do this every day, says the lawyer. The other day, for example, an employee called him and asked whether he could accept a customer's invitation to an HSV football match without being suspected of being on the take.

"Of course, I cannot and must not give individual approvals in such a case. The responsibility for his actions always lies with each employee himself," explains Dr Maurer. But he can offer employees help to better assess dubious situations and thus avoid liability cases that damage the company's reputation.

For example, if an employee receives an invitation from a client or is offered gifts, he can very easily check himself by asking himself simple questions, he advises: "Is there a connection between the invitation and a future business action with the client? Does the person inviting expect to be favoured, perhaps in a future tender?"   If the employee has to answer "yes" to these questions, it is therefore better not to accept the invitation. First and foremost, however, Dr Maurer is responsible for coordinating the HHLA compliance system and advising employees.

For many years, the father of a daughter has been interested in Buddhist teachings. For this ethical reason alone, he is always interested in helping colleagues to avoid difficult situations.