We are horrified by the events in Ukraine. A situation that seemed impossible in 2022, a war of aggression on European soil. Human rights violations and suffering are unacceptable and unacceptable to us. The sovereignty of Ukraine as an independent state was accepted by Russia, among others, in 1994 and cannot be questioned.
Even more reprehensible is the act of war against a peaceful population: any aggression is unacceptable, any suffering is to be avoided!
We have been awarding the “Cerified Director” for years. Certification also includes submitting to ethical principles and accepting the Code of Honor. We expect our certified directors to stand up fully for the principles of democracy.
We therefore call on all certified directors of the German IoD to end any remaining supervisory board mandates at Russian companies and to expressly distance themselves from Putin’s war of aggression. Certified Directors (CD) who cannot or do not want to stick to it, we would take the liberty of questioning the certification for the German-speaking area. We are aware that existing and accepted obligations could possibly be violated. This is to be accepted in relation to a war of aggression against a free country. These sovereignty issues are unquestionable and we expect our members to honor these values accordingly.
We ourselves, the German IoD or German Institute of Supervisory Boards, will let existing connections rest until further notice and will not establish any new relationships with Russian institutions or companies until further notice. We will refrain from doing this until Russia has completely withdrawn from Ukraine.
Every individual who can make a contribution to protecting our democracies is called upon to do their utmost, even if it is only a minimal contribution. We hope that the Russian people will not stand in solidarity with their leaders.
Important: This is not the war of individual Russians, especially not those who live in Germany, for example. It’s Putin’s war!
I wish peace again for all of us, for Europe and especially for the Ukrainian people.