Whistleblower system

Lawyer Dr. Carsten Thiel von Herff, LL.M., has been available to employees and business partners of Heinrich Kühlmann GmbH as of 01/07/2023 as an independent lawyer of trust.

Lawyer of trust of Heinrich Kühlmann GmbH

A lawyer of trust is an independent person of trust whom employees and third parties can contact if they would like to provide tip-offs of irregularities in the business.

The lawyer of trust for Heinrich Kühlmann GmbH is Dr Carsten Thiel von Herff. Mr Thiel von Herff is a non-partisan lawyer and holds comprehensive experience as a lawyer of trust for various well-known businesses.

Procedure in the event of tip-offs

As soon as the lawyer of trust has received a tip-off, he verifies it to see if it is plausible. If this gives rise to a suspicion of violation of criminal law or a violation of internal codes of conduct – for example the codes of conduct of Heinrich Kühlmann GmbH – he will forward this tip-off in coordination with the whistleblower to Heinrich Kühlmann GmbH, if necessary in anonymised form. The lawyer of trust will accompany the case while Heinrich Kühlmann GmbH initiates an investigation of the circumstances which have been reported. Working jointly with the lawyer of trust, the investigated circumstances will be legally appraised; moreover, suitable measures will be determined to rectify and prevent incorrect business practices. As far as legally possible, the whistleblower will be informed of such by the end of the case at the latest. Additionally, whistleblowers can enquire at any time as to the state of the case.

Whistleblower anonymity and protection

The whistleblower’s anonymity is ensured at all times provided that this is desired. Therefore, it is generally possible for tip-offs to be anonymously forwarded by the lawyer of trust to Heinrich Kühlmann GmbH. All further communication is then rendered through the lawyer of trust, who is subject to the lawyer’s duty of confidentiality.

Whistleblower protection is a fundamental aspect of case processing. The whistleblower is primarily protected through the no-tolerance policy of any act of revenge undertaken against him.

The wish of whistleblowers for their identity to be protected stands in contrast to the interest of the persons affected by the tip-off in disclosure of the circumstances. Therefore, conscious abuse of the complaint and tip-off channels will not be tolerated. In the event of intentional abuse of the whistleblower system, the lawyer of trust may divulge the identity of the whistleblower to the business by way of exception.

Additional information

1. The lawyer of trust is an additional option for providing tip-offs. His task does not affect further regulations on complaints and tip-offs.
2. Whistleblowers can avail themselves of the lawyer of trust free of charge.

Contact details

To submit a tip-off, please use the following portal:

www.report-tvh.com

Alternatively, whistleblowers can report their tip-offs in writing (e-mail, letter, fax) or by telephone, or personally to Mr Thiel von Herff: