Business principles

Company

AEGON’s corporate strategy emphasizes the importance of local knowledge and empowerment, within an expanding global group.

• We empower our local business units to identify and provide products and services designed to help meet the long-term needs of our customers, using distribution channels suited to their local markets.
• We take pride in balancing a local approach with the power of an expanding global operation.

Governance

We operate as a responsible company in an ever-changing business environment.

• We provide a strong capital base to meet our long-term financial obligations.
• We make decisions that are in the interests of our stakeholders.
• We are accountable to our stakeholders for clear and transparent disclosure of our management practices, policies and results.
• We identify and manage risk prudently.
• We provide timely and accurate information to our customers, shareholders, employees, regulators and business partners.
• We comply with applicable laws and regulations, and we proactively promote such compliance.
• We set clear internal guidelines and policies relating to the way we behave as a  responsible company with a global reach.

The marketplace

We seek to build long-term relationships with our customers, business partners and regulators based on open, honest and transparent business principles.

• We treat our customers fairly.
• We provide clear, transparent and financially sound products and services that meet our customers’ evolving long-term needs.
• We seek to build long-term relationships with our customers.
• We strive to provide customers with the information they need to make the right financial decisions for themselves and their families.
• We also support financial education initiatives and strive to promote a better understanding of the financial services industry. 
• We strive to deal with business partners who share our core values.
  We are committed to fair competition.
• We recognize the importance of confidentiality and take measures to keep confidential the personal information relating to our customers, employees, business partners and shareholders.

The workplace

Our goal is to be an employer of choice, to create a work environment where people are able to realize their potential and where both individuality and diversity are respected.

• We promote ethical behavior and encourage the reporting of any illegal or unethical behavior.
• We promote respect for people and their work environment.
• We actively enforce policies that promote non-discrimination in the workplace and encourage diversity.
• We hire, promote and pay our employees fairly and do so based on their qualifications, their experience and their ability to do a job.
• We provide training to encourage our employees to reach their potential.
• We require our employees, within the scope of their professional activities for the company, to act in the best interests of all our stakeholders and abide by these business principles that promote our core values: respect, quality, transparency and trust.
• We provide employees with a safe place to work.
• We encourage personal and career advancement.
• We allow our employees the free right of association.

The wider community

We have a long-term commitment to the communities in which we operate, creating job opportunities and contributing to sustainable economic growth. We support good causes. We help protect and promote human rights in the countries in which we operate.

• We are active corporate citizens in the communities in which we operate.
• We actively support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights and ensure we are not complicit in human rights abuses.
• We invest prudently and responsibly.
• We strive to respect the environment and undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.