Risk Management System

Austrian Post has a comprehensive risk Management system in place encompassing all business units and Group companies in order to support the achievement of the objectives set out in the Group and sustainability strategy. This system is generally based on the June 2017 COSO standard “Enterprise Risk Management – Integrated Framework”, meaning that it is founded on the Elements of governance, strategy and objectives, implementation, review, evaluation and information, communication and reporting. Risks are defined as the potential deviation from business targets. The objective of risk Management is to identify risks at an early stage and to analyse and evaluate them before going on to take appropriate measures designed to ensure that the company meets its business targets. Risks are identified, evaluated, monitored and documented in their overall context by a Groupwide risk management system in accordance with uniform principles.

Austrian Post’s risk policy focuses on safeguarding and sustainably increasing enterprise value and is incorporated into the corporate and sustainability strategy. Austrian Post is prepared to take risks provided that the resulting portfolio of opportunities and risks is well-balanced and that they remain commensurate with the company’s legal circumstances and fundamental ethical values. The goals of safeguarding and achieving a sustainable increase in enterprise value must not be jeopardised. The Austrian Post Group has derived limits on the basis of these risk policy principles that make it possible to act within a defined risk appetite and ensure risk-bearing capacity.

The most important steps in the risk management process are presented below:
  1. Identification and Evaluation
  2. Management and Monitoring

Austrian Post’s opportunities and risks result from the overall risk environment and from the trends and changes that the company is exposed to or confronted with. We have identified significant opportunities and risks in the following business areas:

  1. Mail Market
  2. Parcel Market
  3. Staff Costs and Structure of Employment Contracts
  4. Logistics and Infrastructure Costs
  5. Key Investments
    1. Aras Kargo (Türkiye)
    2. bank99 (Austria)
    3. CEE/SEE subsidiaries
  6. Financial Instruments
  7. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Risks
  8. Overall Legal/Regulatory Conditions
  9. IT And Other Technical Facilities
  10. Geopolitical and Macroeconomic Risks

Further details about Significant Risks faced by Austrian Post can be found in the current Annual Report.

The company continuously monitors the above described risks and opportunities. In response, appropriate measures are carried out and initiatives launched. A look at the company’s main opportunities and risks shows that, while the issues that Austrian Post is facing are changing and shifting, the company’s opportunities and risks are stable overall. As a result, there is no threat to the company’s survival from today’s perspective.