OGT statement of ethics

OGT provides innovative genetics research and biomarker solutions to advance molecular medicine.  We offer a unique combination of world-recognised science and a strong track record in licensing intellectual property, product development and commercialisation of technology.  We place great emphasis on social responsibility and have distributed income, including some of our licensing income, to fund charities supporting scientific advancement. We also support various local and national charities every year.

We are based in Kidlington, Oxfordshire with agents in other countries, including France, Japan, Malaysia and Turkey and we pride ourselves on our reputation for acting fairly and ethically wherever we do business. Our reputation is built on our values as a company, the values of our employees and our collective commitment to acting with integrity throughout our organisation.

The Company condemns corruption in all its forms and will not tolerate it in our business or in those we do business with. From the confines of our working environment, it is sometimes difficult to grasp the scale of the damage that bribery does to societies. It is not a victimless crime; far from it:

"Corruption … undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorts markets, erodes the quality of life and allows organised crime, terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish. This evil phenomenon is found in all countries - big and small, rich and poor…corruption hurts the poor disproportionately by diverting funds intended for development, undermining a government's ability to provide basic services, feeding inequality and injustice and discouraging foreign aid and investment. Corruption is a key element in economic under-performance and a major obstacle to poverty alleviation and development." (Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General)

We expect everyone connected with the Company to act with integrity and honesty at all times.  The Anti-Corruption and Bribery Policy sets out in detail how you should behave and what you should do if you are confronted with corruption. 

The Anti-Corruption and Bribery Policy is for your benefit as much as for the Company's. If convicted of a bribery offence the Company might receive a substantial fine and suffer lasting reputational damage.  If you are convicted of a bribery offence you could face up to ten years in prison.  The potential harm done by bribery, both to the Company and to you, is long term and hugely outweighs any potential short-term gain.