“Many companies speak about having a culture of ethical business behaviour, but at 3M we really live these values and this comes from the very top of the organisation,” says the company’s head of Legal Affairs.

“Driving a culture of compliance is a continuous journey and we need to keep on our toes, so there is never any room for complacency. In fact, we feel that being named as one of the world’s most ethical companies by Ethisphere for the third consecutive year gives us a privileged status and this has heightened our focus on compliance.”

David says that these values are enshrined in 3M’s Code of Conduct that all employees sign up to. He adds: “I love the code as it’s very simple. We ask employees to be good, honest, fair and impartial, loyal, accurate and respectful – all things that as individuals we aspire to and would want our children to subscribe to.

“Our strong culture of compliance and business ethics creates trust in the 3M brand and we know that this is crucial when it comes to developing strong relationships with our customers and the communities where we trade. Although we come under all the usual pressures to meet business targets, we never compromise on our principles and take a long term view.

“Of course, it’s down to individuals within the company to take responsibility for ethical business behaviour and we have an open policy that encourages employees to speak up if they have any concerns without fear of reprisals.

David joined 3M as a consultant senior counsel in 2007 when he was running his own law practice and enjoyed working for the company so much that he become a permanent employee three years later.

He says: “I aspired to be a lawyer from a relatively young age as I’ve always had a strong sense of justice and fairness and it’s important to me to work for a company that has a culture of always doing business in the right way.”

3M has been named as one of the world’s most ethical companies by Ethisphere for the third consecutive year. 3M joins just 131 industry giants, including Tata Steel, Ford Motor Company, Dell and Kellogg Company, to feature in the 2016 World’s Most Ethical Company list.

Ethisphere is a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical practice in business and recognises companies that align principle with action, work tirelessly to make trust part of their corporate DNA and shape future industry standards.

Read more about the Ethisphere award

Find out more about 3M