Glossary
Ombudsperson
An impartial third party, usually external, designated to receive whistleblower reports outside the regular management chain. Article 8(5) of EU Directive 2019/1937 permits the channel-operator role to be performed by a third party, and many German DAX-40 companies designate an external lawyer (Ombudsanwalt). The advantage is independence and professional confidentiality.
Full definition
An ombudsperson (Vertrauensperson, médiateur, persona di fiducia) is a designated individual to whom employees can report misconduct outside the regular management chain. The role is common in large multinationals, NGOs, and universities. Article 8(5) of EU Directive 2019/1937 permits the channel-operator role to be performed by 'a third party'; many German DAX-40 companies designate an external lawyer (Ombudsanwalt) for this purpose. The advantage is independence: the ombudsperson is not employed by the organisation and has a duty of professional confidentiality (attorney-client privilege, where applicable) that reinforces the Article 16 confidentiality rule. The disadvantage is integration: the ombudsperson must still loop case findings back into the organisation's response capability without disclosing identity. Confidly's external-ombudsperson-seats feature time-boxes access for outside counsel to specific cases without giving them access to the whole tenant.
Related terms
- Designated Person The individual or department formally responsible for handling whistleblower reports inside an organisation. EU Directive 2019/1937 Article 8(5) requires the designated person to be impartial and trained. The role can be the compliance officer, DPO, an external ombudsperson, or a dedicated investigator, and may be outsourced, though legal responsibility stays with the organisation.
- Conflict of Interest A situation where a case handler's personal interests could improperly influence their handling of a report. EU Directive 2019/1937 Article 9(1)(c) requires the designated person to be impartial. Every internal channel needs an escalation route to remove the regular handler where conflict arises, such as a named alternate, an external ombudsperson, or the audit-committee chair.
- Case Handler The trained individual inside an organisation who triages, investigates, and resolves whistleblower reports. Under EU Directive 2019/1937 Article 9 the case handler must acknowledge receipt within 7 days, maintain confidentiality, log every action, and deliver substantive feedback within 3 months. Case handlers must be free of conflicts of interest and trained in trauma-informed interviewing.