Code of Conduct

Our approach to ensuring a sustainable future for Forward.

Introduction

At Forward, we believe that it takes more than money to transform a great idea into a world-changing business. That by bringing capital and support together in a thoughtful way, we can give more founders their shot at success.

Early-stage investments can have a huge impact on the tech ecosystem, our economy, society and environment. We recognise that to make an impact we need to provide more than money. That the support we provide, the deals and the actions we take, should not only consider how we deliver consistent, sustainable growth for our investors but impact that we have across every aspect of society.

Our Code of Conduct outlines Forward Partners (Forward) values and principles for how we conduct ourselves in the operation of our business. The Code is designed to guide those who work for Forward and ensures the community we work for can hold us accountable.

Our Values

Skill & Pace

We're committed to delivering excellent work at pace; we know there’s a trade-off between speed and quality, and we strive for the right balance at all times. We set high-expectation in our long-term goals and only feel good when we are making progress.

Big Leaps & Constant Improvement

We’re committed to continuous incremental improvement and radical innovation is deep in our DNA. We love to think big and play the game differently. Our culture is experimental and we value learning as a form of progress.

Enjoy the Journey

Positivity and purpose are important qualities for us. We enjoy working with each other and celebrate our wins. It’s important to us that our work has a real impact so we experience a meaningful and rewarding journey.

Honest Opinion, Shared Constructively

We are effective decision-makers and impressive influencers because we communicate openly and honestly. We nurture an environment of psychological safety in which we feel valued and have a duty to give feedback and speak our minds - even when it’s difficult. We remove judgement and emotion in favour of constructive feedback. When decisions are made, we commit wholly.

Our Commitments

Forward is committed to understanding how we can meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. We will always strive to deliver changes that have an impact that is relevant to Forward as we grow.

Our leaders are committed to ensuring our values and principles are upheld. This requires us to learn from our failures, celebrate our successes and be transparent about how we measure and track our progress and ensure that we continually review and improve.

Our Planet

We are committed to conducting our business in such a way as to minimise our impact on the natural environment as a result of our activities. For more information please see our related policies.

Related Policies:

Our People

We are committed to providing a safe, inclusive and diverse working environment where we respect and protect all human rights. We believe that people should be treated fairly and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. For more information please see our related policies.

Related Policies:

Our Partners

We require all of our suppliers (and their subcontractors) to fully comply with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements and hold themselves to the highest ethical and professional manner. Where possible, we aim to ensure they uphold the same values and principles outlined in this Code of Conduct.

Our Founders

We exist to give our founders the best shot at success so they can realise their potential. We know their journey is relentless and we have radical empathy for their efforts, and endeavour to be in the thick of it, with them.

Our Ethics

We will conduct our activities according to the highest standards of professionalism, business conduct and ethics. We will always act with integrity and will abide by all applicable local and international laws, regulations and standards. For more information please see our related policies.

Our Governance

The leadership team at Forward is made up of the Partners and Board Members. They are ultimately accountable for ensuring that the Code of Conduct and associated policies are adhered to.

Within Forward we have an ESG Committee that consists of employees from across all departments in the business. This team is responsible for ensuring the goals and objectives for our ESG strategy are communicated, agreed upon and implemented.

We utilise the OKR framework to set strategic goals within Forward. Our commitment to ESG is a core objective for Forward. As part of our quarterly cycle, we review and prioritise a set of key results and associated initiative to ensure we can achieve our overall objective.

At the end of the year, we will create a sustainability report that outlines our progress as well as areas for improvement for the subsequent year.

Feedback

One of our key values is constructive feedback. If at any point you feel that Forward or one of its employees has not lived up to our values then we would love to hear from you. Please email esg@forwardpartners.com and one of the committee members will get in touch.

Reviewed

Last Reviewed: 01 APR 2021

Last Updated: 01 APR 2021

We review this document and our approach to delivering on our ESG strategy every quarter to ensure that it is still aligned with the company's values and stakeholder expectations.