In the first decade of the 21st century, there have been substantial changes in the areas of corporate governance, risk and compliance.

These changes have been driven by events in global financial markets, globalization of markets and a new era of corporate responsibility, which demands accountability and transparency from business, and particularly from multinational business corporations.

This context demands that a rigorous and disciplined compliance process supports and sustains the corporate governance and risk management systems and structures that direct the business activities.

Barloworld is driven by the maxim of creating sustainable value for all its stakeholders. What sets us apart is our ability to develop and maintain mutually beneficial long-term business relationships. Our aspirations for the future, our high ethical standards and our commitment to leadership and excellence determine the Barloworld way of doing business.

The governance framework of ethics, a commitment to legal compliance, clearly articulated policies and robust internal control procedures guides all group activities.

Worldwide Code of Conduct

The words in the Worldwide Code of Conduct define what is important to all of us. Each of us is personally responsible for applying these values with fairness and consistency. We see a work environment that we all take pride in, a company others respect and admire, and a world made better by our actions

We all contribute to the proud heritage of Barloworld and build a legacy of growth, performance and ethical leadership
Together, we build the values-based culture that will carry us forward and secure our future success.
Together, we uphold the reputation of our company and strengthen it for tomorrow.
Together we inspire a world of difference.
We are one Barloworld, one company united by these common principles and a shared commitment to the highest standards of conduct.

A message from our Chief Executive

I hold myself accountable to the standards defined in this Code of Conduct. I ask that each and every one of you to join me in this commitment. These values are meaningful to each of us individually and to all of us collectively. They express what we consider the right way to do business, the Barloworld way of doing business.

Barloworld is an exceptional organisation because our people work together to make the ordinary extraordinary.

The foundation of our success is the high standards we set for ourselves and our philosophy of multi-stakeholder value creation. We are proud of our reputation for integrity and excellence and the high ethical standards to which we hold ourselves accountable.

We continue to build on that foundation and accept willingly the responsibility to protect the legacy of the past, generate excellent performance today and build a future that is sustainable. We are inspired to make a positive contribution towards creating a better world, not only for our stakeholders but also for future generations.

Our aspirations for the future, our high ethical standards and our commitment to leadership and excellence determine the Barloworld way of doing business.

The Barloworld Worldwide Code of Conduct determines how those aspirations and values are translated into actions and behaviours. Our choices today are reflected in our actions; our actions determine our performance; and our performance is the measure against which we will be judged.

The Code of Conduct reminds us of the standards to which we hold ourselves accountable, and to respect the needs of all our stakeholders. It is an expression of our commitment to doing business the right way, according to best practices, guided by our values of Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork, Commitment and Sustainability.

In today’s fast-moving and challenging times, we are sometimes faced with complex situations and multiple options. I urge you to be guided by the Code of Conduct, to consult with others, share your thoughts and critically assess the alternatives. The right answer is not always immediately clear and it takes courage and wisdom to make the right decision. Our values will guide your thinking and actions.

It is the diversity and uniqueness of our people across many regions of the world that make this company special. The people of Barloworld have created the success of our business; and it is the dreams and aspirations of our people that will build on that success and take us forward into the future.

I am extremely proud and honoured to be part of this extraordinary company and I look forward with confidence to the future knowing that we are all accountable to the Barloworld way of doing business.

One Barloworld: What it means to live by the values

Integrity. Excellence. Teamwork. Commitment. Sustainability.

The words in our Code of Conduct define what is important to all of us. Each of us is personally responsible for abiding by, and applying these values with fairness and consistency. We see a work environment that we all take pride in, a company others respect and admire, and a world made better by our actions. Those in our company who lead others hold a special position of responsibility to set the example of what it means to “live by the values.”

Integrity

  • The foundation of our success is the high-ethical standards we set for ourselves, to which we hold ourselves accountable and we are proud of our reputation for integrity and excellence.

Excellence

  • We delight our customers by being agile, innovative and powered with the knowledge and expertise that our customers value. We provide industry solutions with deep knowledge of our customers and their needs
  • We recognise the need to be comfortable with constant change. We adapt and learn new ways of doing things and create a sense of urgency across the business to deliver excellence.

Teamwork

  • We work as a team, and not only think of ourselves in terms of our respective divisions, but also of our collective performance as Barloworld group.

Commitment

  • We instil a high-performance culture by being fully committed to and accountable for our own high standards of performance and holding everyone in our teams accountable to their commitments.

Sustainability

  • We look to the future and work towards having a substantive positive impact on our stakeholders, balancing our financial, human, manufactured, social and relationship, natural and intellectual capitals for the benefit of current and future generations.

We all contribute to the proud heritage of Barloworld and build a legacy of growth, performance, integrity and ethical leadership.

Together, we build the values-based culture that will carry us forward and secure our future success.

Together, we uphold the reputation of our company and strengthen it for tomorrow.

Together we inspire a world of difference.

We are one Barloworld, one company united by these common values and a shared commitment to the highest standards of conduct.

How do you report an ethical issue or concern?

If you become aware of a circumstance or action that violates, or appears to violate, the Code of Conduct, Barloworld policy or applicable law, contact your supervisor or local management as soon as possible.

Alternatively, you can contact the Barloworld Ethics Line. Anyone, including employees, can report unethical behaviour that affects the Barloworld group by this independent and confidential system.

South Africa:

  • Free Call: 0800 003 248
  • Free Fax: 0800 007 788
  • SMS: 32840

Outside South Africa:

Barloworld will not penalise you because of raising an ethical issue in good faith. In addition, Barloworld does not tolerate any reprisal, retaliation, retribution, harassment or occupational detriment by any individual against an employee for raising a concern or making a report in good faith.

Our values


The ethics and compliance framework is based on the King IV Report.

The Ethics and Compliance (EC) Framework sets out the governance structures that pertain to ethics and compliance matters in Barloworld. It complements the formal board structures that are required in terms of company law and establishes internal reporting structures for the oversight, monitoring, reporting and improvement of ethics and compliance activities.

The board in May 2011 and have since been developed, revised and improved over the past seven years originally approved the EC Framework, related policies and reporting structures, roles and responsibilities.

The purpose of this document is to set out the broad framework that gives context to the ethics and compliance activities in Barloworld. It describes the scope and objectives as well as roles and responsibilities and reporting requirements for ethics and compliance activities. It aligns with the principles of the King IV report on corporate governance with respect to ethical and effective leadership, building an ethical culture and good corporate citizenship.

The objectives of the framework are to:

  • comply with legal and regulatory requirements
  • comply with voluntary internal standards
  • establish accountability for compliance and evidence
  • assurance

Codes of practice

Barloworld is committed to upholding international standards and codes of best practice.

To achieve this, we:

  • qualify for inclusion on the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index,
  • respond to the international Investor Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
  • obtain third-party assurance for material non-financial information.
  • Barloworld’s stakeholder-based governance system is in line with the King IV report on corporate governance for South Africa (King IV). We also apply the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards to align ourselves with global reporting practices.
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