Version 2026-09-28 · Effective 29 September 2026
Boardly works because founders and candidates trust each other and trust us. This code sets out what we expect of everyone who uses Boardly: candidates, founders, and the colleagues founders invite. It forms part of our Terms for Companies and our Candidate Terms.
1. Be professional
1.1 Treat everyone you deal with through Boardly with courtesy and respect, in writing, on calls and in meetings.
1.2 Reply within a reasonable time, and let people know if you are no longer interested, rather than going quiet. Candidates never have to answer our questions about roles they have taken.
2. Be honest
2.1 Everything you tell Boardly, and everything you tell each other, must be true and not misleading.
2.2 Candidates: your profile, CV and Board CV must reflect your real experience, roles, qualifications and any regulatory approvals when you give them to us. You never have to tell us about a new role. Only add endorsements from people who have agreed to be named.
2.3 Founders: your brief must describe the real role, the real time commitment and what is really on offer. The amount your company has raised must be accurate.
3. Treat people fairly
3.1 Do not discriminate against, harass or victimise anyone because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.
3.2 Founders must make appointment decisions on merit and in line with the Equality Act 2010. We will not act on a brief that asks us to exclude people unlawfully.
4. Keep confidences
4.1 Founders share plans, finances and board matters in their briefs and conversations. Candidates share their careers, ambitions and sometimes things their current employers do not know. Keep what you learn through Boardly confidential, and use it only to consider the role in question.
4.2 Candidates: some of what you learn may be inside information about a listed company or its investors. Do not deal in securities on the basis of it.
4.3 Founders: share candidate details only with the colleagues, investor board representatives and advisers helping you decide, and never contact a candidate’s current employer or referees without the candidate’s permission.
5. Declare conflicts
5.1 Candidates: tell a founder early about anything that could affect your independence or your ability to take a role, such as a role with a competitor or investor, a restriction in another contract, or a relationship with someone at the company.
5.2 Founders: tell candidates about anything material to their decision, such as a pending change of control, a regulatory investigation or a significant dispute, to the extent you can do so lawfully.
6. Respect how Boardly works
6.1 Founders: if you appoint someone we introduced, whether or not through Boardly, tell us. Our fee for that appointment is set out in our Terms for Companies and applies however the appointment is made, including through another company, or by someone you passed the candidate’s details to.
6.2 Candidates: you are free to take any role with anyone, through Boardly or not, and you never have to tell us who you work for. Nothing in this code limits that.
7. Use the platform properly
7.1 Do not copy, scrape or download information from Boardly in bulk, or access it with automated tools.
7.2 Do not create an account for anyone else, share your account, or pretend to be someone you are not.
7.3 Do not try to manipulate Veronica or our other AI tools, for example by giving them instructions designed to change how they behave, or submit AI-generated content that misrepresents who you are or what you have done.
7.4 Do not try to get into any part of Boardly you are not authorised to use, or do anything that could damage or disrupt it.
8. Reporting a concern
8.1 If you think someone has broken this code, or you have been treated badly by anyone you met through Boardly, email hello@joinboardly.com. We will treat your report in confidence as far as we can, look into it, and tell you what we have done where appropriate. We will not tolerate anyone being treated badly for raising a concern in good faith.
9. What we may do
9.1 If someone breaks this code, we may give a warning, pause or close a search, pause or remove a profile, or close an account, depending on how serious the breach is. We will tell the person why, unless the law prevents us.
9.2 Closing a founder’s account does not affect any fee already payable, or payable later, under our Terms for Companies.
Boardly Limited, company number 15136616. Registered office: 1st Floor, Gallery Court, 28 Arcadia Avenue, London N3 2FG. Contact: hello@joinboardly.com.