Exhibit 99.1
WERIDE INC.
CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
I. | PURPOSE |
This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) contains general guidelines for conducting the business of WeRide Inc., a Cayman Islands company, and its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, the “Company”) consistent with the highest standards of business ethics, and is intended to qualify as a “code of ethics” within the meaning of Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder. To the extent this Code requires a higher standard than required by commercial practice or applicable laws, rules or regulations, the Company adheres to these higher standards.
This Code is designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote:
• | honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships; |
• | full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and in other public communications made by the Company; |
• | compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations; |
• | strict prohibition of any bribes or kickbacks; |
• | prompt internal reporting of violations of the Code; and |
• | accountability for adherence to the Code. |
II. | APPLICABILITY |
This Code applies to all directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company, whether they work for the Company on a full-time, part-time, consultative or temporary basis (collectively, the “employees”). Certain provisions of the Code apply specifically to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, other executive officers, senior vice presidents, vice presidents, and other members of the management of the Company who have reached a certain level of seniority (collectively, the “senior employees”). Certain provisions of the Code apply to relevant third parties in assistance with the Company’s business.
The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has appointed the head of internal audit department of Company as the Compliance Officer for the Company (the “Compliance Officer”). If you have any questions regarding the Code or would like to report any violation of the Code, please contact the Compliance Officer via email at wr.audit@weride.ai or through other channels of communication.
This Code has been adopted by the Board and will become effective (the “Effective Time”) upon the effectiveness of the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 filed by the Company with the SEC relating to the Company’s initial public offering.
III. | CONFLICTS OF INTEREST |
Identifying Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an employee’s private interest interferes, or appears to interfere, in any way with the interests of the Company as a whole. An employee should actively avoid any private interest that may impact such employee’s ability to act in the interests of the Company or that may make it difficult to perform the employee’s work objectively and effectively. In general, the following are considered conflicts of interest:
• | Competing Business. No employee may be employed by a business that competes with the Company or deprives it of any business. No employee may engage, or assist others (including family members) in engaging, any business activities that compete with the Company or deprive it of any business. An employee should notify the Company promptly if he/she knows that any of his or her family members are employed by or engaged in a competing business. |
• | Corporate Opportunity. No employee may use corporate property, information or his/her position with the Company to secure a business opportunity that would otherwise be available to the Company. If an employee discovers a business opportunity that is in the Company’s line of business through the use of the Company’s property, information or position, the employee must first present the business opportunity to the Company. |
• | Financial Interests. |
(i) | No employee may have any financial interest (ownership or otherwise), either directly or indirectly through a spouse or other family member, in any other business or entity if such interest adversely affects the employee’s performance of duties or responsibilities to the Company, or requires the employee to devote time to it during such employee’s working hours at the Company; |
(ii) | No employee may hold any ownership interest in a privately held company that is in competition with the Company; |
(iii) | An employee may hold up to 1% ownership interest in a publicly traded company that is in competition with the Company; provided that if the employee’s ownership interest in such publicly traded company increases to more than 1%, the employee must immediately report such ownership to the Compliance Officer; |
(iv) | No employee may hold any ownership interest in a company that has a business relationship with the Company if such employee’s duties at the Company include managing or supervising the Company’s business relations with that company; and |
(v) | Other provisions: |
(a) a director or any family member of such director (collectively, “Director Affiliates”) or a senior employee or any family member of such senior employee (collectively, “Officer Affiliates”) may continue to hold his/her investment or other financial interest in a business or entity (an “Interested Business”) that:
(1) was made or obtained either before the Company invested in or otherwise became interested in such business or entity, or before the director or senior employee joined the Company; or
(2) may in the future be made or obtained by the director or senior employee, provided that at the time such investment or other financial interest is made or obtained, the Company has not yet invested in or otherwise become interested in such business or entity;
provided that such director or senior employee shall disclose such investment or other financial interest to the Board;
(b) an interested director or senior employee shall refrain from participating in any discussion among senior employees of the Company relating to an Interested Business and shall not be involved in any proposed transaction between the Company and an Interested Business; and
(c) before any Director Affiliate or Officer Affiliate (i) invests, or otherwise acquires any equity or other financial interest, in a business or entity that is in competition with the Company; or (ii) enters into any transaction with the Company, the related director or senior employee shall obtain prior approval from the Audit Committee of the Board.
• | Loans or Other Financial Transactions. No employee may obtain loans or guarantees of personal obligations from, or enter into any other personal financial transaction with, any company that is a material customer, supplier or competitor of the Company. This guideline does not prohibit arms-length transactions with recognized banks or other financial institutions. |
• | Service on Boards and Committees. No employee may serve on a board of directors or trustees or on a committee of any entity (whether profit or not-for-profit) whose interests could reasonably be expected to conflict with those of the Company. Employees must obtain prior approval from the Board before accepting any such board or committee position. The Company may revisit its approval of any such position at any time to determine whether an employee’s service in such position is still appropriate. |
The above is in no way a complete list of situations where conflicts of interest may arise. The following questions might serve as a useful guide in assessing a potential conflict of interest situation not specifically addressed above:
• | Is the action to be taken legal? |
• | Is it honest and fair? |
• | Is it in the best interests of the Company? |
Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
The Company requires that employees fully disclose any situations that could reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest. If an employee suspects that he/she has a conflict of interest, or a situation that others could reasonably perceive as a conflict of interest, the employee must report it immediately to the Compliance Officer. Conflicts of interest may only be waived by the Board, or the appropriate committee of the Board, and will be promptly disclosed to the public to the extent required by law and applicable rules of the stock exchange (the “Stock Exchange”).
The Company also requires its business partners to promptly communicate with the Company if any conflict of interest has been identified in the course of dealing with the Company and to avoid transactions that could give rise to a conflict of interest.
Family Members and Work
The actions of family members outside the workplace may also give rise to conflicts of interest because they may influence an employee’s objectivity in making decisions on behalf of the Company. If a member of an employee’s family is interested in doing business with the Company, the criteria as to whether to enter into or continue the business relationship and the terms and conditions of the relationship must be no less favorable to the Company compared with those that would apply to an unrelated party seeking to do business with the Company under similar circumstances.
Employees should report any situation involving family members that could reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest to their supervisor or the Compliance Officer. For purposes of this Code, “family members” or “members of employee’s family” include an employee’s spouse, parents, parents-in-law, children and siblings and cousins of such employee and his/her spouse, or anyone (other than domestic employees) who shares such employee’s home.
IV. | GIFTS AND ENTERTAINMENT |
The giving and receiving of appropriate gifts and entertainment may be considered common business practice. Appropriate business gifts and entertainment are welcome courtesies designed to build relationships and understanding among business partners. However, gifts and entertainment should never compromise, or appear to compromise, an employee’s ability to make objective and fair business decisions.
An employee should also adhere to other regulations of the Company applicable to the offering and receiving of gifts and hospitality as set out in the FAQs on WeRide’s Reimbursement Policies and other guidelines on expense reimbursement. We further require an employee to inform his/her supervisor of the receipt of any gift and to obtain approval from his/her supervisor before receiving such gift. An employee should also notify his/her supervisor and the Compliance Officer if any gift or hospitality of excessive value is received and cannot be returned.
V. | FCPA COMPLIANCE |
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) prohibits giving anything of value, directly or indirectly, to officials of foreign governments or foreign political candidates in order to obtain or retain business. A violation of FCPA does not only violate the Company’s policy but also constitute a civil or criminal offense under FCPA. No employee shall give directly or indirectly any illegal payments to government officials of any country. While the FCPA does, in certain limited circumstances, allow nominal “facilitating payments” to be made, any such payment must be discussed with and approved by an employee’s supervisor in advance before it can be made.
No employee shall give, directly or indirectly, any improper payments to any other person or entity to secure any improper advantage for the Company, nor shall any employee solicit any improper payment from any other person or entity in exchange for any improper advantage.
VI. | ANTI-FRAUD |
In addition to this document and the anti-corruption compliance policy, the Company has also laid down detailed policies applicable to its employees in the “Code of Conduct for Employees” section of the Company’s Employee Handbook. Specifically the Company requires the employees to refrain from the following:
• | violation of law or social morality; |
• | serious violation of confidentiality; |
• | fraudulent behavior; |
• | improper use or misappropriation of funds; |
• | serious violations of the Company’s rights or interests; |
• | serious acts of disrupting the management order of the Company; and |
• | other acts of corruption or dishonesty. |
Each employee is required to acknowledge and sign the Company’s Employee Handbook during the onboarding process, strictly comply with the provisions of the Employee Handbook with respect to the employees’ code of conduct, and maintain integrity.
VII. | ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING |
The Company and its employees shall strictly comply with the anti-money laundering laws and regulations of the countries (regions) in which they operate when conducting business operations regardless of actual locations. An employee shall comply with internal due diligence procedures to ensure that the partners we work with are operating legally and are not in possession of any money generated by criminal activities, and cooperate with internal and external audits. An employee should be alert to the following and report any suspicious activity to the Compliance Officer:
• | attempts to make large amount of payments in cash; |
• | payments made by non-contracting parties; |
• | payments required to be made that exceed contractual obligations and lack a reasonable basis; |
• | payments that are not made in the currency specified contractually; |
• | payments made through unusual and non-commercial accounts; and |
• | unusual transaction patterns, such as import/export trades that are apparently unfair. |
An employee is required to fulfill their duties of customer due diligence when conducting business operations, and shall report to the Compliance Officer in the event that unusual behaviors have been discovered, such as customers’ refusal to provide valid proof of identity without reasonable explanations, or reasonable grounds to suspect that the customer is implicated in or the relevant transaction involves illegal or criminal activities.
VIII. | PROTECTION AND USE OF COMPANY ASSETS |
Employees should protect the Company’s assets and ensure their efficient use for legitimate business purposes only. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the Company’s profitability. Any use of the funds or assets of the Company, whether for personal gain or not, for any unlawful or improper purpose is strictly prohibited.
To ensure the effective protection and use of the Company’s assets, each employee should:
• | exercise reasonable care to prevent theft, damage or misuse of the Company’s assets; |
• | promptly report any actual or suspected theft, damage or misuse of the Company’s assets; |
• | safeguard all electronic programs, data, communications and written materials from unauthorized access; and |
• | use the Company’s assets only for legitimate business purposes. |
Except as approved in advance by the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer of the Company, the Company prohibits political contributions (directly or through trade associations) by any employee on behalf of the Company. Prohibited political contributions include:
• | any contributions of the Company’s funds or other assets for political purposes; |
• | encouraging individual employees to make any such contribution; and |
• | reimbursing an employee for any political contribution. |
IX. | INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND CONFIDENTIALITY |
Employees should abide by the Company’s rules and policies in protecting the intellectual property and confidential information, including the following:
• | All inventions, creative works, computer software, and technical or trade secrets developed by an employee in the course of performing the employee’s duties or primarily through the use of the Company’s assets or resources while working at the Company shall be the property of the Company. |
• | Employees should maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to them by the Company or entities with which the Company has business relations, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated. Confidential information includes all non-public information that might be of use to competitors, or harmful to the company or its business associates, if disclosed. |
• | The Company maintains a strict confidentiality policy. During an employee’s term of employment with the Company, the employee shall comply with any and all written or unwritten rules and policies concerning confidentiality and shall fulfill the duties and responsibilities concerning confidentiality applicable to the employee. |
• | In addition to fulfilling the responsibilities associated with his/her position in the Company, an employee shall not, without obtaining prior approval from the Company, disclose, announce or publish trade secrets or other confidential business information of the Company, nor shall an employee use such confidential information outside the course of his/her duties to the Company. |
• | Even outside the work environment, an employee must maintain vigilance and refrain from disclosing important information regarding the Company or its business, business associates or employees. |
• | An employee’s duty of confidentiality with respect to the confidential information of the Company survives the termination of such employee’s employment with the Company for any reason until such time as the Company discloses such information publicly or the information otherwise becomes available in the public sphere through no fault of the employee. |
• | Upon termination of employment, or at such time as the Company requests, an employee must return to the Company all of its property without exception, including all forms of medium containing confidential information, and may not retain duplicate materials. |
X. | ACCURACY OF FINANCIAL REPORTS AND OTHER PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS |
On and after the Effective Time, the Company will be required to report its financial results and other material information about its business to the public and the SEC. It is the Company’s policy to promptly disclose accurate and complete information regarding its business, financial condition and results of operations. Employees must strictly comply with all applicable standards, laws, regulations and policies for accounting and financial reporting of transactions, estimates and forecasts. Inaccurate, incomplete or untimely reporting will not be tolerated and can severely damage the Company and result in legal liability.
Employees should be on guard for, and promptly report, any possibility of inaccurate or incomplete financial reporting. Particular attention should be paid to:
• | financial results that seem inconsistent with the performance of the underlying business; |
• | transactions that do not seem to have an obvious business purpose; and |
• | requests to circumvent ordinary review and approval procedures. |
The Company’s senior financial officers and other employees working in the finance department have a special responsibility to ensure that all of the Company’s financial disclosures are full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable. Any practice or situation that might undermine this objective should be reported to the Compliance Officer.
Employees are prohibited from directly or indirectly taking any action to coerce, manipulate, mislead or fraudulently influence the Company’s independent auditors for the purpose of rendering the financial statements of the Company materially misleading. Prohibited actions include but are not limited to:
• | issuing or reissuing a report on the Company’s financial statements that is not warranted in the circumstances (due to material violations of U.S. GAAP, generally accepted auditing standards or other professional or regulatory standards); |
• | not performing audit, review or other procedures required by generally accepted auditing standards or other professional standards; |
• | not withdrawing an issued report when withdrawal is warranted under the circumstances; or |
• | not communicating matters required to be communicated to the Company’s Audit Committee or Compliance Officer. |
XI. | COMPANY RECORDS |
Accurate and reliable records are crucial to the Company’s business and form the basis of its earnings statements, financial reports and other disclosures to the public. The Company’s records are a source of essential data that guides business decision-making and strategic planning. Company records include, but are not limited to, booking information, payroll, timecards, travel and expense reports, e-mails, accounting and financial data, measurement and performance records, electronic data files and all other records maintained in the ordinary course of business.
All Company records must be complete, accurate and reliable in all material respects. There is never an acceptable reason to make false or misleading entries. Undisclosed or unrecorded funds, payments or receipts are strictly prohibited. An employee is responsible for understanding and complying with the Company’s recordkeeping policy. An employee should contact the Compliance Officer if he/she has any questions regarding the recordkeeping policy.
XII. | COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS |
Each employee has an obligation to comply with the laws of the cities, provinces, regions and countries in which the Company operates. This includes, without limitation, laws covering commercial bribery and kickbacks, patent, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, information privacy, insider trading, offering or receiving gratuities, employment harassment, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, false or misleading financial information, misuse of corporate assets and foreign currency exchange activities. Employees are expected to understand and comply with all laws, rules and regulations that apply to their positions at the Company. If any doubt exists about whether a course of action is lawful, the employee should seek advice immediately from the Compliance Officer.
XIII. | DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT |
The Company is firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, national origin or any other protected class. Any form of sexual harassment is also strictly forbidden. For further information, employees should consult the Compliance Officer.
XIV. | FAIR DEALING |
Each employee should endeavor to deal fairly with the Company’s customers, suppliers, competitors and employees. No employee should take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts, or any other unfair-dealing practice.
XV. | HEALTH AND SAFETY |
The Company strives to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment. Each employee has responsibility for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for other employees by following environmental, safety and health rules and practices and reporting accidents, injuries and unsafe equipment, practices or conditions. Violence or threats of violence are not permitted.
Each employee is expected to perform his/her duty to the Company in a safe manner, not under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs or other controlled substances. The use of illegal drugs or other controlled substances in the workplace is prohibited.
XVI. | VIOLATIONS OF THE CODE AND REPORT OF NON-COMPLIANCE |
All employees have a duty to report any known or suspected violation of this Code, including any violation of laws, rules, regulations or policies that apply to the Company. Reporting a known or suspected violation of this Code by others will not be considered an act of disloyalty, but an action to safeguard the reputation and integrity of the Company and its employees. It is the Company’s policy that any employee who violates this Code will be subject to the review procedures and appropriate discipline as set forth in the Employee Handbook or other related policies and guidelines of the Company. In case of violation of local laws and regulations, an employee will be held legally liable pursuant to such local laws and regulations.
If an employee knows of or suspects a violation of this Code, it is such employee’s responsibility to immediately report the violation to the Compliance Officer. The Company has established the Whistleblowing Policy and known or suspected violations of this Code may be reported via wr.audit@weride.ai or personally to the Compliance Officer. All questions and reports of known or suspected violations of this Code will be accessed by the Company’s compliance team. The Company will safeguard the confidentiality and interests of the reporting employee to the extent possible, consistent with the law and the Company’s need to investigate the employee’s concern. The Company strictly prohibits retaliation against an employee who, in good faith, reports known or suspected violations. An employee inflicting reprisal or retaliation against another employee for reporting a known or suspected violation will be subject to disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
XVII. | WAIVERS OF THE CODE |
Waivers of this Code will be granted on a case-by-case basis and only in extraordinary circumstances. Waivers of this Code may be made only by the Board, or the appropriate committee of the Board, and may be promptly disclosed to the public if so required by applicable laws and regulations and rules of the Stock Exchange.
XVIII. | CONCLUSION |
This Code contains general guidelines for conducting the business of the Company consistent with the highest standards of business ethics. If employees have any questions about these guidelines, they should contact the Compliance Officer. The Company expects all employees to adhere to these standards. Each employee is separately responsible for his/her actions. Conduct that violates the law or this Code cannot be justified by claiming that it was ordered by a supervisor or someone in higher management positions. If an employee engages in conduct prohibited by the law or this Code, such employee will be deemed to have acted outside the scope of his/her employment. Such conduct will subject the employee to disciplinary action, including termination of employment.
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