Core Values at Contentful: A new era of innovation, teamwork, and authenticity

We’ve refreshed our company core values to reflect our evolving culture and vision. These updated values guide how we work, collaborate, and grow together. They are more than just principles — they shape our decisions and interactions and help us create impactful customer experiences. As we progress, our values will continue to unite and inspire us, ensuring Contentful remains a place where innovation, teamwork, and authenticity thrive.

Listening, learning, and growing

Contentful is significantly transforming as we redefine our market position and transition into a multi-product company. At this pivotal stage, we recognized the importance of revitalizing our corporate values. We asked employees what they considered important and how we could enhance our current values to be more actionable. Our goal wasn’t to completely change the values but to ensure they align with our evolving company culture. 

Creating meaningful values can't be done in isolation, so we gathered feedback from everyone. We started with a survey, asking employees their thoughts on existing values, what they appreciated, and what truly represented Contentful. We used this feedback to draft potential values, which we tested with more employees. They provided additional insights, and we faced challenges regarding different interpretations globally. 

After several iterations over six months, we developed the values we have today, and we are proud and excited that our employees shaped them. I’m proud to introduce the four core values that define culture at Contentful going forward.

The first cohort of Contentful Core Value Champions in Berlin, Germany, February 2025. From left to right: Esat Artug, Laura Garcia, Brandon Goldman, Ronié Williams.

Relentless Customer Focus

Our first core value is “Relentless Customer Focus,” prioritizing the long-term success of both external and internal customers.

We strive to align as a unified organization, adopting a long-term perspective, actively listening to understand the root issues, ensuring every decision respects our customers, responding swiftly and creatively to customer needs, ultimately improving their lives.

Our organization's essence is to focus relentlessly on our customers, which is why we are motivated to come to work every day.

"A relentless customer focus means constantly improving, adapting to feedback, and anticipating their needs and challenges before they even voice them. I’m committed to delivering exceptional service at every step of their journey. Essentially, it’s about never losing sight of the customer (big or small), no matter how much our business grows. "

Brandon Goldman, Senior Delivery Manager and “Relentless Customer Focus” Value Champion

Be Bold

Our second value is "Be Bold." As we aim to grow in our fast-paced business world, we can't just go through the motions. We need to be assertive, take risks, and embrace ambitious ideas with the intent to act. This involves questioning the status quo, with Contentful supporting us.

Every day, we want to think of big ideas to take the company to the next level. These ideas should be relevant and measurable, but don't hesitate to take calculated risks. Our organization supports you in being creative and challenging processes that don't make sense.

And to make decisive actions — after a point, it's time to act and drive innovation. This will encourage creativity in all approaches, individually and within our teams.

"For me, 'Be Bold' means embracing ambitious event concepts through creativity and experimentation, made possible by an incredible team. By leaning on each other’s skills and experiences, we take risks to create bold, inspiring, and impactful events that build relationships."

Laura Garcia, Director, Global Events Marketing, and "Be Bold" Value Champion

Own It

Our third core value is "Own It." We want employees and customers alike to know we support a proactive mindset.

We encourage teamwork when facing challenges and expect individuals to act decisively, focusing on meaningful results. This means taking considered risks and sometimes going beyond your typical role. If you take risks and own your actions, mistakes are okay. We value initiative and ownership, whether within your role or beyond.

Key aspects of this value include being proactive, thinking strategically, and considering your daily impact. Accountability is crucial — commit to your promises, and be honest if you can't deliver. Embrace challenges enthusiastically, look for ways to solve problems, and make a difference.

"Own it" is not about being insular or self-focused. It's about taking responsibility while collaborating with your team to find solutions. Own the situation instead of passing the buck.

"I always say that I’m the CEO of my role, and so that means no limits to what I can do and achieve within that role. If something needs fixing, do it. Take full accountability of the things that need solving, break down the barriers."

Ronié Williams, Senior Executive Assistant and London Office Manager, and “Own It” Value Champion 

Win Together

Our final value is “Win Together.” Success comes from working as a team, striving together. While individual achievements matter, collective success is what truly makes a difference.

We challenge each other to meet high standards, pushing ourselves and our colleagues to be better, respectfully. It's about unleashing our full potential and achieving success together. If there's a potential conflict in meetings, address it respectfully and openly rather than discussing it later. If you're challenged, be open to it — it might make you better or offer new perspectives.

The essence of this value is to raise problems when you see them; don't set them aside. Be open to new ideas and perspectives from team members or new employees. It's not about individual success but about all of us succeeding together. 

“To me, ‘Win Together’ means that product marketing success isn’t a solo effort. I see my role as a bridge between product, sales, engineering, and every other team, connecting different teams to ensure everyone is working towards a shared vision.”

Esat Artug, Product Marketing Manager and "Win Together" Value Champion

Putting values into action

To truly embrace our values, discussing them in company meetings is just the start. We aim to weave them into everything we do. We've revamped our interview process to clearly express our values and how we operate, ensuring candidates understand our culture. We actively seek diverse candidates who share our values, and our comms and marketing touchpoints will showcase these values to help people decide if Contentful is the right fit for them. 

These values will also be part of our training programs, including onboarding and manager training, and integrated into our performance appraisals to ensure alignment. We'll celebrate employees who embody these values and hold each other accountable through a 360-degree process, especially at the leadership level. While no one is perfect, and these values are aspirational, we want to keep moving in the right direction.

We will measure our progress by gathering employee feedback through engagement surveys and 360-degree evaluations of managers and leaders. By upholding our values, we will attract and retain talented people who feel excited and supported in their work environment.

A welcoming culture where people want to work

We’re truly committed to embedding our values into our organization.

Introducing values without commitment can seem superficial and off-putting. While leaders and our CEO have a viewpoint, our employees have tested and challenged these values to ensure they resonate and are relevant.

We’re integrating these values into daily operations, talking about them, living them, and recognizing them regularly to create a welcoming culture where people want to work.

Bright people. Big impact.

We’re creating a better way to build digital experiences. Join us.

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