Terms of use

The Golden Balance Sheet 2026 project is organised by CompanyWall Ltd (the “Organiser”), operating under the CompanyWall Business brand, in cooperation with project, professional, media and other partners identified on the website or in official project communications.

2. Scope and acceptance of these Terms

These Terms of Use govern access to and use of the Golden Balance Sheet project website, including the information, rankings, criteria, texts, photographs, videos and other content published on it.

By using the website, you confirm that you have read and understood these Terms. If you do not agree with them, you should stop using the website. The website does not provide user accounts, a contact form, an application form, online contracting or online payment functionality.

3. Purpose of the website

The website is provided solely for informational and promotional purposes. It may contain information about the project, event cities and dates, venues, programmes, speakers, panels, award criteria, recipients, partners and media content.

Information published on the website does not constitute financial, legal, tax or investment advice, nor does it guarantee any business outcome, credit rating, ranking position or receipt of an award.

4. Website access and permitted use

Access to the publicly available parts of the website is generally free of charge and does not require registration. Users may view the content and share links to the original pages for personal and informational purposes.

Users must not:

• interfere with or compromise the operation, security or availability of the website;
• transmit malicious code, conduct unauthorised system testing or attempt to bypass security measures;
• use automated tools to scrape or download content, rankings or data in bulk without the Organiser’s prior written permission;
• falsely present themselves as the Organiser, a partner, an award recipient or an authorised project representative;
• use website content unlawfully, misleadingly, discriminatorily or in a manner that infringes the rights of third parties.

5. Event participation and business cooperation

The website does not provide online registration for events, partnerships, speaking engagements, media accreditation or other forms of cooperation. Participation and cooperation are arranged through a direct invitation, email correspondence, an offer, a contract or another appropriate document issued by the Organiser.

Publication of information about an event, programme or category of attendees does not constitute a public invitation or oblige the Organiser to admit any particular person. Capacity may be limited, and attendance is confirmed only after the Organiser provides express confirmation.

6. Events, programme and changes

Dates, times, venues, speakers, panellists, topics and programme details may be changed for organisational, technical, security, health or other justified reasons. The Organiser will use reasonable efforts to notify confirmed participants of material changes using the contact details available to it.

The Organiser may postpone, relocate or cancel an event, particularly due to force majeure, decisions of public authorities, security risks, venue unavailability or circumstances beyond its reasonable control. For free events, participants are not entitled to reimbursement of indirect costs unless expressly agreed otherwise.

Where a fee has been agreed for a service, partnership or promotional package, the terms relating to payment, changes, cancellation and refunds will be set out in a separate offer or contract.

7. The Golden Balance Sheet award

Golden Balance Sheet is a regional business award intended for the 999 most successful small, medium-sized and large enterprises that meet the criteria published for the relevant year, category and market. Selection may be based on financial statements, revenue, profit, creditworthiness and other business indicators, account status, publicly available information and the Organiser’s methodology.

The applicable methodology, assessment period, size categories and additional conditions are published on the website or in official project documentation. The Organiser reserves the right to:

• verify information using official and reliable sources;
• request additional documentation or clarification from a business through direct communication;
• exclude an entity where available information is inaccurate, incomplete or insufficient for a reliable assessment;
• withhold or withdraw an award where the criteria are not met or serious circumstances could undermine the integrity of the project;
• correct a ranking or decision where a material error in the data is subsequently identified.

Purchasing a promotional package, sponsorship, partnership, event attendance or any other business relationship does not guarantee an award and must not influence the objective selection criteria.

8. Misrepresentation and misuse of the award

Without the Organiser’s prior written permission, it is prohibited to:

• use the Golden Balance Sheet name, logo or mark in a way that falsely suggests that an entity is an award recipient, partner or sponsor;
• alter, reproduce or create imitations of certificates, marks or other official materials;
• publish inaccurate information about the award category, year, market or status;
• resell or transfer the right to use the official award mark to third parties.

The Organiser may require unauthorised use to cease, request removal of content, require correction of inaccurate statements, seek compensation for loss and take any other action permitted by law.

9. Intellectual property

Texts, photographs, video and audio materials, graphic designs, logos, names, databases, rankings, methodologies, software code and other website content are protected by copyright, trade mark and other intellectual property laws and belong to the Organiser or its partners.

Personal, non-commercial viewing of the content and sharing links to the original website are permitted. Any other reproduction, publication, adaptation, distribution, bulk extraction or commercial use requires the prior written permission of the relevant rights holder, unless expressly permitted by law.

An award recipient may use the official award mark only within the scope, format, period and manner approved by the Organiser or specified in separate rules or a licence.

10. Photography, recording and media coverage

Events may be photographed and recorded for documentation, media coverage and project promotion. Attendees will be informed at the venue. The processing of photographs, video and audio recordings is governed by the Privacy Notice and, where appropriate, a separate consent form or agreement.

Attendees must not record confidential conversations, restricted-access presentations or other individuals without authorisation in a manner that infringes their rights, privacy or event rules.

11. Third-party content and links

The website may include information, logos, offers or links relating to partners, sponsors, hotels, speakers, media outlets and other third parties. The Organiser does not control third-party websites and is not responsible for their availability, content, security or privacy practices. Users should review the terms and privacy notices of third parties before using their services.

12. Accuracy of information and website availability

The Organiser aims to keep information accurate and the website available but does not guarantee uninterrupted operation, the absence of errors or that all information will be fully up to date at all times. Content may be amended, supplemented or removed without prior notice where necessary.

If there is any inconsistency between information on the website and an express written confirmation, offer, contract or other official document issued by the Organiser, the official document will prevail.

13. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Organiser will not be liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of profit, lost business opportunities, decisions made solely on the basis of website content, internet or system interruptions, acts of third parties or events beyond the Organiser’s reasonable control.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful, including liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any other liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.

14. Direct communications and confidential information

The website does not provide a contact or application form. Questions and business proposals may be sent to info@companywall.com or communicated through another official channel of the Organiser.

Before a separate confidentiality agreement is signed, users should not send trade secrets, strictly confidential plans, unpublished financial information or other information whose disclosure could cause harm. Merely marking a communication as confidential does not automatically create a contractual duty of confidentiality.

15. Personal data protection

The website does not contain fields through which visitors directly submit personal data. The processing of technical data, cookies, publicly available business information, direct communications and information generated in connection with events is governed by the separate Privacy Notice.

16. Questions, requests and complaints

Questions, requests and complaints concerning the website, project or these Terms may be sent to info@companywall.com with the subject line “Golden Balance Sheet”. The Organiser will endeavour to respond within a reasonable period. Nothing in these Terms limits any mandatory statutory rights that apply to consumers.

17. Changes to these Terms

The Organiser may amend these Terms to reflect changes in law, the project, technology or its business model. A new version will apply from the date it is published or from a later date stated in the document. Changes will apply to existing separate contracts only in accordance with applicable law and the terms of those contracts.

18. Governing law and dispute resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The parties will first attempt to resolve any dispute amicably. If no agreement can be reached, the courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction, except where mandatory law provides otherwise, including any mandatory consumer jurisdiction.

19. Final provisions

If any provision is found to be invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in force. Headings are provided for convenience only and do not affect interpretation. The current version of these Terms is available on the project website.

Last updated: 24 July 2026.