Timeline
We've come a long way in such a short space of time - take a look at our graphical whistle stop tour.
2004
Aug 2004
The beginning...
Our founder, Neil Hutchinson, types ‘make money online’ into Google to help pay off his student loans. After downloading an eBook called GoogleCash our first online marketing campaign is created using Google AdWords. After 8 months of long nights Neil quits his job as a web designer and TrafficBroker is founded.
2006
Apr 06
Marcin Ciszak 10th employee
Jun 06
Company holidays
Building a positive team spirit has been pivotal in our success over the years. We've always found social events a great way for everyone get to know each other a little better so have taken the entire company partying abroad no less than ten times, starting with Prague in June 2006.
- Jun 06 Holiday: Prague
- Aug 06 Holiday: Amsterdam
- Dec 06 Holiday: Vegas
2007
Jun 07
We go AGILE
After 2 years of using an offshore development team we made the leap to build an in-house team using the AGILE methodology. Having exceptional developers has been instrumental to our success and the team now stands at 40-strong. We also use AGILE across all areas of the business; some might even say we’re post AGILE :)
Mar 07
Tom Manning 25th employee
Sep 07
Share Option Scheme
We want everyone to have a vested interest in our long-term growth, so we offer share options to all full-time employees. We’re a privately funded company and all our shareholders are actively involved in the business which means we’re truly masters of our own destiny.
Nov 07
launches
- Aug 07 Holiday: Krakow
- Dec 07 Holiday: Vegas
2008
Feb 08
Forward3D direct agency services launches
Jul 08
1,000,000+ clicks delivered everyday to our portfolio & client's websites
- Dec 08 Holiday: Paris
2009
Jul 09
Innovation Leave
Innovate everyday is one of our core values and we really live this through Innovation Leave. People have the opportunity to book up to 20 days Innovation Leave each year to work on anything that helps the company in some way. Loads of great projects have come out of this initiative such as InvisibleHand and JustShops.
Nov 09
Jonathan Rust 50th employee
Nov 09
5,000,000+ clicks delivered everyday to our portfolio & client's websites
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Jul 09
launches
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Aug 09
launches
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Dec 09
acquired
- Aug 09 Holiday: Copenhagen
- Dec 09 Holiday: Vegas
2010
Jan 10
Forward rebrand
After the uSwitch acquisition we decided to create a new name for our group of web businesses - Forward. We’re called Forward for a reason - we're not interested in looking back, we want to advance, to continue to grow and to make a difference.
Jan 10
launches
Feb 10
replaces TrafficBroker brand
Feb 10
uSwitch £1bn saved for consumers
Apr 10
ForwardFoundation
We're not just in the business of making money - we want to do some good along the way too. Each year we dedicate a proportion of our profits to our Foundation to help improve the lives of those less fortunate than us.
May 10
launches
Jun 10
Hadoop cluster size exceeds 10TB
Jul 10
Jane Warwick 100th employee
Jul 10
Omio 1,000,000+ deals compared
Oct 10
InvisibleHand 1,000,000+ downloads
Nov 10
ForwardFoundation 500th micro-loan made through Kiva
- Sep 10 Holiday: Paris
- Dec 10 Holiday: Vegas
2011
Jan 11
Learning
We understand that people have the urge to get better at stuff. So in 2011 we’re providing a huge selection of learning opportunities for everyone. This ranges from after-hours sessions such as langua ge classes, music lessons and cookery classes to work related opportunities such as conferences, training courses and internal lunch and learn sessions.
Jan 11
JustShops 10th website launched, JustHamsters
Feb 11
Matthew Whittaker 150th employee
Feb 11
Hadoop cluster size exceeds 20TB
Mar 11
New Office
We're firm believers that having a beautiful working environment helps increase productivity and wellbeing. So we pulled out all the stops with our new office – a huge social space with free food and drink, amphitheatre style seating for conferences (and to watch all important table tennis matches) and a data wall with 16 screens tracking important KPIs. You can view some pics here.
Feb 11
Marie-Louise Abretti 200th employee
Jun 11
acquired
Aug 11
launches
Nov 11
launches
Sep 11
hosted Inaugural LNUG meet up
Feb 11
Hadoop cluster size exceeds 20TB
Dec 11
Development team
grew to
50 people
Oct 11
Hadoop cluster size exceeds 150TB
Dec 11
InvisibleHand 1,000,000+ downloads
- Dec 10 Holiday: Vegas
2012
Feb 12
Hosted 25th Developer meet up
Jan 12
InvisibleHand £100M and $750M of savings found for users
Feb 12
Michael Cottom 350th employee
Feb 12
acquired