Culture in Action: What Makes Fortrea, Fortrea
Culture is often described as what a company believes. At Fortrea, it comes to life through action.
Fortrea is a young company, built through a spin, and still early in our journey. Yet we bring the experience and confidence of decades in clinical research. When Fortrea evolved from our heritage we did not start from zero. We started with deep expertise, trusted relationships, and a clear responsibility to patients, customers, sites and our employees.
That combination, new energy with seasoned capability, shaped an important decision in our first year: we would be intentional about what we stand for, and equally intentional about how we bring it to life. In an industry where the stakes are high and the outcomes matter deeply, the how is not a nice to have. It is central to trust, quality, and impact.
A culture built on purpose, vision, and a shared foundation
At Fortrea, a simple truth guides us: how we deliver defines who we are. It guides our thinking, our actions, and the experiences we create to drive results, connecting our diverse people across geographies.
That shared foundation links all Fortreans through a common Purpose, Vision, and set of priorities.
Our Purpose is delivering solutions that bring life changing treatments to patients faster and create lasting value for all stakeholders.
Our Vision is to be the best CRO partner to innovative biotech and biopharma companies, driving FORward clinical TRials with Ease.
This matters because purpose and performance are not in conflict. At Fortrea, they reinforce each other. Purpose gives meaning to the work. Performance ensures we deliver on that promise, with quality and integrity, every day.
The Fortrea Four: what we believe, what we live
In our first year as an independent company, we seized the opportunity to shape something distinctive. With engagement from employees across Fortrea, we created a global network of culture champions and our cultural beliefs, forming the basis of our culture, called the Fortrea Four.
The Fortrea Four are written as personal commitments. Each statement begins with I, because culture is not owned by a department or a poster. It is owned by each of us.
Forward Together
I partner with my customers to understand their needs and achieve results collectively.
Own It
I hold myself accountable and work across perceived boundaries to find solutions and deliver.
Uphold Integrity
I do the right things in the right way, with the safety of patients and research volunteers always coming first.
Respect People
I am inclusive, seek feedback and create positive experiences for all.
These are not abstract values. They are daily behaviors that shape the way we partner, make decisions, and create experiences for customers, sites, and each other.
Patients at the center, no matter the role
Even when our work is behind the scenes of clinical research, patients remain at the heart of our purpose. This patient first mindset shows up in big decisions and small moments. This mindset is reflected in how we plan and prioritize. It shows up in how we raise concerns early. It shows up in how we reduce complexity for sites and bring flexible, agile solutions to sponsors.
Culture becomes real when the pressure is on. In those moments, we return to a consistent standard: do the right things in the right way, and keep patients and research volunteers at the center.
A culture of innovation, built for today’s challenges
Clinical research is changing quickly. Sponsors need speed and agility. Sites need simplicity and support. Patients need access and trust. Fortrea is bringing a cultural shift to the clinical research industry by giving sponsors flexible and agile solutions while helping investigator sites improve productivity, reduce complexity, and make it easier to conduct studies.
What enables that shift is not only technology or process, but it is people. It is a purpose driven culture that helps us serve the industry as a partner who feels truly accountable for product and project success.
This is where the idea of culture in action comes alive. Forward Together looks like cross functional partnership that removes friction. Own It looks like people stepping in, solving problems, and following through. Uphold Integrity looks like quality and compliance that never bends. Respect People looks like inclusion, feedback, and belonging, so teams can do their best work.
Responsible People Practices: built through listening and belonging
Because Fortrea is global, our culture must reflect the communities we serve. Our journey started with listening, gathering perspectives, and asking for feedback. And with team members across nearly 100 countries, we continue to seek out each distinct voice across our organization.
Fortrea for All anchors our responsible people practices, helping us foster trust, respect, and growth, while empowering every employee to be their authentic self.
Fortrea approach to diversity and inclusion is rooted in a simple belief: people do their best work when they feel seen, heard, and valued. We foster an ecosystem of respect and caring, promote knowledge sharing, and increase representation of diverse voices across all levels of the business.
One of the most visible ways this comes to life is through our eight Employee Resource Groups. These ERGs are led by employee volunteers and are designed to build connections, encourage belonging, support career development, and champion employee voices.
Our eight ERGs include:
- ASCEND for young professionals and intergenerational connection
- EPIC to celebrate and learn from multicultural diversity
- BOLD to strengthen mentorship and leadership development for Black professionals
- EnABLE to support individuals with disabilities and allies
- LEAF to connect colleagues around sustainability
- PRIDE to foster LGBTQ+ inclusion and belonging
- VERG to support veterans and allies
- WEN to advance women through connection, development, and advocacy
Across Fortrea, ERGs create moments of community, learning, and togetherness. They help colleagues find their people, expand perspectives, and build bridges across geography and experience.
Togetherness across cultures, time zones, and teams
A global company does not automatically feel connected. Togetherness must be built, intentionally, across different cultures and ways of working.
At Fortrea, connection is strengthened when we celebrate what makes each region and community unique, while staying anchored to a shared foundation. You see it in the everyday ways teams collaborate and communicate. It happens when we seek feedback with openness. It happens when we create positive moments for colleagues and customers.
This is what Respect People looks like in practice. It is not only about being polite. It is about being inclusive, curious, and thoughtful, so that people feel safe to contribute and proud of what we achieve collectively.
Leadership mindset: courage, conviction, accountability
Culture is shaped by what leaders tolerate, reward, and model. At Fortrea, our leadership mindset calls for courage, conviction, and accountability.
Courage to raise risks early and make hard calls when quality and patient safety are on the line. Conviction to stay true to our purpose and values, especially when the work is complex. Accountability to own outcomes, learn quickly, and deliver on commitments.
This mindset aligns naturally to the Fortrea Four. It is how we move Forward Together. It is how we Own It. It is how we Uphold Integrity. It is how we Respect People.
What people remember, and why it matters here
As Fortrea grows, we will continue to evolve. But we do not want to grow by losing what makes us special. We want to grow by living our values more visibly, more consistently, and more boldly.
Because in the end, what matters most is not what we say, but what people experience.
Maya Angelou is often credited with a reminder that feels especially relevant at Fortrea: people may not remember every detail of what you said or did, but they remember how you made them feel.
That is what culture in action means for us. It means patients at the center. It means integrity without compromise. It means partnership without silos. It means respect that creates belonging. And it means leadership that chooses courage, conviction, and accountability, so that Fortrea can be the CRO of choice, not only for what we achieve, but for how we do it.