Forward Appoints New Trustee, Adds Board Member to Audit Committee


San Francisco, April 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forward has announced the appointment of A. John Gambs,  former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of The Charles Schwab Corporation, to the Forward Funds Board of Trustees.  In addition, board member Julie Allecta, a former Senior Partner of the investment management practice group of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, has been appointed Chairperson of the Audit Committee of the Forward Funds.

"It is gratifying that Forward brings people with John and Julie's depth of knowledge and level of experience to our board," said Forward CEO J. Alan Reid. "Their marketplace insights and nuanced understanding of the regulatory environment will be invaluable as Forward continues to build new investment strategies for a changing investment environment."  

Mr. Gambs, who served on the Advisory Board of Forward Funds from December 2011 until his appointment as trustee in December 2012, retired from Schwab in 1996.  Prior to that, he was Managing Director and Treasurer of A. G. Becker Paribas in New York, and Deputy Treasurer of Merrill Lynch & Co., also in New York.  From 2006 to 2010, he was a trustee and chaired the Audit Committees of Barclays Global Investor Funds and the Master Investment Portfolios.  In addition, he is a past director and chair of the Compensation Committee of NMI Holdings, Inc., from 2011-2012.  He holds a BA degree from Northwestern University and an MBA from its Kellogg School of Management.

Julie Allecta, who joined the Forward Funds Board of Trustees in January 2012, is former Senior Partner/Chair Emeritus of the investment management practice group of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, San Francisco office, where she spent most of her career until her retirement in 2009.  Allecta has specialized in counseling financial institutions and boards of directors of financial institutions, providing legal advice on complex financial regulation and investment products.  In addition, she has written and lectured extensively on investment company matters.  Prior to entering private practice in 1982, she was employed as an attorney in the Office of General Counsel of the SEC. Allecta is also an active participant in the Mutual Fund Directors Forum and Independent Directors Council.

About Forward

The world has changed, leading investors to seek new strategies that better fit an evolving global climate. Forward's investment solutions are built around the outcomes we believe investors need to be pursuing - non-correlated return, investment income, global exposure and diversification. With a propensity for unbounded thinking, we focus especially on developing innovative alternative strategies that may help investors build all-weather portfolios. An independent, privately held firm founded in 1998, Forward (Forward Management, LLC) is the advisor to the Forward Funds. As of December 31, 2012, we manage more than $5.7 billion in a diverse product set offered to individual investors, financial advisors and institutions.

You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Forward Funds carefully before investing. A prospectus with this and other information may be obtained by calling (800) 999-6809 or by downloading one from www.forwardinvesting.com.  It should be read carefully before investing.

RISKS

There are risks involved with investing, including loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results, share prices will fluctuate and you may have a gain or loss when you redeem shares.

Alternative strategies typically are subject to increased risk and loss of principal. Consequently, investments such as mutual funds which focus on alternative strategies are not suitable for all investors.

Diversification does not assure profit or protect against risk.

Alan Reid is a registered representative of Forward Securities, LLC.

Forward Funds are distributed by Forward Securities, LLC.


            

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