Compliance

Expert vetting

Every expert is screened against the specification agreed with the client before being put forward. Screening covers the person’s current position and the relevant part of their background, and each expert confirms that record in writing.

Experts are screened against applicable sanctions lists, and confirm in the terms they accept that they are not subject to sanctions. An expert who cannot give that confirmation is not engaged.

Independent contractor status

Experts are engaged as independent contractors for defined assignments, under published terms accepted in writing before any work begins. They set their own working methods, are not subject to our internal rules, and are paid service fees against an invoice or an acceptance record. Nothing in the relationship is employment, and the wording of our contracts, our payment records and this site is consistent on that point.

Confidential information

Experts undertake not to disclose confidential information belonging to a current or former employer, and not to disclose anything they are contractually or professionally bound to keep. Our interviewers are briefed to end a call that approaches either line, and to record that it was ended.

Client information is handled on the same basis in the other direction: an expert is told only what the assignment requires, and the client’s identity is withheld unless the client asks for it to be disclosed.

Material non-public information

We do not accept, seek or transmit material non-public information about any listed company. Experts confirm this before each assignment. It applies whether or not the client trades securities, and whether or not the expert believes the information is already known.

We would rather lose an interview than deliver an answer a client cannot act on.

Conflicts of interest

Experts declare conflicts before an assignment begins, not after. A declared conflict is disclosed to the client, who decides whether the engagement proceeds. An undeclared conflict discovered later ends the relationship.

Records and data protection

For each assignment we keep the accepted version of the terms, the written assignment description, the work delivered, the invoice or acceptance record and the payment instruction, filed against the assignment reference. A complete file for any payment can be produced on request.

Personal data is limited to what an assignment requires. The contact forms on this site accept no attachments and no documents, and the information they collect is used only to reply.