Terms & Conditions

These Terms form a binding agreement between the person or organisation using the Expert Network (“you”) and the relevant The CFO HQ entity identified in the applicable order, statement of work or engagement communication (“The CFO HQ”, “we”, “us” or “our”). “Client” means an organisation or authorised user seeking expertise. “Consultant” means an expert, candidate or specialist invited to participate.

• Use of the portal, acceptance of a project, submission of a survey or participation in a call confirms acceptance.
• Organisation users confirm that they have authority to bind their organisation.
• Project-specific restrictions and written engagement terms apply in addition to these Terms and prevail where they provide stronger protection.

You must be at least 18, legally capable of entering into these Terms, and provide complete, accurate and current identity, employment, experience, conflict, tax and payment information. We may require proportionate identity, professional-history, sanctions, adverse-media, employment or other verification.

Every participant must complete requested screening honestly and disclose actual, potential or perceived conflicts. Consultants must consider duties to present and former employers, clients, professional bodies and other parties, and obtain any required consent before participating.

• The CFO HQ may approve, reject, pause or withdraw any participant without disclosing confidential screening information.
• A prior approval does not remove the obligation to reassess conflicts for every project.
• Clients must not target restricted persons or structure questions to circumvent an employer restriction, NDA, fiduciary duty or law.

The service may be used only for legitimate professional research, consultation, benchmarking, surveys and other activities expressly approved by The CFO HQ. Users must act lawfully, professionally, honestly and within the approved project scope.

You must not misrepresent identity or authority; request or exploit restricted information; scrape, bulk-download or resell platform data; introduce malicious code; bypass access controls; harass or discriminate; conduct unlawful surveillance; or use the service to evade contractual, regulatory or professional duties.

A Consultant must participate only where qualified, permitted and able to provide independent, good-faith insight. Statements must be accurate to the Consultant’s knowledge, clearly distinguish fact from opinion, and stay within the approved scope.

• Do not disclose information belonging to any employer, client, customer, supplier or other person.
• Do not delegate participation or allow an undisclosed person to attend.
• Keep profile, availability, bank, tax and rate information current.

A Client must ensure each project has a legitimate purpose, appropriate internal approval and an accurate scope. The Client must brief every attendee on applicable restrictions and must not pressure a Consultant to answer a question they decline.

• Do not request confidential, proprietary, privileged, personal or inside information.
• Do not target a person because of access to restricted information or use sequential questions to reconstruct it.
• Limit attendance and distribution to authorised personnel with a genuine need to know.
• Independently verify material conclusions before acting.

“Confidential Information” includes non-public information relating to The CFO HQ, a Client, a Consultant, a project, an employer or any third party, including identities, project titles and descriptions, questions, business plans, financial information, margins, forecasts, transactions, technology, trade secrets, personal data and consultation content.

You must use Confidential Information only for the approved engagement, disclose it solely to authorised persons, apply appropriate safeguards and not publish or reference a project on social media, a CV, marketing material or elsewhere without written permission.

These duties do not apply to information demonstrably lawfully known without restriction, independently developed, or lawfully obtained from an unrestricted third party. A legally compelled disclosure must, where lawful, be preceded by prompt notice and limited to what is strictly required.

No user may seek, disclose, receive, use or encourage the disclosure of material non-public information, inside information or information obtained through a breach of duty. No user may trade, recommend trading, alter an order or advise another person on the basis of such information.

Projects and surveys remain subject to scope, compliance, credit and operational approval. Prequalifying responses must be truthful and complete. Conditional logic may end participation where eligibility criteria are not met; a disqualified Consultant must not attempt to re-enter using another account or response.

• Shortlisting does not guarantee selection, minimum work or payment.
• Approved survey versions may be locked for version control before distribution.
• Consultants must acknowledge applicable survey terms before starting and must not retain questions or responses.
• Clients are charged only in accordance with the approved commercial terms and qualifying completion rules.

No participant may record, transcribe, stream, photograph, screen-capture or introduce a bot, AI assistant or automated note taker without prior written authorisation from The CFO HQ and informed consent from every participant. Where recording is approved, purpose, access, retention and deletion controls must be followed.

Undisclosed observers are prohibited. Meeting links must be protected and used only by authorised attendees. A participant must leave or stop the call if an unexpected person or tool joins.

Personal data must be adequate, relevant and limited to the approved purpose; kept accurate and secure; accessed only by authorised persons; and retained no longer than necessary. Users must follow the applicable privacy notice and reasonable security instructions.

Users must comply with applicable anti-bribery, anti-corruption, sanctions, fraud, tax-evasion facilitation and anti-money-laundering laws. No improper payment, gift, benefit, facilitation payment or inducement may be offered, requested, made or accepted.

Users must not participate where prohibited by sanctions or export controls, conceal a beneficial owner or payment recipient, or route payment through an unrelated person. The CFO HQ may withhold activity or payment while proportionate checks are completed.

Client fees, credits, Consultant remuneration and margins are role-restricted commercial information. Consultants must not be shown Client pricing. One Client credit is purchased at £1,250 unless a written order states otherwise. Expertise tiers, planned duration, participant numbers and approved survey volumes determine the credits reserved or deducted.

Confirmed participants must attend punctually and use the approved conference link. Cancellation or rescheduling must be notified promptly through the platform. Unless written terms state otherwise, a Client cancellation within 24 hours, late attendance or a no-show may remain chargeable.

The CFO HQ may cancel, pause or reschedule an engagement for compliance, safety, technical or operational reasons. No payment is due to a Consultant for unapproved preparation, unsuccessful screening, cancelled participation or time beyond the authorised duration unless agreed in writing.

Where self-billing applies, the Consultant authorises The CFO HQ to generate self-billed invoices for approved services and agrees not to issue a duplicate invoice for the same supply. The Consultant must confirm actual call minutes and review the draft promptly.

• Call duration may be checked against authorised records from the approved meeting platform.
• The Consultant remains responsible for accurate legal name, address, bank, tax and VAT details.
• Disputed minutes or values may be held for Project Manager or The CFO HQ review.
• Payment remains subject to approval, valid information, fraud controls and the agreed payment cycle.

Clients and Consultants must not bypass The CFO HQ, exchange direct commercial terms, solicit or engage one another, move an introduction to another intermediary, or arrange follow-on work outside the platform without prior written approval.

This restriction applies to introductions and relationships arising through the network for the period specified in the applicable engagement terms. It does not prevent a demonstrably pre-existing, independently documented relationship, but that relationship must be disclosed before participation.

Each party retains ownership of intellectual property created independently of the engagement. Subject to payment and the applicable order, a Client may use specifically commissioned deliverables for its authorised internal purpose. General knowledge, experience, methodologies, templates, platform features and pre-existing materials remain with their owner.

No user may copy or republish profiles, survey instruments, training, portal content, branding or databases except as expressly authorised. A Consultant must not provide third-party material without permission or present generated content as independently verified work.

Consultations provide general expert insight based on the Consultant’s experience and do not constitute legal, regulatory, investment, audit, tax, medical or other regulated advice. The CFO HQ does not guarantee that a Consultant’s views are complete, error-free or suitable for a particular decision.

Clients remain responsible for independent verification, professional advice, investment decisions and implementation. Except where law prevents exclusion, the platform and content are provided on an “as available” basis without implied warranties.

The CFO HQ may retain evidence of screening, approvals, acknowledgements, communications, attendance, credits, rate decisions, surveys, call records and support activity. We may monitor compliance, investigate concerns, request supporting information and restrict an engagement while a review is underway.

Users must cooperate honestly, preserve relevant records and not obstruct, alter or destroy evidence. Information may be shared with professional advisers, insurers, clients, authorities or other parties where lawful, necessary and proportionate.

The CFO HQ may reject an application, suspend access, stop a project, remove a participant or terminate an account where reasonably required for compliance, security, misconduct, non-payment, inaccurate information, operational risk or breach of these Terms.

Termination does not affect accrued rights, payment obligations or clauses intended to survive, including confidentiality, data protection, intellectual property, audit, no-circumvention, liability and dispute provisions. Records may be retained where required for lawful business, tax, regulatory or defence purposes.

Nothing excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or death or personal injury caused by negligence. Subject to that limitation, the applicable order or engagement terms govern financial caps and exclusions.

Each user remains responsible for their own acts, omissions, decisions and breaches. To the extent permitted by law, a user must compensate The CFO HQ for third-party loss, claim, penalty or reasonable cost arising from that user’s unlawful conduct, confidentiality breach, infringement, misrepresentation or unauthorised direct dealing.

We may update these Terms for legal, regulatory, security or operational reasons. Material changes will be communicated or presented for renewed acknowledgement where appropriate. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance where lawful.

• No failure or delay in enforcing a right is a waiver.
• If a provision is invalid, it will be adjusted or severed to the minimum extent necessary without affecting the remainder.
• No user may assign rights or obligations without written consent; The CFO HQ may assign within its group or as part of a reorganisation or business transfer.
• Electronic notices, approvals and records are valid. Headings assist navigation only.
• Unless the applicable written engagement terms specify otherwise, these Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.