Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Why this page exists

The studio runs two kinds of work side by side: a commercial consulting practice and a pro-bono advisory practice for IIBA and PMI chapters, non-profits, and educators. Keeping those two honest with each other needs a written rule set. This is it.

The standing rules

• Pro-bono work is never a sales channel. No engagement taken through the volunteer register is used to pitch, upsell, or convert the organisation into a paying client.
• No double role on the same matter. The studio does not advise an organisation pro bono on a matter where it also has, or is pursuing, a commercial interest.
• Chapter neutrality. Advisory given to a professional chapter follows the chapter's own governance and the parent body's code of conduct. Where the two differ, the stricter rule applies.
• Confidentiality is symmetrical. Nothing learned inside a pro-bono engagement is reused for commercial work, and nothing from commercial engagements is disclosed to volunteer organisations.

Declaration before engagement

Every engagement starts with a written scope note. That note includes a conflict check: any existing relationship with the organisation, its board members, its funders, or its competitors is declared before the work begins. If a material conflict exists and cannot be isolated, the engagement is declined.

If a conflict appears mid-engagement

If a conflict emerges after work has started, it is declared to the organisation's named contact in writing within five working days. The organisation then chooses: continue with the conflict documented, narrow the scope to remove it, or end the engagement. Ending it carries no cost or obligation.

Questions

To raise a concern about a conflict, declared or not, email varun.vashisht@live.com. Concerns are answered within one working day.