Expert interviews are valuable because they provide informed perspectives, not privileged access. Swelln’s expert matching process is intended to respect the interests of clients, experts, employers and other third parties. The principles below define expectations; they are not a claim of external accreditation or a complex automated screening platform.

1. Appropriate information only

Experts must not share material non-public information, trade secrets, state secrets, employer-confidential information, unpublished regulatory decisions, privileged communications, non-public procurement details or information they are otherwise prohibited from disclosing. Client requests must not solicit such information.

2. Conflict of interest and eligibility

Before a session, Swelln should ask experts to confirm that the subject does not conflict with employment duties, confidentiality commitments, professional rules or other restrictions. Experts must decline or pause an engagement when participation is not permitted. Client-side restrictions should be communicated in advance.

3. Confidentiality and client identity

Project briefs and client identities should be shared with proposed experts only to the extent reasonably needed to evaluate fit, and subject to appropriate confidentiality expectations. Clients should avoid putting confidential client information in an open website form.

4. Political and public-sector expertise

A geopolitical discussion must not include classified material, non-public government deliberations, inside political influence or confidential government access. Public officials and politically exposed persons may be subject to stricter applicable duties; some engagements should be rejected outright.

5. Consultation conduct

At the beginning of a call, participants should reiterate the permissible topic and applicable restrictions. Any participant should stop the discussion if it moves into prohibited areas. Recording, transcription, sharing or reuse should occur only with appropriate advance agreement and applicable legal authority.

6. Sanctions, anti-bribery and lawful activity

Participants must not use expert calls to facilitate bribery, prohibited sanctions dealings, undisclosed lobbying, market abuse or other unlawful conduct. Applicable sanctions and integrity checks should be determined according to the parties, geography and risk of the particular engagement.

7. A practical screening checklist

  1. Confirm the project objective, intended use and exclusions.
  2. Assess expert identity, experience and relevant restrictions.
  3. Ask about employer rules, public office and conflict of interest.
  4. Set an appropriate topic scope and confidentiality expectations.
  5. Escalate or decline engagements involving restricted information.
  6. Record appropriate confirmations and contractual terms.

For a proposed consultation involving particularly sensitive topics, please contact istvan.hagyo@swelln.com before sharing your brief. These principles must be implemented in real internal procedures; a web page alone is not sufficient compliance control.