How expert network consultations work.

One

A brief reaches you.

When a client's research question matches your background, our team prepares a short written brief and emails it to you. The brief sets out the sector, the topic, and the kind of perspective the client is looking for. There is no time pressure — you read it when it suits you.

Two

You decide whether it fits.

If the topic is squarely in your professional area and the timing works, you accept. If it is not the right fit, you pass. There is no quota, no minimum, and no obligation. Most experts pass on more briefs than they accept, and that is the design of the network.

Three

We agree the topic and timing.

Once you accept, our compliance team confirms the agreed topic in writing and schedules the call at a time that suits you. You always know exactly what the conversation covers before it starts.

Four

The call itself.

A 45-minute conversation by phone or video. The client asks open-ended questions about how the sector works, what the trends are, where the competitive dynamics are interesting, and how a practitioner reads the market. You share your professional perspective — the kind of insight you would share at an industry conference.

That is the whole of it. Calls focus on your general expertise; the specific terms are set out in the Expert Terms.

Five

You request payment.

After the call, we email you a secure payment-request link. You enter your bank details once and submit. We pay your fee within 30 days through formal banking channels. No invoicing software, no chasing.

A few small things that help

Quick tips for a smooth call.

None of this is required, but most experienced experts do something like it:

• Skim the brief once when it arrives and once again the day of the call.
• Have a quiet space and a stable connection. Phone is fine.
• Think for thirty seconds in advance about how you would describe the sector to a smart outsider. That is usually where the call opens.
• Speak from your own professional experience and your own read of the market. That is what the client is paying for.

In short

It is straightforward by design.

A written brief, an agreed topic, a 45-minute conversation about your sector, a fee paid within 30 days. That is the whole engagement.

Compliance

Six

Your obligations

Participation in expert network consultations is governed by a binding set of terms — the Silverlight Research Terms and Conditions — which you agree to when you join the network. Every brief you receive includes a link to those terms.

The compliance requirements below are a summary of some of those obligations. They do not replace or limit the full terms. If there is ever any conflict between this summary and the full terms, the terms govern.

By accepting any consultation request, you are confirming that you have no conflict of interest with the subject matter or the client making the request.

Seven

Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest arises whenever your participation in a consultation could compromise an obligation you owe to someone else — your current employer, a former employer, or any third party you have an agreement with.

The term is deliberately broad. A conflict may arise from:

— your employment agreement or company handbook
— any non-disclosure agreement you have signed
— professional or industry codes of conduct
— securities you hold that relate to the subject matter
— a direct relationship between the client and your employer

Before accepting any request, review it against all of these. Only you know the full contents of your agreements. If you are in any doubt, decline. Our compliance team is available to discuss borderline cases before you accept.

If a conflict that was not apparent on the face of a request emerges during a call, stop immediately, tell the client you cannot continue on that topic, and notify your Silverlight Research contact. You are entitled to invoice for your time up to that point.

Eight

Confidential information

You must not disclose any confidential information during a consultation. Confidential information means any information that is identified as confidential or is clearly confidential by its nature — including anything that concerns the business, finances, organisation, or future plans of any company or third party.

This applies to information about your current employer, former employers, clients, and any counterparties you have dealt with professionally.

You must also keep confidential the details of any consultation itself — the identity of the client, the subject matter discussed, the questions asked, and the rates agreed. These obligations continue after the consultation ends.

If you are uncertain whether a particular piece of information is confidential, treat it as if it is.

Nine

Material non-public information

Material non-public information — known as MNPI — is information that is not publicly available and that a reasonable investor would consider important when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a security. Sharing MNPI on an expert call can give rise to serious legal liability, including under insider trading law.

Information is material if there is a substantial likelihood that a reasonable investor would view it as significantly altering the overall picture of a company's position or prospects. This includes earnings data, product launches, merger and acquisition activity, regulatory decisions, and contract wins or losses. It does not need to relate to a publicly listed company to be sensitive.

Information is non-public until it has been broadly disseminated — through a public filing, a major news outlet, or a widely read publication. An internal announcement, or a rumour circulating within an industry, does not make information public.

The rule in practice is straightforward: if you learned it in your professional role and it has not been announced publicly, do not share it. If a client asks a question that would require you to share MNPI, decline to answer that part clearly and move on. If you believe a client was deliberately seeking confidential or non-public information, end the call and notify Silverlight Research compliance immediately at compliance@silverlightgroup.com.

Ten

What consultations are for

Consultations draw on your general professional knowledge and your read of the market. The client wants to understand how a sector works, what the competitive dynamics are, where the operational pressure points lie, and how a practitioner sees the landscape.

That is the whole scope. You are not expected to share internal data, proprietary processes, client information, or anything you are obligated to keep confidential. A well-run consultation draws on your accumulated professional judgement — not on any specific piece of confidential information you happen to hold.

Think of it as the kind of conversation you might have at an industry conference, or with a thoughtful friend who works in a different field and wants to understand your sector. That is exactly what institutional clients are paying for.

Eleven

During and after a call

You will receive a written brief before every call. Read it before you accept. It sets out the topic, the client type, and the scope of the conversation. If anything in the brief suggests the client wants information you cannot share, decline the request before the call begins — not during it.

Once a call is underway, you are in control of what you say. If the conversation moves toward a topic you cannot discuss, redirect it. If the client persists, end the call. There is no obligation to continue a call that has moved outside the agreed scope.

After a call, keep the details confidential. Do not discuss who the client was, what was asked, or what you said — not with colleagues, not on social media, not anywhere. Your participation in the network is your own business.

Twelve

The full terms and further guidance

This page is a plain-English summary. The full compliance tutorial — including worked examples of conflicts of interest, detailed MNPI guidance, and the specific prohibitions from the Silverlight Research Terms and Conditions — is available on the Silverlight Research website.

Read the full Tutorial for Experts →

Read the Expert Terms and Conditions →