4. How can I work with Open Water through the Connector Circle?
There are three ways.Make an introduction – introduce someone you think we should meet and receive a referral fee if it leads to qualifying work.

Bring your expertise – where your knowledge of the client, sector or challenge would add value, we can explore involving you in the work.

Deliver at scale – where you have the client opportunity but need more capacity, capability or infrastructure, Open Water can provide the support around you.

‍5. Do I have to choose one way of working with Open Water?
No. Your level of involvement can change from one opportunity to another. One introduction might simply be a contact you think Open Water should know. Another could be a long-standing client where you want to remain closely involved or lead the relationship yourself.

‍6. Do I have to sell Open Water?
No. We are not asking Connectors to become salespeople. We want you to recognise situations where Open Water could genuinely add value and make an introduction when it feels appropriate. We will provide straightforward information, case studies, proof points and introduction wording to make that easy.

7. What counts as a qualifying introduction?
A qualifying introduction is a warm, direct introduction to a relevant decision-maker or budget-holder that leads to a sales conversation and subsequently to contracted work. The specific opportunity must be new to Open Water and not already active in our pipeline. Open Water will confirm whether an introduction qualifies and, where there is any doubt, we recommend checking with us before making the introduction.

‍8. What if I simply pass you a name?
We want introductions to be warm rather than simply the name of a potential prospect. A short email or LinkedIn introduction is usually enough. It helps if you can also give us some context – who the person is, how you know them, why you think there may be a fit and anything useful you know about the opportunity.

‍9. What happens if Open Water already knows the organisation?
That does not necessarily mean the opportunity is excluded. Referral eligibility is based on whether the specific opportunity is new to Open Water, rather than whether we already know or have worked with the wider organisation. This is particularly relevant in large enterprises with multiple functions, business units, markets and decision-makers. If there is any uncertainty, speak to us before making the introduction and we can clarify it.

‍10. What if I am unsure whether an opportunity qualifies?
Ask us. We would much rather discuss an opportunity early – and confidentially – explore where Open Water could add value and agree the best way to approach it before you introduce us to the client. The Connector Circle is intended to make working together easier – not more complicated.

11. What referral fee do I receive?
The standard referral fee is 10% of the Net Fee received by Open Water from qualifying work arising from your introduction. The exact commercial arrangement can be discussed where the nature, size or level of involvement in an opportunity makes a different structure more appropriate.

‍12. What does "Net Fee" mean?
Net Fee means the professional fee received by Open Water, excluding VAT or other applicable taxes, out-of-pocket expenses, disbursements and identifiable third-party delivery costs such as subcontractor or associate fees.

‍13. How long does my referral remain valid?
A qualifying referral remains valid for 12 months from the date of introduction. The standard referral fee applies to the initial contracted scope unless something different has been agreed in writing.

‍14. What happens if the client continues working with Open Water?
Where work connected with the initial engagement extends beyond the original scope, and you continue to add value through active client involvement, an additional 5% referral fee for a further six months may apply. This is considered according to the circumstances rather than being automatic.

‍15. When will I be paid?
For referral fees above £500, payment is made after Open Water has received payment from the client. Referral fees of £500 or less are paid in the month the work is first delivered. Where an invoice is required, payment is subject to receipt of the appropriate valid tax/VAT invoice.

16. If I introduce you to my client, will Open Water take over the relationship?
Not necessarily. If you simply want to make an introduction, Open Water can take the opportunity forward. If it is an important client relationship and you want to remain involved, we can agree how we work together before progressing the opportunity. We know that trust has often taken years to build. We will always agree how we work together before approaching or progressing an opportunity with your client. The aim is to add capability around the relationship where that creates value – not to assume every introduction should work in the same way.

‍17. Who owns the client relationship?
There is no single model. If you are making a straightforward referral, Open Water will normally manage the resulting opportunity. If you are bringing us into an established client relationship, we can agree how the relationship is managed, who leads conversations and how visible Open Water is. The important thing is to agree this at the outset.

‍18. Can we present a proposal to the client together?
Yes. Depending on the opportunity, we may work together to shape the solution, join client conversations and develop the proposal. The respective roles would be agreed before we engage with the client.

‍19. Can Open Water work behind my brand?
Potentially, yes. Where the opportunity and relationship make it appropriate, we can discuss white-label or behind-the-scenes delivery arrangements. Because these relationships can vary significantly, the scope, responsibilities, client ownership and commercial model would be agreed for each opportunity.

20. Can I stay involved in the client work?
Yes, where your expertise is relevant to the opportunity. That might include helping shape the solution, contributing specialist knowledge, facilitating, coaching, delivering a keynote, or taking part in delivery. Your delivery contribution would be paid separately from any qualifying referral fee.

‍21. Can I earn both a referral fee and delivery fees?
Yes. Where you create the qualifying opportunity and also contribute to the work, you can receive the referral fee and your agreed associate or contractor fees for the work you deliver.

‍22. How are delivery fees agreed?
Referral fees and delivery fees are separate. If you are contributing to the design or delivery of a piece of work, we will agree your role, scope and fee with you before the work begins.We respect the rates experienced coaches, consultants and specialists charge for their expertise. Delivery fees will be agreed openly and fairly, reflecting your usual rates, the level of involvement required and the nature of the engagement.

‍23. Can Open Water support me if the opportunity is too large for me to deliver alone?
Yes – this is an important part of the Connector Circle. You may already have the expertise and client trust but need more capacity, a broader team, specialist capability, international delivery support or the infrastructure to deliver a much larger programme. Open Water can provide that capability around you.

24. When might it make sense to bring Open Water into a client conversation?
Usually when an opportunity is becoming broader, more complex or larger than you want to handle alone – for example, when additional facilitation, specialist expertise, a wider delivery team, global reach or stronger infrastructure would help you deliver more for your client. The aim is to complement what you already bring, not compete with it. We respect the relationships you have built and will agree together how visible Open Water should be, who leads the client relationship and what role each of us plays

‍25. How big does an opportunity need to be?
There is no fixed minimum size. Some opportunities may be focused pieces of work; others may involve multiple teams, markets or countries. What matters most is that there is a genuine need where Open Water can add value – whether that is specialist expertise, additional delivery capacity, broader capability or the infrastructure to support something at scale. If you are unsure, talk to us and we can work out together whether it is a good fit.

‍26. Does the opportunity have to be in life sciences?
No. Life sciences is Open Water's direct market focus and where we have particularly deep experience. Through the Connector Circle, we are also open to relevant opportunities in other complex and highly regulated industries where our human transformation expertise can add value.

‍27. What organisations and people are most relevant?
Typically, established organisations through to large global enterprises dealing with significant change, growth, transformation or complexity. Relevant contacts might include senior leaders, business unit heads, HR, OD and L&D leaders, transformation sponsors, functional leaders and others responsible for leading people, teams or change.

28. What other benefits are there from being part of the Connector Circle?
We want the Connector Circle to be a useful professional community as well as a way of creating opportunities. You'll have access to networking and learning sessions, new case studies and proof points, early visibility of what we're developing at Open Water, and opportunities to connect with other trusted practitioners.We also want to create opportunities for Connectors to collaborate with one another where there is a good fit, as well as with Open Water.There will also be opportunities to co-create and share thought leadership – including guest blogs, joint perspectives, webinars and other content where there is a strong fit between your expertise and ours. Where appropriate, we can also explore co-branding and other collaborative opportunities.

‍29. What does Open Water expect from me?
Very little bureaucracy. We ask that Connectors make introductions where there is a genuine fit, represent Open Water accurately and in keeping with our values, respect confidentiality, stay sufficiently connected to understand what we do and where we can add value, and tell us what is and is not working.

‍30. Do I have to work exclusively with Open Water?
No. The Connector Circle is designed for independent professionals and partner organisations and we fully respect that you will have your own clients, partnerships and professional relationships.We simply ask for openness where there may be a conflict or overlap around a specific opportunity, so we can agree the best way to work together.

‍31. Is there a formal agreement?
Yes. The commercial arrangements, confidentiality requirements and relevant terms will be documented so that both sides understand how the relationship works. For individual co-delivery, white-label or more complex partnership opportunities, we may agree additional terms specific to that piece of work.