Trust Framework

The Trust Framework is agreed and published in full. Its ten areas set out the terms every member enters into on joining, and the terms the Circle holds itself to in return.

Agreed once, and held to

Everything on this page is a commitment rather than a description.

Confidentiality, conduct, review and removal are the terms a member is asked to rely on, and the terms the Circle is held to in return. Each of the ten areas below carries its agreed wording in full.

The ten areas

Open any area to read its full wording.

01 Our Commitment

The Circle exists to give its members a room where candour costs nothing. Everything in this framework follows from that single undertaking: that what a member brings into the Circle (a problem, a doubt, a half-formed plan) will be met with judgment on the merits and nothing else.

02 CEO Charter

Every member agrees to the same terms on joining. To speak plainly and expect the same in return. To treat what is shared by others as their own to hold, not to repeat. To bring the same seriousness to the Circle’s councils and forums as to their own board. Membership is a standing agreement to these terms, not a one-time formality.

03 Moderation Standards

Sessions are structured to protect candour, not performance. A convenor is present at every forum and council to keep the conversation on the question at hand, ensure no member goes unheard, and close a session the moment it stops serving the people in the room.

04 Confidentiality

Nothing said within the Circle (in a forum, a council, a dinner, or a private conversation between members) is repeated outside it without the speaker’s explicit agreement. This extends to the fact that a conversation took place at all. Confidentiality is the condition the Circle depends on, not a courtesy extended around its edges.

05 Governance

The Circle is convened by its founding members, who hold responsibility for admission, standards, and the direction of the membership as a whole. Governance decisions are made by this group and communicated to the membership; day-to-day matters are handled by the team that runs the Circle’s programme.

06 Member Conduct

Members are expected to engage in good faith: to contribute as well as draw on the Circle, to respect confidentiality without exception, and to treat every other member with the same regard they would want extended to themselves. Conduct that undermines trust in the room is grounds for review under the terms below.

07 Privacy

Personal and business information shared with the Circle (in an application, a conversation, or a member profile) is used only to run the Circle’s programme and is not shared with third parties without consent. Members control what is visible to other members and what is not.

08 Conflict Resolution

Disagreements between members, or between a member and the Circle, are addressed directly and privately in the first instance. Where that does not resolve the matter, it is brought to the convening group, who hear both sides and decide plainly rather than let it linger unresolved.

09 Membership Review

Membership is reviewed periodically to confirm it continues to reflect the standard the Circle was built around: seniority, disposition, and genuine engagement with the room. Review is not adversarial; it exists to keep the membership what it was meant to be.

10 Removal Policy

Membership can be ended for a serious breach of confidentiality, conduct that damages trust in the room, or sustained disengagement from the Circle’s programme. Removal follows a conversation, not a notice: a member is told plainly why, and given the chance to respond, before any decision is final.

Request Membership Consideration

Membership in the CEO Elite Circle is by invitation and consideration only.

Tell us who you are and what you are working on. Someone from the Circle will read it, and you will hear back either way.