Question: We would like to seek clarity on the interpretation of Clause 2.3, particularly in relation to our ongoing work with clients headquartered within our licensed territory who frequently mandate us to execute searches for roles outside the region— for instance, in Africa, Turkey, Malaysia, Mauritius or the USA.
Our understanding is that these assignments originate from clients within our defined territory, and we are merely fulfilling their cross-border hiring needs, rather than independently marketing or delivering services in those other countries.
Could you please confirm whether such scenarios would still require prior written approval from TALENTOR, or whether they would be considered within the permissible scope of our client relationships, given that the contractual engagement and client relationship are based in our designated region?
We want to ensure full compliance with the exclusivity framework while maintaining seamless delivery for our existing multinational clients.
Answer: You can maintain and serve clients headquartered in your territory, even if they have needs outside your region. You may handle such searches independently. However, if it makes sense for a particular project, we recommend involving the local Talentor partner, as they often have stronger market insights than your team from abroad.
What we aim to avoid is any active approach to clients located in another partner’s territory — especially where a local Talentor partner is already established. For example, proactively contacting a company based in Poland for a search in Poland would not be appropriate.
Countries where we do not yet have a partner remain open for your business development activities. The reason we ask you to share your development plans (“ask for our approval”) is that we are continuously expanding the network. We are currently, for example, in the final stage of contract discussions with a new partner in XXXX (where you also have activities).
Each new partner receives the same rights and obligations as others, and we must ensure we do not compete internally. In practice, we have never required written approval for business expansion, nor have we experienced issues between partners regarding searches or territories. The markets are typically large enough that overlaps rarely occur. Nevertheless, regular updates on your activities are always appreciated and helpful.
Question: The main agreement provides for a "non-exclusive" right for the partner. We wish to be the sole Talentor partner/licensee in XXX for the duration of the agreement and that Talentor will not appoint any other partner in our territory.
Answer: We moved to non-exclusive agreements more than a decade ago because it was the only way to address (sector) gaps in certain markets. Our experience illustrates the problem clearly: one of our partners (at that time) held exclusive rights in an important market but was a very small unit with no ambitions to grow and had no presence in some sectors — sectors with high demand at the time. We couldn't bring in a specialist partner, and that left an important market segment unserved. This arrangement proved inefficient for everyone. (most relevant for clients we wanted to serve in these sectors)
The shift to non-exclusive contracts resolved this. In practice, we have a single partner in most countries—typically a generalist firm with broad sector coverage. Where we do work with multiple partners in a market, we engage them in the decision from the outset and establish clear, complementary roles to ensure there's no overlap or unnecessary competition.
In case your company has a certain scale and comprehensive sector coverage we see no need for additional representation. That said, we retain the non-exclusive clause in our contract. This protects fairness across our entire network and reflects our commitment to flexibility as markets evolve.
Question: Could you please clarify whether these activities are considered mandatory requirements for all partners during the Trial Period, or recommended/optional best practices intended to encourage integration and collaboration?
Answer: We have seen that the more visibility and engagement a new partner and their team show, the greater the value for all parties involved.
Participation in our monthly partner call (lasting one hour) and at least one in-person meeting per year is mandatory. For overseas partners, we have reduced the number of physical meetings from two to one, as we understand both the financial and time implications of traveling twice a year. On the other hand those meetings are the one where partner exchange a lot, build trust and new business opportunities!
As Talentor, we commit to actively connecting you with at least three other partners to introduce you and explore potential cooperation opportunities. If you prefer not to participate in these introductions, that is completely fine as well.
Client appointments are entirely up to you. We are always available to represent the full Talentor network to your international clients if you wish—this is an optional offer. I guess it should be the motivation to participate in our network to share beneficial contacts for our countries, be a door opener for partners in the same way they will do it for your organisation.
From our perspective, the most important point is to involve your team, or at least parts of it, in some of our network formats, such as the practice group meetings, marketing meetings, or the recruiter academy. People appreciate getting to know your team, exchanging experiences, and gaining insights from other regions. This engagement should be considered essential for your participation in the network.
Question: We would like to seek clarification — and possibly an amendment — to this provision, as our firm offers a broader portfolio of HR and talent-related services beyond executive search. These include:
Our understanding is that this clause is intended to prevent Partners from representing competing international search alliances or networks, rather than restricting their ability to provide complementary HR or talent advisory services under their own brand.
Answer: Exactly. We do not want you to participate in another international network. However, being part of local associations is perfectly fine. There are also no restrictions regarding the range of services you offer. Many partners provide additional HR services such as RPO, payrolling, coaching, assessment centers, or learning solutions.
Question: Please provide a brief clarification on the scope and risk allocation of the non-infringement disclaimer (covered IP/jurisdictions, responsibility/indemnity expectations, notice/defense roles).
Answer: Again, this mainly applies to partners who are fully Talentor-branded. As Talentor, we do not provide any warranty that the brand or design is suitable for every market, nor do we guarantee any specific growth within the partner structure. We are also not liable for any damages or misuse caused by partners using the Talentor brand in their business activities.
Question: We would prefer the obligation to provide detailed financial reporting to be limited to business generated through Talentor or cross-border projects. We would like to respectfully note that we are unable to share client/project details, as this information is strictly confidential and bound by our client agreements. What numbers do you need to be satisfied?
We request overall turnover data before our partner meetings to understand our collective development as a group. Rest assured: we never share individual partner details with the wider network without explicit permission from that partner. However, we do not see it as a breach of contract if you do not deliver your numbers.
What we genuinely need is data on cross-border projects. This is the information we actively share with the network to identify cooperation opportunities and leverage international client relationships across borders.
Required information for each cross-border project:
We do not ask for data (details) that could violate data protection laws.
Question: Can we change the place of service, governing law, and jurisdiction to our country as our operations within the Talentor network are based here. This ensures alignment with our legal and operational framework.
Answer: No, sorry, this is not possible. We need to maintain this clause; otherwise, we would be dealing with 40 different laws and jurisdictions which is not doable for us.
Are there any minimum billing thresholds or client activity levels required to maintain membership?
Answer: No, there are no certain expectaions
How are multi-country assignments handled when the client is headquartered in one region (e.g., UAE) but roles are based in another?
Answer: As mentioned earlier, the goal of our network is to involve local partners, as we strongly believe in local expertise and market knowledge. However, if it is your client and they specifically want you to handle the project yourself, we cannot ask you to do otherwise. We also have several framework agreements with large international companies that cover multiple regions and define fee levels for those areas. We would be happy to explain this in more detail during a call.