Refund Policy

This Refund Policy sets out the circumstances under which Gladwin International Leadership Advisors (“Gladwin International”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) issues refunds for fees paid in connection with our products and services. By making a payment to us, you agree to the terms of this policy. This policy should be read alongside our Terms of Use, Cancellation Policy, and Service Delivery Policy.

1. Why Our Digital Products Carry No Refund

Our products are not access to a static library that sits idle until you open it. The moment a payment is captured, activation begins automatically and the firm incurs real, immediate, third-party cost:

• Large-language-model processing. Your curriculum vitae, career record, and evidence are parsed and analysed through commercial AI providers who bill us per unit of compute consumed. The Executive Passport alone is generated in three distinct versions at the point of activation.
• Licensed corporate and regulatory data. Filings, board records, directorship registers, and market intelligence are drawn from paid data sources on a metered basis to build your profile, your matches, and your reports.
• Continuous matching and monitoring. From activation onward, mandates and board openings are screened against your record on an ongoing basis. That processing runs whether or not you log in.

Every one of these costs is incurred by us before you have had a chance to decide whether you like the result, and none of them can be reversed or recovered once consumed. There is no inventory to return and no licence to reclaim. For that reason, a cooling-off refund is not something we are able to offer on activated products, and we would rather state that plainly at the outset than imply a flexibility that does not exist.

This is also why we do not require you to pay in order to find out where you stand. Where a free assessment, score, or preview exists for a product, it is offered precisely so that you can judge the fit before any charge is made.

2. Products Covered by the No-Refund Position

The following are non-refundable in full from the moment of activation, for both annual and monthly billing, and whether purchased at list price or under a promotional or coupon price:

• Whisper product access — Magnus, Infinity Plus, and Apex Club, on any billing cadence.
• India Board Terminal memberships — Magnus, Infinity, and The Apex Club, on any billing cadence.
• The Executive Passport and any Passport version, refresh, or reissue.
• India Independent Director Exchange memberships, including Foresight, and the Board Portfolio Builder.
• Board-readiness assessments, seat-match reports, compensation benchmarking reports, competitor talent intelligence reports, and any other one-time digital deliverable.
• Concierge add-ons and any other paid uplift purchased alongside or after a membership.

2.1 When activation occurs

Activation occurs automatically on successful capture of payment. There is no waiting period between payment and activation during which a purchase can be withdrawn.

2.2 Memberships settled in two tranches

Where an annual membership exceeds the per-transaction ceiling imposed by our payment partner, it is settled in two tranches. Membership begins on the first tranche, and the second tranche is a commitment to pay the balance of an already-active annual membership — not a gate on access. Neither tranche is refundable, and non-payment of the second tranche does not entitle you to a refund of the first.

2.3 Renewals

Monthly renewal charges are non-refundable once captured. To prevent a future renewal you must cancel before the renewal date under our Cancellation Policy. Annual access is a one-time twelve-month purchase and does not auto-renew.

3. What We Always Refund

The no-refund position above applies to products that were delivered. It is not a licence to keep money we should never have taken. We refund in full, without argument, in each of the following cases:

• Duplicate or repeated charge. Where you have been charged more than once for the same product, the surplus charges are refunded.
• Payment captured without activation. Where a payment succeeded but the product was never activated and we are unable to activate it for you, the payment is refunded.
• Non-delivery of a promised deliverable. Where a deliverable you paid for is not issued — for example, an assessment we are unable to release — the corresponding fee is refunded.
• Unauthorised or fraudulent transaction. Where a payment was made on your instrument without your authority and this is established, the payment is refunded.
• Charge in error by us. Where we have billed a wrong amount, a wrong tier, or an account that should have been cancelled, the difference or the whole charge is refunded.

Nothing in this policy limits any right you may have under applicable Indian law, or under the rules of your card issuer, bank, or the payment networks.

3.1 How to raise one of the above

Write to the email address below with:

• Full name and the registered email address used at the time of payment.
• Date of payment, payment reference, and amount.
• The product purchased.
• Which of the situations in section 3 applies.

We acknowledge every request within 48 hours and respond with a decision within five (5) business days. Approved refunds are returned to the original payment method within a further five to seven (5–7) business days. Depending on your card issuer or bank, the credit may take an additional 2–5 business days to appear on your statement.

4. Cancellation Is Not a Refund

You may cancel at any time, and we make cancellation straightforward. Cancellation stops future renewals and future charges; it does not return fees already captured, and your access continues to the end of the period you have already paid for. The full terms are set out in our Cancellation Policy.

5. Retained Executive Search Engagements

Fees paid in connection with retained executive search engagements — including search retainers, milestone instalments, and engagement fees — are non-refundable once the engagement letter has been signed and the search has commenced. Our work begins immediately upon engagement kick-off through deep discovery, market mapping, and candidate research; these activities incur irreversible cost regardless of placement outcome.

In the event a candidate placed by us departs within the first twelve (12) months of joining for reasons covered under our 12-Month Candidate Guarantee, we conduct a full replacement search at no additional professional fee, in lieu of a refund. The terms of the guarantee are set out in your engagement letter.

6. Interim Leadership and Advisory Engagements

Interim leadership deployments, board advisory mandates, leadership advisory retainers, and managed talent acquisition programmes are governed by the specific terms set out in the relevant statement of work or engagement letter. Fees for completed work, services already rendered, and time already expended by our consultants are non-refundable. Unused sessions within a live engagement can be rescheduled inside the engagement window rather than refunded.

Where an engagement is terminated early, fees are payable up to the effective date of termination per the cancellation terms in your engagement letter. See our Cancellation Policy for further detail.

7. No Guarantee of Outcome

Our products give you assessment, positioning, visibility, and early sight of mandates. They do not guarantee an interview, an offer, a placement, or a board appointment, and no such outcome is promised at any price — that timing rests with the organisations searching, not with us. A purchase is therefore not refundable on the ground that an appointment did not follow, and we would ask you not to buy on that expectation.

8. Disputes and Chargebacks

If you believe you have been charged in error, please contact us directly before initiating a chargeback with your bank or card issuer. Where section 3 applies we will refund you faster than a chargeback would, and where it does not, a chargeback raised against a product that was delivered and consumed will be contested with activation and usage records. Chargebacks raised without prior contact may delay resolution and may result in account suspension pending investigation.

9. Currency, Taxes, and Payment Processing

All prices on our website are listed in Indian Rupees (INR). Refunds are processed in the same currency and to the same payment method used at the time of purchase. Where a refund is made under section 3, Goods and Services Tax (GST) collected on that amount is refunded with it and a credit note is issued against the original tax invoice in accordance with GST regulations. Payment processing fees levied by our payment gateway partner may not be recoverable and may be deducted from the refundable amount where permitted by law, except where the refund arises from our own error.

10. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Refund Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our products, applicable law, or business practices. The updated policy will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. The policy that applies to any purchase is the one published at the time that purchase was made.

11. Contact Us