Transparency International (TI) Board members are subject to the TI Board Code of Conduct and the TI Conflict of Interest policy.

As such candidates for Board election are required to compile a register of interests which is circulated to the electorate along their biography and election statement. As a matter of fact, candidates for election on the Board are occasionally subject to questions from the voters on potential conflicts of interests during TI election hearings. Once elected, Board members are required to keep their register of interests updated within three weeks of any changes arising, noting that those registers are subject to public scrutiny, as posted at Overview.

A compilation of the registers of interests of all 12 members are systematically circulated in hard copy to each Board member to support mutual accountability among Board members on Conflict of Interest management. As per the Policy, not only the interests of the Board members themselves are under scrutiny, but also relevant interests of close relatives.

Beyond ensuring independence from external stakeholders the Policy also provides clear rules to ensure the independence of Board members from TI-Secretariat itself. It is not uncommon for TI Board members to leave the Board room and/ or to recuse themselves from engaging in a discussion when matters arise where they have or may be perceived as having a conflict of interest.