Approach
How we work, and what we refuse.
A boutique is defined by its refusals as much as by its capabilities. Ours are published.
In short
Keel Partners runs partner-carried mandates with fixed scope, disclosed fees and a defined handover. We publish what we will not do, we name every licensed party working alongside us, and we would rather lose a second engagement than deliver a comfortable first one. The list of refusals below is the most accurate description of the firm we can give you.
Method
How an engagement runs
A briefing, not a pitch
Thirty minutes on the decision in front of you. If we are not the right firm, we say so and point you at who is.
A short diagnostic
Enough work to scope honestly. Sometimes this is the whole engagement, and occasionally it is where we tell you that you do not need us.
Fixed scope, disclosed fees
Written scope, written fee, written assumptions, and any conflict on the table before work starts.
Partner on the file
Every week. Named associates where the mandate needs them, named in the scope.
Handover with a test
The engagement ends when your team can run it without us in the room. That test is written into the scope.
A review period
A lighter monthly review for two or three quarters, because new operating habits decay quietly.
Our NOs
What we will not do
Adapted from the discipline the partners ran at RedDot Life. It is published so you can disqualify us quickly.
Work we cannot staff with a partner
If neither Pratap nor a named associate is on the file every week, we do not take it. There is no junior pyramid to hide behind.
Regulated activity we are not licensed for
Insurance intermediation, TPA administration and real-estate brokerage are licensed activities in the UAE. We advise the employer or the buyer; the licensed party does the licensed work.
Deep tech, pure tech and AI ventures
We are operators in traditional and services businesses. Frontier technology is somebody else’s edge, not ours.
Standalone real estate, gems & jewellery, fashion, media
Sectors where we have no operating scar tissue. We would be selling a deck, not judgement.
Mandates below the line where we can move the number
Small, branched-out engagements consume the same partner hours and change nothing. We would rather say no than bill for motion.
Anything that needs a hidden fee to work
Transparency beats hidden costs. If the economics only close when the client cannot see them, the answer is no.
Commercials
On fees
Fixed fee against a defined scope for most advisory mandates. Retainer plus success fee on transactions, disclosed in full at mandate. Employer-paid fees only on benefits work — we take nothing from carriers, placement intermediaries, TPAs or providers.
We do not take introduction fees from corporate service providers, recruiters or vendors we recommend. If that changes for a specific mandate, it will be written into the scope before you sign it.
- Fees, assumptions and conflicts disclosed before work starts
- No commission, referral or placement income from third parties
- No equity in place of fees on advisory mandates
- Custom reporting and governance included, not sold as an extra
- A written handover test, so the engagement has an end
Next step
Book a 30-minute briefing
No deck, no pitch. Bring one decision you are stuck on and we will work it through.