Privacy & Cookie Policy

Privacy & Cookie Policy

This privacy and cookie policy explains how we handle personal data and use cookies when you access or use our Site.

We act as the data controller for personal data collected through our Site. That means we decide how and why we use your information in this context.

If we provide a separate privacy statement for other services or products we offer, and there is any inconsistency between that statement and this policy, the separate privacy statement will take precedence for the relevant service.

When we say you or your, we mean any visitor or user of our Site. When we say we, us, or our, we mean the organisation that operates this Site.

Important notice

By using our Site, you acknowledge that you have read this policy and understand how we use your personal data.

You have the right to object to certain types of processing of your personal data, including where we use it for direct marketing or for our legitimate interests. For more detail, see the sections on Legal grounds for processing and Your rights.

If you do not agree with this policy, you should stop using our Site. Continuing to use our Site after any changes to this policy will be treated as acceptance of those changes.

Personal data we may collect and why

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data when you interact with our Site or with us:

• Contact details
  Information such as your name, job title, organisation, postal address, email address, and telephone number, for example when you complete a form on our Site or contact us.

• Correspondence and interactions
  Records of communications with you, including emails, messages submitted through our Site, feedback you provide, and any information you include in those communications.

• Survey and feedback responses
  Information you provide when you take part in surveys, questionnaires, or other feedback activities that help us improve our services and Site.

• Transaction and service details
  Information relating to any products or services you obtain from us, such as order details, payment references, and information on how you use our services (we do not store full card details on our systems if payments are processed by a third-party provider).

• Usage data
  Technical and usage information about your visit to our Site, such as:

  • The pages you view and links you click
  • Access times and duration of visits
  • Referring website addresses
  • Your IP address and approximate location
  • Browser type, version, and device information
  • Traffic data, weblogs, and other communication data

We collect this information so that we can operate our Site, provide and improve our services, respond to enquiries, and meet our legal and contractual obligations. More detail on how we use personal data appears in How we use your personal data.

Cookies

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your device when you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, to make them function more efficiently, and to provide information to site owners.

Cookies may be:

• Session cookies that expire when you close your browser, or
• Persistent cookies that remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them.

Cookies can also be set by:

• The website you are visiting (first-party cookies), or
• Other organisations providing services on that website, such as analytics or advertising providers (third-party cookies).

What cookies are used on this Site?

We may use the following categories of cookies on our Site:

• Strictly necessary cookies
  These cookies are essential to make our Site work. They enable core features such as page navigation, secure login areas, and form submission. You cannot switch these cookies off through our Site because they are required for the Site to function. You can still block them using your browser settings, but parts of the Site may then stop working properly.

• Analytics and performance cookies
  These cookies help us understand how visitors use our Site, for example which pages are viewed most often, how users move around the Site, and whether they see error messages. We use this information in aggregated form to improve how our Site works and to enhance user experience. These cookies do not aim to directly identify you.

• Functionality (user preference) cookies
  These cookies remember choices you make, such as language preferences, region, or whether you have dismissed a banner or pop-up. They help tailor the Site to your preferences and improve your experience. If you disable these cookies, some preferences may not be remembered.

• Social sharing cookies
  If we include social media buttons or plugins on our Site (for example, to share content on platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or X), the relevant social networks may set cookies to recognise you when you view content on our Site and when you share content. These cookies are set and controlled by the relevant third party.

• Interest-based advertising cookies
  We may work with advertising or remarketing partners that use cookies and similar technologies to show you relevant adverts on our Site and on other websites. These cookies may track your browsing activity across websites to build a profile of your interests. They are usually third-party cookies.

How can I reject or opt out of cookies?

You have several options to control or limit how cookies are used on your device:

• Browser settings
  Most web browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings. You can usually:

  • See which cookies are stored on your device
  • Delete existing cookies
  • Block all cookies
  • Block cookies from specific sites
  • Set your browser to notify you before cookies are placed

  If you adjust your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies), you may not be able to access all or parts of our Site.

  You can learn more about managing cookies at www.allaboutcookies.org (this link takes you to an external website we do not control).

• Existing cookies
  If you delete cookies, any settings and preferences controlled by those cookies, including opt-out choices, may be deleted and may need to be reset.

• Do Not Track
  Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" feature. Our Site may not respond to all such signals, but you can still manage cookies directly through your browser settings and other tools described here.

Third-party cookies and online advertising opt-outs

Third parties, such as analytics providers, social media platforms, and advertising networks, may also use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies through our Site.

We do not control these technologies or how the third parties use them. Their use is governed by the privacy and cookie policies of those third parties.

To opt out of many third-party cookies used for interest-based advertising in the UK and Europe, you can visit:

• The Your Online Choices website
• Browser or device-level tools offered by the providers (for example, settings on your social media account)

For more information about browser privacy settings and tracking protection, see guidance from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

How we use your personal data

We may use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

• To provide our Site, products, and services
  To make our Site available to you, deliver any products or services you request, process transactions, and carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between you and us.

• To communicate with you about our services
  To respond to your enquiries, provide customer service and support, notify you about changes to our services or to our terms and policies, and send you information you request.

• For direct marketing (with your consent where required)
  To send you marketing communications by email, SMS, post, or phone about our products and services, or those of carefully selected partners, where the law allows. You can opt out of marketing at any time by following the instructions in the message or by contacting us.

• To manage our relationship with you
  To keep our records accurate and up to date, including service records, communications, and marketing preferences, and to invite you to take part in surveys or feedback activities that help us improve our services.

• To understand and improve how our Site is used
  To analyse and measure how visitors use our Site, test new features, and improve the content, layout, and performance of our Site.

• To handle queries, complaints, and disputes
  To investigate and respond to any complaints or disputes involving you, and to enforce our legal rights or the terms of use for our Site.

• To protect our business and prevent misuse
  To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, security incidents, and other harmful activity, and to keep our systems, network, and information secure.

• To meet our legal and regulatory obligations
  To comply with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, and guidance, respond to lawful requests from public authorities, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Legal grounds for processing

UK data protection law requires us to have a valid legal basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the activity, we may rely on the following legal grounds:

• Consent
  We rely on your consent to:

  • Send you certain types of direct marketing communications by electronic means (for example, marketing emails or SMS), where consent is required by law
  • Use cookies and similar technologies that are not strictly necessary, such as analytics, social, and advertising cookies, where consent is required

  When we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing before you withdrew consent.

• Contract
  We process personal data where this is necessary:

  • To enter into a contract with you, or
  • To perform a contract we have with you (including providing products or services and handling payments)

• Legal obligation
  We process personal data where this is necessary to comply with our legal or regulatory obligations, such as record-keeping, accounting, and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

• Legitimate interests
  We process personal data where this is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. These legitimate interests may include:

  • Operating, maintaining, and improving our Site, products, and services
  • Managing our relationship with current and prospective clients
  • Securing our systems, network, and data
  • Detecting and preventing fraud and misuse
  • Developing our business and understanding our users
  • Sending marketing communications to business contacts who have not opted out, in line with applicable direct marketing rules
  • Exercising and defending our legal rights

You have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests in certain circumstances. See Your rights for more information.

Who we share your personal data with

We may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients, in each case only where necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards:

• Our suppliers and service providers
  Third-party companies that provide services to us, such as:

  • Website hosting, maintenance, and support
  • Analytics and search engine services
  • Customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing platforms
  • Payment processing and billing services
  • Professional advisers, such as lawyers, accountants, and auditors

  These third parties act as our data processors and may only process your personal data in line with our instructions.

• Group companies
  If we are part of a group of companies, we may share personal data with other entities in our group where they provide shared services or help us deliver our services.

• Business partners
  Where we offer services jointly or in collaboration with partners, or where we refer you to a partner, we may share your personal data with them for the relevant purpose. We will tell you when this happens and, where required by law, will obtain your consent.

• Public authorities and law enforcement
  We may disclose personal data if we are required to do so by law, regulation, or court order, or if we reasonably believe that disclosure is necessary to:

  • Comply with a legal obligation
  • Protect the rights, property, or safety of us, our clients, or others
  • Detect, prevent, or address fraud, security, or technical issues

• Prospective buyers and other third parties in connection with a sale or restructuring
  If we sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or assets, or if we are involved in a reorganisation, your personal data may be disclosed to potential or actual buyers or other relevant third parties, subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

Transfers outside the UK or EEA

Some of our suppliers, partners, or group companies may be located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area (EEA). If we transfer your personal data to a country that does not provide an equivalent level of data protection, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• Standard contractual clauses approved by the UK Information Commissioner or the European Commission, or
• Other legally recognised transfer mechanisms or safeguards.

You can contact us using the details in How to contact us for more information about international transfers and the safeguards we use.

How long we keep your personal data for

We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy and to comply with our legal, regulatory, and reporting requirements.

When determining how long to retain personal data, we consider:

• The amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data
• The risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure
• The purposes for which we process the data and whether we can achieve those purposes by other means
• Applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, or reporting obligations
• Limitation periods for potential legal claims

Once the relevant retention period expires, we will either delete or anonymise the personal data, or, if this is not possible (for example, because the data is stored in backup archives), we will securely store the data and isolate it from any further active use until deletion is possible.

Your rights

You have a number of rights under UK data protection law. These rights are subject to certain conditions and exemptions. If you wish to exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in How to contact us.

1. Right to be informed
   You have the right to clear, transparent information about how we use your personal data. This policy and any other privacy notices we provide aim to give you that information.

2. Right of access
   You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how we use it. This is sometimes called a "data subject access request".

3. Right to rectification
   You can ask us to correct or complete any personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.

4. Right to erasure
   In certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data. For example, where we no longer need it for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and we have no other legal basis to continue processing.

5. Right to restrict processing
   You can ask us to suspend or limit our use of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we check the accuracy of the data or our reasons for processing it.

6. Right to data portability
   In some cases, you can ask us to provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, or to transfer it directly to another organisation, where this is technically feasible.

7. Right to object
   You can object to our use of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests (including profiling), and we will stop processing your personal data unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue. You always have the right to object to the use of your personal data for direct marketing, and we will stop using it for this purpose.

8. Right to withdraw consent
   Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you can withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before you withdrew it.

9. Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
   You have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first, so we encourage you to contact us before approaching the ICO.

   • Website: www.ico.org.uk
   • Telephone: 0303 123 1113
   • Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to anyone who has no right to receive it.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about this policy, our use of your personal data, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, contact us using the contact details published on our Site, or by using any of the following where available on the Site:

• The contact form on our Site
• The email address provided on our Site for privacy or data protection enquiries
• The postal address or telephone number displayed on our Site

When you contact us, include enough information for us to identify you and understand your request so that we can respond efficiently.

Links to other websites

Our Site may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties. These websites have their own privacy policies and cookie policies, which you should review before providing any personal data.

We are not responsible for the privacy, security, or content of third-party websites or services, or for any personal data you provide to them. Your use of those websites is at your own risk.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may update this privacy and cookie policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in law, regulation, guidance, or in how we use personal data.

We will publish the updated policy on our Site and update the version information at the top of the page or within the policy text. Any changes will take effect when the revised policy is posted on our Site.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data and use cookies on our Site.