This privacy policy was last updated on 13 September 2023.

PRIVACY POLICY

Welcome to The Others & Me’s privacy policy.

The Others & Me respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy aims to give you information on how The Others & Me collects and processes personal data belonging to you or your personnel in the context of providing consulting services to you or your business, through your use of this website and through any of the other ways we interact, as set out in more detail in paragraph 3.

It is important that you read this privacy policy together with any other privacy policy or fair processing policy we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data. This privacy policy supplements other notices and privacy policies and is not intended to override them. 

1. IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND WHO WE ARE

This website is not intended for children and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.

Controller 

THE OTHERS AND ME LTD is the controller and responsible for your personal data (collectively referred to as “The Others & Me”, “we”, “us” or “our” in this privacy policy).

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact us using the details set out below.

Contact details

Full name of legal entity: THE OTHERS AND ME LTD

Email address: hello@theothersandme.com

Postal address: 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE

You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.

Changes to the privacy policy and your duty to inform us of changes

We keep our privacy policy under regular review. Historic versions can be obtained by contacting us.

It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.

Third-party links

Our website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

2. THE DATA WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU  

Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed and thus has been anonymised. 

We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which we have grouped together as follows:

  • Identity Data includes first name, last name, title, date of birth, gender and signature.

  • Contact Data includes billing address, delivery address, email address and telephone numbers.

  • Financial Data includes bank account details.

  • Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other details of services you have purchased from us.

  • Technical Data includes internet protocol (IP) address, your browser type and version, your time setting and location, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.

  • Usage Data includes information about how you use our website and services

  • Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and our third parties, and your communication preferences.

We may also collect, use and share Aggregated Data such as statistical or demographic information for any purpose. Aggregated Data could be derived from your personal data, but is not considered personal data in law as this data does not and will not directly or indirectly reveal your identity. If we do combine or connect Aggregated Data with your personal data then we will treat the combined data as personal data, which will be used in accordance with this privacy policy. 

In certain circumstances, our collection of the different categories of data set out above may include the collection of Special Categories of Personal Data about you (this includes details about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs or sexual orientation). This data will only ever be collected to support our work as a diversity-focused innovation consultancy, and you have the right to refuse to provide such data at any time, as well as the right to withdraw your consent if you do provide it (more details in paragraph 4). 

If you fail to provide personal data

Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of our engagement with you (as set out in our engagement agreement and terms of business), and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the services as agreed.

3. HOW WE COLLECT YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

We use different methods to collect data from and about you, including:

  • In the process of carrying out work for you (or your business) where we will in almost all instances act as a controller. In very limited circumstances we may act as a processor in which case we will let you know and ensure that an appropriate contract is put in place. 

  • When we communicate with you by email or other electronic correspondence, by telephone or using video conferencing software. You may give us your Identity, Contact and Financial Data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you:

    • Make a request for our services;

    • Request that marketing be sent to you;

    • Complete a survey; or

    • Provide us with feedback 

  • Networking (for example, at in-person or virtual events).

  • Otherwise through providing our consulting services and operating our business.

We may also collect data from and about you via our website:

  • Through automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with our website, we will automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. We collect this personal data by using (essential) cookies and other similar technologies.

  • Through third parties or publicly available sources. 

  • Contact, Financial and Transaction Data from providers of technical, payment and delivery services.

  • Identity and Contact Data from publicly available sources such as Companies House and the Electoral Register based inside the UK.

4. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the following circumstances:

  • Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.

  • Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests as a consulting services provider (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. These legitimate interests include our interests in managing our relationship with our clients, prospective clients and their staff, hosting clients and others at our offices, hosting virtual and in-person events and ensuring appropriate standards and compliance with policies, practices or procedures. 

  • Where we need to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject.

  • Where our consulting services require us to process “special category data” and where we may have obtained your explicit consent to do so. If we seek and obtain consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Please see the Glossary (paragraph 10) to find out more about the types of lawful basis that we will rely on to process your personal data. 

Except as previously referred to in this section, we do not generally rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data although we will seek your consent before sending third party direct marketing communications to you. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing at any time by contacting us. 

Purposes for which we will use your personal data 

The below table sets out a description of all the ways we plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases we rely on to do so. We have identified what our legitimate interests are where appropriate.

We may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which we are using your data. 

Opting out of marketing

You can ask us to stop sending you marketing messages at any time by contacting us. 

Where you opt out of receiving these marketing messages, this will not apply to personal data provided to us as a result of a service provision, or service experience, or any otherwise related transaction. 

Change of purpose

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. 

If we need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, we will notify you and explain the legal basis which allows us to do so. 

We may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law. 

5. DISCLOSURES OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA 

We may share your personal data with the parties set out below for the purposes set out in the Purposes for which we will use your personal data table above.

  • External Third Parties as set out in the Glossary (paragraph 10).

  • Third parties to whom we may choose to sell, transfer or merge parts of our business or our assets. Alternatively, we may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this privacy policy.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

6. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

We do not transfer your personal data outside the UK.

7. DATA SECURITY

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality. 

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

8. DATA RETENTION

We will only retain your personal data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements. We may retain your personal data for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal data, the purposes for which we process your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or other requirements.

In some circumstances you can ask us to delete your data (see paragraph 9 below for further information).

In some circumstances we will anonymise your personal data (so that it can no longer be associated with you) for research or statistical purposes, in which case we may use this information indefinitely without further notice to you. 

9. YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data to: 

  • Request access to your personal data.

  • Request correction of your personal data.

  • Request erasure of your personal data.

  • Object to processing of your personal data.

  • Request restriction of processing your personal data.

  • Request transfer of your personal data.

  • Withdraw consent.

For more information on each of these rights, see "Your legal rights" under paragraph 10. If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, contact us.

What we may need from you

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 any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.

Time limit to respond

We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it could take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated. 

10. GLOSSARY

LAWFUL BASIS

Legitimate Interest: the interest of our business in conducting and managing our business to enable us to give you the best service or product, and the best and most secure experience. We make sure we consider and balance any potential impact on you (both positive and negative) and your rights before we process your personal data for our legitimate interests. We do not use your personal data for activities where our interests are overridden by the impact on you (unless we have your consent or are otherwise required or permitted to by law). You can obtain further information about how we assess our legitimate interests against any potential impact on you in respect of specific activities by contacting us. 

Performance of Contract: processing your data where it is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract.

Comply with a legal obligation: processing your personal data where it is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation that we are subject to.

External Third Parties:

  1. professional advisers (acting as processors or joint controllers) including lawyers, accountants, bankers, auditors and insurers;

  2. HM Revenue & Customs, regulators and professional bodies and other authorities based in the United Kingdom who require reporting of processing activities in certain circumstances

YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS

You have the right to:

Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a "data subject access request"). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.

Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected, though we may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.

Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note, however, that we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request. 

Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground as you feel it impacts on your fundamental rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.

Request restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of your personal data in the following scenarios: 

  • If you want us to establish the data's accuracy.

  • Where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it.

  • Where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. 

  • You have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it. 

Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party. We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. This right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you. 

Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.