Privacy Policy

WHO ARE WE?

Winfield Search Ltd, 1 Golden Court, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1EU. We provide executive search services to clients looking to recruit personnel for their businesses.

WHAT DOES THIS POLICY COVER?

We at Winfield Search Ltd take your personal data seriously. This policy:

sets out the types of personal data that we collect about you;
explains how and why we collect and use your personal data;
explains how long we keep your personal data for;
explains when, why and with who we will share your personal data;
sets out the legal basis we have for using your personal data;
explains the effect of refusing to provide the personal data requested;
explains the different rights and choices you have when it comes to your personal data; and
explains how we may contact you and how you can contact us.

WHAT PERSONAL DATA DO WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU?

We collect the information necessary to support clients and candidates through both sides of the recruitment process. This includes:

Identity information: your name, date of birth, and other identifying details;
Contact details: postal address, email address, and telephone number;
Employment Records: CV, work history, qualifications, skills, training, educational history, references, and evidence of your right to work in the UK;
Financial information: bank details and payment information where relevant;
Technical data: IP address, browsing behaviour, and cookies (see below);
Profile information: account login details where applicable;
Marketing and communication preferences: how you prefer to receive communications from us;
Publicly available information: details sourced from LinkedIn and other public platforms; and
Other relevant information: job search criteria, preferences, current and desired remuneration, and working pattern preferences.

At the client’s request we may also conduct DBS checks, credit checks or psychometric profiling.

Candidates and Prospective Candidates

A Candidate is any individual who engages with us for the purpose of being considered for employment opportunities, interim management roles, executive appointments, or consultancy assignments with our clients. This includes individuals who apply directly, are introduced to us by a third party, or are approached by us as part of our search activities.

A Prospective Candidate is any individual who has not yet formally engaged with us but may be considered for potential opportunities. This includes individuals whose details we have identified or received as part of market mapping, talent pooling, research activities, or initial outreach.

Special Category and Sensitive Personal Data

We only collect sensitive personal data (also known as special category data) where we have a lawful basis to do so. Special category data includes information about your race, ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, gender, biometric data, health data, and sex life.

We may process special category data in the following circumstances:

with your explicit written consent;
where necessary to carry out our legal obligations;
where needed in the public interest, such as for equal opportunities monitoring; and
where needed to assess your working capacity on health grounds, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

Criminal Offence Data

Where permitted by law, we may process information about criminal convictions, criminal offences, related security details, alleged offences, or other details provided in connection with a criminal reference check.

WHERE DO WE COLLECT PERSONAL DATA ABOUT YOU FROM?

We may collect personal data about you from the following sources:

Directly from you, while searching for a new opportunity or during the recruitment process, including via job advertisement sites where you have registered your details, and via forms submitted through our website;
From an agent or third party acting on your behalf (e.g. an Interim Management Company);
Through publicly available sources, including LinkedIn and other social media platforms and company websites;
By reference or word of mouth — for example, you may be recommended by a friend, a former employer, a former colleague or a present employer;
Through industry events such as mutually attended networking events; and
Via our company website — you are free to explore our website without providing personal data, although some navigational data may be collected automatically.

HOW AND WHY WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA?

We use your personal data to match your skills, experience and education with a potential opportunity. We will initially collect basic information such as contact details, job role and experience and then pass this on to the client in search of personnel. If you are chosen by the client to proceed to interview, we will collect further information at that stage and onwards.

If we hold your personal data as a client, it will be to conduct our usual business with you — for example, understanding your requirements and supplying candidates to meet your needs, whether now or in the future.

We may also use your details to send you items which may interest you, including job opportunities, newsletters, e-books, industry reports and survey invitations.

Call and Meeting Recordings

We may record telephone calls and online or in-person meetings (including video and audio) for purposes such as accurate record-keeping, training, quality assurance, and compliance. Where recordings are made, we will inform participants in advance or at the start of the call or meeting. Recordings will be kept securely and retained only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which they were collected.

Automated Summarisation and AI Tools

We may use automated note-taking and summarisation tools to help generate candidate profiles and job documentation. These tools may require calls or meetings to be recorded, and you will always be notified before a recording takes place and given the opportunity to opt out.

We do not use personal data for automated decision-making processes that produce legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. You will be advised if this changes.

Company Website

In addition to the uses identified elsewhere in this Privacy Policy, we may use your personal data to: (a) improve your browsing experience by personalising our website and improving your engagement with our content; and (b) send you marketing communications, which might include content offers, survey invitations, newsletters or event details, relating to our business.

Use of Navigational Information

We use navigational information to operate and improve our website. We may also use navigational information alone or in combination with personal data to provide you with personalised information about Winfield Search.

Customer Testimonials and Comments

We post customer testimonials and comments on our website, which may contain personal data. We obtain each customer’s consent via email prior to posting the customer’s name and testimonial.

Social Media Platforms

Our website includes social media features such as Twitter or LinkedIn sharing or follow buttons. Users are advised that they use such features at their own discretion, and that the social media platform may track and save your request. Such features may collect your IP address, the page you are visiting, and may set a cookie. This Privacy Policy does not apply to these features — they are covered by the policies of the companies providing them.

External Websites

Our website provides links to other websites, for instance via blog posts. We are not responsible for the content or practices of these other websites, and our provision of such links does not constitute endorsement of them. This Privacy Policy does not apply to external websites.

HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR?

We keep your personal data in accordance with our retention policy, as follows:

Candidates: we retain personal data for a maximum period of 7 years. Payroll records (for those who have done interim work through us) are retained for as long as legally required by HMRC — typically 3 to 6 years.
Prospective Candidates: we retain personal data for up to 7 years from our last interaction with you, or from the date we collected your information.
Clients: personal data is retained for up to 7 years after the end of our contract or engagement, unless a longer period is required by law.
Suppliers: personal data is retained for up to 7 years after the end of our working relationship, unless a longer period is required by law or financial regulation.

If you would like to find out more, please contact us: info@winfieldsearch.co.uk

WHO DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL DATA WITH?

Your personal data as a candidate is shared with the client who initiates a search for personnel, to ascertain if you are a good fit for the available position. We may also conduct checks on you to verify the information you have provided.

We may share information with trusted third-party suppliers to continue our relationship with you, including:

credit reference agencies and DBS check providers;
payment processing providers;
providers of our CRM and database systems;
background screening and reference verification providers;
CV formatting and administration providers; and
marketing service providers.

We only provide third parties with the information they need to perform their specific services, and our contracts require them to hold personal data securely and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Client personal information is not shared with third parties beyond what is necessary to deliver our services.

WHAT LEGAL BASIS DO WE HAVE FOR USING YOUR INFORMATION?

We will only use your personal data when data protection law allows us to do so. Most commonly, we rely on the following legal bases:

Legitimate interests: we need the information in order to match candidates to client opportunities in the course of our business, and to keep candidate records up to date;
Performance of a contract: where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you;
Legal obligation: where we are required to process data to comply with applicable laws and regulations, including right-to-work checks, tax legislation, and safeguarding requirements; and
Consent: in certain circumstances, including for direct marketing and for the processing of special category data, where you have given your explicit consent.

For marketing purposes, we rely on legitimate interest to contact you with content relating to your career development or business operations. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.

HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR PERSONAL DATA SECURE?

We take every precaution to protect all personal data we collect and process. Our security measures include:

firewall and anti-malware protection;
multi-factor authentication;
disk encryption on company devices;
strict password policies and access controls;
biometric logins on company devices; and
access to personal data restricted only to employees who need it to perform their specific role.

We use all reasonable efforts to safeguard your personal data. However, you should be aware that the use of email and the internet is not entirely secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of personal data transferred via these means.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOT PROVIDE US WITH THE INFORMATION WE REQUEST OR ASK THAT WE STOP PROCESSING YOUR INFORMATION?

If you do not provide the personal data necessary, or ask that we stop processing your personal data, we may not be able to meet your needs as a client or candidate.

DO WE MAKE AUTOMATED DECISIONS CONCERNING YOU?

We do not carry out automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. We may use automated summarisation tools to assist with note-taking and record-keeping, but all meaningful decisions are made by our team. You will be advised if this changes.

DO WE USE NAVIGATIONAL INFORMATION TO COLLECT PERSONAL DATA ON YOU?

Cookies

Winfield Search uses cookies or similar technologies to analyse trends, administer the website, track users’ movements around the website, and to gather demographic information about our visitor base.

A cookie is a text file placed on your hard disk by a web server. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie. They are used to help personalise your online experience and to save you time — for example, by recalling information you have previously provided.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline them if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of our website.

Your device may also provide us with information about the device you are using, such as the type of device or operating system. Please refer to your device manufacturer or operating system provider for more details.

Google Analytics

We may use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use and engage with our website, allowing us to make improvements to our web services. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information and report website usage statistics without personally identifying individual visitors. The information generated by the cookie about your use of our website will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. For more information, please see www.google.com/analytics/learn/privacy.html

DO WE TRANSFER YOUR DATA OUTSIDE THE UK OR EEA?

To better match your profile with current opportunities, we may transfer your personal data to clients and partners in countries outside the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA). These countries’ privacy laws may be different from those in your home country.

Where we transfer data to a country that has not been deemed to provide adequate data protection standards, we always have security measures and approved safeguards in place — such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or EU Standard Contractual Clauses — to protect your personal data.

To find out more about how we safeguard your information in relation to international transfers, contact us at info@winfieldsearch.co.uk

ANONYMISED DATA

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

If we combine or connect aggregated data with your personal data in a way that can directly or indirectly identify you, we will treat the combined data as personal data and handle it in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE IN RELATION TO THE DATA WE HOLD ON YOU?

By law, you have a number of rights when it comes to your personal data. Further information and advice about your rights can be obtained from the data protection regulator in your country. Your rights include:

The right to be informed: you have the right to be provided with clear, transparent and easily understandable information about how we use your information.
The right of access: you have the right to obtain access to your information (if we are processing it) and certain other information.
The right to rectification: you are entitled to have your information corrected if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure: also known as the right to be forgotten, this enables you to request deletion or removal of your information where there is no compelling reason for us to keep using it. This is not a general right to erasure; exceptions apply.
The right to restrict processing: you have the right to block or suppress further use of your information.
The right to data portability: you have the right to obtain and reuse your personal data for your own purposes across different services.
The right to object to processing: you have the right to object to certain types of processing, including processing for direct marketing purposes.
The right not to be subjected to automated decision-making and profiling.
The right to withdraw consent: if you have given your consent to anything we do with your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
The right to lodge a complaint: you have the right to lodge a complaint about the way we handle or process your personal data with your national data protection regulator.

We usually act on requests and provide information free of charge, but may charge a reasonable fee to cover our administrative costs for baseless, excessive, or repeated requests, or for further copies of the same information.

We will generally respond within one month of receiving your request. If a request is going to take longer, we will let you know and keep you updated.

HOW WILL WE CONTACT YOU?

We may contact you by phone, email or social media. If you prefer a particular contact method over another, please let us know.

HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US?

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, or have further questions on the processing of your personal data, please contact us:

Email: winfield@winfieldsearch.co.uk
Post: Winfield Search Ltd, 1 Golden Court, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1EU

Last updated: April 2026