Privacy Policy Effective Date: 23rd July 2025

1. SCOPE AND CONTACT

This Privacy Policy applies to personal data collected by Oystercatchers Partners Limited (“Oystercatchers”, “we”, “us” or “our”) via our website (including mobile versions), through registration forms, surveys, networking platforms, events (including awards), and in the course of providing our services to clients, agencies and business partners. This Privacy Policy is specific to Oystercatchers Partners Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with its registered office at First Floor, 1 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1LF.

Oystercatchers Partners Limited is now an independent company and is solely responsible for its data processing practices and this privacy policy is intended to replace any group-level statements previously applicable. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your rights in respect of your personal data, please contact us at preferences@theoystercatchers.com

2. WHAT PERSONAL DATA DO WE COLLECT?

If you register on our website, sign up to use our services, attend events (including The Oystercatchers Club), request further information, contact us, complete surveys, provide service feedback, or contribute content for our events or communications (e.g. blogs, commentary, or thought leadership), we will collect certain information, including personal data.

The data we collect may include:

  • Title, name, business address, phone numbers, email address, and gender.
  • Employment and professional data: job title, responsibilities, experience, education, salary range (if voluntarily provided).
  • Organisational data: your company name, industry, and areas of interest.
  • Data on engagement with our services, events or pitch processes.
  • Networking platform data: profiles, comments, posts, and engagement activity.
  • Device and browser data: IP address, device ID, browser type, website behaviour.
  • Event participation: badge scanning, dietary/accessibility requirements, recordings, photography.
  • Payment information, where applicable for awards entry fees (note: this applies only to non-Club members using our awards platform). Online payments are securely processed by an authorised third-party provider.
  • Survey responses, competition entries, and feedback.
  • Marketing and newsletter preferences.

This data may be collected directly from you or from your employer (if registering you for services or events), as well as from third-party platforms such as LinkedIn (when used to auto-populate a networking profile).

3. HOW WE USE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We will only process your personal data where there is a lawful basis for doing so under UK data protection legislation. These lawful bases include:

Performance of a contract: where processing is necessary to deliver our services, such as consultancy engagements, agency search and selection, transformation programmes, or event participation.

Compliance with legal obligations: where we are required to retain information for tax, accounting, or regulatory purposes.

Legitimate interests: where processing supports our business operations in a way that does not override your rights, such as communicating with clients, maintaining records, analysing service usage, or improving our offerings.

Consent: where you have given clear permission for specific activities, such as subscribing to newsletters, or being featured in materials related to The Oystercatchers Club events (e.g. attendee listings, speaker programmes, event photography, or post-event summaries).

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To provide consultancy and advisory services including managing pitch processes, facilitating agency selection, running capability development programmes, and supporting client marketing transformation efforts.
  • To deliver and manage events, such as The Oystercatchers Club, roundtables, and networking forums, including handling registrations, dietary or access needs, attendee communications, and post-event follow-ups.
  • To operate professional networking activities enabling participants to engage with one another, contribute thought leadership, or be featured in curated marketing community content.
  • To maintain and develop our business relationships, including responding to your enquiries, updating you on relevant services, and recording your interaction history with us.
  • To send relevant communications, such as event invitations, service updates, or marketing materials, based on your preferences or legitimate interest, with the ability to opt out at any time.
  • To analyse website and service usage using tools such as cookies or analytics platforms to understand engagement and improve user experience.
  • To process payments or manage contractual relationships, including issuing invoices, confirming bookings, or maintaining financial records.
  • To conduct surveys, request feedback, or assess client satisfaction, to help us monitor quality, improve our services, and tailor future offerings.

We may process your personal data for additional compatible purposes in the future, provided a valid lawful basis continues to apply.

In certain circumstances, you may be required to provide personal data due to statutory or contractual obligations. For example, we may need information to register you for an event, enter into a service agreement, comply with accounting or regulatory requirements, or fulfill health and safety duties.

If you choose not to provide data where required, we may be unable to provide the relevant service or fulfill our contractual obligations to you.

We will ensure that any processing of personal data is limited to what is necessary and proportionate for the purpose at hand.

4. SHARING YOUR DATA

We do not sell your personal data. However, in the course of delivering our services, organising events, or managing our business operations, we may need to share your personal data with carefully selected third parties. We only share personal data where necessary, and always under appropriate contractual and confidentiality obligations.

Specifically, we may share your personal data with the following categories of recipients:

  • Service providers and suppliers including third-party companies who support our day-to-day operations. These providers process personal data only on our behalf and in accordance with our instructions, including:
    • IT and cloud infrastructure providers (e.g. website hosting, email systems, productivity software)
    • CRM and marketing platforms
    • Analytics and reporting tools that help us improve user experience.
  • Event partners and venues where you register to attend an event (such as The Oystercatchers Club or roundtables), we may share relevant information (e.g. name, job title, dietary or accessibility needs) with venues, catering providers, security teams, and event technology platforms to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of the event.
  • Clients and agencies, in the context of our consultancy work, including agency selection, pitch management, or marketing transformation projects, we may share professional contact details with participating clients or agencies when necessary for project delivery, introductions, or decision-making. This may include briefings, submission reviews, or collaborative workshops, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards.
  • Legal, regulatory or enforcement bodies – We may disclose your personal data if required to do so by law, regulation, or in response to a valid legal request. This may include tax authorities, regulators, or courts where we are under a legal obligation or pursuing or defending legal claims.

Any third party that receives personal data from us is contractually required to use the data only for the specific purpose for which it was provided, to keep it secure and confidential, and not to use it for their own purposes without your explicit consent. We always take steps to ensure that any data sharing is necessary, proportionate, and aligned with your rights and expectations under UK GDPR.

5. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

If we transfer your personal data outside the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA), we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to maintain an equivalent level of data protection in line with applicable laws. These safeguards may include the use of UK-approved Standard Contractual Clauses, international data transfer agreements, or confirmation that the recipient country has been granted an adequacy decision by the UK government. You can request more information about these safeguards by contacting us at preferences@theoystercatchers.com

6. DATA RETENTION

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, including to:

  • Provide our services and manage our relationship with you;
  • Comply with legal, regulatory, or contractual obligations;
  • Maintain business and financial records;
  • Resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.

When data is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise rendered inaccessible. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the data and the purpose for which it was collected.

7. YOUR RIGHTS

Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

  • The right to access a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
  • The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
  • The right to request deletion of your data, where there is no lawful reason to continue processing it;
  • The right to restrict processing in certain circumstances;
  • The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
  • The right to data portability (to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format);
  • The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please email preferences@theoystercatchers.com. We may need to verify your identity before actioning your request. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk if you believe your data has been mishandled.

8. COOKIES AND TRACKING

We use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about how you interact with our website, including your preferences, usage patterns, and browsing behaviour. This helps us improve site functionality, understand how our content is used, and deliver relevant advertising. You can manage your cookie settings at any time via our Privacy Preference Centre. For more information, please refer to our full Cookie Policy.

9. SECURITY

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures include access controls, secure storage, encryption, and staff training. However, no system is entirely secure, and we encourage you to take reasonable precautions when sharing data online.

10. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or service offerings. Any material changes will be posted on our website, and where appropriate, notified to you directly. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.

11. CONTACT US

For any questions, data requests, or complaints, please contact: Data Protection Contact, Oystercatchers Partners Limited, First Floor, 1 Chancery Lane, London WC2A 1LF, Email: preferences @ theoystercatchers.com.