1. Who we are

William Blake Group (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a specialist buy-side recruitment firm providing permanent and contract recruitment services across Distribution, Private Markets, Operations & Data, and Risk, Audit & Compliance in the UK and Europe.

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, the data controller is William Blake Distribution Limited, trading as William Blake Group, of 81–87 High Holborn, London WC1V 6DF.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us at info@williamblake.co.uk or on +44 (0)20 3960 3000.

2. Who this policy applies to

This policy explains how we collect and use personal data relating to:

• Candidates — individuals seeking permanent or contract roles, or whom we approach about opportunities;
• Clients — individuals at organisations to whom we provide recruitment services;
• Referees and emergency contacts — individuals whose details are provided to us by candidates;
• Suppliers and business contacts; and
• Website visitors — anyone who uses williamblakegroup.com.

3. The personal data we collect

Candidates. Name and contact details; CV, employment history, education and qualifications; skills and experience; current and desired remuneration; right-to-work documentation; references; interview notes and correspondence; and, where relevant to a role, information you choose to share about notice periods, availability and working preferences. We may also collect information from publicly available professional sources such as LinkedIn.

Clients. Name, job title, business contact details, and records of our communications and dealings with you.

Referees and emergency contacts. Name, contact details and your relationship to the candidate, as provided to us by the candidate.

Website visitors. Information you submit through our contact and enquiry forms (such as your name, email address and message), together with technical data such as IP address, browser type and pages visited, collected through cookies and similar technologies (see section 9).

We do not intentionally collect special category data (such as health information or ethnic origin) unless you volunteer it or it is required and lawful in connection with a specific role, in which case we will handle it with additional care and only where a lawful basis under UK GDPR applies.

4. How we collect your data

We collect personal data directly from you (for example when you register with us, apply for a role, or submit an enquiry through our website); from publicly available sources such as professional networking sites and job boards; from referees you nominate; and from our clients in the course of providing recruitment services.

5. How we use your data and our lawful bases

We use personal data to:

• provide recruitment services, including matching candidates with suitable roles and introducing candidates to clients (legitimate interests and, where applicable, steps taken at your request prior to entering into a contract);
• communicate with you about roles, market developments and our services (legitimate interests, or consent where required);
• verify identity and right to work, and comply with our legal and regulatory obligations (legal obligation);
• maintain and improve our website and services (legitimate interests); and
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims (legitimate interests).

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have balanced those interests against your rights and freedoms and are satisfied they are not overridden. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Who we share your data with

We may share your personal data with:

• prospective employers (our clients), but in the case of candidates only with your prior agreement to being put forward for a specific role;
• referees, for the purpose of obtaining references with your knowledge;
• service providers who support our business, such as IT, CRM and website hosting providers, acting under contract as processors;
• professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants and insurers where necessary; and
• regulators, law enforcement or other authorities where required by law.

We never sell your personal data.

7. International transfers

We operate across the UK and Europe. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or the use of standard contractual clauses / the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.

8. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy. As a recruitment business, we typically retain candidate records for the duration of our relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards so that we can consider you for future opportunities, subject to periodic review. Certain records must be kept for longer to comply with legal obligations (for example, records relating to placements). If you would like your details removed from our database, you can ask at any time (see section 10).

9. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to make the site work properly and to help us understand how it is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling some cookies may affect how the website functions. [Details of the specific cookies used should be confirmed with the website developer and listed here or in a separate cookie policy.]

10. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• have inaccurate data corrected;
• have your data erased in certain circumstances;
• restrict or object to our processing, including objecting to direct marketing at any time;
• data portability in certain circumstances; and
• withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, or to opt out of communications from us, please email info@williamblake.co.uk. Opting out will result in your details being deleted permanently from our database. We will respond to requests within one month.

11. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure, and we limit access to those who need it to perform their roles.

12. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first at info@williamblake.co.uk so that we can try to resolve the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be published on our website with the date of the most recent revision.