1) Introduction

Allen Austin is committed to protecting the private information of the users to our website, www.allenaustin.com. To ensure that your personal data remains secure we are regularly communicating our privacy policy and guidelines to all Allen Austin employees and we strictly enforce privacy safeguards within the firm.

This Privacy Policy describes our privacy practices regarding the collection, and worldwide processing of personal data collected through our website www.allenaustin.com, as well as personal data gathered by Allen Austin in relation to the provision of executive search and the recruitment of executives and other HR related functions including our compensation database and consultancy projects.

Allen Austin is a wholly owned company and is the sole controller of all information via our website www.allenaustin.com and we are committed to protecting the privacy of your personal data. In this statement we announce our website’s policies regarding the collection, use and transfer of your personal data, the security methods Allen Austin uses to protect such data and your right to access. By using this website, you state your agreement to the terms and conditions set out within this Policy. If the terms set forth within this Privacy Policy are not acceptable for you for any reason, please do not use www.allenaustin.com.

All terms and conditions set out within this policy also apply to our subsidiary company, Gaines International, and its website, www.gainesintl.com.

2) Personal Information collected

Allen Austin is a management consulting firm, and for these purposes we collect a variety of personal data necessary to provide such services in a secure and highly confidential database accessible only by Allen Austin. Allen Austin treats all Personal Data in a manner consistent with the legal requirements of the territories where the data is processed.

It is important to differentiate between the non-sensitive data required for recruitment purposes which are collected by this website and the sensitive data which are not required or requested additionally, unless legally required to do so at a later stage of the search and recruitment process. Data that is deemed non-sensitive, which is collected via our website, includes personally identifiable information such as: professional experience, career history, education history, resume/CV and contact information. By choosing to enter your personal information on www.allenaustin.com, you indicate your acceptance and willingness to disclose this information to Allen Austin and to be considered, when appropriate, for one of Allen Austin’s confidential executive search mandates.

If you choose not to disclose personal information via our website, then Allen Austin will be unable to provide you the services offered by this website or consider your relevance for our executive search process for placement in one of our confidential executive search placements, since employment, educational and other personal information is necessary in order to assess your employment opportunities. Should you wish to remain an active candidate but do not submit your personal information via our website, www.allenaustin.com, then you are recommended to contact someone within a local Allen Austin office by email with your information and/or to set up an appointment.

Allen Austin recommends that you do not provide data deemed as sensitive information about yourself through our website; however, we do not forbid submission of such data. Your choice to provide such data and your eligibility for an Allen Austin confidential executive search placement remains a personal decision and requires you to express unambiguous consent as provided within this website. This data is not required by Allen Austin for eligibility, and data deemed sensitive could be, but is not limited to, information related to race or ethnicity, political views, religion, philosophical beliefs, trade union memberships, physical and/or mental health conditions, sexual orientation, or criminal record. If, for any reason, you do wish to provide such information deemed as sensitive data, Allen Austin accepts your explicit and unambiguous consent to use that information in the methods described throughout this Privacy Policy.

3) Use and disclosure of personal information

As required by Allen Austin clients, we may need to present you as a potential candidate to potential employers (Allen Austin clients), your personal data may be securely shared with clients and/or transferred between Allen Austin’s offices which are wholly owned and adhere to the same guidelines that are presented within this Privacy Policy. In addition, each Allen Austin entity is committed to implementing the appropriate data integrity and security measures required by the country in which it resides in order to keep private your information.

In most standard situations, we provide personal information regarding candidates to prospective employers/our clients or reference sources only if the candidate has authorized us to do so. However, on rare occasions we are engaged to conduct highly confidential searches for senior executives and on those rare occasions, prospective candidates’ personal information may be provided to the client without the candidate’s prior request or knowledge.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of various ways in which we may use and/or disclose supplied sensitive and/or non-sensitive personal data that was transmitted to Allen Austin via our website www.allenaustin.com:

–       Allen Austin may use personal data collected regarding potential candidates to identify professional opportunities that we deem relevant and of interest for the candidate and the perspective employer/our client. We then provide this personal information to the prospective employer/our client as per agreed search requirements. We reserve the right to contact potential candidates regarding such opportunities.

–       The information obtained by Allen Austin in regards to our clients, including business contact information is kept and used as part of the provision of our executive search and consultancy services. 

–       Other situations that could involve use of personal information could include, but is not limited to: updating of data; responding to inquiries; other communications; modification, improvement, refinement and validation of intellectual property and technology; accounts and records; responding to complaints and other inquiries; personal data can also be used for proposals, engagement letters, presentations, research surveys, white papers, mailing lists, advertising, marketing and public relations.

Allen Austin and all of its wholly owned subsidiaries can use personal data submitted to us for the purposes stated above but are not limited to the purposes stated above. Allen Austin remains responsible for how the personal information will be used. If you would prefer not to have your personal information used by Allen Austin, please inform us by contacting us as indicated below and we will remove or suppress your personal information in our database.

In some standard situations, Allen Austin reserves the right to work with third parties who provide services that may include, but are not necessarily limited to, assessment services, including assessment validation services; website hosting and IT consulting services; data analysis; resume verification; background checking; payroll services; public relations services; attorneys, accountants, and other administrative and back-office and security services. As part of providing those services, such third parties will be, in capacity of the data processors, provided with access to personal information only when deemed absolutely necessary in order to carry out standard business practices for the services of Allen Austin. In addition, we reserve the right that our software development partners may have access to, or use, personal information for purposes of modifying, improving, refining and validating their technology, and research and development.

Allen Austin reserves the right to disclose or transfer, any and all personal information that we collect from visitors, or that we otherwise collect in connection with the provision of our services, to a third party in connection with a strategic alliance with such third party, or in the event of a sale of our company, a merger or consolidation involving Allen Austin or one of its offices, or a sale or transfer of assets or of any portion of our business or the business of one or more of our offices.

Personal information collected by Allen Austin is used only for the intended purposes stated at the time of collection. Allen Austin does not sell or share your personal information for unrelated purposes to third parties, unless otherwise stated at the time of collection or required by law. If at any time we decide to use personal data in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, we will notify you and give you a choice as to whether or not we use your information in this different manner. No notification and choice will be sought, however, if Allen Austin is compelled or required by applicable law, statute, regulation, ordinance or court order to disclose personal data.

4) Information security

To prevent unauthorized access, maintain accuracy of data and ensure proper use of information, www.allenaustin.com has put in place appropriate physical, electronic and managerial security procedures to safeguard all information collected online. All sections of the website in which personal information is submitted or exchanged employ industry standard SSL encryption.

Allen Austin will not process, use or transfer personal data in such a way that is not in line with that which is outlined in this Privacy Policy, we will use our best efforts to ensure that data is accurate, complete, current and reliable for its intended use. We also will use our best efforts to protect your information from loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction.

The provision of personal information by you is entirely voluntary and you have the right not to provide personal information. If you need further assistance accessing, updating, correcting or removing your personal information, or if you no longer desire our services, please e-mail Allen Austin at: support@allenaustin.com

5) Link to other Internet sites, cookies and data tracking

The Allen Austin website includes links to third party websites and you should be aware of that when you leave www.allenaustin.com to go to other, third party websites. This Privacy Policy applies solely to information collected by the Allen Austin website. Information collected by third party websites are not covered by the statements made in this Privacy Policy, and may be subject to other less strict policies. This Privacy Policy does not apply to, nor is Allen Austin responsible for, any content, privacy practices, or conduct of such websites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our website to read the privacy policies of each and every web site, including those that collect personally identifiable information.

Please be aware that certain sections of the Allen Austin website do contain cookies. Cookies are packets of information that are stored on your computer’s hard drive. At www.allenaustin.com, cookies allow us to keep track of the areas of the website you visit and thereby offer you easy access to the information you find most relevant. No secure information or information about your personal identity is ever contained within our cookies.

Allen Austin monitors visitor traffic patterns throughout the website by logging Tracking Data, which is collected automatically from each website visitor. Tracking Data may include personal information such as the IP address of the visitor’s computer, its browser type and operating system, the referring site, which pages of the website were visited, the order in which they were visited and which hyperlinks were “clicked.”

Allen Austin uses Tracking Data in aggregate form to perform statistical analyses of the collective characteristics and behavior of our visitors, and by measuring demographics and interests regarding specific areas of the website.

The Allen Austin website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (“Google”). Google Analytics uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyze how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.

The data collected by Google for its subsequent analysis includes:

• Technical data regarding your device (model, operating system, specific device identifiers, and mobile network information, including any phone number associated to the device, etc.);
• Logging on data (search enquiries, phone numbers used to make, receive & forward calls, time, date, length & type of calls, etc.);
• Internet protocol address;
• Device activity (settings, browser types, languages, system operations, dates & times of URL request & referral;
• Cookies specifically linked to your browsers or accounts;
• Location (IP address, GPS, Wi-Fi access points and cellular towers);
• Application installation data (installing & uninstalling certain services);
• Localized device storage (browsing history, caches, etc.);
• Cross-website cookies or anonymous identifiers (Google features or ads appearing on other sites).

Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the website, compiling reports on website activity for website operators and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.

6) Changes to our Privacy Policy

Allen Austin reserves the right to modify or amend the Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason. If there are material changes to the Privacy Policy, we will post those changes here. Please revert back to this Privacy Policy from time to time to be informed. If you do not wish to continue using this website after reading the revised Privacy Policy, you will be given an opportunity to opt-out.

Nothing contained in this Privacy Policy is intended to create a contractual agreement or legal relationship between Allen Austin and any user visiting the website or provide identifying information in any form.

7) Questions

If you have any questions about your personal information, please e-mail Allen Austin at support@allenaustin.com

Date of last revision: April 16, 2021