Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

Who We Are

WGS Executive Search Limited (“WGS”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 13986028, whose registered office is at 201 Haverstock Hill, London, NW3 4QG.

WGS is the data controller in respect of all personal data processed as described in this Privacy Policy. This means we determine the purposes for which, and the manner in which, your personal data is processed.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect personal data relating to three categories of individuals: Candidates (individuals being considered for roles); Clients (individuals at organisations that engage WGS); and Website Visitors. Please read the section that applies to you.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at: richard@wgs-search.com.

 

Section A — Candidates

1. What personal data we collect about Candidates

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you:

  • Identity and contact data: full name, home address, email address, telephone number, LinkedIn profile and other professional profiles.
  • Career and professional data: curriculum vitae, employment history, qualifications, professional memberships, references and referee details.
  • Compensation data: current and expected salary, bonus, benefits and total remuneration package.
  • Right-to-work data: nationality, visa or work permit status and documentation as required by law.
  • Assessment data: notes, evaluations and feedback arising from interviews or assessments conducted by WGS.
  • Diversity data: where you voluntarily provide it, diversity monitoring information such as gender, ethnicity or disability status. This data is used for monitoring purposes only and never as a basis for decisions about your candidacy.

We do not collect special category data (such as health information or criminal records) unless strictly required for a specific role and only with your explicit consent.

2. How we collect Candidate data

We collect your personal data from the following sources:

  • Directly from you, when you submit your CV, complete an application, respond to an approach from WGS, or correspond with us.
  • From publicly available sources, including LinkedIn, professional directories and company websites.
  • From third parties, including referrals from other candidates or clients, and from reference providers with your consent.

3. Why we process Candidate data and our legal basis

We process your personal data for the following purposes and on the following purposes and on the following legal bases:

Recruitment and candidate management

Purpose: to assess your suitability for roles, to introduce you to prospective employers, to manage our relationship with you and to maintain our candidate database.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests — it is in both your interest and ours to process your data for these purposes, and we have assessed that your rights and interests do not override this. Where required, we will rely on your consent.

Legal and regulatory compliance

Purpose: to comply with our legal obligations, including right-to-work checks and data protection law.
Legal basis: Legal obligation.

4. How long we keep Candidate data

We will retain your personal data for a period of three years from the date of our last meaningful contact with you. We consider ‘meaningful contact’ to include correspondence, an interview, or your active engagement with our communications. After this period your data will be securely deleted, unless you ask us to retain it for longer or we are required to keep it by law.

You may ask us to delete your data at any time — see clause 8 below.

5. Who we share Candidate data with

We share your personal data only as necessary and only with:

  • Client organisations, for the purpose of assessing your suitability for a specific role. We will not submit your CV to a client without first discussing the opportunity with you.
  • Reference providers, with your consent.
  • Background screening providers, where required for a specific role and with your consent.
  • IT and software providers who support our business operations, all of whom are bound by appropriate data processing agreements.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

6. International transfers of Candidate data

Where we transfer your personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with the UK GDPR, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or equivalent approved mechanism. We will not transfer your data to a country that does not provide an adequate level of protection without first putting such safeguards in place.

7. Automated decision-making

We do not make any decisions about Candidates solely by automated means. All assessments and shortlisting decisions involve human review.

8. Your rights as a Candidate

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

  • Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to erasure: to ask us to delete your data where there is no longer a legitimate reason to retain it.
  • Right to restriction: to ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
  • Right to data portability: to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
  • Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, to withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at richard@wgs-search.com. We will respond within one month of receipt of your request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at
www.ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113, if you believe we have not handled your data in accordance with the law.

 

Section B — Clients

9. What personal data we collect about Clients

In relation to individuals at client organisations, we process the following personal data:

  • Identity and contact data: name, job title, business email address and telephone number.
  • Business relationship data: details of assignments, hiring requirements, feedback on candidates and correspondence.
  • Financial data: invoicing details and payment records (where these relate to an individual rather than a corporate entity).

10. Why we process Client data and our legal basis

Purpose: to manage the business relationship between WGS and the client organisation, to fulfil our contractual obligations, to communicate about assignments, and to maintain records for legal and financial purposes.

Legal basis: Legitimate interests — processing the contact details of individuals at client organisations is necessary for us to deliver our services and manage our business relationships. We have assessed that this does not override the rights and interests of the individuals concerned. Where processing is necessary to perform a contract, we rely on contractual necessity.

11. How long we keep Client data

We retain personal data relating to client contacts for a period of six years from the end of the business relationship or the date of the last assignment, in accordance with our contractual and legal obligations. Financial records are retained for the period required by HMRC.

12. Who we share Client data with

We do not share personal data relating to client contacts with third parties, except where required by law or regulation, or with IT and software providers who support our business operations under appropriate data processing agreements.

13. Client rights

Client contacts have the same rights as described in clause 8 above. any of these rights, please contact us at
richard@wgs-search.com.

 

Section C — Website Visitors

14. Data collected via our website

When you visit wgs-search.com, we may collect:

  • Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs and pages visited, collected via cookies and similar technologies.
  • Enquiry data: name, email address and any message content submitted through contact or enquiry forms.

15. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve your experience and to understand how the site is used. We use:

  • Strictly necessary cookies: essential for the website to function. These cannot be disabled.
  • Analytics cookies: to understand visitor behaviour and improve our website (e.g. Google Analytics). These are only set with your consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time via the cookie settings on our website. For more information about cookies generally, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

16. Legal basis for website data processing

Analytics and non-essential cookies are processed on the basis of your consent. Strictly necessary cookies and the processing of enquiry form data are processed on the basis of legitimate interests (to operate and improve our website and to respond to enquiries).

 

General Provisions

17. Data security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. Access to personal data is restricted to those members of our team who need it to perform their role. All data is stored on secure systems. In the event of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours and affected individuals without undue delay, as required by the UK GDPR.

18. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. The current version will always be available at wgs-search.com/privacy. We will notify you of any material changes where we hold contact details for you.

19. Contact and complaints

If you have any questions, concerns or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal data, please contact us:

By email: richard@wgs-search.com

By post: Data Protection, WGS Executive Search Limited, 201 Haverstock Hill, London, NW3 4QG

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:
www.ico.org.uk | Tel: 0303 123 1113.