Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 2022

Onward commits to using any personal data you give to us responsibly and in accordance with all applicable laws and data privacy regulation.

The purpose of this policy is to give you a clear explanation about how Onward collects and uses the personal information you provide to us and that we collect, whether online, via telephone, email, in letters or in any other correspondence or from third parties.

Who we are

Onward is a modernising think tank whose mission is to develop bold and practical ideas to boost economic opportunity and strengthen communities in all parts of the United Kingdom.

Our registered address is 16 Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom, WC2B 5AH

Our company registration number is 11326052.

How we collect information

Information you give to us. For example, when you sign up for our email lists, engage with our social media, register for an event or otherwise provide us with personal information.

Information we get from your use of our website and services. We collect information about the services you use and how you use them, for instance when you watch our videos on YouTube, visit our websites or view and interact with our digital advertising and website or social media content. We, like all organisations, are able to confirm what browser you are using, IP address and computer operating systems that are being used and this information may be used to improve the services we offer.

What information we collect

The information we collect from you, either directly or indirectly, may include:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Your location
  • Date of birth, age and/or gender, job title, employer – where appropriate e.g. if you register for one of our events

Why we collect your information

We hold and process personal data for a number of reasons:

  • To send you marketing information about our latest activities, news and opportunities, where we have your consent or are otherwise allowed to do this;
  • To accept applications to attend Onward events, enter competitions or take part in other activities for which we would require personal information to register your interest;
  • To communicate with event attendees and prospective attendees before, during and after our events to provide you with information about those events or to seek your feedback on events that you have attended;
  • For administrative purposes (for example, relating to your attendance at an event or the data we hold about you in your personal user account);
  • To analyse and improve the content and operation of our website and our internal business processes;
  • To tailor communications presented to you and to other people who may have similar interests or other characteristics to yours on the internet according to your interests, preferences and other characteristics (as described below);
  • To ensure we do not send unwanted information to individuals who have informed us they do not wish to be contacted.

What is your legal basis for collecting and using my personal information?

When we collect and use your personal information, we will make sure this is only done accordance with at least one of the legal grounds available to us under Data Protection law.

On the Onward website, one of these is where we have obtained your specific consent to use your information for a previously notified purpose, such as to send you email marketing messages.

Another is where we require your personal information in order to deliver a product, service or information that you have requested – for example, if you register to attend one of our events.

In all cases, we are careful to balance our legitimate interests against your rights as an individual and ensure that we only use your personal information in a way or for a purpose that you would reasonably expect in accordance with this policy, and that does not intrude on your privacy or previously-expressed marketing preferences.

How long will you keep my information?

We will retain your information for as long as you have an active relationship with Onward. If you cease to have an active relationship with us or request to receive no further contact, we will retain only the basic information required in order to avoid sending you unwanted materials in the future, and to ensure that we don’t accidentally duplicate information.

Will you use my social media data?

We may use the personal data you share with us to match to your account on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or other social media sites in order to show you Onward content while you are using these services. Your personal data is kept secure at all times. We may also use your email address and phone number to link to Facebook or other social media sites in order to identify other users of these sites who we believe would be interested in Onward, and we may then show them Onward content.

Information on how to stop this use of your data is given by each of the individual social media platforms in your user preferences.

How to stop or change how we communicate with you

If at any time you wish to stop or change how we communicate with you, or update the information we hold, please email office@ukonward.com.
You can opt out of our emails by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our messages.

We want to make sure that the personal information we hold for you is accurate and up to date. If your contact details have changed or you think any information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, you can always update or correct the information we hold about you by contacting us at office@ukonward.com.

Access to your personal information

You have the right to request a copy of the information that we hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information, please contact us at office@ukonward.com.

Complaints and contacting us

If you want to make a complaint about the way we have processed your personal information, or if you have any questions about this privacy policy, this website or the services we provide to you online, you can contact us at office@ukonward.com.

Cookies

The Onward website uses cookies, which are small text files on your device (computer, smartphone etc.). They are made by your web browser when you visit a website. Every time you go back to that website, your browser will send the cookie file back to the website’s server. They improve your experience of using a website, for example, by remembering your preference settings and by measuring your use of a website to ensure that it meets your needs. Cookies can also be used to show you relevant Onward content on social media services such as Facebook – these are known as ‘retargeting’ or ‘advertising’ cookies.

For further information visit www.aboutcookies.org or http://www.allaboutcookies.org.

You can set your browser not to accept cookies and the above websites tell you how to remove cookies from your browser. However, in a few cases some of our website features may not function as a result.

Other websites

We cannot be held responsible for the privacy of data collected by websites not owned or managed by Onward, including those linked through our website.

Changes to this privacy policy

We may update the terms of this policy at any time, so please do check it from time to time. We will update the top of the privacy policy with a “last updated” date after every change to the policy. By continuing to use our website, you will be deemed to have accepted such changes.

Rights of individuals

Onward uses and protects the data of EU citizens under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This provides a legal framework for protecting your data and for granting you rights over your data. In summary, you have the following rights:

  • The right to be informed
  • The right of access
  • The right to rectification
  • The right to erase
  • The right to restrict processing
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to object
  • Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling