Privacy Policy

Last updated: 4 August 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Paul Waters Associates collects, uses and protects personal information when you visit our website, contact us or use our services.

Who we are

Paul Waters Associates is a trading name of Dominic Waters. Dominic Waters is responsible for the personal information described in this policy unless Paul Waters Associates is processing information solely on the instructions of one of its clients.

Our website address is: https://paulwatersassociates.co.uk/.

Our contact details are:

Email: hello@paulwatersassociates.co.uk
Telephone: 01635 202750
Address: The Orchard, Garlands Farm, Gardeners Lane, Upper Basildon, Reading, Berkshire RG8 8NP

Information we may collect

We may collect:

Your name, job title, organisation and business contact details.
Information you provide when you email, telephone or otherwise contact us.
Information relating to an enquiry, proposed service, client relationship or contract.
Technical information about visits to our website, such as device, browser, approximate location, pages visited and interactions, where analytics consent has been given.
Information required to administer SPQ*GOLD or Career Styles Inventory assessment services, which may include participant contact details, questionnaire-completion information, responses and resulting reports.

How we use your information

We may use personal information to:

Respond to enquiries and arrange discovery calls.
Provide quotations and take steps towards entering into a contract.
Deliver and support our assessment and consultancy services.
Administer SPQ*GOLD and Career Styles Inventory assessments and provide the agreed reports or interpretation.
Manage client and supplier relationships.
Maintain financial, contractual and administrative records.
Protect the security and proper operation of our website and services.
Understand how visitors use the website where analytics consent has been provided.
Send relevant business-to-business communications where permitted by law.
Comply with legal, regulatory and professional obligations.

Our lawful bases

Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract: where processing is necessary to provide requested services or take steps before entering into a contract.
Legitimate interests: where necessary to operate and develop our business, respond to enquiries, manage professional relationships, maintain security or send relevant business communications, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.
Consent: for optional analytics cookies and wherever we specifically ask for consent. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
Legal obligation: where we must retain or disclose information to comply with the law.

When an organisation arranges an assessment for a candidate or employee, we may process information on that organisation’s instructions. Its own privacy notice may also apply.

Cookies and website analytics

We use essential technologies required for the website to operate. With your permission, we also use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the website. Optional analytics storage is disabled unless you give the relevant consent through our cookie banner.

You can accept, reject or manage optional cookies through the cookie banner and change your choices using the Cookie Settings control. Further information is available in our Cookie Policy.

Who we share information with

Where necessary, information may be shared with trusted organisations that help us provide our services, including:

Website hosting, email, IT and security providers.
Analytics providers where consent has been given.
Assessment publishers, platforms and service providers involved in administering an agreed assessment.
Professional advisers, including accountants, insurers and legal advisers.
Regulators, public authorities or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is legally required.

We do not sell personal information.

International transfers

Some service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, we require an appropriate legal safeguard, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections, as required by UK data-protection law.

How long we keep information

Enquiries that do not become a client relationship will normally be retained for no longer than 24 months after the last meaningful contact.
Client, contractual, invoicing and transaction records may normally be retained for up to six years to meet legal, tax and accounting requirements.
Assessment information is retained only for as long as required to provide the service, meet agreed client instructions and deal with legitimate follow-up or legal requirements.
Cookie and analytics retention periods are described in our Cookie Policy.

We may retain information for longer where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or comply with a specific legal obligation.

Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction. However, no internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

Ask for access to your personal information.
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Ask us to erase information in certain circumstances.
Ask us to restrict the use of information.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Object at any time to the use of your information for direct marketing.
Ask for certain information to be transferred to you or another organisation.
Withdraw consent at any time where processing relies on consent.

To exercise a right, contact hello@paulwatersassociates.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

Complaints

Please contact us first if you have a concern about how we use your information so that we can try to resolve it.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. Information about making a complaint is available at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/.

Other websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations. Their privacy practices are governed by their own privacy notices, and we are not responsible for those external websites.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our services, website or legal obligations change. The latest version will always be published on this page with its revision date.