Irving Knight Group delivers executive search across 20+ core industries.

Home
Sectors
All Sectors Industrial Ingredients Life Science Healthcare Built Environment
Solutions
Retained Search Contingent Search PSL & RPO Services Executive Search Technical Search Sales Leadership Cost of a Bad Hire Talk to an Expert
About
About Us Mission Culture & Values Why Us Approach Testimonials
Jobs Team Why Us Contact Us
Irving Knight Logo

PRIVACY NOTICE - CANDIDATE DATA (INDIVIDUALS)

Last updated: 9th Feb 2026

Overview

  • We will only collect and process the right amount of your personal data from you for the specific purposes that we need it.
  • We only use your personal data for clearly defined purposes.
  • We have identified the legal basis for the processing of your personal data.
  • The service we provide means we do need to share your personal data with other organisations.
  • We endeavour to keep your personal data safe and secure at all times
  • We may have to transfer your personal data outside of the UK and EU.
  • We only keep your personal data for a set period of time.
  • You can keep in control of your personal data through the various rights you have.
  • We are happy to speak to you about what we do with your personal data.

Changes made to our privacy notice

We exercise our right to update this Privacy Notice at any time, including to keep up to date with data protection law and accurately reflect Irving Knight’s practices surrounding data processing. Any changes made to our Privacy Notice come into effect when posted on this page (date of latest update can be found at the top of this page).

Personal data collected

To enable us to provide a tailored service specific to meet your needs and find you the most appropriate job opportunities our clients have to offer we need to collect some or all the following information from you:

  • Full name
  • Email address
  • Postal address
  • Telephone number(s)
  • Nationality
  • Employment history
  • Details of work, including salary and future employment needs
  • Skills and experiences
  • Education and qualifications
  • Number of dependents
  • Any other information you choose to tell us

Data processed by Irving Knight is collected in several ways. This information can be provided by you directly, provided by a third party or collected automatically via our website.

By using our website and sending any email communications our systems may obtain your IP address.

Sensitive Data may be provided by yourself or collected by us where permitted by law in order to measure job applicability. This includes information relating to your health, criminal records, and trade union membership.

Collecting personal data directly from you

You may provide your personal data to us via one of the following ways:

  • Applying for a specific job that is advertised on our website
  • Submitting your CV and personal information via the candidate services area of our website
  • Emailing your CV and personal information direct to one of our consultants
  • Telephone calls with one of our consultants
  • Leaving your details with a consultant at a recruitment or graduation fair

Collecting personal data from other sources

We may obtain information about you via one of the following ways:

  • We search professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn, and job boards to establish if there are any potential candidates who would be suitable for a job vacancy we are looking to fill.
  • Referral from an existing candidate – they may share your personal data with us and ask us to contact you as you are interested in new career opportunities.

What we use your personal data for and the legal basis we rely on

We process your personal data for the following purposes:

  • For recruitment purposes, to match you to a job vacancy we are recruiting for on behalf of our clients.
  • For marketing purposes, for example to re-contact you in the future to inform you of new opportunities.

Recruitment purposes

We want to make sure that we can find you the right job opportunity for you, so we need to know certain information about you to enable us to tailor our search to the most relevant client and job they have available. We will gather this information from you or collect from other sources such as LinkedIn.

A consultant who works within your business/market sector will spend time with you discussing your career, lifestyle, etc. to establish the kind of job you are seeking. They will the send a confidential profile to clients and potential client businesses who have or may have a role available within their business that would fit your criteria. This confidential profile will provide the client business with information about you. If they are satisfied with what they have read, we will move forward to providing them with your name and other personal data.

If you have submitted your CV directly to us, we will read and assess this to identify if your career history, skills and experience are a suitable match for one of our vacancies. We may not have any suitable vacancies for you. If you are not contacted within 6 months of sending your CV to us, please accept this as your CV has not been suitable, processing will have ceased, and your CV completely erased from our database.

Legal Basis - Consent

When you have made the initial contact with us, for example by applying for a job we are advertising on our website, uploading your CV via the candidate portal of our website, or leaving your CV and details with one of our consultants at a recruitment event you will have consented to us processing your personal data for the purpose of us contacting you to progress your job search application.

We will always obtain your consent to submit your personal data to any of our clients. Consent is gathered in the form of consent forms, which will be sent to you by one of our consultants before any action is taken.

In these cases, where we rely on consent as the lawful basis for processing, you are entitled to exercise your rights under GDPR. To do so, contact our Data Protection Manager.

Legal Basis - Legitimate Interests

We do not think it is unreasonable for an individual to expect to be contacted by a recruitment agency if they publish details about their professional profile and career history on professional networking sites, such as LinkedIn. Along with searching our own database of candidates we often review professional networking sites and job boards to identify any potential candidates who may be suitable to fill a vacancy one of our clients has on offer. If we identify such a candidate, we will make initial contact with them to introduce ourselves and the opportunity available.

We have documented our decision-making for relying on legitimate interests for this purpose in a Legitimate Interest Assessment to ensure our legitimate interests are not over-ridden by the rights of individuals whose personal data is to be processed. If you would like to know more about the assessment we undertook please contact our Data Protection Manager.

You have the right to object to us processing your personal data on this basis, to exercise this right please contact our Data Protection Manager.

Marketing purposes

We pride ourselves on offering a tailored service to our candidates and would like to be by your side right through your career till retirement (however early or late that might be). We know that for some people there is a need to move to new jobs to enhance their career prospects and progress to the top. We therefore want to keep you informed of any new job opportunities that become available that you may be interested in.

You can change your marketing preferences at any time - within our emails, you will find an unsubscribe button within the footer of the email, this button will take you to the following options:

  • Unsubscribe: You can permanently unsubscribe from all marketing emails. Once unsubscribed, you will no longer receive marketing communications from us.
  • Mute Option: You can choose to mute marketing communications for a period of three (3) months. During this time, we will pause all marketing emails to you. At the end of the three-month period, communications will automatically resume unless you choose to unsubscribe or extend the mute period via the unsubscribe button found within any of our emails.

We will process all unsubscribe and mute requests promptly and in line with UK GDPR requirements. Your preferences will be recorded and stored securely in accordance with UK GDPR requirements for consent management. These options apply only to marketing communications and do not affect essential service-related messages.

For any additional information about your marketing preferences, please contact our Data Protection Manager.

Legal Basis - Legitimate Interests

We do not think it is an unreasonable expectation for candidates to receive information from ourselves about new opportunities that might be suitable for them. GDPR allows us to use legitimate interests as the lawful basis for direct marketing purposes where this does not breach other e-privacy laws. As there is a relationship in place between ourselves and candidates we can legitimately rely on soft opt-in rules under the Privacy & Electronic Communication Regulations 2003 to undertake email direct marketing.

We have documented our decision-making for relying on legitimate interests for this purpose in a Legitimate Interest Assessment to ensure our legitimate interests are not over-ridden by the rights of individuals whose personal data is to be processed. If you would like to know more about the assessment we undertook please contact our Data Protection Manager.

You have the right to object to us processing your personal data on this basis, to exercise this right please contact our Data Protection Manager.

Who we will share your personal data with

We will share your personal data with:

  • our existing clients who have job vacancies to fill.
  • prospective clients who we feel may be able to provide a suitable career opportunity for you: and,
  • the appropriate legal entities, if required by law.

We will always ask for your express and informed consent to send your personal data to existing or prospective clients.

When a new recruitment business is set up under Irving Knight, all data subjects and their data processed whilst working for Irving Knight will be transferred across to the new company. The new business is still owned and controlled in the majority by Irving Knight.

Your personal data may be accessed and seen by our third-party outsourced IT provider, whilst they undertake work on our behalf. We have a data processor contract in place which sets out both parties’ responsibilities and obligations under GDPR. Data will not be used by third parties for any of their own purposes.

If you enter personal data into our website then it may be accessed and seen by our third-party website host and web data storage provider, whilst they undertake work on our behalf. We have a data processor contract in place which sets out both parties’ responsibilities and obligations under GDPR.

How we keep your personal data safe

Irving Knight takes the security of your personal data seriously and we have put in place the most appropriate organisational and technical measures to safeguard personal data. Our measures include:

  • Encrypting devices and servers where appropriate
  • Password access to computers and mobile devices
  • Secure premises
  • Restricting access to those staff who need to see the information
  • Internal policies and procedures on data protection and information security
  • Staff training
  • The relevant procedures to report and deal with potential data breaches

When we use third-party providers to process and/or store personal data we undertake relevant assessments of their business to establish their level of compliance with GDPR and only use those that provide sufficient guarantees to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data.

Our website, emails, databases and data storage are all on servers based in the UK and EU.

If you suspect your personal data has been lost or misused, please contact our Data Protection Manager (contact details can be found at the bottom of this page).

Transferring personal data outside of the UK and EU

If a job vacancy is located outside of the UK and EU (a ‘third country’), Irving Knight will need to transfer your personal data to that country. We always get your consent to give your personal data to one of our clients and you will be made aware that the business is not located within the UK or EU.

How long we will keep your personal data for

If you are contacted about new opportunities, or one of our clients’ vacancies, we will keep any of your personal data that we have collected during the process for as long as we have an active communication with you, and once this ceases, we will keep your personal data for 10 years before it is deleted from our systems.

If you have applied for a vacancy or submitted a CV directly to us but have not been contacted within 6 months, please accept this as your application has not been suitable for any current vacancies and your CV will have been removed from our database.

If you are contacted about one of our internal vacancies, and are successful, we will keep any of your personal data that we have collected during the process for as long as you are employed by Irving Knight and then for 6 years after that. At the end of the 6 years, your personal data is deleted from our systems.

If you are contacted about one of our internal vacancies, but are unsuccessful, we will keep your personal data for 6 months before it is deleted from our systems.

We have documented retention periods for all the information we obtain and process. If you would like to request a copy, please contact our Data Protection Manager.

Your rights

You have various rights in relation to how we process your personal data, as defined by the General Data Protection Regulations

  • You can access the personal data we keep about you and be given specific information about the processing, also known as the Right to be informed.
  • You can ask us to update inaccurate personal data we hold about you, also known as the Right of access or a data subject access request.
  • You can ask us to delete your personal data but only when specific grounds apply, also known as the Right to erasure. Please note that your ability to exercise this right may not always be possible due to legal requirements, in which case you will be informed of this.
  • You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data, also known as the Right to restrict processing.
  • You can ask us to update any inaccurate information we hold about you, also known as the Right to rectification.
  • You can object to the processing of your personal data if you do not agree with our legitimate interest grounds and for direct marketing purposes, also known as the Right to object.
  • You can transfer your personal data from us to another service provider but only when certain grounds apply, also known as the Right to data portability.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making including profiling does not apply as we do not undertake any automated decision-making, including profiling.

Should you wish to exercise any of your rights please contact our Data Protection Manager. All requests will be processed within one month unless the request is excessive in which case you will be informed and kept updated throughout.

We do not charge a fee for responding to the above requests unless the request is unfounded or excessive; or if requests are repetitive.

If you are not happy with the way we have been processing your personal data or have not dealt with one of your rights correctly when you have asked us to you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). The ICO has several ways in which you can contact them, including post, email, and online forms. To find out how click here.

Our contact details

You can contact our Data Protection Manager via one of the following ways:

  • Telephone: 0113 233 9520
  • Post: Irving Knight Group Ltd, P/t 2nd Floor, 6 Wellington Place, Leeds, LS1 4AP
  • Email: data.protection@irvingknight.com
Trustpilot

FAQs

We’re here to make Executive Search easy to understand. Find answers to the most common questions below.

Our priority is fit, not speed. We take time to understand your background, goals, and motivations, then provide clear insight into each opportunity so you’re only considered for roles that truly align with your experience and ambitions.

We specialise in senior, specialist, and leadership appointments across the markets we serve. Our focus is on roles where experience, judgement, and cultural alignment are critical — typically mid- to senior-level management through to executive and board appointments.

You’ll gain honest market insight, access to high-quality opportunities, and clear guidance throughout the process. Our aim is simple: to help you make the right move, at the right time, with confidence.

No. Our services are completely free for candidates. We are retained by our client partners to manage their hiring processes, meaning there is never a cost to you at any stage.

Our role is to represent your interests professionally, provide guidance throughout the process, and help you assess opportunities objectively — without any financial obligation.

No — if anything, it gives you an advantage. We provide context, insight, and advocacy that ensure your experience and motivations are clearly understood from the outset. Our role is to strengthen your candidacy and guide you through a transparent, well-managed process.

We operate as a retained, partnership-led search firm rather than a transactional recruiter. That means fewer searches, deeper engagement, and a far higher level of commitment to outcomes. By combining sector specialism, market intelligence, and a disciplined search methodology, we deliver hires that are aligned not only to role requirements, but to culture, strategy, and long-term growth plans.

We don’t rely on databases or job advertising alone. Our searches are driven by proactive market mapping, targeted outreach, and insight gained from long-standing sector networks. Candidates are assessed on capability, leadership style, cultural alignment, and long-term potential — not just CV fit — ensuring a robust and well-informed shortlist.

Confidentiality is fundamental to how we operate. Every search is handled with discretion, clear communication, and controlled market engagement. As your representative in the market, we protect your brand, manage messaging carefully, and ensure sensitive information is only shared when appropriate — safeguarding both your business and your candidates throughout the process.

Our retained model is designed to deliver outcomes, not volume. Because we invest the time to fully understand the role, the business, and the wider context, we achieve a consistently high completion rate across our searches. More importantly, our focus is on long-term retention and impact, not short-term placement metrics.

While our process is designed to minimise risk, we recognise that circumstances can change. In the rare event a placement doesn’t succeed, we work closely with our client to address the situation and agree the most appropriate next steps. Our commitment is to the partnership and the outcome — not just the initial hire

Let's talk

Contact Irving Knight Group for Executive Search Enquiries