Privacy Policy

SSM Professionals Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data transparently, securely and only for the purposes described below. Please read this policy carefully. If anything is unclear, you can contact us at any time using the details in section 16.

1. Who we are

SSM Professionals Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, providing executive virtual assistance, digital marketing, human resources and compliance support to executives and small and medium-sized enterprises.

For the purposes of the UK GDPR, SSM Professionals Ltd is the data controller for the personal data collected through this website (ssmprofessionals.co.uk) and in the course of our own business administration.

When we provide virtual support services to a client, we may also process personal data (for example, a client’s staff or customer records) on that client’s instructions. In those cases the client is the data controller and SSM Professionals Ltd acts as a data processor, handling the data only in line with the client’s documented instructions and our contractual obligations.

2. Scope of this policy

This policy applies to personal data we collect:

• when you visit or browse this website;
• when you complete an enquiry or contact form on this website;
• when you contact us by email, telephone, WhatsApp or social media;
• when you engage us to provide services, and for the duration of that engagement;
• when you subscribe to updates, download resources or interact with our marketing.

This policy does not cover the processing carried out by third-party websites or platforms we link to, which are governed by their own privacy notices.

3. Information we collect

Information you give us

• Contact details — your name, email address and telephone number.
• Enquiry details — the content of any message, brief or project information you send us.
• Business information — company name, job title, sector and any documents you choose to share with us so we can scope or deliver our services.
• Billing information — invoicing details (such as a billing name and address) where you become a client.

Information collected automatically

• Technical data — IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, time zone and referring page.
• Usage data — the pages you view, how long you stay, the links you click and how you navigate around the site.
• Cookie data — information stored by cookies and similar technologies, as explained in section 6.

Information from third parties

We may receive personal data about you from public sources (such as Companies House or a company website), from professional networks such as LinkedIn, or from a colleague or client who has suggested we get in touch. Where we do so, we will tell you as part of our first communication where practicable.

4. How we use your information

• To respond to your enquiry and provide the information or proposal you have asked for.
• To deliver the virtual assistance, marketing, HR or compliance services you have engaged us for.
• To manage our client relationship with you, including contracts, invoicing and account administration.
• To maintain and improve this website, including diagnosing technical issues and understanding how visitors use it.
• To comply with legal, regulatory, accounting and record-keeping obligations.
• To protect our business, staff and clients, for example by detecting and preventing fraud, abuse or security incidents.
• To send you service updates or, where you have consented, occasional marketing about our services (see section 12).

We will not use your personal data for a new purpose that is incompatible with the purpose it was originally collected for, unless we are required or permitted to do so by law and have told you about it.

5. Lawful bases for processing

Under the UK GDPR we must have a valid lawful basis for each use of your personal data. We rely on the following:

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have carried out a balancing assessment to make sure those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. You can ask us for more information about this assessment.

6. Cookies & similar technologies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. We use:

• Strictly necessary cookies — required for the site to function, including remembering your cookie preferences. These cannot be switched off.
• Preference cookies — used to remember choices you make, such as language or display settings.
• Analytics or performance cookies — used to understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. These are only set once you have consented.

When you first visit the site you can accept or reject non-essential cookies using our cookie banner. You can change your mind at any time via the Cookie Settings link in the website footer, or by clearing cookies in your browser’s settings. Blocking all cookies may affect how some parts of the site work.

For a full, up-to-date list of the cookies and similar technologies we use, please see our Cookie Policy.

Our site also loads fonts and related resources from third-party providers such as Google Fonts. When your browser requests those resources, your IP address and browser information are shared with that provider in order to deliver the font files.

7. Sharing your information

We never sell your personal data. We may share it with:

• Service providers and processors who help us run our business, such as our website host, email and cloud storage provider, form delivery service, accounting software, CRM and project management tools, and messaging platforms. They act on our instructions, under written contracts, and may not use your data for their own purposes.
• Professional advisers, including accountants, insurers, auditors and legal advisers, where necessary.
• Regulators, courts and authorities, where we are legally required to disclose information or where disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
• A buyer or successor, if our business (or part of it) is transferred or reorganised. We will notify you of any such change.

Any third party that processes personal data on our behalf is carefully selected, contractually bound to protect it and permitted to act only on our documented instructions.

8. International transfers

We store and process your personal data primarily within the United Kingdom. Some of our service providers may store or access data outside the UK or the European Economic Area. Where that happens, we make sure one of the following safeguards is in place:

• the country has been formally recognised by the UK government as providing an adequate level of protection;
• the transfer is covered by the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, together with a transfer risk assessment; or
• another lawful transfer mechanism under Chapter V of the UK GDPR applies.

You can request further details of the safeguards used for a specific transfer by contacting us.

9. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, including to satisfy any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

When data is no longer required we will securely delete or anonymise it, so that it can no longer be associated with you.

10. Keeping your data secure

We take the security of your personal data seriously and apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it, including:

• encrypted connections (HTTPS) to and from this website;
• password-protected, access-controlled systems with multi-factor authentication wherever available;
• role-based access, so that personal data is only available to those who need it;
• confidentiality obligations for our team and any contractors;
• regular updates, backups and reviews of our security practices;
• documented procedures for identifying, reporting and managing data breaches.

If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner’s Office where required and inform you where we are legally obliged to do so.

11. Your rights

Under data protection law you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access — to ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected.
• Right to erasure — to ask us to delete your data where there is no overriding reason for us to keep it.
• Right to restriction — to ask us to pause processing while a concern is resolved.
• Right to data portability — to receive data you provided to us in a structured, machine-readable format, or to have it transferred to another organisation.
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to object at any time to direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time; this does not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
• Rights regarding automated decision-making — we do not carry out solely automated decision-making or profiling that has a legal or similarly significant effect on you.

To exercise any of these rights, email sara.martins@ssmprofessionals.co.uk. We will respond within one month of receiving your request, and will not charge a fee unless the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive. We may need to verify your identity before we can act. You will not be disadvantaged in any way for exercising your rights.

12. Marketing communications

We only send marketing emails or newsletters where you have opted in or where the soft opt-in for existing business contacts applies. Every marketing message includes a clear unsubscribe link, and you can also opt out at any time by emailing us. We do not send marketing by SMS or WhatsApp without your prior consent, and we do not share your contact details with third parties for their own marketing.

13. Children’s privacy

Our services are aimed at businesses, executives and professionals, and this website is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data relating to children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

14. Third-party websites

Our website may link to other sites, platforms or services, including our social media profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites, and we encourage you to read their privacy notices before providing any personal data.

15. Changes to this policy

We review this Privacy Policy regularly and may update it from time to time, for example to reflect changes in our services, our technology providers or the law. The version published on this page is the current one, and the “Last updated” date at the top shows when it was last revised. Where a change is material, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to your attention.

16. Contact us & complaints

If you have any questions about this policy, about how we handle your data, or if you would like to exercise your rights, please contact us:

• Email: sara.martins@ssmprofessionals.co.uk
• Phone & WhatsApp: +44 7593 800692
• Post: SSM Professionals Ltd, Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom

We would appreciate the chance to resolve any concern you may have. You also have the right to complain to the UK supervisory authority at any time:

This policy is provided for information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. It applies to the website ssmprofessionals.co.uk and the services offered by SSM Professionals Ltd.