In brief. KNUANCE uses personal information to provide specialist recruitment, search and talent-intelligence services. We use technology to improve reach and efficiency, but important talent decisions remain subject to human judgement. We do not sell personal information.
KNUANCE is a UK-based specialist recruitment, search and talent-intelligence business focused on AI infrastructure, data centres and critical infrastructure.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, KNUANCE is the controller of the personal information described in this policy unless we tell you otherwise. This means we decide why and how that information is used.
You can contact us about this policy, your personal information or a data protection complaint at:
Email: [email protected]
Website: knuance.co.uk
The full legal entity name, registered office, company number and ICO registration details will be added here when confirmed following incorporation.
This policy applies to:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Identity and contact | Name, title, address, email, telephone number, online profile and communication preferences. |
| Professional and recruitment | CV, career history, employers, job titles, qualifications, skills, achievements, remuneration, location, mobility, availability, role preferences, right-to-work status, interview notes, assessments and references. |
| Relationship and communications | Emails, call or meeting notes, enquiries, feedback, search activity, submissions, interviews, offers, placements, contracts and service history. |
| Client and business | Organisation, role, hiring requirements, commercial discussions, contracts, billing details and business relationship history. |
| Technical and website | IP address, device/browser information, security and access logs, pages visited, referral source and cookie or analytics information where used. |
| Compliance and sensitive | Information needed for legal, regulatory, equality, safeguarding, right-to-work or vetting purposes. This may exceptionally include health, diversity or criminal-record information, subject to additional legal protections. |
Please avoid sending information that is not relevant to your professional relationship with us. If you provide information about another person, you should have authority to do so and, where appropriate, make them aware of this policy.
We may obtain personal information:
We do not collect information simply because it is publicly accessible. We consider its relevance, source, professional context and your reasonable expectations. If we obtain your information indirectly, we will provide privacy information within the period required by law, normally within one month and earlier if we contact you or disclose your information first, unless a lawful exception applies.
| Purpose | What this may involve |
|---|---|
| Recruitment and search | Identify and contact potential candidates; understand experience and preferences; assess suitability; discuss opportunities; prepare shortlists; arrange interviews; support offers, placements and onboarding. |
| Talent intelligence | Map relevant markets, skills, organisations and talent pools; analyse availability and hiring patterns; provide aggregated or appropriately protected market insight. |
| Client services | Understand hiring requirements; identify contacts; propose and deliver assignments; manage relationships, contracts, invoicing and service quality. |
| Communication and business development | Respond to enquiries; maintain professional relationships; share relevant opportunities, services or insights; manage preferences and opt-outs. |
| Operations and improvement | Run and secure our website, email, CRM/ATS and other systems; maintain accurate records; improve processes and services; manage suppliers and professional advisers. |
| Legal and risk | Verify identity or right to work where needed; prevent fraud or misuse; protect legal rights; meet tax, accounting, regulatory and other legal obligations; respond to rights requests, complaints and incidents. |
We use personal information only where we have a lawful basis. Depending on the activity, we rely on:
Consent is not our default basis for ordinary recruitment activity. We will tell you where a particular use depends on consent.
We will not normally send your identifiable CV or candidate profile to a client without your knowledge. As our operating standard, we will seek your agreement before submitting you to a named client or opportunity. We may share an anonymised or aggregated market profile where you cannot reasonably be identified.
We normally seek references or conduct vetting at an appropriate stage and with your knowledge. We will not obtain information by deception or require you to use a subject access request to obtain a criminal record.
Some information receives extra protection, including information about health, racial or ethnic origin, political or religious beliefs, trade-union membership, biometric identification, sex life or sexual orientation. Criminal offence information is protected under separate rules.
We process this information only where it is necessary and both a lawful basis and an additional legal condition apply. This may include employment and equality obligations, substantial public interest, legal claims, vital interests or explicit consent, depending on the circumstances. Access is restricted and we do not use this information to discriminate unlawfully.
We may use approved AI and automated tools to support research, sourcing, transcription, summarisation, data quality, workflow administration and candidate-to-role matching. These tools help us work efficiently; they do not replace accountable human judgement.
We do not currently make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on you solely through automated processing. A person reviews material outputs and remains responsible for decisions about contact, assessment, shortlisting and submission. We take steps to reduce inaccurate, biased or unfair outputs and limit the personal information provided to technology suppliers.
If this changes, we will update this policy and provide the information and safeguards required by law, including appropriate routes to obtain human intervention and challenge a decision.
We may contact you about a relevant professional opportunity or, where permitted, about our services and market insight. We consider the nature of the message, the recipient and the applicable UK GDPR and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations rules before doing so.
Marketing communications identify KNUANCE and provide a simple way to opt out. You can object to direct marketing at any time by replying to the message or emailing [email protected]. We keep a minimal suppression record so that we can respect your choice. Opting out of marketing does not prevent necessary service or relationship communications.
Our website may use strictly necessary cookies to operate securely. We will ask for consent before setting non-essential cookies, such as optional analytics or advertising cookies, unless the law permits otherwise. You can manage your choices through the website cookie controls and your browser settings.
Further details of the cookies in use, their providers, purposes and duration should be set out in our Cookie Policy and consent tool. The final Cookie Policy must match the website's actual configuration.
Where necessary and lawful, we may share personal information with:
We require service providers acting as processors to protect personal information, use it only for authorised purposes and comply with their contractual and legal obligations. We do not sell personal information.
Because we work internationally and use cloud services, personal information may be accessed or processed outside the UK. Where a transfer is restricted under UK data protection law, we use an approved safeguard such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved EU clauses, or a permitted exception. Where required, we assess whether the protection remains essentially equivalent and apply additional measures.
We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose collected, our relationship with you, and legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, contractual or claims requirements. Our usual starting points are:
| Record | Usual period |
|---|---|
| Prospective candidates / talent network | Normally 24 months from the last meaningful contact or verification, followed by review, refresh, anonymisation or deletion. |
| Recruitment processes and submissions | Normally 24 months after the process or last meaningful contact, unless an ongoing relationship, legal issue or agreed service justifies longer. |
| Placements, contracts and financial records | Normally 6 years after the placement/contract ends or the last relevant transaction, subject to applicable requirements. |
| Client and prospect contacts | For the active relationship and normally up to 24 months after the last meaningful contact, subject to earlier review following an objection or loss of relevance. |
| Marketing suppression records | For as long as reasonably necessary to ensure that the opt-out is respected, using only minimal information. |
| Website and security logs | For a shorter period proportionate to security, troubleshooting and analytics needs, unless an incident requires longer retention. |
These are guidelines, not automatic promises. We may retain information for longer where there is a live dispute, legal hold, regulatory enquiry or another documented lawful reason. We may retain anonymised information that no longer identifies you.
We use proportionate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful loss, alteration, disclosure, access or destruction. Measures include access controls, strong authentication, device and account security, supported software, secure cloud services, supplier checks, staff awareness, backup/recovery arrangements and incident procedures. No system is completely secure, but we review measures in light of the information and risks involved.
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
These rights are not absolute. We may need to verify your identity and may retain information where the law allows or requires it. We normally respond without undue delay and within one month. Requests are normally free of charge, although the law permits a reasonable fee or refusal in limited cases, such as manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.
To exercise a right, email [email protected]. You do not need to use specific wording.
If you are concerned about our use of your personal information, please contact [email protected] so that we can investigate. You may complain by email or another reasonable method available through our website.
We will acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 days of receipt, investigate it appropriately, keep you informed where needed, and provide an outcome without undue delay.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK regulator. The ICO will normally expect you to give us an opportunity to resolve the issue first.
Our website or communications may link to third-party websites or services. Those organisations control their own use of personal information. Their privacy notices apply, and we are not responsible for their content or practices.
We may update this policy to reflect changes in law, guidance, our services or the technology we use. The current version will be published on knuance.co.uk with the date it was last updated. We will draw attention to material changes where appropriate.