The Marketing Centre South Africa – Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 12/08/2025
Last Updated: 12/08/2025
The Marketing Centre (referred to as “we”, “our”, or “us”) provides part-time, proven marketing leadership to ambitious businesses worldwide. We are committed to protecting your privacy and processing your personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently, in compliance with applicable privacy laws, including:
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – EU/EEA
- UK Data Protection Act (DPA)
- Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) – South Africa
- UAE Federal Decree Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (PDPL) – UAE/Dubai
By using our services or this website, you consent to the collection, use, and sharing of your personal information as set out in this policy.
1. Definitions
For this policy:
- “Personal information” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
- “Processing” means any operation performed on personal information, such as collection, storage, use, disclosure, or deletion.
- “Controller” means the entity that determines the purposes and means of processing personal information.
- “Processor” means a third party that processes personal information on our behalf.
2. Scope of This Policy
This policy applies to:
- Visitors to our websites and digital platforms
- Clients and prospective clients
- Event attendees and subscribers to our communications
- Any individual who interacts with us in person, by phone, or online
3. Information We Collect
We may collect:
- Contact details: Name, job title, company, email, phone, postal address
- Professional details: Organisation, sector, role
- Website usage data: IP address, device type, browser, pages visited, links clicked
- Marketing engagement: Event attendance, downloads, email interactions
- Other details you choose to provide during communications or service delivery
4. How We Collect Information
- Directly from you (forms, emails, phone calls, meetings)
- Automatically via cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies
- From publicly available sources (e.g., LinkedIn, company websites)
- From trusted third parties that support our business operations
5. How We Use Your Information & Lawful Basis
Purpose | Lawful Basis
Responding to enquiries | Consent or legitimate interest
Service delivery & account management | Contract
Marketing communications | Consent or legitimate interest (where lawful)
Event registration & follow-up | Consent or contract
Website analytics | Consent for non-essential cookies; legitimate interest for essential cookies
Compliance with legal obligations | Legal requirement
We will not process your personal information for purposes incompatible with those above without your consent.
6. International Transfers
We may transfer your personal information across borders to other The Marketing Centre offices or trusted service providers. Where we do so, we use appropriate safeguards, such as:
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
- Adequacy decisions by relevant authorities
- Binding corporate rules
- Equivalent legal protections under local law
7. Cookies and Tracking
We use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Enable website functionality
- Analyse performance and visitor behaviour
- Tailor content to your interests
- Track engagement with marketing materials
**Specific tools we use include:**
- Google Analytics (aggregated site usage statistics, no personal data stored)
- HubSpot (tracking engagement with known contacts in our CRM)
- GatorLeads (reverse IP lookup to identify visiting organisations)
- Email post-click tracking cookies (to analyse relevance of communications)
**Consent:** Where required by law (e.g., EU, UK, UAE), we request explicit opt-in for non-essential cookies via our cookie banner. You can manage your preferences via the cookie tool on our website or your browser settings. See our Cookie Policy for details.
8. Data Subject Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:
- Access your personal information
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Request deletion, subject to legal retention rules
- Object to or restrict processing
- Request a copy of your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent at any time
We will respond to requests within applicable legal timeframes and may require proof of identity.
9. Retention of Information
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary:
- Marketing contact data: up to 2 years after last engagement
- Client records: 7 years after contract termination (for legal purposes)
- Event registration details: 1 year after the event
We may retain data longer if required by law or to resolve disputes.
10. Security Measures
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encryption, secure servers, access controls, and regular staff training.
11. Automated Decision-Making & Profiling
We do not use personal information for automated decision-making that has legal or significant effects on individuals. Profiling is limited to tailoring marketing content based on expressed interests.
12. Children’s Data
Our services are not directed to individuals under 18, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information.
13. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we process your personal information, you can contact us or lodge a complaint with your local regulator:
- UK: Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – www.ico.org.uk
- South Africa: Information Regulator – www.justice.gov.za/inforeg
- UAE/Dubai: UAE Data Office – www.dataprotection.gov.ae
- EU: Your national supervisory authority – see https://edpb.europa.eu
14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on our website with the revision date shown.
15. Contact Us
For questions or to exercise your privacy rights:
The Marketing Centre South Africa
Email: info@themarketingcentre.co.za