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PRIVACY POLICY

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Last updated: September 2026

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WCAN Limited (“WCAN”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

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This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you interact with WCAN, including when you visit our website, join our community or mailing list, register for or attend an event, apply for a programme or opportunity, respond to a survey, communicate with us, work with us as a partner or speaker, or otherwise engage with our services and activities.

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It also explains your rights under applicable UK data protection law.

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1. WHO WE ARE

WCAN is a professional and career development network that connects women with career opportunities, professional development, employers, universities, industry leaders and one another.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, the data controller is:

WCAN Limited
Trading as: WCAN
Company number: 10731758
Email: info@wcan.uk

As data controller, WCAN determines why and how your personal information is processed.

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2. INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT

The information we collect depends on how you interact with WCAN.

It may include:

Identity and contact information

This may include your:

  • name;

  • email address;

  • telephone number;

  • postal address, where relevant;

  • social media or professional profile information; and

  • other contact information you provide to us.

Professional and educational information

This may include:

  • employer or organisation;

  • job title, role and industry;

  • university or educational institution;

  • course or field of study;

  • graduation year;

  • level of seniority or career stage;

  • professional interests;

  • CV, application information or professional experience;

  • qualifications and skills; and

  • information relevant to opportunities, programmes or events for which you apply.

Event information

When you register for or attend a WCAN event, we may collect:

  • registration details;

  • attendance information;

  • accessibility or dietary requirements;

  • questions or information submitted in connection with an event;

  • feedback;

  • photographs, video or audio recordings in which you appear; and

  • information necessary to administer the event.

Programme and application information

Where you apply for a WCAN programme, opportunity, campus ambassador position, creator programme, mentoring initiative, employer opportunity or similar activity, we may collect information relevant to assessing and administering your application.

Communications and preferences

We may record:

  • communications you send to us;

  • enquiries and requests;

  • newsletter and marketing preferences;

  • event and career interests;

  • email engagement information, where available; and

  • records of your interactions with WCAN.

Payment and transaction information

Where you purchase a ticket, service or other product from WCAN, we may process information relating to the transaction.

Payment card information is generally processed directly by our payment service providers rather than stored by WCAN.

Website and technical information

When you use our website or digital services, we may collect information such as:

  • IP address;

  • browser and device information;

  • website usage information;

  • pages visited;

  • referral source; and

  • cookie and analytics information.

Further information may be provided in our Cookie Policy or cookie management tool.

Information obtained from public or third-party sources

We may obtain professional information about individuals from publicly available or professional sources, including:

  • company and employer websites;

  • professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn;

  • Companies House;

  • university websites;

  • conference or industry websites;

  • publicly available professional directories;

  • press releases and publications; and

  • business intelligence, contact or professional data providers.

This may include your name, employer, professional role, publicly available business contact information and other information relevant to your professional capacity.

We may use this information to identify potential speakers, partners, employers, sponsors, professional contacts and organisations that may be interested in working with WCAN.

 

3. HOW AND WHY WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We may process your personal information for the following purposes.

Membership and community administration

We use information to operate and develop the WCAN community, maintain member records, understand our audience and provide relevant information, services and opportunities.

Our lawful basis will generally be our legitimate interests in operating and developing WCAN and, where applicable, performance of a contract.

Events

We use personal information to:

  • process registrations;

  • manage attendance;

  • communicate event information;

  • administer waiting lists;

  • provide appropriate event arrangements;

  • communicate changes or cancellations;

  • manage speakers and contributors;

  • collect feedback; and

  • understand and improve our events.

Depending on the circumstances, our lawful basis may be performance of a contract, legitimate interests or consent.

Career opportunities and professional development

We may use your information to provide or communicate:

  • job opportunities;

  • internships;

  • apprenticeships;

  • graduate programmes;

  • work experience;

  • employer programmes;

  • educational opportunities;

  • professional development programmes; and

  • other opportunities that we reasonably believe may be relevant to the WCAN community.

Our lawful basis will generally be legitimate interests and, where required by law, consent.

Applications

Where you apply for a programme, event, opportunity or WCAN initiative, we use your information to administer and assess your application, communicate with you and manage the relevant programme.

Our lawful basis will generally be taking steps at your request, performance of a contract, legitimate interests or consent, depending on the nature of the programme.

Communications and newsletters

We may use your contact information to send you:

  • WCAN newsletters;

  • event announcements;

  • career opportunities;

  • professional development content;

  • community updates;

  • surveys;

  • partner opportunities; and

  • information about WCAN services and activities.

We will comply with applicable direct marketing and electronic communications rules.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe mechanism contained in our communications or by contacting us.

Employer, university and partner relationships

We process professional contact information to develop and manage relationships with:

  • employers;

  • universities;

  • sponsors;

  • professional services firms;

  • speakers;

  • suppliers;

  • prospective partners; and

  • other organisations relevant to WCAN’s activities.

This may include contacting individuals in their professional capacity about potential partnerships, sponsorships, recruitment activity, events, programmes and other WCAN services.

We generally rely on our legitimate interests in developing WCAN’s professional and commercial relationships for this processing.

Business-to-business outreach

WCAN may identify and contact relevant individuals working within organisations that we reasonably believe may be interested in WCAN’s services, partnerships, recruitment products, events, sponsorship opportunities or other professional activities.

Information may have been provided directly to us or obtained from publicly available professional sources or reputable business information providers.

We may process information including your name, employer, role and professional contact details for this purpose.

Our lawful basis for processing personal information for appropriate business-to-business outreach is generally our legitimate interests in developing WCAN’s business, partnerships and professional network.

You can ask us to stop using your personal information for direct marketing at any time.

Research, surveys and impact measurement

We may use information to:

  • understand the WCAN community;

  • assess the impact of our programmes;

  • improve our services;

  • prepare aggregated statistics;

  • produce reports for partners or funders; and

  • conduct research relating to careers, education and professional development.

Where possible, reports and statistics shared externally will be aggregated or anonymised so that individuals cannot reasonably be identified.

Administration and business operations

We may process personal information where necessary to:

  • respond to enquiries;

  • maintain our records;

  • manage suppliers;

  • administer contracts;

  • process payments;

  • prevent fraud or misuse;

  • maintain security;

  • establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and

  • comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

 

4. OUR LAWFUL BASES FOR PROCESSING

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, WCAN may rely on:

Contract: where processing is necessary to perform a contract with you or take steps at your request before entering into one.

Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for WCAN’s legitimate business or organisational interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Our legitimate interests may include:

  • operating and developing the WCAN community;

  • providing career and professional development opportunities;

  • organising and improving events;

  • maintaining professional relationships;

  • developing employer, university and commercial partnerships;

  • promoting WCAN and its activities;

  • undertaking appropriate B2B outreach;

  • measuring our impact;

  • protecting WCAN and its users; and

  • administering our organisation effectively.

Consent: where you have given us consent for a particular use of your information. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Legal obligation: where processing is necessary for us to comply with a legal requirement.

We may use different lawful bases for different processing activities involving the same information.

 

5. SPECIAL CATEGORY INFORMATION

Certain personal information receives additional protection under data protection law. This includes information concerning matters such as racial or ethnic origin, health, religious or philosophical beliefs and sexual orientation.

Given WCAN’s mission and activities, individuals may voluntarily provide information relating to demographic characteristics, including ethnicity, particularly in connection with research, monitoring, programme eligibility or impact measurement.

We will only process special category information where we have an appropriate lawful basis and an additional legal condition permitting that processing.

Where appropriate, this may include your explicit consent.

You are not generally required to provide demographic information unless we explain otherwise in connection with a particular programme or activity.

Health-related information, such as accessibility requirements or allergies provided for an event, will only be used where necessary to accommodate your needs and will be handled appropriately.

 

6. PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILMING AT EVENTS

Photography, filming and/or audio recording may take place at WCAN events.

We may use photographs and recordings to:

  • document WCAN events and activities;

  • report on previous events;

  • communicate the work and impact of WCAN;

  • publish content on WCAN’s website and social media channels;

  • produce newsletters and editorial content; and

  • promote WCAN, its programmes and future events.

Where appropriate, WCAN may rely on its legitimate interests in documenting and promoting its activities.

We will seek to provide appropriate notice when photography or filming is taking place.

If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, you may tell the WCAN team before an event or notify a member of the team or photographer at the event. We will take reasonable steps to respect your preference.

If you subsequently have concerns about a particular photograph or recording in which you are identifiable, please contact us at [EMAIL]. We will consider your request in accordance with applicable data protection law.

For uses that go materially beyond ordinary event documentation and promotion, we may seek separate permission where appropriate.

 

7. CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Some WCAN activities may involve school pupils, apprentices, students or other individuals under the age of 18.

Where we knowingly process children’s personal information, we take account of their age and the nature of the activity and apply appropriate safeguards.

Where necessary, we may obtain permission from a parent, guardian, school or other appropriate responsible organisation.

We do not knowingly use children’s personal information for inappropriate marketing purposes.

 

8. WHO WE SHARE PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH

We do not sell personal information.

We may share information where reasonably necessary with organisations that help us operate WCAN, including:

  • website and hosting providers;

  • email and communications platforms;

  • CRM and database providers;

  • event registration and ticketing providers;

  • payment processors;

  • survey and form providers;

  • cloud storage and productivity providers;

  • analytics providers;

  • photographers and videographers;

  • professional advisers;

  • contractors and suppliers; and

  • other service providers acting on our behalf.

These providers may process information only as necessary to provide their services to us and subject to appropriate contractual and data protection arrangements.

Event partners and hosts

WCAN frequently works with employers, universities and other organisations to deliver events and programmes.

We do not automatically provide an event partner, sponsor or venue with attendees’ personal contact details simply because they are involved in an event.

Where we propose to share identifiable attendee information with a partner for that partner’s own purposes, we will ensure that there is an appropriate lawful basis and provide relevant information to attendees.

In some circumstances, limited information may need to be shared with a venue or event partner for legitimate operational purposes, such as building security, access control or event administration. Where appropriate, we will tell you about this.

Legal and regulatory disclosures

We may disclose personal information where required by law, regulation, court order or a competent authority, or where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

 

9. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS

Some of the service providers WCAN uses may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer complies with applicable UK data protection law.

Depending on the destination and circumstances, this may include relying on UK adequacy regulations or implementing approved contractual safeguards or other legally permitted transfer mechanisms.

You may contact us if you would like further information about safeguards relevant to your personal information.

 

10. HOW LONG WE KEEP INFORMATION

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, contractual and reporting requirements.

Retention periods vary depending on the information and our relationship with you.

In determining an appropriate retention period, we consider:

  • the nature and sensitivity of the information;

  • why it was collected;

  • whether we continue to have a legitimate reason to retain it;

  • legal and contractual requirements;

  • potential disputes or claims; and

  • whether the information can instead be anonymised.

For example, we may retain:

  • membership and mailing-list information while you remain subscribed or engaged with WCAN;

  • suppression records where necessary to ensure that we continue to respect an opt-out;

  • event records for a reasonable period following an event;

  • application and programme records for an appropriate period following completion of the relevant process;

  • commercial and contractual records for periods required by applicable legal and accounting requirements; and

  • photographs and published content for longer periods as part of WCAN’s historical, editorial and promotional record where there remains a lawful basis for doing so.

We periodically review information and delete, anonymise or securely archive it where it is no longer reasonably required.

 

11. MARKETING AND YOUR RIGHT TO OBJECT

You can unsubscribe from WCAN marketing communications at any time.

Where an email contains an unsubscribe link, you may use that link. You can also contact us directly at [EMAIL].

You have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal information for direct marketing. If you object, we will stop using your personal information for that purpose.

We may retain limited information on a suppression list after you unsubscribe. This allows us to record your preference and avoid accidentally contacting you again for marketing purposes.

Opting out of marketing does not prevent us from sending necessary administrative or transactional communications relating to an event, service, application or other activity in which you are participating.

 

12. INFORMATION WE OBTAIN FROM OTHER SOURCES

Sometimes we obtain personal information about you from somewhere other than directly from you.

This is most likely to occur where we identify someone in their professional capacity as a potential:

  • employer contact;

  • university contact;

  • partner;

  • sponsor;

  • speaker;

  • contributor;

  • supplier; or

  • other professional contact.

The information will generally consist of professional information such as your name, organisation, job title, professional interests and business contact information.

Sources may include professional networking platforms, company websites, university websites, Companies House, public directories, publications and reputable business information providers.

Where required, we will provide relevant privacy information within the applicable legal timeframe.

You may object to our use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time.

 

13. COOKIES AND ANALYTICS

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember preferences, understand how visitors use our services and measure the effectiveness of our communications.

Where required, we will obtain consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

You can manage your choices through our cookie controls and your browser settings.

Further information may be provided in our Cookie Policy.

 

14. DATA SECURITY

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss or destruction.

Access to personal information is limited to individuals and service providers who reasonably require access for the relevant purpose.

However, no internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

 

15. YOUR DATA PROTECTION RIGHTS

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which we process your information, you may have the right to:

Access your personal information and obtain information about how we use it.

Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

Erasure of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Restriction of processing in certain circumstances.

Object to processing based on legitimate interests in certain circumstances.

Object to direct marketing at any time.

Data portability for certain information where the applicable legal requirements are satisfied.

Withdraw consent at any time where our processing is based on your consent. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

You may exercise your rights by contacting us at [EMAIL].

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to exemptions or limitations under applicable law.

 

16. AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING

WCAN does not currently make decisions about individuals based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

If this changes, we will provide appropriate information about the processing and your rights.

 

17. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND OPPORTUNITIES

WCAN may provide links to employers, universities, job opportunities, application portals, partner organisations or other third-party services.

Those organisations are responsible for their own processing of personal information. Their privacy policies apply when you provide information directly to them.

WCAN is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third parties.

 

18. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes to our activities, services, technology or legal obligations.

The latest version will be published on our website and the date at the top of this policy will indicate when it was most recently updated.

Where a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring that change to the attention of affected individuals where required.

 

19. CONTACT US

If you have a question about this Privacy Policy, how WCAN uses your information or your data protection rights, please contact:

Women in the City Afro-Caribbean Network (WCAN)
Email: info@wcan.uk

 

20. COMPLAINTS

If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, we would encourage you to contact us first so that we can investigate.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection regulator.

Information about making a complaint is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

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