Privacy Policy

1. Overview

General information

The following information will provide you with a brief overview of what happens with your personal data when you visit this website. The term “personal data” refers to all data that can be used to personally identify you. For further details please refer to the other sections in this privacy policy.

Data collection on this website

Who is responsible for the collection of data on this website (i.e., the “controller”)?

The data collected on this website are processed by the oper­ator of the website, whose contact information is available on the “Legal Notice” page of this website.

How do we collect your data?

Some data are collected when you provide it to us. This may, for instance, be data you enter on our contact form.

Other data are collected by our IT systems automatically, or with your consent, when you visit our website. These data are primarily technical data (e.g., web browser, operating system, or time the site was accessed). They are collected automatically when you access our website.

What are the purposes we use your data for?

Part of the data is collected to ensure the proper functioning of the website. Other data may be used to analyze how visitors use the site.

What rights do you have regarding your data?

You have the right to request infor­mation about the source, recipients, and purposes of your stored personal data at any time without having to pay a fee for such disclosures. You also have the right to request that your data are rectified or erased. If you have consented to data processing, you have the option to revoke this consent at any time, which shall affect all future data processing. Under certain circum­stances you also have the right to request that processing of your data is restricted. Furthermore, you have the right to file a complaint with the competent regulatory authorities.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at any time under the address disclosed on the “Legal Notice” page of this website if you have questions about this or any other data protection related issues.

Analysis tools and tools provided by third parties

When visiting our website, statistical analyses may be made of your surfing behavior. Such analyses are per­formed primarily using what we refer to as analysis tools.

For further details about these analysis tools please refer to the following sections.

2. Hosting

External Hosting

This website is hosted by an external service provider. Personal data collected on this website are stored on the servers of our web hosting provider. These may include, but are not limited to, IP addresses, contact requests, metadata and communi­cations, contract infor­mation, contact information, names, web page access, and other data generated on a website.

The web hosting provider is used for the purpose of fulfilling contracts with our potential and existing customers (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR) and in the interest of a secure, fast, and efficient provision of our online services (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR).

Our web hosting provider will only process your data to the extent necessary to fulfil its performance obligations and to follow our instructions with respect to such data.

Data processing agreement

In order to ensure processing in compliance with data pro­tection regulations, we have entered into a data processing agreement with our web hosting provider.

3. General information and mandatory information

Data protection

The operators of this website and its pages take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Hence, we handle your personal data as confi­dential information and in compliance with the statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.

Whenever you use this website, a variety of personal data may be collected. Personal data are data that can be used to personally identify you. This privacy policy explains which data we collect as well as the purposes we use this data for. It also explains how and for which purpose the data is collected.

Please note that data transmitted via the Internet (i.e., through email communi­cations) may be subject to security breaches. Complete protection of your data from third-party access is not possible.

Information about the responsible party (referred to as the “controller” in the GDPR)

The data processing controller on this website is:

ACROSS & AHEAD Advisory GmbH
Dr. Daniel Simon
Christophstr. 15-17
50670 Cologne
Germany

Phone: +49 221 567 972 94
Email: info@acrossandahead.com

The controller is the natural person or legal entity that single-handedly or jointly with others makes decisions as to the purposes of and resources for the pro­cessing of personal data (e.g., names, email addresses, etc.).

Revocation of your consent to the processing of data

A wide range of data processing transactions are possible only subject to your express consent. You can revoke at any time any consent you have already given us. This shall be without prejudice to the lawfulness of any data collection that occurred prior to your revocation.

Right to object to the collection of data in special cases; right to object to direct advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

In the event that data are processed on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. E or F GDPR, you have the right to at any time object to the processing of your personal data based on grounds arising from your unique situation. This also applies to any profiling based on these provisions. To determine the legal basis, on which any processing of data is based, please refer to this privacy policy. If you log an objection, we will no longer process your affected personal data, unless we are in a position to present compelling protection worthy grounds for the processing of your data that outweigh your interests, rights, and freedoms, or if the purpose of the processing is the claiming, exercising, or defence of legal entitlements (objection pursuant to Art. 21 Sect. 1 GDPR).

If your personal data is processed in order to engage in direct advertising, you have the right to at any time object to the processing of your affected personal data for the purposes of such advertising. This also applies to profiling to the extent that it is affiliated with such direct advertising. If you object, your personal data will subsequently no longer be used for direct advertising purposes (objection pursuant to Art. 21 Sect. 2 GDPR).

Right to file complaints with regulatory authorities

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects are entitled to file a complaint with the competent regulatory authorities, in particular in the member state where they usually maintain their domicile, place of work, or at the place where the alleged violation occurred. The right to file a complaint is in effect regardless of any other administrative or court proceedings available as legal recourses.

Right to data portability

You have the right to request that we hand over any data we automatically process on the basis of your consent or in order to fulfil a contract to you or a third party in a commonly used, machine readable format. Should you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will be done only if it is technically feasible.

SSL and/or TLS encryption

For security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content, such as purchase orders or inquiries you submit to us as the site operator, this website uses SSL or  TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection in your browser’s address line when it changes from “http://” to “https://” and the lock icon is displayed in the browser’s address bar.

If SSL or TLS encryption is activated, data you transmit to us cannot be read by third parties.

Information about rectification and erasure of data

Within the scope of the applicable statutory provisions, you have the right to at any time request information about your archived personal data, their source, and recipients as well as the purpose of the processing of your data. You may also have a right to have your data rectified or erased. If you have questions about this subject matter or any other questions about personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time at the address provided on the “Legal Notice” page.

Right to request processing restrictions

You have the right to request processing restrictions of your personal data. To do so, you may contact us at any time using the address provided on the “Legal Notice” page. The right to request restriction of processing applies to the following cases:

• Should you contest the accuracy of your personal data tsored by us, we will usually need some time to verify this claim. During the time that this investigation is ongoing, you have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data.
• If the processing of your personal data was/is conducted in an unlawful manner, you may request processing restrictions instead of the erasure of this data.
• If we do not need your personal data any longer and you need it to exercise, defend, or claim legal entitlements, you have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data instead of its erasure.
• If you have raised an objection pursuant to Art. 21 Sect. 1 GDPR, your rights and our rights will have to be weighed against each other. As long as it has not been deter­mined whose interests prevail, you have the right to request a restriction of the processing of your personal data.

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, these data – with the exception of their storage – may be processed only subject to your consent or to claim, exercise, or defend legal entitlements, or to protect the rights of other natural persons or legal entities, or for important public interest reasons cited by the European Union or a member state of the EU.

Rejection of unsolicited emails

We herewith object to the use of contact data published on the mandatory “Legal Notice” page of this website to send us promotional and information material that we have not expressly requested. The operators of this website and its pages reserve the express right to take legal action in the event of the unsolicited sending of promotional information, for instance via SPAM messages.

4. Data collection on this website

Cookies

Our websites and pages use what the industry refers to as “cookies.” Cookies are small text files that do not cause any damage to your device. They are either stored temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or they are permanently stored on your device (permanent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted once you terminate your visit. Permanent cookies remain stored on your device until you actively delete them or they are automatically deleted by your web browser.

In some cases it is possible that third-party cookies are stored on your device once you access our site (third-party cookies). These cookies enable you or us to take advantage of certain services offered by the third party (e.g., payment services).

Cookies have a variety of functions. Many cookies are technically essential since certain website functions would not work in the absence of such cookies (e.g., a shopping cart function or the display of videos). The purpose of other cookies may be the analysis of user patterns or the display of promotional messages.

Cookies that are necessary to allow electronic communi­cations (required cookies), to provide certain functions you wish to use (functional cookies, e.g., for a shopping cart function), or to optimize the website (e.g., cookies that provide measurable insights into the web audience) shall be stored on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR, unless a different legal basis is cited. The operator of the website has a legitimate interest in the storage of cookies to ensure an optimized service provided free of technical errors. If your consent to the storage of cookies has been requested, such cookies are stored exclusively on the basis of the consent obtained (Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR); this consent may be revoked at any time.

You can configure your browser to notify you any time cookies are placed so that you can decide on a case-by-case basis whether to accept or reject a cookie. You may also reject cookies under certain conditions or in general or have cookies auto­matically deleted when closing your browser. Disabling cookies may limit the functionality of this website.

If third-party cookies are used or if cookies are used for analytical purposes, we will separately notify you about this in this privacy policy and, if applicable, ask for your consent.

Server log files

The provider of this website automatically collects and stores information that your browser automatically transmits to us in so-called server log files. These are:

• Used browser type and version
• Used operating system
• Referrer URL
• Host name of the accessing computer
• Time of the server request
• IP address

These data are not combined with data from other sources.

Data processing is based on Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the technically error-free presentation and optimization of the website. This requires the use of server log files.

Contact form

If you submit inquiries to us via our contact form (or course registration form), the data provided in the form as well as any contact data provided therein will be stored by us in order to handle your inquiry and any follow-up questions. We will not share this data without your consent.

The processing of these data is based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. b GDPR, if your request is related to the execution of a contract or if it is necessary to carry out pre-contractual measures. In all other cases the pro­cess­ing is based on our legitimate interest in the effective processing of the requests addressed to us (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. f GDPR) or on your consent (Art. 6 Para. 1 lit. a GDPR) if this has been obtained.

The data entered on the contact form shall remain with us until you ask us to erase the data, revoke your consent to the storage of these data, or if the purpose for which the data has been stored no longer exists. This shall be without prejudice to any mandatory legal provisions – in particular retention periods.

Request by email, telephone, or fax

If you contact us by email, telephone, or fax, your request, including all associated personal data (name, etc.) will be stored and processed by us for the purpose of handling your request. We do not pass on these data without your consent.

These data are processed on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. b GDPR if your inquiry is related to the fulfillment of a contract or is required for the performance of pre-contractual measures. In all other cases, the data are processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in the effective handling of inquiries submitted to us (Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR) or on the basis of your consent (Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR) if it has been obtained.

The data made available to us via contact requests remain with us until you request us to delete it, revoke your consent to the storage, or the purpose for the data storage no longer exists. Mandatory statutory provisions – in particular statutory retention periods – remain unaffected.

5. Analysis tools and advertising

Google Analytics

This website may use functions of the web analysis service Google Analytics. The provider of this service is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Google Analytics enables the website operator to analyze the behavior patterns of website visitors. To that end, the website operator receives a variety of user data, such as pages accessed, time spent on the page, the utilized operating system, and the user’s origin. Google may consolidate these data in a profile that is asso­ciated with the respective user or the user’s device.

Google Analytics uses technologies that allow the recognition of the user for the purpose of analyzing the user behavior patterns (e.g., cookies or device finger­printing). The infor­mation about the use of this website that are captured by Google may be transmitted to a Google server in the United States and stored there.

This analysis tool is used on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. The operator of this website has a legitimate interest in the analysis of user patterns to optimize both the services offered online and the operator’s advertising activities. If consent has been obtained (e.g., consent to the storage of cookies), the processing takes place exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR; the consent can be revoked at any time.

IP anonymization

On this website, we have activated the IP anonymization function. As a result, your IP address will be shortened by Google within the member states of the European Union or in other states that have ratified the Convention on the European Economic Area prior to its transmission to the United States. The full IP address will be transmitted to one of Google’s servers in the United States and shortened there only in excep­tional cases. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google shall use this information to analyze your use of this website to compile reports on website activity and to provide other services regarding website and Internet use to the operator of this website. The IP address transmitted by your browser as part of Google Analytics will not not be merged with other data held by Google.

Browser plug-in

You can prevent the collection and processing of your data by Google Analytics by downloading and installing the browser plugin available at the following link: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

For more information about the handling of user data by Google Analytics, please refer to Google’s data protection information at: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en.

Data processing agreement

We have entered into a data processing agreement with Google and implement the stringent provisions of the German data protection agencies to the fullest when using Google Analytics.

Demographic parameters provided by Google Analytics

This website may use the “demographic character­istics” feature of Google Analytics, to be able to display to the website visitor compatible ads within the Google advertising network. This allows reports to be created that contain infor­mation about the age, gender, and interests of the website visitors. The data comes from interest-based advertising from Google and third-party visitor data. This data cannot be attributed to a specific individual. You may disable this feature at any time by adjusting the ads settings in your Google account or you can generally prohibit the collection of your data by Google Analytics as described in section “Objection to data collection.”

Storage period

Data at user and event levels that are stored by Google and linked to cookies, user IDs, or advertising IDs (e.g., DoubleClick cookies, Android advertising ID) will be anonymized or deleted after 14 month. For details please follow this link: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/7667196?hl=en.

6. Plug-ins and Tools

YouTube

This website may embed videos of the website YouTube. The website operator is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

If you visit a page on this website on which a YouTube video has been embedded, a connection with YouTube’s servers will be established. As a result, the YouTube server will be notified about which of our pages you have visited.

Furthermore, YouTube will be able to place various cookies on your device or comparable techno­logies for recognition (e.g., device fingerprinting). In this way YouTube will be able to obtain infor­mation about this website’s visitors. Among other things, this information will be used to generate video statistics with the aim of improving the user friendliness of the site and to prevent attempts to commit fraud.

If you are logged into your YouTube account while you visit our site, you enable YouTube to directly associate your browsing patterns with your personal profile. You may prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account.

The use of YouTube is based on our interest in presenting our online content in an appealing manner. Pursuant to Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR, this is a legitimate interest. If consent has been obtained, the processing takes place exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR; the consent can be revoked at any time.

For more information on how YouTube handles user data, please refer to YouTube’s privacy policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

Google Maps

Via an API, this website uses the mapping service Google Maps. The provider is Google Ireland Limited (“Google”), Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland.

To enable the use of the Google Maps features, your IP address must be stored. This information may be transmitted to one of Google’s servers in the United States and stored there. The operator of this website has no control over the data transfer.

We use Google Maps to present our online content in an appealing manner and to make the locations disclosed on our website easy to find. This consti­tutes a legitimate interest as defined in Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. f GDPR. If consent has been obtained, the data shall be processed exclusively on the basis of Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR. The consent may be revoked at any time.

For more information on the handling of user data, please review Google’s privacy policy at: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en.

7. Other Services

Job Applications

We may offer website visitors the opportunity to submit job applications to us (e.g., via email, via postal services, or by submitting an online job application form). Below, you find a brief description of the scope, purpose, and use of the personal data collected from you in an appli­cation process. We assure you that the collection, processing, and use of your data will occur in compliance with the applicable data protection rights and all other statutory provisions and that your data will always be treated as strictly confidential.

Scope and purpose of data collection

If you submit a job application to us, we will process any associated personal data (e.g., contact and communications data, application documents, notes taken during job interviews, etc.), if they are required to make a decision concerning the establishment of an employment relationship. The legal grounds for the aforementioned are § 26 New GDPR according to German Law (Negotiation of an Employment Relationship), Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. b GDPR (General Contract Negotiations), and – provided you have given us your consent – Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. a GDPR. You may revoke any consent given at any time. Within our company, your personal data will only be shared with individuals who are involved in the processing of your job application.

If your job application should result in your recruitment, the data you have submitted will be stored in our systems for the purpose of executing the employ­ment relationship on the grounds of § 26 New GDPR and Art. 6 Sect. 1 lit. b GDPR.

Data Retention Period

If we are unable to make you a job offer or you reject a job offer or withdraw your application, we reserve the right to retain the data you have submitted on the basis of our legitimate interests (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. f GDPR) for up to 6 months from the end of the application process (rejection or withdrawal of the application). After­wards, the data will be deleted, and the physical appli­cation documents will be destroyed. The storage serves in particular as evidence in the event of a legal dispute. If it is evident that the data will be required after the expiry of the 6-month period (e.g., due to an impending or pending legal dispute), deletion will only take place when the purpose for further storage no longer applies.

Longer storage may also take place if you have given your consent (Article 6 (1) (a) GDPR) or if statutory data retention requirements preclude the deletion.

Inclusion in the applicant pool

If we do not make you a job offer, you may be able to join our applicant pool. In case of inclusion, all docu­ments and infor­mation made available in the application process will be stored in the applicant pool in order to contact you in case of suitable vacancies.

Inclusion in the applicant pool is based exclusively on your express consent (Art. 6 para. 1 lit. a GDPR). This consent is voluntary and has no relation to an ongoing application process. The affected person can revoke his/her consent at any time. In this case, the data from the applicant pool will be irrevo­cably deleted, provided there are no legal reasons for storage.

The data from the applicant pool will be irrevocably deleted no later than two years after consent has been given.