Design Leaders, Trading as Futureproof Recruitment Ltd
Privacy Notice - Candidate & Clients
Who we are
Futureproof Recruitment Ltd · Design Leaders
Candidates, Members and Clients
Last updated: June 2026
Futureproof Recruitment Ltd trading as Design Leaders
33 Boston Road South, Holbeach, Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, PE12 7LR
Company Number: 10071883 · VAT Number: 493341775
Email: info@designleaders.com · Telephone: 020 3488 1509
We are a Data Controller.
Introduction
Futureproof Recruitment Ltd trading as Design Leaders is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with care, transparency, and respect. This Privacy Notice explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what rights you have in relation to it.
This notice applies to the following groups of people:
Design Leaders community members and applicants
Candidates registered with Futureproof Recruitment Ltd
Client contacts and organisations we work with
Suppliers and consultants supporting our services
If you have any questions about this notice or how we handle your data, please contact us at info@designleaders.com or call 020 3488 1509.
Who we are
We are Design Leaders, a trusted professional community for digital product design leaders, operating alongside Futureproof Recruitment Ltd, an executive search business specialising in design leadership. Both operate under the same legal entity.
We act as a Data Controller in respect of all personal data we hold. This means we are responsible for deciding how and why your personal data is processed.
What Personal Data We Collect
Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect and hold the following personal data:
Full name and contact details, including email address and telephone number
Professional information, including job title, organisation, and career history
Your CV or résumé
Links to professional profiles, including LinkedIn
Location information, including city and country
Skills, experience, disciplines, and areas of expertise
Industry background and work environment history
Salary information and compensation expectations
Career intentions and openness to new opportunities
Compliance documentation and references where relevant
Your right to work in the United Kingdom, where applicable
Responses to application and membership questions
Consent records and communication preferences
We collect all personal data directly from you. We do not purchase data from third parties.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
Reviewing and processing your Design Leaders membership application
Managing your membership and providing access to community benefits and events
Matching you with relevant leadership opportunities through Futureproof Recruitment Ltd
Connecting you with client organisations seeking exceptional design leaders
Communicating with you about relevant opportunities, events, and community updates
Supporting you throughout your career and leadership journey
Meeting our legal and regulatory obligations
We will only contact you about career opportunities where we believe they are genuinely relevant to you. We will always seek your explicit consent before sharing your details with a client organisation.
Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal data on the following legal grounds:
Legitimate interests — as a recruitment and professional community business, we have a legitimate interest in holding information about candidates and members to carry out our core activities
Consent — where we ask for your explicit permission, such as when sharing your details with a client organisation or adding you to our talent database. You can withdraw consent at any time
Contractual necessity — where processing is required to fulfil a contract or membership agreement with you
Legal obligation — where we are required to process data to comply with applicable laws and regulations
Where Your Data is Held
Your personal data is held in the following systems:
Google Drive — our secure internal membership database, used to manage Design Leaders community members and applications
Mailchimp — we store email addresses and contact numbers for marketing purposes.
Loxo — our CRM system used by Futureproof Recruitment Ltd to manage candidate and client relationships. Loxo acts as a data processor on our behalf and complies fully with GDPR requirements
Both systems apply appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your data.
International Data Transfers
We are based in the United Kingdom. In some circumstances, your personal data may be transferred outside the UK or the European Economic Area, for example, if we are representing you for an international opportunity. We will always seek your explicit written consent before any such transfer takes place and will keep a record of that consent.
Sharing Your Personal Data
We will never share your personal data with any third party without your explicit consent, with the following exceptions:
Where required by law or a regulatory authority
Where necessary to protect the vital interests of any individual
When we wish to introduce you to a client organisation, we will contact you directly to obtain your written consent before doing so. That consent will be recorded and held securely.
How Long We Keep Your Data
We will retain your personal data for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law:
Active members and candidates, for the duration of your membership or registration and for a reasonable period thereafter
Inactive records: where we have had no meaningful contact with you for two years, we will delete your personal information from our systems unless we are legally required to retain it for longer
If you would like to know how long we will hold your specific data, please contact us at info@designleaders.com.
Your Rights
Under UK GDPR and data protection law, you have the following rights:
Right of Access — you have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you. We will provide this within one month of receiving your request
Right to Rectification — if any information we hold is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to ask us to correct it
Right to Erasure — you have the right to request that we delete all personal data we hold about you. We will action this within one month of receiving your request
Right to Restrict Processing — you have the right to ask us to restrict how we process your data
Right to Data Portability — you have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transfer it to another data controller
Right to Object — you have the right to object to us processing your personal data and we will cease the relevant activity upon receipt of your objection
Right to Withdraw Consent — where we are processing your data on the basis of consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time and we will cease the relevant processing immediately
To exercise any of these rights please contact us at info@designleaders.com or call 020 3488 1509.
Sensitive Personal Data
We may occasionally receive sensitive personal data in the context of providing recruitment or membership services. This may include information relating to racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, physical or mental health, political opinions, trade union membership, sexual life, or criminal offences.
Sensitive personal data will only ever be collected directly from you, stored securely within encrypted files, and processed only where strictly necessary and with your explicit consent.
Security
We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, disclosure, or destruction. Our systems and processes are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain appropriate and effective.
How to Raise a Concern
If you have a concern about how we are handling your personal data, please contact us at info@designleaders.com or call 020 3488 1509. We will investigate all complaints thoroughly, take appropriate action, and keep you informed of the outcome.
If you remain unsatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
Changes to This Privacy Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in the law or our practices. The most current version will always be available on our website. The date at the top of this document indicates when it was last updated.
Design Leaders · Futureproof Recruitment Ltd · Company No. 10071883
33 Boston Road South, Holbeach, Spalding, Lincolnshire, England, PE12 7LR
info@designleaders.com · 020 3488 1509