Legal

Privacy Policy

Last updated

September 2026

Who we are

Polar Insight Limited is a stakeholder research firm based in the United Kingdom. We are the data controller for personal data collected through this website. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, registration number ZA700448. If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at privacy@polarinsight.com.

What data we collect and why

Contact form submissions

When you contact us through our website, we collect your name, email address, phone number (if provided), and the content of your message. We use this to respond to your enquiry and, where relevant, to follow up about our services. The legal basis is legitimate interest: responding to contact requests and communicating with prospective clients about services directly relevant to their enquiry.

Signal Briefings subscriptions

When you subscribe to Signal Briefings, we collect your email address. We use this to send you Signal Briefings and, where we believe it is relevant to you, to communicate about related Polar Insight services, events and research. The legal basis is consent for Signal Briefings delivery and legitimate interest for related service communications to business subscribers. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any briefing or by emailing us directly.

Research participants

Where individuals participate in Polar Insight research engagements, contributions are handled in confidence. Findings are synthesised and anonymised. No individual is identified or quoted by name in any client deliverable without explicit agreement, and substantive research responses are not shared with commissioning clients in identifiable form.

Where a study includes a qualification screener, the information you provide to determine your eligibility (such as your name, organisation, role or contact details) is shared with the commissioning client so that they can approve your participation. This is separate from your substantive research responses, which remain confidential as described above.

Website analytics

Where you have accepted analytics cookies (see Cookies below), we collect anonymised data about how visitors use our website, including pages visited and time on site. This data is not linked to individuals and is used only to improve the site.

“Find your starting point” diagnostic

If you complete the short diagnostic on our homepage, we store your answers (the type of organisation you work in, the area you are responsible for, and the situation, concern and support you selected), the engagement it recommended, and basic technical context such as the page you landed on and, where present, campaign tracking parameters from the link you arrived by. We use this to show you a relevant recommendation and to understand which situations visitors are facing, so we can improve the tool and our services. The legal basis is legitimate interest: you have directly asked us for a recommendation, in the same way a contact form enquiry works.

We do not collect your IP address, full browser identifier, or precise location as part of the diagnostic. If you choose to have the recommendation emailed to you, we store your email address for that purpose, and separately record whether you also asked to receive Polar Insight briefings and invitations - that marketing preference is never assumed and is always your own separate choice. Diagnostic responses are retained for up to 24 months, after which they are deleted.

How we use your data for marketing

We may contact enquirers and subscribers about Polar Insight services, events and research we believe are relevant to their work. For business contacts, we rely on legitimate interest under UK GDPR and the soft opt-in provisions of PECR where applicable. We will not send marketing communications where you have told us you do not wish to receive them. Every marketing communication includes a clear unsubscribe option.

Who we share data with

We use Resend (resend.com) to deliver emails. Resend processes email addresses on our behalf as a data processor. We do not sell, rent or share your personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes. We will disclose data if required to do so by law or by a regulatory authority.

How long we keep your data

We retain contact form data for up to three years from the date of last contact, unless you ask us to delete it sooner. We retain Signal Briefings subscriber email addresses until you unsubscribe. Research participant data is retained only as long as necessary for the engagement and any subsequent quality assurance, after which it is deleted or anonymised.

Your rights under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate data
Request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations)
Object to processing based on legitimate interest
Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
Request portability of data you have provided to us
Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@polarinsight.com. We will respond within one calendar month, and our response will explain how to complain to us or to the ICO if you are not satisfied.

Right to complain

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, you can complain to us directly at privacy@polarinsight.com. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and respond without undue delay. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk at any time. We would welcome the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you contact the ICO.

Cookies

We use one first-party cookie to remember your analytics preference (accepted or declined). When you first visit, a banner asks you to accept or decline analytics; we do not set analytics cookies until you accept. If you accept, we use anonymised analytics to understand how visitors use the site, including the diagnostic tool - this data is not linked to individuals and is not used to track you across other sites.

You can change your choice at any time using the “Cookie settings” link in the site footer, or by clearing cookies in your browser. Declining or withdrawing consent does not affect your ability to use the website, including the diagnostic tool.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always available at this address. We will notify subscribers of material changes before they take effect.