The Business Diplomat
Privacy Policy
Effective date: September 2026
1. Introduction
The Business Diplomat ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all individuals who interact with our website and services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information in connection with our website (the "Site") and our activities as a strategic advisory firm.
This Policy has been prepared in accordance with:
- —The Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP / nDSG, in force since 1 September 2023) and its implementing ordinance (VDSG);
- —The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR – Regulation 2016/679);
- —Any other applicable national data protection legislation in jurisdictions where we operate.
Where both the Swiss nDSG and the EU GDPR apply, we apply the higher standard of protection.
2. Data Controller
The data controller responsible for the processing of your personal data is:
For questions relating to this Privacy Policy or to exercise your rights, please contact us at the above address.
The Business Diplomat
[email protected]
3. Personal Data We Collect
We may collect the following categories of personal data:
3.1 Data you provide directly
- —Identification data: name, surname, professional title, organisation
- —Contact data: email address, postal address, telephone number
- —Communication data: content of messages, enquiries, or correspondence sent to us
3.2 Data collected automatically
- —Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device identifiers
- —Usage data: pages visited, time spent on the Site, referring URLs, click patterns
- —Cookie and tracking data: as described in our Cookie Policy
3.3 Data obtained from third parties
- —Where permitted by law, we may receive information about you from public sources, business partners, or professional networks (such as LinkedIn) for the purposes of business development or client relationship management.
4. Purposes and Legal Bases for Processing
We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. The following sets out our processing activities and their corresponding legal bases under the GDPR and nDSG.
| Purpose | Legal Basis (GDPR) | Legal Basis (nDSG) |
|---|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries and communications | Legitimate interest / Pre-contractual measures (Art. 6(1)(b)(f) GDPR) | Legitimate interest / Contract performance |
| Providing strategic advisory services | Contract performance (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR) | Contract performance |
| Compliance with legal and regulatory obligations | Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR) | Legal obligation |
| Improving the Site and user experience | Legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR) | Legitimate interest |
| Direct marketing and business development | Legitimate interest or Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)(f) GDPR) | Consent / Legitimate interest |
| Analytics and Site performance | Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) | Consent |
Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
5. Disclosure of Personal Data
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share your data in the following circumstances:
5.1 Service providers and processors
- —We engage trusted third-party providers (such as IT hosting, analytics, and communication services) who process data on our behalf under strict contractual data processing agreements in compliance with applicable law.
5.2 Legal requirements
- —We may disclose your data if required to do so by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or where necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Business Diplomat, our clients, or others.
5.3 Business transfers
- —In the event of a merger, acquisition, or restructuring, your personal data may be transferred to the successor entity, subject to equivalent privacy protections.
We require all third parties to respect the security and confidentiality of your personal data and to process it only for specified, lawful purposes.
6. International Data Transfers
Your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside Switzerland and the European Economic Area (EEA). In such cases, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:
- —Transfers to countries recognised as offering an adequate level of protection (e.g. EU adequacy decisions or Swiss FDPIC list);
- —Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission and adopted under Swiss law;
- —Other appropriate safeguards as permitted by the nDSG and GDPR.
7. Your Rights
Depending on your place of residence and applicable law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
- —Right of access: to obtain confirmation of whether we process your data and, if so, to receive a copy of it.
- —Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- —Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten"): to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
- —Right to restriction of processing: to request that we limit the processing of your data.
- —Right to data portability: to receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- —Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
- —Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, to withdraw it at any time.
- —Right not to be subject to automated decision-making: to request human review of any automated decisions that significantly affect you.
Under the Swiss nDSG, you also have the right to information about automated individual decisions and the right to review and correction.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law (generally within 30 days). We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
- —Switzerland: Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC)
- —EU/EEA: The data protection authority of your Member State of residence
8. Security Measures
We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are reviewed and updated regularly. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Retention of Personal Data
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, or professional obligations. When personal data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.
In general:
- —Enquiry and contact data: up to 3 years from last contact, unless a mandate is established
- —Client and mandate data: as required by Swiss professional and statutory retention obligations (typically 10 years)
- —Website analytics data: as set out in our Cookie Policy
10. Children's Privacy
This Site is not directed at individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us immediately at [email protected] and we will take steps to delete it.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The revised version will be published on this Site with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Where required by law, we will notify you of material changes.
12. Contact
For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal data, please contact:
The Business Diplomat
[email protected]