Privacy Policy
Last updated: 03 September 2026
Hiddn Marketing takes the privacy and security of personal information seriously. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information I collect, why I use it, how long I keep it, who it may be shared with and the rights available to you.
This policy applies when you visit the Hiddn Marketing website, contact me about my services, book a call or consultation, receive communications from me, become a client, supplier or professional contact, or otherwise interact with Hiddn Marketing.
It also explains how personal information may be handled when I provide Fractional CMO leadership, marketing reviews, recruitment advisory, CRM and marketing data services or strategically led transformation work.
I process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
Who is responsible for your personal information
Hiddn Marketing is the trading name used by Simon Larkin, an independent marketing consultant and Fractional Chief Marketing Officer based in Southport, United Kingdom.
For personal information collected directly by Hiddn Marketing for its own business purposes, Simon Larkin is the data controller.
You can contact me about data protection matters using:
Email: hi@hiddnmarketing.com
Address: Hiddn Marketing, 70 Liverpool Road, Southport, PR8 4BB, United Kingdom
Where I process personal information on behalf of a client as part of a consultancy engagement, the client may remain the data controller and Hiddn Marketing may act as a data processor. The respective responsibilities will normally be defined within the relevant contract, statement of work or data processing terms.
What personal information I may collect
The information I collect depends on the nature of our relationship and how you interact with Hiddn Marketing.
Identity and contact information
This may include your name, job title, organisation, business address, email address, telephone number and other contact details.
Professional and business information
This may include your role, employer, responsibilities, business interests and information about your organisation, marketing function, commercial priorities or current challenges.
Enquiry and engagement information
If you contact me about a potential engagement, I may collect information about your organisation, marketing activity, team, agencies, systems, objectives, budget, performance, business priorities and the reasons you are considering external support.
Client and project information
During a client engagement I may receive or create information contained within strategies, reports, presentations, meeting notes, marketing plans, budgets, customer journeys, research, CRM documentation, performance reports and other project materials.
Some engagements may require access to systems or datasets controlled by the client. Where this includes personal information belonging to the client’s customers, employees, suppliers or other individuals, I will process it only where necessary for the agreed engagement and subject to appropriate contractual and data protection arrangements.
Recruitment information
Where I provide Marketing Recruitment Advisory services, information may include candidate names, CVs, employment history, professional qualifications, interview notes, assessment results and feedback.
My legal role in relation to candidate information will depend on the engagement. In some circumstances I may process this information on the client’s instructions. In others I may have separate responsibilities for information I create or hold.
Financial and transaction information
I may hold information relating to quotations, proposals, invoices, payments, purchase orders and transaction history.
Where payment card processing is provided through a specialist payment provider, I do not normally receive or store your complete payment card details.
Website and technical information
When you use the Hiddn Marketing website, certain technical information may be collected automatically. This can include your IP address, browser and device information, approximate location, pages visited, referral source, session information and interactions with the website.
Information about cookies and similar technologies is explained separately in the Hiddn Marketing Cookies Policy.
Marketing and communication information
This may include your communication preferences, newsletter or marketing consent, previous communications, email engagement and whether you have asked me not to contact you.
Special category personal information
I do not normally request special category personal information through the Hiddn Marketing website or during an initial business enquiry.
During some client engagements, particularly where I am reviewing CRM systems, customer data or existing business processes, a client-controlled dataset could contain more sensitive information.
Where this occurs, the information will only be accessed where necessary and appropriate for the agreed work and will be handled in accordance with the client’s instructions, the applicable lawful basis and any additional safeguards required by data protection law.
Please do not send sensitive personal information through the website enquiry form unless it is genuinely necessary.
How I collect personal information
I may collect information:
- Directly from you when you contact me, complete a form, make a booking, attend a meeting or provide information during an engagement.
- From colleagues or other representatives within your organisation.
- From a client where your information is relevant to work I am undertaking for that client.
- Through professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn.
- From publicly available business sources, company websites, professional directories and other legitimate sources.
- Through website analytics, security systems, server logs, cookies and similar technologies.
- From professional advisers, referral partners or other organisations where they are entitled to provide the information to me.
Why I use personal information and my lawful bases
Data protection law requires me to have a valid reason for using personal information.
Different lawful bases may apply depending on the circumstances.
Responding to enquiries
I use the information you provide to understand your enquiry, respond to you, discuss potential services and decide whether Hiddn Marketing is likely to be able to help.
Where you are considering entering into a contract with me personally, this processing may be necessary to take steps at your request before entering into that contract.
Where the enquiry is made on behalf of a company or other organisation, I may rely on my legitimate interests in responding to business enquiries, developing client relationships and operating Hiddn Marketing.
Providing services
I use information to plan, manage and deliver agreed consultancy, leadership, advisory, review and transformation services.
Where the contract is directly with an individual, processing may be necessary for the performance of that contract.
Where the contract is with an organisation, I will normally rely on legitimate interests to process the business contact information required to manage and deliver the engagement.
Where I process personal information under the instructions of a client, the client will normally determine the relevant purpose and lawful basis.
Client administration and financial records
I use information to prepare proposals, manage contracts, raise invoices, collect payments, maintain business records and manage the commercial relationship.
This may be based on contract, legitimate interests or a legal obligation depending on the information and circumstances.
Recruitment advisory
Where I assist a client with the definition or assessment of a senior marketing appointment, I may process candidate information to review experience, participate in interviews, provide professional assessments and advise the client.
The lawful basis and my role will depend on the particular recruitment arrangement and will be considered when the engagement is established.
Website operation and security
Technical information may be processed to operate, secure, maintain and troubleshoot the website, prevent misuse and investigate suspected security incidents.
I rely on legitimate interests where appropriate to protect the security and integrity of Hiddn Marketing’s website and systems.
Website measurement and analytics
I use website measurement to understand how the website is used, which pages are useful, how visitors arrive at the site and whether the website is performing effectively.
Where consent is required for the use of analytics cookies or similar technologies, those technologies should not be activated until the required consent has been provided.
Further information is available in the Cookies Policy.
Marketing
I may occasionally send information about Hiddn Marketing services, insights or relevant business developments.
Where consent is required by law, I will obtain it before sending marketing.
In appropriate business-to-business circumstances, I may rely on legitimate interests to communicate with relevant professional contacts where this is lawful, proportionate and reasonably expected.
I will always respect objections to direct marketing.
You can unsubscribe or ask me to stop using your information for direct marketing at any time by contacting hi@hiddnmarketing.com or using any unsubscribe facility included within the communication.
Legal, regulatory and professional obligations
I may use information where necessary to comply with legal, regulatory, accounting or tax obligations, establish or defend legal claims, respond to lawful requests from authorities or protect my legal rights.
Business to business communications
Hiddn Marketing primarily provides services to businesses and senior business decision makers.
UK data protection law still applies where business contact information identifies an individual.
The rules applying to electronic marketing can also differ depending on whether the recipient is part of a corporate organisation or is an individual subscriber such as a sole trader or certain partnerships.
I take these distinctions into account when determining whether consent or legitimate interests is appropriate and will honour any request not to receive further marketing.
Sharing personal information
I do not sell personal information.
I may share personal information with trusted service providers where this is reasonably necessary to operate Hiddn Marketing or deliver an agreed engagement.
These may include:
- Website hosting, infrastructure, security and backup providers.
- Email, calendar and productivity providers.
- Website analytics and tag management providers, including Google where those services are enabled.
- Booking and scheduling systems.
- Payment processing providers where online payment facilities are used.
- Accounting and financial administration providers.
- CRM, email marketing and automation providers where those services are used.
- Professional advisers such as accountants, legal advisers or insurers.
- Contractors or specialist delivery partners where their involvement has been agreed or is reasonably necessary for an engagement.
- Client-selected systems and technology platforms that I am required to use when delivering work.
I only provide the information reasonably required for the relevant purpose.
Where a service provider processes personal information on my behalf, I expect appropriate contractual and security arrangements to be in place.
Personal information may also be disclosed where I am legally required to do so or where disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
International transfers
Some technology providers used by Hiddn Marketing operate internationally and may process information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, I take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate legal mechanism is available. Depending on the destination and provider, this may include UK adequacy regulations, approved contractual safeguards, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses or another lawful transfer mechanism.
How long I keep personal information
I do not keep personal information indefinitely.
The appropriate retention period depends on the reason the information was collected, the nature of the relationship, legal requirements and whether the information may be required to establish or defend a legal claim.
As a general approach:
Enquiries that do not become clients
Information relating to an enquiry will normally be retained for up to 24 months after the last meaningful communication, unless there is a legitimate reason to retain it for longer.
Client and project records
Contracts, proposals, material correspondence, project records and information necessary to evidence an engagement may normally be retained for up to six years after the end of the engagement.
Information that is no longer required for this purpose may be deleted earlier.
Financial and accounting records
Invoices, payment records and other financial information will be retained for the period required by applicable accounting and tax legislation.
Client controlled personal information
Personal information processed on behalf of a client will be retained, returned or deleted in accordance with the agreed contract, the client’s instructions and applicable legal requirements.
Recruitment information
Candidate information processed on behalf of a client will normally be handled according to the client’s retention instructions.
Where I separately control recruitment information, it will normally be deleted when it is no longer reasonably required for the recruitment process, professional record-keeping, or the handling of any relevant claim.
Marketing information
Marketing information is retained while there is a valid reason to communicate with you and is periodically reviewed.
If you unsubscribe or object to marketing, I may retain limited information on a suppression record so that your preference can continue to be respected.
Website and technical information
Analytics, security and technical information is retained according to the purpose for which it was collected and the configuration of the relevant service.
Specific information about cookie duration is provided in the Cookies Policy.
How I protect personal information
I use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to reduce the risk of personal information being lost, misused, disclosed without authority or accessed by people who should not have access to it.
Depending on the system and nature of the information, these measures may include access controls, strong authentication, secure hosting, encryption, backups, system updates, security monitoring and limiting access to people who genuinely require it.
No internet-based service can guarantee absolute security, but security measures are reviewed and updated in proportion to the nature and sensitivity of the information being handled.
Automated decision making and artificial intelligence
I may use software and artificial intelligence tools to support research, analysis, drafting, workflow improvement or administrative tasks where appropriate.
I do not use automated systems to make legally significant decisions about website visitors or prospective clients without meaningful human involvement.
I do not intentionally provide confidential client information or personal information to public artificial intelligence services where doing so would be inconsistent with client instructions, contractual obligations or data protection requirements.
Where artificial intelligence forms part of a client engagement involving personal information, its use will be considered within the scope, risk and governance requirements of that engagement.
Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used, you may have rights including:
- The right to be informed about how your personal information is used.
- The right to request access to personal information I hold about you.
- The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- The right to request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
- The right to object to certain processing.
- The right to object to direct marketing at any time.
- The right to data portability where the legal requirements for that right are met.
- The right to withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
- Rights relating to certain automated decisions.
These rights are not absolute and some may not apply in every situation.
To exercise a data protection right, contact:
I may need to verify your identity before providing personal information or acting on a request.
Your absolute right to object to direct marketing
You have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.
If you tell me that you no longer wish to receive marketing communications, I will stop using your information for that purpose.
I may retain enough information to record your objection and ensure that you are not inadvertently added back to future marketing activity.
Data protection complaints
If you believe Hiddn Marketing has handled your personal information incorrectly or has not complied with data protection law, you can make a data protection complaint directly to me.
Please email:
It is helpful to use the subject line Data Protection Complaint and explain what you believe has happened and what you would like me to investigate.
I will acknowledge receipt of a data protection complaint within 30 days.
I will take appropriate steps to investigate the complaint and will provide the outcome without undue delay. If the investigation takes longer than expected, I will keep you informed where appropriate.
I would encourage you to contact me first so that I have an opportunity to investigate and address the issue.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Information about making a complaint is available at ico.org.uk.
Links to other websites
The Hiddn Marketing website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations.
I am not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of external websites. You should review the privacy information provided by the relevant organisation when visiting another website.
Children
Hiddn Marketing provides professional business services and the website is not intended for children.
I do not knowingly use the website to collect personal information from children.
If I become aware that personal information relating to a child has been submitted without an appropriate reason or legal basis, I will take reasonable steps to address the situation.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
I may update this Privacy Policy where Hiddn Marketing’s services, technology, suppliers or legal obligations change.
The latest version will always be published on this page and the date at the top of the policy will show when it was last updated.
Where a change materially affects how personal information is used, I will take appropriate steps to bring the change to the attention of affected individuals.