Privacy Policy
1. Trust and Discretion
Executive search is built on trust. Senior professionals share sensitive career considerations with us and clients entrust us with strategically important mandates. The protection of personal data is therefore not a mere formality, but an integral part of our professional responsibility.
We process personal data in accordance with the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP). Where we exceptionally process personal data of individuals in the EU/EEA in the sense of offering services to them or monitoring their behavior, we also observe the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to the extent required.
2. Controller
Reich Partners GmbH
Silvan Reich, Managing Director
Hungerstrasse 56
8832 Wilen b. Wollerau
Switzerland
Email: info@reichpartners.ch
As a personally managed boutique firm, responsibility for all mandates and related data processing lies directly with management.
3. Website Access and Log Data
When you access our website, certain technical data is automatically processed by our hosting provider. This may include:
- IP address
- Date and time of access
- Browser request (e.g. accessed URL, HTTP status code)
- General information about your operating system and browser
These log files are used solely to ensure the secure and stable operation of the website, to detect and remedy technical issues, and to protect against misuse (e.g. attacks). They are not used to personally identify visitors under normal circumstances.
Recipients / categories of recipients:
- Hosting and IT security providers (located in Switzerland or the EU/EEA)
Legal basis / purpose: Our legitimate interest in maintaining the security, availability and proper functioning of the website.
Retention: Log data is automatically deleted after a maximum of 60 days, unless a security incident requires longer retention.
4. Cookies and Similar Technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to ensure the technical operation of our website and, with your consent, to analyze usage (e.g. via Google Analytics).
- Essential cookies: Necessary for basic website functions (e.g. security, session management). These cannot be deactivated in our systems.
- Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it. These are only used if you consent via our cookie banner / consent management platform (CMP).
When you first visit our website, a cookie banner gives you the option to accept or decline non‑essential cookies, or to make a granular choice. You can adjust or withdraw your consent at any time via the “Privacy settings” link available on our website.
You can also configure your browser to block or delete cookies. However, this may affect the functionality of the website.
5. Contact Form and Communication
If you contact us via our website, by email, by phone or via other channels, we process the personal data you voluntarily provide, such as:
- Name and contact details
- Role, company and professional information (if you provide it)
- Content of your message and any attachments
We use this data to process and respond to your inquiry, to maintain our business relationship and, where applicable, to take pre‑contractual or contractual steps.
Recipients / categories of recipients:
- Internal staff / management
- Hosting and IT service providers (including Microsoft 365 in Switzerland/EU/EEA)
Legal basis / purpose: Pre‑contractual measures or contractual necessity where your inquiry relates to a contract or mandate; otherwise our legitimate interest in handling business communication and inquiries.
Retention: General correspondence and inquiry data is retained for a maximum of 12 months after the last exchange, unless a longer retention period is required by law (e.g. accounting, tax), needed to assert or defend legal claims, or arises in connection with an ongoing mandate.
We do not sell personal data.
6. Clients and Business Contacts
We process personal data of client representatives and other business contacts (e.g. hiring managers, HR, board members) in the course of our business relationship. This may include:
- Name, title and position
- Business contact details (email, phone, postal address)
- Employer, function and mandate‑related information
- Communication content and notes relating to mandates or potential cooperation
We use this data to manage and perform mandates, maintain our business relationships, conduct marketing within a reasonable framework and ensure quality and documentation.
Recipients / categories of recipients:
- Internal staff / management
- Hosting and IT service providers (including Microsoft 365, CRM/Talentis)
- Professional advisors where necessary (e.g. legal, tax), subject to confidentiality obligations
Legal basis / purpose: Contractual necessity (for the execution of mandates) and our legitimate interest in maintaining and developing client relationships and our business.
Retention: As long as the business relationship exists and for as long as legal retention obligations or legitimate interests (e.g. documentation of mandates, defense of legal claims) require.
7. Candidates
In the context of executive search mandates, we process professional information necessary to assess suitability for specific roles. This may include in particular:
- Name, contact details and communication data
- Career history, qualifications and professional experience
- Current role, responsibilities and compensation ranges (if disclosed)
- Publicly available professional profile information (e.g. LinkedIn)
- Information from interviews and reference checks (where applicable)
If we contact you based on publicly accessible professional information (e.g. your LinkedIn profile), we inform you about the source of your data at the time of first contact or as soon as reasonably possible.
We generally do not seek special categories of personal data (e.g. health information, religious or political views) and ask you not to provide such information unless it is strictly necessary and you wish us to consider it. If such data is relevant in exceptional cases, we process it only in accordance with the applicable legal requirements (e.g. with explicit consent or where permitted by law).
Recipients / categories of recipients:
- Internal consultants / management involved in the search process
- CRM / talent management systems such as Talentis (with servers in Switzerland/EU/EEA)
- Clients (hiring companies) – but only in connection with a specific mandate and only after your prior explicit consent to the transmission of your profile
We do not engage in automated decision‑making or profiling within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR. All assessments are conducted personally and confidentially.
Legal basis / purpose:
- Our legitimate interest in identifying and assessing suitable candidates for specific mandates, particularly when reviewing publicly available professional profiles and maintaining our talent pool.
- Pre‑contractual measures where discussions relate to a potential role or placement.
- Your explicit consent before forwarding your profile and documents to a client.
Providing your data is voluntary. However, if you do not provide certain information, we may not be able to consider you for a mandate or continue the process.
Retention: Unless legal retention obligations apply or you agree to longer retention (for example, to be considered for future roles), candidate data is stored for a maximum of 24 months after the last active contact with you. “Active contact” means a substantive interaction (e.g. email exchange, call, interview) relating to a potential or ongoing mandate.
8. Use of Service Providers (Data Processors)
To operate our business, we use carefully selected third‑party service providers who process personal data on our behalf. These include in particular:
- Talentis (CRM system) – for candidate and mandate management
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator – for professional sourcing based on publicly available information
- Microsoft 365 – for email communication, document management and collaboration
- Hosting and IT service providers (for website operation, security, backup, support)
Where such providers act as data processors, they are contractually bound to process personal data only on our documented instructions, to implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures and to maintain confidentiality.
Where processors or sub‑processors are located outside Switzerland or the EU/EEA, personal data may be transferred to third countries under appropriate safeguards as described in section 9.
9. International Data Transfers
In the course of using certain tools, personal data may be transferred to countries outside Switzerland and the EU/EEA. This concerns in particular:
- Google Analytics (Google LLC or Google Ireland Limited) – possible transfer to the United States
- LinkedIn (LinkedIn Corporation / LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited Company) – possible transfer to the United States
For data transfers to the EU/EEA, the Swiss Federal Council recognizes an adequate level of data protection. For transfers to other countries, especially to the United States, we take steps to ensure an appropriate level of protection, for example by:
- Using standard contractual clauses (SCCs) approved by the competent authorities
- Relying on certifications or frameworks recognized by Swiss or EU authorities, where applicable
Despite these measures, authorities in some third countries may have access rights to data stored by certain service providers under their local laws.
10. Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (“Google”).
Google Analytics uses cookies or similar technologies to analyse how users interact with the website. The information generated about your use of this website may be transmitted to and stored on servers of Google, including in the United States.
We use Google Analytics only if you have given your consent via our cookie banner / consent management platform. You can withdraw your consent at any time via the “Privacy settings” link on our website.
We have configured Google Analytics so that IP addresses are shortened (IP anonymisation) before further processing, and we do not use the data to create personal profiles. Depending on the configuration (e.g. GA4, Google signals), Google may process aggregated or pseudonymised data to provide us with usage statistics and reports.
On our behalf, Google will use the information to evaluate the use of the website, compile reports on website activity and provide other services relating to website and internet usage. According to Google, the IP address transmitted by your browser in the context of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data in a way that directly identifies you.
You may also prevent the storage of cookies through your browser settings or opt out via the browser add‑on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
11. LinkedIn Presence
Our website contains a LinkedIn button that links to our LinkedIn company page. When you click this button, you are redirected to LinkedIn. LinkedIn may process personal data in accordance with its own privacy policy, over which we have no influence.
Further information on LinkedIn’s data processing is available at:
https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
If you contact or follow us on LinkedIn, we process your data (e.g. profile name, communication content) in accordance with this Privacy Policy and LinkedIn’s terms of use.
12. Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse or alteration. These measures include, among others, access controls, encryption where appropriate, secure backups and ongoing review of our security procedures.
Our website uses encrypted connections (HTTPS), and access to personal data is restricted to persons who need it to fulfil their tasks and who are committed to confidentiality.
While we apply commercially reasonable safeguards, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure.
13. Your Rights
Under the revFADP, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data, subject to the conditions and limitations of applicable law:
- Right to information about whether we process personal data about you
- Right of access to your personal data
- Right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Right to erasure where legally permissible
- Right to restriction of processing under certain conditions
- Right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests
- Right to data portability where applicable
- Right to withdraw consent at any time with effect for the future
If you believe that the processing of your personal data violates applicable data protection law, you may lodge a complaint with the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC).
Where the GDPR applies in individual cases (see section 1), you may also have rights under Articles 15–21 GDPR and the right to lodge a complaint with a competent EU/EEA supervisory authority.
Requests relating to your rights may be addressed to:
info@reichpartners.ch
We generally respond within 30 days, subject to statutory time limits and complex cases where an extension may be necessary.
14. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example due to legal developments, regulatory requirements or operational changes. The version published on our website is the applicable version. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically.