Privacy Policy

Last updated: 9 July 2026

Who we are

This website is operated by Phil Sterne Consulting Ltd ("we", "us" or "our").

Phil Sterne Consulting Ltd provides coaching, advisory and consulting services to professionals, executives, business owners and individuals navigating important decisions in their careers, businesses and lives. While you'll often hear directly from Phil throughout this website, your agreement is with Phil Sterne Consulting Ltd.

For the purposes of UK data protection legislation, Phil Sterne Consulting Ltd is the Data Controller responsible for the personal information collected through this website and in the course of delivering our services.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please contact:

Email: phil@philsterne.com

Registered company number: 12653072

Company address: 3 Rushton's Yard, Market St, Ashby-de-la-Zouch LE65 1AL

Our commitment to your privacy

Trust sits at the heart of everything we do.

People often come to us at significant moments in their lives. They share ambitions, frustrations, uncertainties and ideas they may never have discussed elsewhere. They trust us with CVs, business plans, coaching conversations, personal reflections and commercially sensitive information.

We believe that trust deserves to be protected.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we share it with and the rights you have over your personal information.

We will never sell your personal information.

The information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

Information you provide

This may include:

  • your name

  • email address

  • telephone number

  • company or organisation

  • job title

  • information submitted through contact forms

  • messages and correspondence

  • information provided when booking appointments

  • responses to online quizzes, assessments or questionnaires.

You choose what information to provide.

Coaching and client information

If we work together, you may choose to share information including:

  • your CV or résumé

  • employment history

  • LinkedIn profile information

  • career aspirations

  • interview experiences

  • salary information

  • leadership challenges

  • business plans or commercial information

  • coaching questionnaires

  • personal reflections

  • goals and ambitions

  • decision-making exercises

  • documents relevant to our work together.

Many clients also choose to discuss wider aspects of their lives, including confidence, wellbeing, relationships, identity, purpose and other factors that influence their decisions.

You remain in control of what you choose to share.

We recognise that much of this information is confidential, commercially sensitive or deeply personal, and we treat it with the highest level of professional discretion.

Information collected automatically

When you visit this website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

  • IP address

  • browser type

  • device information

  • pages visited

  • time spent on the website

  • referring website

  • cookies and similar technologies.

This information helps us understand how visitors use the website so we can improve it over time.

How we use your information

We only use your personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so.

This may include:

  • responding to enquiries

  • providing coaching, advisory and consulting services

  • preparing for coaching sessions

  • writing or reviewing CVs, LinkedIn profiles and other documents

  • delivering personalised quiz results

  • arranging appointments

  • communicating with you throughout our work together

  • sending newsletters or resources where you have requested them

  • improving our services and website

  • meeting legal, accounting or regulatory obligations.

Career quizzes and assessments

If you complete one of our quizzes or assessments, we may collect:

  • your answers

  • your contact details

  • your score or results

  • any personalised recommendations generated from your responses.

We use this information to provide meaningful feedback, identify themes within your responses and, where appropriate, invite you to discuss your results or receive relevant information.

Completing a quiz does not place you under any obligation to purchase our services.

Email communications

If you subscribe to our newsletter, download a resource or ask to hear from us, your contact details may be stored securely within our email marketing platform.

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link included in every marketing email.

Artificial Intelligence

We use carefully selected AI-powered tools to support the delivery of our services.

These tools may assist with:

  • organising information

  • summarising coaching conversations

  • analysing documents

  • identifying themes and patterns

  • reviewing CVs and other written materials

  • preparing draft content

  • research and administrative tasks.

Artificial intelligence supports our work—it does not replace professional judgement, experience or responsibility.

Every recommendation, coaching insight and client document is reviewed by Phil before it is shared.

Where client information is processed using AI-powered services, we choose reputable providers that publish appropriate security and privacy commitments. We do not knowingly use confidential client information to train publicly available AI models.

Third-party service providers

To deliver our services, we work with carefully selected providers including:

  • Squarespace (website hosting)

  • ScoreApp (online quizzes and assessments)

  • Kit.com (email marketing)

  • TidyCal (appointment scheduling)

  • Zoom, GoogleMeet, MS Teams (video meetings)

  • Fireflies.ai (meeting transcription and AI-generated summaries where used)

  • Stripe (secure payment processing).

  • GoogleDrive and MS OneDrive (cloud-based document storage)

  • ChatGPT, Claude (AI support, closed subscriptions)

These providers only receive the information necessary to provide their services and are responsible for protecting that information under their own privacy policies.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to help it function effectively and to improve your browsing experience.

Cookies may be used to:

  • remember your preferences

  • improve website performance

  • understand how visitors use the website

  • enhance the overall user experience.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time.

Our lawful basis for processing

Under UK data protection law, we process personal information using one or more of the following lawful bases:

  • your consent

  • the performance of a contract

  • our legitimate interests

  • compliance with legal obligations.

How long we keep your information

We only retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary.

As a guide:

  • enquiry information may be retained for up to 24 months

  • client records may be retained for up to seven years where appropriate for legal, tax or accounting purposes

  • newsletter subscribers remain on our mailing list until they unsubscribe

  • information that is no longer required is securely deleted or anonymised where appropriate.

Keeping your information secure

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect the information you share with us.

While no online system can guarantee absolute security, we work with reputable providers and follow recognised security practices designed to minimise risk.

Your rights

Under UK data protection legislation, you have the right to:

  • request access to the personal information we hold about you

  • request correction of inaccurate information

  • request deletion of your information where appropriate

  • restrict or object to certain processing

  • withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

  • request a copy of information you have provided to us that we still hold.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact phil@philsterne.com.

Complaints

If you have any concerns about how your information has been handled, we hope you'll contact us first so we have the opportunity to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent authority responsible for data protection.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, technology or the way we operate.

The latest version will always be available on this page, together with the date it was last updated.