Privacy & protection statement IM Associates

In this Privacy policy the following terms are defined as follows:

  1. IM ASSOCIATES BVBA, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of Belgium, with its registered offices at B-3020 Herent, Persilstraat 52, building E – PO box 5, and registered with the Belgian RPR/RPM Leuven under number BE 0464.554.477, including any Affiliates;
  2. Affiliate: Means any affiliated company as defined in article 11 of the Belgian Company Code;
  3. Website: the websites of IM Associates, www.im-associates.eu and www.im-smart.eu, and derivative websites developed and administered by IM Associates;
  4. Personal Data: Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person.
  5. Personal Data Breach means a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure of, or access to, Personal Data transmitted, stored or otherwise processed.

1. Processing of Personal Data

IM Associates attaches great importance to respecting and protecting your privacy and the confidentiality and safety of your Personal Data.

This document serves to inform you in a transparent way about the Personal Data we collect, our purpose of this data collection, the way we use your Personal Data and your rights concerning the processing of this type of data.

By accessing our Website and/or disclosing to or sharing with us your Personal Data in any other way you expressly consent to the processing of Personal Data relating to you in accordance with the conditions set out in this Privacy Statement.

2. Who is responsible for processing your Personal Data?

IM Associates is responsible for the processing of your Personal Data.

Below you can find our official information:

IM Associates BVBA

Persilstraat 52, building E – PO box 5 3020 Herent (Belgium)

Tel: +32 16 22 47 43

Fax: +32 16 22 60 55

E-mail general: info@im-associates.eu

E-mail privacy : privacy@im-associates.eu

VAT RPR/RPM BE 0464.554.477

3. What information do we collect from or about you?

We collect your data – personal or other – for different reasons defined under the following topic (cf. point 4 titled ‘With which purpose do we collect your Personal Data?’).

The following data are typically involved:

  • Identification (Name, first name, e-mail address, phone number);
  • Language preference;
  • The company, the organization, the public institution or authority for which you are working, or which you represent;
  • Your function within this company, organization, public institution or authority for which you are working, or which you represent;
  • All Personal Data that are strictly necessary to comply with legal obligations or to pursue a legitimate interest.

When visiting one of our websites (including without limitation, through the contact form, newsletter form and cookies) to which you have access, IM Associates can also collect:

  • Information about your computer or mobile device and your visits and use of the Website, including your IP address, operating system, browser type and preferences, search engine and geographical location;
  • Any other information that you choose to provide, by any means.

The fields of relevant forms denoted with (*) are strictly necessary for the purposes of processing. If one or more of these fields are not completed the form will not be executed. Other fields can be completed to better facilitate the provision of services by IM Associates.

IM Associates is permitted to collect non-personal and anonymous data when the Website is visited and anonymize Personal Data. This data does not allow IM Associates to proceed to identify an individual person and this data can be shared with third parties, including for statistical purposes.

4. With which purpose do we collect your Personal Data?

We collect your Personal Data in the context of our professional activities to:

  • Provide relevant information about IM Associates and its services, on our websites, by means of digital communication or all other means of communication;
  • Be able to deliver our products and services conveniently, when requested by you personally or by you for a juridical entity;
  • More generally, be able to communicate easily about all affairs for which we are in contact for our professional activities.

The above can, but not exclusively, involve:

  • Management of requests for information;
  • Delivery of IM Associates products & services, including without limitation, invoicing and customer relationship management;
  • The handling of job applications;
  • Sending a newsletter and/or advertisement, or otherwise contact you about products or information we think may interest you;
  • Proper technical functioning and personalization of our websites, products and services;
  • Conducting statistical research and analytics.

For contacts by e-mail we respect the e-commerce law of March 17th 2003.

We can also collect your Personal Data to be able to comply with a legal obligation, resulting from a legitimate order by an authorized authority, and / or when required in case of a judicial or similar procedure, and / or in case of the fight against or prevention from fraud, or any other legitimate interest.

5. How do we collect your Personal Data?

5.1 Directly from you

In most cases, we receive your Personal Data directly from you, by your active intervention. We can for example collect your Personal Data by means of e-mail, phone, mail, a business card that you have given to one of our fellow workers, or after having completed a registration form for one of our events or activities.

You can also fill out your Personal Data on our Website when subscribing to our mailing list or completing a contact form.

5.2 Automatically through our websites using cookies

We also automatically collect information about you when visiting our websites, such as the date and time of your visit to our site(s), or the pages you have consulted. This happens by means of consulted servers, and “cookies” that are placed by all of our websites you are visiting.

The cookies being placed can be different according to the websites you are consulting. We have 2 websites, i.e.:

For more information about cookies on our different websites, their purpose and which data cookies are precisely collecting, you can consult our cookie policy:

5.3 Indirectly from other sources

We can also collect your Personal Data via other sources, such as platforms or data files with a public access to your Personal Data (e.g. “Linkedin”), via partners with whom we collaborate, your employer, your colleagues, public instances and other third parties.

In case we receive your personal information via a source not being yourself, we will, if necessary, ask the source for a sufficient guarantee that your Personal Data have been collected in accordance with legal prescriptions, and that we can use them for the purpose for which we have collected them.

5.4 Being a data processor

We often act as a Data Processor for Data Collectors. Being a Data Processor we can also receive Personal Data from the Data Collector. In such case, we will abide to the Data Collector instructions, and, where instructed by the Data Controller, we will correct, delete or block Personal Data.



6. Do we protect your Personal Data?

Privacy is for us from utmost importance. We therefore apply a strict privacy policy, and corresponding technical and organizational measures to make sure that our servers prevent unlawful leaks, destruction, loss, publication, use, access or modification of your data.

We have imposed appropriate contractual obligations upon our personnel, including relevant obligations regarding confidentiality, data protection and data security. We have ensured that any personnel who have access to Personal Data have undergone appropriate training to make sure that they understand their data protection responsibilities with respect to Personal Data that they collect and / or process.

7. How long do we keep your Personal Data?

We keep your data for the period necessary to achieve the goals we pursue (cf. point 4) and / or for the period you allow us to do (cf. point 8). Once the goal achieved, we delete or anonymize the Personal Data, unless agreed differently with you, or when a legal stipulation or other legitimate reason obliges us to keep the data for a different period.

8. What are your rights of access to your Personal Data, and how to exercise them?

You can ask us at any time to:

  • Have access to or correct your Personal Data;
  • Limit the use or oppose to the processing of your Personal Data;
  • Erase completely or partly your Personal Data;
  • Transfer your Personal Data.

For all requests, objections, or for information, you can always send us an e-mail on the following address: privacy@im-associates.eu. We can ask for a copy or your ID or passport as an attachment to your request, to make sure that you are the legitimate applicant.

We will treat your request within the shortest possible delay, and will meet all requests as long as doing so we do not infringe any contractual or legal restrictions.

9. Who has access to your Personal Data and to whom are they being transferred?

IM Associates only processes personal Data for internal use. We do not rent or sell your Personal Data to third parties for use for their own purposes. Within IM Associates the data is passed on only to employees on a need to know basis. All of them are subject to the same privacy and confidentiality obligations.

IM Associates can make use of data processors to process your Personal Data. Data processors are natural or legal persons, public authorities, agencies or other bodies, such as IT services companies (for cloud storage or backup purposes), which process Personal Data on behalf of IM Associates. We can make use of these processors when we consider it necessary or appropriate. We are responsible with respect to you for an adequate protection of your Personal Data by third parties to whom we entrust your Personal Data. We ensure to collaborate with bodies who can optimally protect your Personal Data.

We only transfer your data to recipients in a non-EU country or territory, as long as the concerned country or territory, or the recipient, offer a level of protection similar to the level of EU-member country where you are living.

IM Associates may alter its corporate structure through including changing legal form, merger, acquisitions and sale of Affiliates. In such transactions Personal Data will be passed on in accordance with this Privacy Statement and the applicable data protection law.

10. What about Personal Data of others that you share with us, or Personal Data that we share with you?

10.1 Personal data of others that you share with us

It is possible that you share Personal Data of others with us in the context of our contacts. This can for example happen in case of requests or inscriptions when we ask for information about persons linked to the organization for which you are making the request or the inscription. We will treat the Personal Data of others that you share, whether or not at our request, with the same level of care as your own Personal Data in accordance with this privacy policy.

However, you have to be aware that in the light of the privacy legislation, you remain responsible towards the concerned person for whom you share Personal Data with us, and that we cannot be accountable in case you would share this Personal Data with us contrary to the rights of the concerned in the privacy legislation. Therefore, you will need to make sure, if necessary, to have received the necessary permissions.

10.2 Personal Data that we share with you

It is possible that you receive access to Personal Data coming from us in the context of our contacts (e.g. the data of an appointed contact person, a participants list…). If we share Personal Data with you, you can assume that we have respected the rights of the concerned in the privacy legislation, and that you can use these Personal Data for the purpose for which we have shared them with you.

Because, in this case, we remain responsible towards the concerned for whom we share Personal Data with you, you need to be aware that we expect you to apply the same – or at least a similar – level of protection of Personal Data as the level we apply for the Personal Data you share with us. In this context, we can ask for additional guarantees before sharing the data with you.

11. In case of Personal Data Breach

IM Associates has defined a personal data breach procedure to ensure that all staff are aware of the line of management and who to report any data breaches to, along with the relevant steps to follow. The process investigates, identifies, assesses and reports a data breach within the allotted time frame under the GDPR regulation

12. What if we change our privacy policy?

IM Associates reserves the right to continuously update this Privacy Statement.

13. What in case of discussion / dispute

Nobody has an advantage in case of long procedures. Therefore, we commit to pursue dialogue and transparency, looking for an amicable solution in case of a discussion.

However, by visiting the Website and thus expressly accepting this Privacy Statement and the conditions therein, or after we have received your Personal Data directly from you (cf. point 5.1) you agree that any dispute or claim relating to this Privacy Statement and the processing of Personal Data shall be governed by Belgian law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Leuven (Belgium).

14. What in case of discussion / dispute

If you have any questions or comments regarding the policy concerning the processing of Personal Data after reading this Privacy Statement, please contact us on privacy@im-associates.eu