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Guidance for business on handling data requests
Businesses are collecting and using more data than ever before – about their customers and employees
And with this growth in data collection, organisations are increasingly facing requests from people wanting to know exactly what information is being held about them and how that information is being used.
According to Dorothy Agnew (right), senior solicitor at Moore Blatch, many businesses remain unsure about how to deal with these requests (commonly referred to as subject access requests), which can often prove difficult and very time consuming.
She explained: “When they receive a subject access request, many businesses do not know how much data they have to provide and whether they can refuse to supply certain personal information. They may also be unsure how fast they need to act and
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 anyone who makes a request in writing, and pays the appropriate fee, has the right to find out what personal data an organisation holds about them and to see that data.
“In most cases an organisation must respond promptly and within 40 calendar days of receiving the request. There are also some types of personal data that are exempt from these disclosure obligations, for example confidential employment references given about the individual do not have to be disclosed by the organisation that gave the reference.“
As part of the new guidance, the ICO has published 10 simple steps which organisations need to consider when responding to subject access requests.
what their options are if a request is repeated or unreasonable.
“New guidance has recently been issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which aims to help with this, but it is always worth seeking the advice of a professional adviser if you are unsure.“
Charging his way to success
In 2012, Oxford entrepreneur Jolyon Bennett spotted a gap in the mobile accessories market for smart phones and decided to launch a new business from his home in the city.
His hunch proved right, in its first 12 months of trading Gusto Telecom achieved sales of £1.4 million and he expects to reach £5m by the end of year two.
Trading under the brand name Juice, the products include smart and innovative mains and in-car chargers in funky colours – green for Apple products, purple for BlackBerry and orange for universal chargers, all packed in cardboard juice style containers; the Juice Cube, a mobile charger in seven colours; and the Juice Jacket, an ultra-slim battery pack that doubles the power of a mobile.
With stockists including John Lewis, Staples, Currys and Carphone Warehouse and Juice gadgets featuring in national press “must have” Christmas present lists, Bennett is clearly onto a winner.
His “lightbulb” moment came in January 2012 when he took a leap of faith and resigned from his job after several years working in the mobile telecoms industry.
“I wanted to do something different and could see a massive opportunity. Everyone has a charger but they were exactly the same and really boring,” he said. “I wanted to make mobile phone accessories
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – NOVEMBER 2013
beautiful, something you desired rather than something you needed.”
With a business plan in place, he secured funding from the “very supportive” Peter Rogers, relationship director at Lloyds TSB Commercial in Oxford, and travelled to China to find an ethical manufacturer he wanted to work with.
On return, his hands-on approach – Bennett was involved in product design as well as all the financial negotiations with suppliers and buyers – paid off when, after many calls and emails he was invited to meet the John Lewis buying team in London.
Despite arriving late due to a Tube shutdown, he secured a slot and the very next day received his first order for 5,000 units.
From there, Juice has been on the fast track – 2,000 units flew off the shelves in the first week, making it the fastest selling mobile accessory ever launched. More account wins followed, with nationwide distribution deals including Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, and into Spain, Italy, Ireland and Hungary.
The firm’s success has been such that 2014 will see Gusto Telecom move from its current distribution base in Coventry to a new global head office in Banbury, where Bennett plans to develop new products and break into US and Australian markets.
The code itself is not legally binding, but does provide guidance on how to handle and respond to a subject access request.
Details: Dorothy Agnew 023-8071-8083
dorothy.agnew@
mooreblatch.com www.mooreblatch.com
Providing business support and expertise as the firm expands is Sue Staunton, partner at James Cowper, accountants and business advisers, in Oxford.
Bennett explains: “My plan has always been to sell the business in five years’ time and Sue’s advice has been massively useful in helping me put in place the structures and policies required to make it a sellable asset when the time is right.”
Given his next big idea is to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition and move into politics, Bennett looks set to be in charge in more ways than one.
www.businessmag.co.uk
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