Privacy policy.

Lotus Strategic Services is an Australian-managed business intelligence, strategy, business development and advisory company providing services to businesses throughout Australia.

Our services may include business intelligence, strategic business audits, business strategy, market and competitor research, business development, lead generation, sales and operational analysis, research, advisory services and related business support.

The personal information we collect depends on the nature of our interaction with you.

We generally seek to avoid collecting sensitive information unless it is reasonably necessary for a legitimate purpose and its collection is permitted by law.

• your name;
• job title or position;
• business or organisation name;
• business address;
• telephone number;
• email address;
• business website and social-media information;
• professional or business profile information;
• information contained in correspondence with us;
• information provided through enquiry, contact, discovery-call or other website forms;
• meeting and appointment information;
• information relating to your business requirements, objectives and interests;
• information relating to potential or existing commercial relationships;
• records of communications and interactions with Lotus;
• information reasonably required to provide our services;
• technical information associated with your use of our website, such as IP address, browser type, device information, referring pages and website activity where collected through website or analytics technologies;

Some of Lotus's services involve business intelligence, market research, prospect identification and business development.

In performing these services, we may collect or use professional and business-related information from publicly available or lawfully accessible sources.

Where information relates to an identifiable individual, we will handle that information in accordance with applicable privacy and other laws.

• company websites;
• professional networking platforms;
• business directories;
• publicly available registers;
• government databases and publications;
• industry directories;
• professional profiles;
• public social-media profiles;
• media publications;
• commercial business-information providers;
• information supplied by our clients or service providers;

We may collect personal information:

Where reasonably practicable, we collect personal information directly from the individual concerned.

• directly from you;
• when you contact or communicate with us;
• when you submit an enquiry through our website;
• when you book a meeting or discovery call;
• when you become a client, supplier, contractor or business contact;
• during meetings, telephone calls or correspondence;
• through our customer relationship management systems;
• through publicly available sources;
• through professional and business-information services;
• through referrals and introductions;
• from clients where reasonably necessary to provide agreed services;
• through technology and analytics associated with our website;
• from third-party service providers where lawful and appropriate;

We may collect, hold, use and disclose personal information for purposes including:

We will not use personal information for an unrelated purpose unless permitted or required by law or appropriate consent has been obtained.

• responding to enquiries;
• arranging meetings and discovery calls;
• assessing whether Lotus may be able to assist a business;
• providing our services;
• communicating with clients and prospective clients;
• conducting business intelligence and commercial research;
• conducting market and competitor research;
• identifying potential business opportunities;
• undertaking business development activities;
• managing client relationships;
• maintaining CRM and business records;
• preparing proposals, reports and recommendations;
• managing suppliers, contractors and service providers;
• improving our services, systems and website;
• administering our business;
• maintaining security and preventing misuse;
• complying with contractual and legal obligations;
• sending relevant business communications where permitted by law;

From time to time, Lotus may communicate with existing or prospective business contacts about services, insights or opportunities that we reasonably believe may be relevant.

We will conduct electronic marketing in accordance with applicable Australian laws.

Where required, communications will include an appropriate method to unsubscribe or opt out.

You may ask us at any time not to send you direct marketing communications.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, security, analytics and performance.

We use analytics cookies, including Google Analytics 4 and HubSpot tracking, to understand how visitors use our website, such as pages viewed, how visitors arrive at the site, and interactions such as clicks on booking, phone, email and resource links and form submissions. These cookies help us improve the website and our communications.

You may be able to restrict or delete cookies through your browser settings. Doing so may affect some website functionality.

Where third-party analytics or similar services are used, those providers may process information in accordance with their own privacy policies, including Google's privacy policy and HubSpot's privacy policy.

• IP address;
• device type;
• browser;
• operating system;
• pages viewed;
• time spent on pages;
• referring website;
• interactions with website features;

Lotus may use artificial intelligence, automation and other technology tools to support research, analysis, document preparation, workflow management and service delivery.

We do not treat artificial intelligence as a substitute for appropriate human judgement.

Where personal, confidential or client information is processed using technology providers, Lotus will seek to use appropriate systems, permissions and safeguards having regard to the nature of the information and the services being performed.

We will not intentionally provide sensitive or confidential client information to public AI systems where doing so would be inconsistent with our contractual, privacy or confidentiality obligations.

We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:

We seek to limit disclosure to information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

• employees and authorised personnel;
• contractors and consultants;
• technology providers;
• CRM providers;
• cloud hosting and storage providers;
• email and communication providers;
• analytics providers;
• professional advisers;
• accountants;
• legal advisers;
• business-information and research providers;
• service providers assisting Lotus to deliver services;
• clients where disclosure forms part of an agreed service and is lawful;
• government, regulatory, law-enforcement or other authorities where required or authorised by law;

Lotus may use employees, contractors, technology platforms or service providers located outside Australia.

In particular, Lotus may use personnel or service providers located in Vietnam to support research, business development, administration and other business operations.

Some cloud, software, artificial intelligence, communications, analytics and technology providers used by Lotus may also store or process information outside Australia, including in jurisdictions in which their infrastructure or service providers operate.

Where personal information is disclosed overseas, Lotus will take reasonable steps required by applicable Australian privacy law in relation to that disclosure.

The privacy and data-protection laws applying in another country may differ from Australian law.

Lotus takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

No internet transmission or information-storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

• access controls;
• multi-factor authentication;
• password and credential management;
• secure cloud services;
• role-based access;
• device security;
• staff confidentiality obligations;
• controlled information sharing;
• security monitoring;
• procedures governing the handling of client and business information;

We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, to provide services, maintain appropriate business records, resolve disputes and meet legal or regulatory obligations.

Where personal information is no longer required and we are not legally required to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify it where required by applicable law.

You may request access to personal information Lotus holds about you or request that information be corrected if you believe it is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.

We may need to verify your identity before responding.

In some circumstances, applicable law may permit or require us to refuse access. Where appropriate, we will explain the reason for refusal.

If you have a question or concern about how Lotus has handled your personal information, please contact us.

Please include sufficient information for us to understand and investigate your concern.

We will seek to acknowledge and investigate privacy complaints within a reasonable period.

If your complaint relates to the Privacy Act and you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services.

Lotus is not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites. You should review the applicable privacy policies before providing personal information to those organisations.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our operations, technology, services or legal obligations.

The current version will be published on our website with the date of the latest update.