At a glance
- We collect only what we need to run membership, credentials, assessments and communications.
- We never sell your personal information.
- Portfolios, CVs and employer references are used to assess your application and are kept securely.
- Confidential business information in your evidence is treated as confidential and seen only by assessors who need it.
- You can ask to access, correct, download or delete your data at any time by emailing info@tsome.org.
Who we are
This website is operated by the Society of Management Executives (“SOME”, “we”, “us” or “our”), a corporation incorporated in the State of Colorado, USA (Colorado identification number 20261511602), with its global secretariat in Lagos, Nigeria, co-located with the Chartered Institute of Public Administration and Governance (CIPAG). SOME is a professional body for managers, directors and executives that awards membership grades and executive credentials and runs peer circles, chapters and development programmes.
SOME is the “data controller” (or equivalent term under applicable law) for the personal information described in this policy. This means we decide why and how your information is processed, and we are responsible for protecting it.
This policy applies to everyone who interacts with us, including website visitors, applicants, members, credential candidates, nominators and referees, newsletter subscribers, event attendees, chapter volunteers and corporate partners.
Information we collect
Information you give us
- Identity and contact details – full name, title, email address, telephone number, country of residence and postal address.
- Professional information – current role and employer, years of management experience, sector, board positions, qualifications, professional memberships and the membership grade or credential you are interested in.
- Supporting evidence – CV, portfolio of evidence, case studies, employer or board references, letters of nomination and, for the Accelerated Route, proof of existing certifications.
- Assessment information – portfolio review notes, peer interview records, assessment outcomes and any appeals.
- Accommodation requests – information about a disability or health condition that you choose to share so we can arrange reasonable adjustments.
- Payment information – billing name, address and transaction details. Card details are handled by our payment providers; we do not store full card numbers.
- Communications – messages sent through our contact, join and prospectus forms, by email or on social media, and your newsletter preferences.
Information collected automatically
- Device and usage data – IP address, browser type, operating system, pages viewed, referring pages and the date and time of your visit, recorded in standard server logs.
- Your region choice – if you use our country selector, we remember the country you chose so we can show the right regional site.
- Cookies and similar technologies – see Cookies and similar technologies below.
Information from others
We may receive information about you from employers, boards and referees you name, nominators, institutions that verify your qualifications, SOME chapters and regional offices, and payment processors.
Confidential business information
Executive portfolios often describe strategy, financial results, transactions or people decisions at your organisation. We handle this carefully:
- Share only what you may share. Please remove or anonymise information you are not permitted to disclose, such as trade secrets, unpublished financial results or details that identify individual employees.
- Confidential review. Portfolios and interview records are seen only by the assessors, Standards Council members and administrators who need them, all of whom are bound by confidentiality.
- No publication. We never publish your evidence or use it in marketing without your written permission.
How we use your information
| Purpose | Examples | Legal basis (where required) |
|---|---|---|
| Membership & credentials | Assessing applications through the Experiential, Professional, Direct and Accelerated routes, verifying experience, awarding grades and credentials, maintaining your record | Performance of a contract; legitimate interests |
| Assessments | Portfolio reviews, peer interviews, Accelerated Route evaluations, appeals and preventing misrepresentation | Performance of a contract; legitimate interests (assessment integrity) |
| Reasonable adjustments | Arranging accommodations for candidates with disabilities or health conditions | Your explicit consent; legal obligations |
| Payments | Processing fees, issuing receipts and preventing fraud | Performance of a contract; legal obligations |
| Communications | Responding to enquiries, sending service messages and renewal reminders | Performance of a contract; legitimate interests |
| Newsletter & events | Executive insights, chapter events, peer circle invitations and the SOME prospectus | Consent (you can withdraw at any time) |
| Improving our services | Understanding how the website is used, fixing errors, improving accessibility and security | Legitimate interests |
| Legal & governance | Keeping financial records, responding to lawful requests and upholding the SOME Code of Conduct | Legal obligations; legitimate interests |
We do not use automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects. Membership and credential decisions are made by experienced assessors and the SOME Standards Council.
How we share your information
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only where necessary and with appropriate safeguards:
- Service providers acting on our behalf – website hosting, email delivery, payment processing, video-conferencing for interviews and IT support. They may use your data only to provide services to us.
- Assessors and the Standards Council – experienced members who review portfolios and conduct interviews, under confidentiality obligations.
- Chapters and regional offices – including SOME Nigeria, where they help administer membership, events and local enquiries.
- Verifiers and referees – employers, boards, institutions and referees you name, so we can confirm the information you provide.
- Credential verification – if you hold a SOME grade or credential, we may confirm its status (your name, grade or credential, and whether it is current) to an employer, board or member of the public who asks, so that credentials can be trusted.
- Our co-located partner – we share office facilities with CIPAG in Lagos, but we do not share your personal information with CIPAG unless you ask us to or the law requires it.
- Legal requirements – regulators, courts or law enforcement where we are legally required to, or to protect the rights and safety of SOME, our members or others.
Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We use them sparingly:
| Type | What it does | Can you turn it off? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Keeps the website secure and lets forms and core features work | No – required for the site to function |
| Preferences | Remembers choices such as your selected country or region | Yes via browser settings |
| Analytics (if enabled) | Helps us understand, in aggregate, which pages are useful | Yes via browser settings or opt-out tools |
Our pages also load fonts, icons, styles and images from trusted third-party providers (for example Google Fonts, cdnjs, the Tailwind CSS CDN and Unsplash). When your browser requests these files, those providers receive your IP address and browser information, as with any website request.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may stop parts of the site, such as application forms, from working properly.
International transfers
SOME is incorporated in the United States, runs its global secretariat from Nigeria and serves members across many countries. Your information may therefore be processed in the United States, Nigeria and other countries where we or our service providers operate, which may have different data-protection laws from your own.
Where the law requires it – including under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the EU and UK GDPR – we put appropriate safeguards in place for international transfers, such as approved contractual clauses, and we only work with providers who commit to protecting your data to an equivalent standard.
How long we keep your information
| Record | Typical retention |
|---|---|
| Membership and credential records (name, grade, credential, dates awarded) | For the life of your membership and afterwards, so that credentials can always be verified |
| Unsuccessful or withdrawn applications and portfolios | Up to 24 months after the decision, then securely deleted |
| Peer interview notes and recordings (if any) | Up to 12 months after the decision, or longer only while an appeal is open |
| Financial and payment records | 7 years, to meet tax and accounting requirements |
| Contact, prospectus and enquiry messages | Up to 24 months after the enquiry is resolved |
| Newsletter subscriptions | Until you unsubscribe |
When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymise it securely.
How we protect your information
We use administrative, technical and physical measures designed to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), access to application records on a need-to-know basis, secure storage for uploaded documents and confidentiality obligations for staff, assessors and chapter officers.
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to affect your rights, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law – for example, within 72 hours to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission where the NDPA applies.
Your privacy rights
Depending on where you live – for example under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, the EU and UK GDPR, the Colorado Privacy Act or other applicable laws – you may have the right to:
Access
Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correct
Ask us to fix information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Delete
Ask us to erase your information, subject to legal record-keeping duties.
Portability
Receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format.
Object or restrict
Object to, or limit, certain processing such as direct marketing.
Withdraw consent
Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier processing.
To exercise any of these rights, email us with the subject line “Privacy Request”. We may need to verify your identity first. We aim to respond within 30 days and will not treat you differently for exercising your rights.
You also have the right to complain to a data-protection authority, such as the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), the UK Information Commissioner’s Office or your EU supervisory authority. We would appreciate the chance to address your concern first.
Newsletters and marketing
We will only send you marketing emails, including executive insights and event invitations, if you have subscribed or otherwise agreed. Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can also email us to stop them. Service messages about your application, membership or payments will still be sent, because they are necessary to provide the service.
Children’s privacy
Our website and services are intended for adult professionals. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us their information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Third-party websites
Our website links to other sites, such as partner organisations and social media. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies before sharing information with them.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law or our services. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. If we make significant changes, we will notify members by email or through a notice on our website.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please get in touch:
Global secretariat: Lagos, Nigeria