Last updated: 1 June 2026

This Privacy Notice explains how Caroline Stroud trading as Field Oak Coaching collects, uses, stores and shares personal information in connection with executive coaching services.

1. Controller details

For the purposes of data protection law, the data controller is:
•    Caroline Stroud trading as Field Oak Coaching
•    Email: caroline@fieldoakcoaching.com

 

2. Who this Privacy Notice applies to

This notice applies to:
•    individual coaching clients and prospective coaching clients;
•    corporate clients who commission coaching services;
•    HR, talent, learning and development, management or sponsor contacts at client organisations;
•    referrers, professional contacts and suppliers;
•    individuals who contact Field Oak Coaching through a website, email, LinkedIn or other professional channels.

Where coaching is commissioned by an organisation, this notice applies both to the individual coachee and to relevant organisational contacts.

 

3. Personal information collected

3.1 Basic contact and business information
•    name;
•    job title;
•    employer or organisation;
•    work and/or personal email address;
•    telephone number;
•    billing information;
•    professional background and career history;
•    details of how you were referred.

3.2 Coaching-related information
•    coaching objectives;
•    notes of coaching conversations;
•    career, leadership or workplace issues discussed during coaching;
•    information about your role, responsibilities, team, organisation or professional relationships;
•    development themes, reflections, actions and progress;
•    agreed goals and next steps;
•    feedback provided by you or, where agreed, by your sponsoring organisation.

3.3 Corporate-sponsored coaching information
Where coaching is commissioned by an employer, partnership, firm or other organisation, Field Oak Coaching may receive information from that organisation, including role and seniority, the reason coaching has been offered, relevant business or development context, agreed objectives, and administrative information needed to arrange and pay for the coaching.

3.4 Special category personal data
Coaching conversations may occasionally involve sensitive information, such as information about health, wellbeing, race or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or other protected characteristics. This is known as special category data and receives additional protection under UK data protection law.

Field Oak Coaching does not actively seek sensitive personal data unless it is relevant to the coaching work and you choose to share it. Where special category data is processed, Field Oak Coaching will usually do so on the basis of your explicit consent, or because it is necessary in connection with confidential coaching services and appropriate safeguards are in place.

 

4. How personal information is collected

•    directly from you, including by email, telephone, video call, in person, forms, questionnaires or coaching sessions;
•    from your sponsoring organisation, where coaching is commissioned by your employer or firm;
•    from referrers or professional contacts;
•    from publicly available professional sources, such as LinkedIn or your organisation’s website;
•    from documents you provide, such as CVs, role profiles, appraisal material or feedback reports.
 

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5. Why personal information is used

5.1 To provide executive coaching services
This includes arranging coaching sessions, understanding your objectives, preparing for and conducting sessions, keeping appropriate coaching records, and supporting your development.

5.2 To manage the coaching relationship
This includes communicating with you, agreeing terms, scheduling sessions, invoicing, managing payments, handling feedback and keeping appropriate business records.

5.3 To work with corporate clients

Where coaching is sponsored by an organisation, Field Oak Coaching may use personal information to agree the scope of the coaching, contract with the organisation, report on attendance or completion, and provide high-level feedback where agreed.

Field Oak Coaching will not disclose the detailed content of individual coaching conversations to a sponsoring organisation unless you have agreed to this, or unless disclosure is legally required or there is a serious safeguarding, legal or ethical concern.

5.4 To comply with legal, regulatory and professional obligations
This may include tax, accounting, insurance, professional standards, data protection and record-keeping obligations.

5.5 To improve and develop services
Feedback, anonymised themes or general learning from coaching engagements may be used to improve coaching practice, provided this does not identify you.

5.6 To communicate with professional contacts
Field Oak Coaching may keep contact details for professional contacts, referrers and corporate clients in order to maintain appropriate business relationships.

 

6. Lawful basis for using personal information

Under UK GDPR, Field Oak Coaching needs a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the circumstances, one or more of the following lawful bases may apply:

6.1 Contract
Where Field Oak Coaching provides coaching services to you directly, personal information is processed because it is necessary to perform the contract with you or to take steps before entering into a contract.

6.2 Legitimate interests
Where coaching is commissioned by an organisation, or where Field Oak Coaching communicates with professional contacts, personal information may be processed because it is in Field Oak Coaching’s legitimate interests, or the legitimate interests of the commissioning organisation, to provide coaching, manage the engagement, maintain business records and develop services.

When relying on legitimate interests, Field Oak Coaching considers whether those interests are overridden by your rights, freedoms or expectations of confidentiality.

6.3 Legal obligation
Personal information may be processed where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting or regulatory requirements.

6.4 Consent
Consent may be relied on in limited circumstances, for example where you agree to receive certain marketing communications or where explicit consent is appropriate for processing special category data. You can withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect processing that has already taken place.

 

7. Confidentiality in coaching

Confidentiality is central to the coaching relationship. The content of coaching conversations will normally remain confidential between you and Field Oak Coaching.

Where coaching is sponsored by an organisation, Field Oak Coaching will agree with you and the organisation at the outset what, if anything, may be shared. This will usually be limited to administrative information, attendance, general progress against agreed objectives, or themes agreed with you.

Field Oak Coaching may need to disclose information in limited circumstances, including where:
•    you ask Field Oak Coaching to do so;
•    disclosure is required by law;
•    there is a serious risk of harm to you or another person;
•    disclosure is necessary to protect legal rights or respond to legal proceedings;
•    disclosure is required by an insurer, professional adviser or regulator, subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

 

8. Who personal information is shared with

Field Oak Coaching may share personal information with:
•    the organisation commissioning or paying for coaching, but only as described above or otherwise agreed;
•    professional advisers, such as accountants, lawyers or insurers;
•    IT, email, cloud storage, diary management, payment processing or website service providers;
•    professional supervisors, mentors or accrediting bodies, where relevant and subject to confidentiality safeguards;
•    regulators, public authorities, courts or law enforcement bodies where required by law.

Field Oak Coaching does not sell personal information.

 

9. International transfers

Some technology providers may process personal information outside the UK. Where this happens, Field Oak Coaching will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses or equivalent protections.

 

10. How long personal information is kept

Field Oak Coaching will keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. As a general guide:
•    coaching notes and coaching records will usually be kept for up to 6 years after the end of the coaching relationship, unless a shorter or longer period is appropriate;
•    contractual, invoicing and payment records will usually be kept for up to 6 years for tax, accounting and legal purposes;
•    enquiry information may be kept for up to 12 months if no coaching relationship begins;
•    professional contact information may be kept for as long as the relationship remains active or relevant.

Anonymised information may be retained indefinitely, provided it can no longer identify you.

 

11. How personal information is protected

Field Oak Coaching takes reasonable steps to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure. These may include:
•    password-protected devices and accounts;
•    secure email and cloud storage arrangements;
•    limiting access to personal information;
•    keeping coaching notes separate from unnecessary identifying information where appropriate;
•    using professional service providers with suitable security standards;
•    securely deleting or destroying information when it is no longer needed.

 

12. Your rights

You have rights under data protection law. These may include the right to:
•    be informed about how your personal information is used;
•    access your personal information;
•    ask for inaccurate information to be corrected;
•    ask for information to be deleted in certain circumstances;
•    restrict processing in certain circumstances;
•    object to processing based on legitimate interests;
•    receive certain information in a portable format;
•    withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
•    complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

To exercise your rights, please contact Field Oak Coaching at caroline@fieldoakcoaching.com. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk; telephone 0303 123 1113.

 

13. Marketing and professional updates
Field Oak Coaching may occasionally contact professional contacts, clients or former clients with information about coaching services, events, articles or updates that may be relevant to them. You can opt out of receiving marketing or professional update communications at any time by contacting caroline@fieldoakcoaching.com.

 

14. Changes to this Privacy Notice

Field Oak Coaching may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The latest version will be available on request and, where applicable, on the Field Oak Coaching website.

 

15. Contact

•    Caroline Stroud trading as Field Oak Coaching
•    Email: caroline@fieldoakcoaching.com

 

References
•    UK Information Commissioner’s Office guidance on the right to be informed, lawful basis, special category data and storage limitation.