Privacy Declaration

Ackermans & van Haaren NV, with registered office at Begijnenvest 113, 2000 Antwerp, registered with the Crossroads Bank of Enterprises under number 0404.616.494 (RLP Antwerp, Antwerp division) ("Ackermans & van Haaren"; "we"), is the data controller of the data processing described in this Privacy Policy.

Ackermans & van Haaren attaches great importance to adequate protection of personal data and to compliance with applicable legislation in this respect, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data).

Below we have explained what kind of personal data are collected by us, for what purposes and on what legal basis they are processed, how long we store your personal data, whether we pass on your personal data to third parties, how these personal data are protected and what rights are attached to these personal data.

What personal data do we collect?

We collect and process the personal data we receive in the context of your contacts with Ackermans & van Haaren.

This concerns the following personal data:

  • personal data of (representatives of) our shareholders, (representatives of) future and former shareholders. More information about this is given below;
  • personal data provided directly by you (for example, when registering or via a request sent by email or via our website). When you register on our mailing list to receive certain documentation relating to Ackermans & van Haaren (such as press releases and financial reports), we ask you to provide certain personal details. We strive to limit these personal details to the necessary minimum. Examples of categories of personal data that we collect and process in this way are: your name, your title, your contact details, details of the company or natural person you represent, your position;
  • personal data obtained through your use of our website. More specifically, we may collect additional electronic identification data and information about browser and hardware from visitors to our website. We may collect statistics and general information, for example regarding the use of our website. For more information about this we refer to the Cookie Policy on our website;
  • personal data that are communicated to us by the person you represent or by one of our service providers (such as financial institutions);
  • personal data obtained from other sources, such as public registers or publicly accessible sources.

You are not obliged to provide us with your personal data. However, if you choose not to do so, there is a risk that we may not be able to provide full access to our services, and may not be able to achieve the purposes set out below.

For what purposes and on what legal basis do we process personal data?

Our starting point is that we only process personal data for a specific purpose, whereby only those personal data that are relevant to achieving this purpose are processed.

In essence, we process personal data to enable us to conduct our business, and more specifically for the following purposes:

  • compliance with our legal and regulatory obligations;
  • maintaining contacts with our shareholders, future shareholders, analysts and other business contacts;
  • the management of our investments (e.g. for corporate governance purposes);
  • the dissemination of press releases, financial reports and invitations to roadshows and events;
  • reply to requests you have sent on our website or by email;
  • for the management and improvement of our website.

For the first of the purposes described above, we base the processing of your personal data on our legal obligation. For other purposes, we base the processing of your personal data on your consent, the pursuit of our legitimate interests in order to conduct our business, in which case we ensure that your interests and freedoms do not override our legitimate interests, or because it is necessary for the performance of a contractual obligation.

Personal data of shareholders

We process personal data of our shareholders or their representatives for the following purposes:

  • to manage the register of registered shareholders and for the purposes of the conversion of shares in electronic form into registered shares and vice versa
  • to allow us to identify shareholders
  • to allow us to prepare and organise the general meetings and to manage attendance lists and voting procedures
  • to allow us to pay out dividends and other disbursements
  • to communicate with our shareholders

The following personal data are processed for the purposes described above:

  • identification data
  • contact details
  • financial data
  • information regarding the shares held
  • voting instructions and voting behaviour

If a general meeting is held part physically, part virtually, and you are present in person, it may happen that you come into view during the live stream. You will, however, always be clearly informed beforehand if filming is done at the location where you are present.

If a general meeting is held virtually, an external service provider will assist us with the organisation of the general meeting. In this case, registration, participation and voting may be facilitated by this external service provider.

You will be notified in advance if a virtual general meeting is being recorded.

For the purposes of the organisation of general meetings, your personal data may be shared with third parties such as paying agents or a service provider who assists us with the organisation of the general meeting. These third parties process personal data on our instruction and always for one of the purposes mentioned above.

How long do we store your personal data?

We store and process your personal data for as long as necessary to develop and manage our professional relationship with you or the person you represent. Your personal data will be kept for as long as this is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected (also taking into account any legal or regulatory storage obligations).

Who has access to your personal data?

At Ackermans & van Haaren, access to your personal data is restricted to the persons who need those data in the performance of their duties.

To achieve the above-mentioned purposes, we may pass on your personal data to third parties (service providers) who process personal data on behalf of Ackermans & van Haaren (such as IT service providers, banks, support services). We shall always make sure that appropriate guarantees are given to protect your personal data in accordance with the applicable regulations.

We may also pass on your personal data to government bodies, regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies or courts of law if we are obliged to do so or to protect our rights in legal proceedings.

We take all reasonable technical measures to store your personal data safely and to protect them against unlawful access.

Your rights

You have the right to access your personal data processed by us, to have them rectified, or to have them deleted. You may request that the processing of your personal data be restricted. You can also object to the processing. You can also ask for your personal data to be transferred.

You can exercise your rights by sending a specific request by email to [email protected]. You must enclose proof of your identity with this request for identification purposes. We will only use this information to verify your identity.

You can also lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority at any time.

You can also unsubscribe from the distribution of our press releases and financial reports at any time via the function provided for that purpose on the website. Your personal data will then no longer be processed for these purposes. 
 

Any questions or comments regarding this policy should also be addressed to [email protected].

Further information on the protection of your personal data and your rights in this respect can be found on the website of the Belgian Data Protection Authority, https://www.gegevensbeschermingsautoriteit.be.

Subsequent updates

This policy may be updated periodically to bring it into line with applicable regulations, guidelines, market practices or our business practices. 
Revisions will take effect upon publication on the website, clearly stating the revision date..

Latest update: March 2021