Your Privacy Matters.

BESS FORUM is a brand of Vostad Labs Pvt. Limited. We respect the privacy of individuals who visit our website, contact us, participate in our programmes or otherwise interact with BESS FORUM. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and the choices and rights available to you.

01Who We Are

This website, bessforum.com, and the BESS FORUM brand are operated by Vostad Labs Pvt. Limited (referred to in this policy as “we”, “us” or “our”), a company based in India.

For privacy matters, you can contact us at privacy@bessforum.com.

02Scope

This policy applies to personal data processed in connection with this website and with enquiries, nominations, expressions of interest and other communications made to BESS FORUM through or in connection with it. It does not apply to third-party websites or services that we do not operate, even where we link to them.

03Information We Collect

We collect personal data that you choose to provide to us — for example, when you contact us by email or use the enquiry facility on our contact page (which prepares an email in your own email application), or when you make an event participation, speaking, partnership, Council or BESS 100 enquiry or nomination. Depending on what you choose to include, this may comprise:

• your name;
• your organisation and, where you supply it, your job title;
• your business email address;
• your country or region, where you supply it;
• the category of your enquiry; and
• the content of your message and any information you include in it.

Technical information may also be processed as part of the normal operation, security and diagnostics of the website, such as IP addresses, browser and device information, the pages or resources requested, timestamps and similar technical log information.

Our forms do not request sensitive personal data, and we ask that you do not include it in your messages.

04How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for purposes such as:

• responding to your enquiries;
• administering event participation;
• considering speaking or partnership enquiries;
• managing Council-related enquiries and expressions of interest;
• administering BESS 100 nominations and enquiries;
• providing information you request;
• communicating with you about relevant BESS FORUM activities;
• maintaining the security of the website;
• preventing fraud or abuse;
• improving website functionality, where applicable; and
• complying with legal obligations.

We do not automatically send marketing communications to everyone who contacts us. Marketing communications are sent where permitted by applicable law and, where consent is required, on the basis of appropriate consent.

05Lawful Grounds

Where applicable data protection law requires a lawful ground for processing, we rely on grounds appropriate to the context — including your consent, the processing necessary to respond to a request you have voluntarily made to us, and other lawful grounds or legitimate uses recognised under applicable law, including compliance with legal obligations.

06How We Share Personal Data

We do not sell personal data. We may share personal data with:

• service providers acting on behalf of Vostad Labs Pvt. Limited, as described in section 07;
• professional advisers, where reasonably required;
• public authorities, where we are legally required to do so; and
• event partners or other relevant organisations, only where this is necessary for a purpose you would reasonably expect (such as administering an event you are participating in) and where it is authorised or otherwise permitted under applicable law.

07Service Providers

We may use third-party service providers to host, secure, maintain or support the website and our communications. Such providers process personal data on our behalf and under our instructions.

The website loads its typefaces from Google Fonts, a font-delivery service operated by Google. When your browser requests these font files, your IP address and related technical request information are transmitted to Google as part of serving the request.

08International Transfers

We operate from India, and BESS FORUM engages with an international audience. Where personal data is transferred outside the country in which you are located, we take steps intended to ensure it remains subject to appropriate protection, consistent with the requirements of applicable data protection law.

09Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, to provide requested services, resolve enquiries, meet legal obligations, protect our legitimate interests where applicable, and maintain appropriate records.

10Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the nature of the data we process to protect personal data against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or loss. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11Your Rights

If you are in India, applicable data protection law — including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the rules made under it, as and to the extent they are brought into force — provides rights in relation to personal data processed on the basis of consent or certain voluntary requests, including rights to access information about the processing of your personal data, to correction, completion and updating of your personal data, to grievance redressal, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

Depending on where you are located and the laws that apply to you, you may have additional rights in relation to your personal data. Where applicable, we recognise and respect rights available to individuals under applicable data protection laws.

To exercise any right, or to raise a concern, contact us at privacy@bessforum.com. You may also have the right to complain to a supervisory or data protection authority in your jurisdiction.

12Consent and Withdrawal

Where our processing of your personal data is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us at privacy@bessforum.com. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal, and it may mean we are no longer able to provide what was requested.

13Children

This website is intended for professional audiences and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided personal data to us, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

14Third-Party Websites and Links

The website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those websites, and this policy does not apply to them. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any website you visit.

15Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the website or applicable law. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when it was most recently revised. Material changes will be reflected on this page.

16Contact Us

For any question about this policy or our handling of personal data, contact privacy@bessforum.com or write to us at: