Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how AHEAD handles personal data in connection with its website, communications, enquiries, services, partnerships and the AHEAD AI Agent.

AHEAD is committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently. This page applies to personal data processed through the AHEAD website and through related communications, service discussions, partnership activity, programme activity and organisational operations connected with AHEAD.

This Privacy Policy should be read together with AHEAD’s Cookie Policy and any specific privacy notice issued for a particular event, programme, application process, survey, funded activity or collaboration.

Who controls personal data

For this website and related communications, AHEAD is responsible for personal data processed in connection with website use, enquiries, service discussions, partnership conversations and public-facing communications. Where a specific programme, funded action or activity is administered through a particular AHEAD entity, that context will be made clear in the relevant communication or notice.

• General enquiries: info@ahead.mt
• Privacy and data protection enquiries: dpo@ahead.mt

What personal data AHEAD may collect

Depending on how you interact with AHEAD, the personal data processed may include:

• basic identity and contact details, such as name, organisation, role, email address and telephone number
• correspondence data, including messages submitted through forms, emails, meeting requests and collaboration enquiries
• professional and organisational information relevant to service, partnership, procurement, proposal or project discussions
• technical and usage data connected to website operation, security, consent preferences, performance and analytics
• event, programme or application data where you register for, participate in or respond to an AHEAD activity
• information voluntarily provided when using the AHEAD AI Agent, including questions, prompts, preferences or navigation needs that you choose to share

AHEAD does not intentionally collect more personal data than is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

Use of the AHEAD AI Agent

The AHEAD website may include an AI-supported assistant or concierge tool to help visitors navigate AHEAD’s services, pages, insights and areas of expertise. The AI Agent is intended to support website navigation and provide general information about AHEAD’s work.

When you use the AI Agent, the information you type may be processed to understand your request, retrieve relevant website content and generate a response. This may include voluntary information about your interests, role, organisation type or the type of support you are seeking.

The AI Agent should not be used to submit sensitive personal data, confidential business information, passwords, financial details, health information, political opinions, personal identification documents or information relating to children. If you need to share confidential information with AHEAD, please use an appropriate direct contact route instead.

AHEAD does not intend to use cookies to infer protected characteristics such as gender, age, health status, political views or other sensitive personal attributes. Where the AI Agent asks a visitor to choose a role, interest area or preferred pathway, this is treated as voluntary information provided by the visitor to improve navigation and relevance.

The AI Agent may rely on trusted technical providers, hosting infrastructure, application programming interfaces, retrieval systems or related tools to operate. Where third parties process personal data on AHEAD’s behalf, AHEAD expects appropriate safeguards to be in place.

The AI Agent does not provide legal, financial, medical, procurement, emergency or professional advice. Its responses are informational and should be interpreted with human judgement. AHEAD does not intend to use the AI Agent to make decisions about individuals that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

Why AHEAD uses personal data

AHEAD may process personal data in order to:

• respond to enquiries, requests and communications
• manage service discussions, partnership conversations and project development activity
• deliver programmes, workshops, research, advisory services, events and related communications
• operate, secure, monitor and improve the website and AI Agent
• support website navigation, content recommendations and user experience where appropriate
• meet legal, regulatory, governance, audit, funding, safeguarding and record-keeping obligations
• circulate updates or insights where there is a lawful basis to do so

The legal basis may vary depending on the context. It may include consent, steps taken at your request before entering into an arrangement, performance of a contract, compliance with a legal obligation, or legitimate interests pursued in a proportionate and lawful manner.

How long personal data is kept

Personal data is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, contractual, governance, audit, funding, safeguarding or dispute-resolution requirements.

AI Agent interactions may be retained for a limited period where necessary for security, troubleshooting, quality assurance or service improvement. Where possible, data will be deleted, anonymised or securely archived once it is no longer required.

Who personal data may be shared with

AHEAD may share personal data with trusted service providers, hosting providers, security providers, communication platforms, professional advisers, AI service providers, analytics providers, programme partners, funders, regulators or public authorities where this is necessary and lawful.

Where third parties process personal data on AHEAD’s behalf, AHEAD expects appropriate contractual, technical and organisational safeguards to be in place.

International transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the European Economic Area, AHEAD will seek to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy decisions, contractual safeguards or other lawful transfer mechanisms where required.

Security

AHEAD takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure, alteration or destruction. No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but AHEAD seeks to reduce risk through proportionate security controls and responsible governance practices.

Your rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights including the right to request access to your personal data, rectification of inaccurate data, erasure, restriction of processing, objection to processing, data portability and withdrawal of consent where processing is based on consent.

To exercise your rights, contact dpo@ahead.mt. AHEAD may need to verify identity before responding to a request.

If you believe your personal data has been handled unlawfully, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority in Malta or in the jurisdiction relevant to the processing in question.

Cookies, analytics and embedded content

The AHEAD website may use cookies and similar technologies for functionality, security, consent management, analytics, AI Agent session continuity and user experience. AHEAD’s Cookie Policy provides more detail.

Some pages may include embedded content or links to third-party websites and services. Third-party websites and services operate under their own terms and privacy practices. AHEAD is not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites it does not control.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

AHEAD may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in website functionality, AI Agent operation, service providers, legal requirements or organisational practice.

Last updated: April 2026