Last updated: April 26, 2026
McGeorge Ah is a retained executive search firm. Most of the personal information we handle is information about candidates: people we contact about leadership opportunities, evaluate for specific roles, and present to client organizations. This notice explains how we collect, use, share, retain, and safeguard candidate information, in addition to the practices described in our Privacy Policy.
How we identify and contact candidates
In retained executive search, we typically identify potential candidates before any direct contact with them. We may identify candidates from publicly available sources (including LinkedIn, professional directories, conference speaker lists, news coverage, and industry publications), from licensed sourcing platforms (such as LinkedIn Recruiter and Apollo), from referrals provided by trusted advisors and prior candidates, and from our own internal database of executives we have engaged with over time.
When we believe a candidate may be a fit for an active or upcoming search, we contact them directly by email, phone, or LinkedIn message to introduce the opportunity. At that point, the candidate decides whether they would like to learn more, share their resume, or be considered for the role.
What information we collect
The information we hold about a candidate depends on how far the conversation progresses. We collect only what is reasonably necessary to assess fit and complete a search.
Sourcing stage
- Name, current title, and current employer
- Public professional profile information (LinkedIn or equivalent)
- General career history visible from public sources
- Business contact details available to us through licensed sourcing tools
Active engagement stage
- Resume or CV
- Detailed work history, education, and credentials
- Compensation history and expectations
- Professional references provided by the candidate
- Notes from interviews or conversations with us
- Information about the candidate that emerges through reference checks
Sensitive information for cleared and government-facing roles
Some of the searches we conduct are for clients in aerospace, defense, national security, intelligence, or other sectors that require candidates to be U.S. persons or to hold an active security clearance. For those engagements, when relevant to the role, we may collect and process:
- Citizenship or U.S. person status
- Existence and level of an active security clearance (we do not collect classified information)
- Other eligibility information specifically required by the role
This information is collected only when it is directly relevant to assessing eligibility for a specific role, is shared only with the client engaging us for that search, and is held subject to the same retention and security practices described below. Under California law (CCPA / CPRA) and similar state frameworks, citizenship and clearance status may be classified as sensitive personal information; we do not use or disclose this information beyond what is necessary to evaluate a candidate for a specific role.
Public information about you
During our research we may collect publicly available professional information about executives, typically from sources such as LinkedIn, industry directories, conference and panel listings, and news coverage. We use this information to understand the talent pool relevant to a search and to advise our clients on the market.
Inclusion in our research records does not mean you have been contacted, that you are being considered for a role, or that we are recommending you to a client. We use only information you have made public, we share research only with the client engaging us for the specific search, and we do not retain research materials beyond what is needed for the engagement and our normal record-keeping (see retention below).
If you would prefer not to be included in our research in the future, you can ask us to exclude you at any time using the contact details below.
How we use candidate information
- To research the talent pool at the start of a search, drawing only on public information
- To evaluate fit for a specific search engagement
- To engage with candidates about opportunities, including future searches
- To present qualified candidates to client organizations
- To conduct reference checks at the candidate's request or with the candidate's knowledge
- To maintain a confidential record of our prior interactions for future searches
- To meet our legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations
When we share candidate information with clients
We share candidate information with a client organization only after the candidate knows who the client is and has agreed to be considered for the role. We do not present a candidate's name or full profile to a client without that consent.
When we share information with a client, we generally share what is necessary to evaluate the candidate for that role: a written profile or summary, the resume or CV, an assessment of fit, and supporting context from our interviews. References are typically conducted late in the process and are shared with the client at that stage.
For candidates we present in connection with a client engagement, the client organization is the data controller of the candidate information shared with them, and McGeorge Ah acts as a data processor on the client's behalf when handling that information for purposes of the engagement. McGeorge Ah remains the controller of the broader candidate records we maintain for our own search practice.
Information about references
When a candidate provides references, we contact those individuals to gather their professional perspective on the candidate. The information we collect about and from references is limited to what they choose to share with us in that conversation. We use it only to support the search and we share it with the client. References may contact us at any time to ask what information we hold about them.
Tools we use, including AI
We use a small number of professional tools to run our search practice, including an applicant tracking system, email and calendar services, LinkedIn Recruiter, and conversation transcription tools (used with the candidate's knowledge and consent during recorded calls).
We also use AI-assisted tools to help with research, drafting outreach, and summarizing notes. AI is a drafting and research aid only. No candidate is rejected, advanced, or recommended on the basis of an automated decision: every assessment is reviewed and made by a member of the McGeorge Ah team. We do not use or allow candidate data to train third-party AI models.
International transfers
We are based in the United States. If a candidate is located outside the United States, or if a search involves placing a candidate across borders, candidate information may be transferred to and stored in the United States. Where required (for example for candidates resident in the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area) we rely on appropriate safeguards, including consent of the candidate to be considered for a U.S.-based or cross-border role.
How long we retain candidate information
We retain candidate information only as long as we have a legitimate business need for it. Examples of legitimate business needs include evaluating you against current and future engagements, maintaining an ongoing professional relationship, honoring obligations to a client we are working with, and complying with legal requirements. Where information was shared with us by a client for a specific engagement, retention is governed by our agreement with that client.
When we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will delete or anonymize it. You can ask us at any time to delete or restrict your information, subject to our legal and contractual obligations, and we will honor those requests within 30 to 45 days of receipt.
Your rights as a candidate
Subject to applicable law, candidates have the right to:
- Know what information we hold about them and how it was sourced
- Ask us to correct inaccurate information
- Ask us to delete their information from our systems and sourcing database
- Decline to be considered for a specific role at any point
- Withdraw consent for future outreach
- Lodge a complaint with a relevant supervisory authority (such as a state attorney general or, for EEA/UK residents, a data protection authority)
How to contact us
For any question, request, or concern about candidate privacy, please contact us at hello@mcgeorgeah.com or by mail at McGeorge Ah, 2300 Wilson Blvd, Suite 700, Arlington, VA. We aim to respond to privacy-related requests within 30 to 45 days, and we may ask for additional information to confirm the requester's identity before acting on a request.
This notice supplements, and should be read together with, our Privacy Policy.