Cookie Policy

Cookie Policy.

IFWP 2026–27 · Effective from 1 April 2026

Contents

Section 1

About This Policy

This Cookie Policy explains how India’s Finest Workplaces: People & Practices (“IFWP”), a proprietary programme owned and operated by GMO Media Private Limited (“we”, “us”, “our”), uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on indiasfinestworkplaces.com and any related sub-domains, portals, dashboards, or micro-sites (collectively, the “Site”).

This Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. By continuing to use the Site, or by accepting cookies through our consent banner, you agree to the placement of cookies on your device as described below. Where required under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“DPDPA”) and the Information Technology Act, 2000, we will obtain your explicit consent before setting non-essential cookies.

Section 2

What Cookies Are

Cookies are small text files that a website places on your browser or device when you visit. They allow the site to recognise your device, remember your preferences, secure your session, and understand how the site is used. We also use related technologies such as pixels, local storage, session storage, and software development kits (“SDKs”), which for the purposes of this Policy are all referred to collectively as “cookies”.

Cookies may be set by us directly (“first-party cookies”) or by a third party whose services we have integrated into the Site (“third-party cookies”). They may also be classified by duration — session cookies are deleted when you close your browser, while persistent cookies remain on your device until they expire or are deleted.

Section 3

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies for the following broad purposes:

To operate the Site securely, authenticate certified organisations and administrators, and maintain login sessions across the certification portal, dashboards, and downloads area;
To remember your preferences, such as language, region, or dismissed banners, so you don't have to re-enter them on each visit;
To measure how visitors discover and use the Site — which pages, case studies, or listings are viewed most, and where visitors drop off — so we can improve the experience;
To deliver relevant IFWP communications and, where you have opted in, to measure the performance of our editorial features, campaigns, and partner integrations;
To detect and prevent fraudulent activity, misuse, or unauthorised access to certification data.

Section 4

Categories We Use

We group the cookies we use into four categories. Strictly necessary cookies are always active because the Site cannot function without them; all other categories are optional and can be managed through the consent banner or the settings described in Section 6.

Data Category	Retention Period	Consent
Strictly Necessary	Session authentication, load-balancing, security tokens, CSRF protection, cookie-consent state, and other functions without which the Site cannot operate.	Always on
Preference	Remember your language, region, accessibility preferences, and previously dismissed prompts.	Optional
Analytics & Performance	Aggregated, de-identified insights into page visits, referral sources, and journey completion, used to improve the Site.	Optional
Marketing & Media	Measure the reach of IFWP editorial features, ET Now integrations, and campaign performance; enable social sharing and embedded video.	Optional

We do not use cookies to build behavioural advertising profiles or to sell your data to third parties.

Section 5

Third-Party Cookies

Certain features on the Site are provided by trusted third parties who may set their own cookies when you interact with them. These typically include analytics providers, embedded video players, form and survey platforms used during certification, content delivery networks, and social platforms where IFWP editorial content is shared.

Third-party cookies are governed by the privacy and cookie policies of the respective providers. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any third party integrated into the Site provides appropriate safeguards, but we do not control and are not responsible for their independent practices. Where a third party processes personal data on our behalf, we do so under a data processing arrangement consistent with the DPDPA.

Section 6

Your Choices & Controls

6.1 Consent Banner

When you first visit the Site, our cookie consent banner allows you to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or select categories individually. You can revisit these preferences at any time via the “Cookie Preferences” link in the Site footer. Your choice is recorded in a first-party cookie and will be respected on subsequent visits from the same browser and device.

6.2 Browser Controls

Most browsers allow you to view, manage, delete, and block cookies through their settings. You can also configure your browser to notify you when cookies are set, or to reject them entirely. Please note that blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent certain features of the Site — including certification dashboards and secure downloads — from functioning as intended.

6.3 Do-Not-Track & Global Privacy Signals

Where your browser sends a recognised Global Privacy Control (“GPC”) or equivalent signal, we treat it as a request to opt out of non-essential analytics and marketing cookies for that browser session.

6.4 Withdrawing Consent

You may withdraw consent to non-essential cookies at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal, nor will it delete cookies already placed on your device — you can delete those through your browser settings.

Section 7

Retention Periods

The duration for which cookies remain on your device depends on their type. Session cookies expire when you close your browser. Persistent cookies remain until their pre-set expiry date, which for IFWP first-party cookies typically ranges from a few days for functional preferences up to twenty-four (24) months for aggregated analytics identifiers. You can delete any cookie at any time through your browser.

Section 8

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the technologies we use, our services, or applicable law. The “Effective from” date at the top of this page indicates when the current version came into force. Material changes will be brought to your attention via the consent banner or a prominent notice on the Site. Continued use of the Site after such changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

Section 9

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Cookie Policy, wish to exercise your rights under the DPDPA in relation to cookies or personal data processed through the Site, or would like to raise a concern with our Data Protection Officer, please contact us at connect@indiasfinestworkplaces.com.

India’s Finest Workplaces: People & Practices is a proprietary programme of GMO Media Private Limited. This Cookie Policy is governed by the laws of India and read together with the IFWP Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.