Cookie Policy

In brief

Last updated: 10 July 2026. This Cookie Policy explains how ESM – European School of Management (“ESM”, “we”, “us”) uses cookies and similar technologies on esm.ch and its subdomains (the “Website”), what data they collect, and how you can control them. It complements our Privacy Policy.

By default, we load only the cookies strictly necessary to run the Website. Analytics and advertising cookies are activated only after you accept them through our cookie banner. You can change your choice at any time.

Who we are

The Website is operated by ESM – European School of Management, Ch. du Château-Bloch 11, 1219 Genève, Switzerland. For any question about this policy or your data, contact us at esm@esm.ch or +41 22 979 33 79.

Legal framework

We process personal data collected through cookies in accordance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revised FADP / nLPD, in force since 1 September 2023) and Article 45c of the Swiss Telecommunications Act, which requires us to inform you about cookies and to let you refuse them. Because we also address prospective students in the European Union, we apply the standard of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and request your prior consent before setting any non-essential cookie.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We also use comparable technologies such as browser localStorage and pixels. Cookies may be “first-party” (set by esm.ch) or “third-party” (set by a service we embed, such as a video player or a map). They can last only for your session or persist for a defined period (“persistent” cookies).

How we ask for your consent

On your first visit, a cookie banner lets you accept or refuse non-essential cookies. Until you accept, Google’s analytics and advertising services are held in a default “denied” state (Google Consent Mode v2), meaning no analytics or advertising cookies are written and no personal identifiers are shared.

Your choice is stored in a first-party cookie named esm-cookie-consent (value “granted” or “denied”) for up to 180 days, and mirrored in your browser’s localStorage. To change or withdraw your choice, reopen the cookie settings from the link in the site footer, or clear this cookie in your browser.

Categories of cookies we use

1. Strictly necessary (always active)

These are required for the Website to function and cannot be switched off. They do not track you for analytics or advertising.

• esm-cookie-consent (ESM, first-party) — remembers your cookie choice. Retention: 180 days.

• Hosting and security cookies set by our platform Vercel to serve and protect the Website. Retention: session to short-term.

2. Analytics (only with your consent)

These help us understand how visitors use the Website so we can improve it. They are loaded through Google Tag Manager (container GTM-5WT7GVCF) and are active on the production website only.

• Google Analytics 4 (property G-3YQY253ZLY) — cookies `_ga` and `_ga_<id>` measure visits and page views in aggregate. Retention: up to 2 years. Provider: Google.

3. Advertising & conversion (only with your consent)

These let us measure the effectiveness of our campaigns and reach relevant audiences.

• Google Ads (account AW-996302979) — cookies such as `_gcl_*` measure conversions (for example a completed enquiry). When you consent, we may also use Enhanced Conversions, sending Google a hashed (SHA-256), non-reversible version of data you submitted (such as your email) solely to match a conversion. Retention: up to 90 days for the click identifier.

4. Embedded third-party content

Some pages embed content from other providers. When that content loads, the provider may set its own cookies or receive your IP address.

• Vimeo — background and pop-up videos are loaded from player.vimeo.com in “Do Not Track” mode (dnt=1), which prevents Vimeo tracking cookies. If you have reduced-motion enabled, only a still image loads and no video request is made.

• Cal.com — our consultation-booking window loads Cal.com when you open it from an “advisor” or “book a call” button; Cal.com may set the cookies it needs to run the booking widget.

• Google Maps — the contact page embeds an interactive map from Google, which may set Google cookies (e.g. `NID`, `CONSENT`) when the map loads.

• Sanity — page content and images are delivered from cdn.sanity.io; these requests do not set tracking cookies for visitors.

We do not use Google Fonts or any other external font service — our typeface is served directly from our own servers, so no font-related requests reach third parties.

International data transfers

Some providers are based outside Switzerland, including in the United States (Google, Cal.com, Vimeo, Vercel, Sanity). Where personal data is transferred abroad, we rely on the transfer mechanisms recognised under Swiss and EU law (such as adequacy decisions and Standard Contractual Clauses). Data you submit through our forms is transmitted to our customer-relationship system Odoo to manage your request; this is described in our Privacy Policy.

How to manage or refuse cookies

• Use our cookie settings link to accept or refuse non-essential cookies at any time.

• Configure your browser to block or delete cookies. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent parts of the Website from working.

• Opt out of Google Analytics across all sites via the Google Analytics opt-out add-on, and manage Google ad personalisation at adssettings.google.com.

Your rights

Under the Swiss FADP and, where applicable, the GDPR, you have the right to access, rectify, delete and obtain a copy of your personal data, and to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact esm@esm.ch. You may also contact the Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) or, if you are in the EU, your local supervisory authority.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in the technologies we use or in the law. The date at the top (“Last updated”) always indicates the current version. Material changes will be signalled through the cookie banner.

Contact

ESM – European School of Management — Ch. du Château-Bloch 11, 1219 Genève, Switzerland — esm@esm.ch — +41 22 979 33 79.