Upskilling privacy professionals

Upskilling Privacy Professionals for Real-World Business Impact

Privacy and AI work remain demanding, and the value of a privacy professional increasingly depends on continuous learning. Upskilling goes far beyond passing certification exams. Real impact comes from translating knowledge into day-to-day execution within a company.

Discipline as the foundation of continuous learning

Consistency matters more than intensity. A structured routine makes progress possible regardless of time or energy constraints. A daily habit of reviewing current materials helps maintain competence, including:

• industry news
• new regulatory documents
• guidance and opinions from supervisory authorities

Even a fixed 30-minute daily block helps professionals stay current in a fast-moving regulatory landscape.

Certifications: value, limits, and what they actually show

Certifications can support career progression, but they do not prove real-world capability. In practice, exams mainly demonstrate the ability to pass that exam.

A common mismatch appears:

• experienced privacy practitioners may fail due to exam structure or language
• candidates with limited hands-on experience may pass through memorisation and test technique

Certifications add value, but they do not replace judgement, experience, or the ability to advise a business in practice.

Turning study into practical implementation

Practical privacy work requires more than reading summaries. A stronger approach includes:

• reading the book
• reviewing the actual legislation
• drawing conclusions directly from the law
• applying those conclusions to real scenarios

This is especially important for operational tasks such as building a register of processing activities. Knowing that a register is required is not the same as creating one that integrates with HR, IT, vendors, and business workflows—particularly in smaller companies with limited budgets.

Mentorship: accelerating real-world learning

A mentor with hands-on experience can significantly reduce trial-and-error. The most valuable mentors are active practitioners, not only trainers or recent exam passers.

What to look for:

• proven field experience
• clear and practical explanations
• implementation background
• verifiable professional track record

Ways to find them:

• reviewing consistent LinkedIn content
• attending webinars to assess teaching style
• using professional networks and referrals
• checking established training providers

AI-generated content has made it harder to distinguish real expertise, so verification matters more than ever.

Choosing your first certification: region first

Certification choices should follow where the work is done.

Guiding principle: start with the jurisdiction where the role operates.

European privacy frameworks offer a strong foundation due to their structure and terminology. Once established, expanding to other regions becomes easier.

A typical path may include:

• Europe-focused work: CIPP/E
• expansion to Canada: CIPP/C
• expansion to Asia: CIPP/A

Applying a purely European approach in the US can create compliance risks, particularly around FTC enforcement, so regional differences must always be respected.

AI-focused certifications: timing matters

AI certifications can be useful, but only after building strong privacy fundamentals. AI exams often rely on:

• GDPR automated decision-making concepts
• sector-specific US privacy laws

Without a solid privacy base, the scope quickly becomes unmanageable.

Exam preparation options: cost and depth trade-offs

Preparation approaches generally fall into four categories:

1. Official short courses
   High cost, short duration, limited depth, mixed results
2. Longer third-party programmes
   Similar cost, deeper coverage, structured learning, stronger outcomes
3. Low-cost on-demand courses
   Affordable, useful for highlighting details, still requires self-study
4. Fully self-directed study
   Lowest cost, highest effort, strong legal understanding, but no exam technique support

Exam technique is a separate skill

Passing exams requires understanding question structure, including theory-based and scenario-based questions. Elimination strategies are essential, particularly for non-native English speakers. Some exams also rely heavily on jurisdiction-specific terminology, which requires focused preparation.

Core skills beyond certifications

Modern privacy roles require more than legal knowledge:

• Critical thinking: privacy decisions are context-dependent
• Translation across teams: explaining requirements clearly to product, marketing, HR, and leadership
• Relationship-building: encouraging early involvement in data-driven initiatives
• Courage to say no: when business pressure conflicts with compliance or ethics

Operating model: advisor, not lone executor

Privacy compliance is a long-term effort. The function works best when embedded across the business, acting as an advisor and enabler rather than the sole decision-maker.

A common challenge is building a privacy programme from zero or standing firm with experienced colleagues unfamiliar with data protection obligations. AI further increases complexity, requiring continuous collaboration with technical teams.

Tools and operational support

Manual work remains unavoidable, but well-designed data privacy management software can significantly reduce the operational burden. Overly complex tools often slow adoption, especially for less experienced teams.

GDPR Register is built precisely for this reality—serving as a go-to platform for everyday privacy work by combining practical workflows, clear guidance, and scalable processes that support real implementation, not just documentation.

Simple workflows, strong support, and budget-aware scalability are essential for sustainable privacy operations.

What drives real-world impact

Real impact in organisations comes from:

• operational tools that keep privacy work sustainable over time
• disciplined daily learning
• understanding the limits of certifications
• studying legislation directly
• mentorship from active practitioners
• region-aligned certification choices
• strong exam technique
• critical thinking and cross-team communication
• confidence to stand firm when required

Speakers

Joblio

Ksenia Laputko

Global Head of Data protection

Ksenia Laputko is Head of Data Protection & AI Governance Officer at Joblio and the founder of BestDPO.net. She has mentored hundreds of privacy professionals worldwide and authored European Data Protection Law: Analysis of European (GDPR), Canadian, and US Regulations. With over a decade of academic and consulting experience, Ksenia lectures in international law and holds every major privacy certification (CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPP/A, CIPP/C, AIGP). Having worked across four continents and in multiple sectors from education to tech to AI, she brings a truly global perspective on data protection and AI governance.

GDPR Register

Krete Paal

CEO

Krete Paal is the CEO of GDPR Register, where she leads the development of AI-powered tools that make privacy compliance scalable and practical for organisations across Europe.

With a strong background in data protection and legal tech — from heading Veriff’s DPO Office to earlier work with the Estonian Police and Border Guard, Krete combines deep regulatory expertise with product leadership.

At GDPR Register, she brings a forward-looking perspective on how AI can support GDPR compliance and align with emerging regulations, turning complex requirements into clear, actionable workflows.

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