Career Advancement in Privacy Leadership

Everyone focuses on certifications and frameworks; But no one talks about the one practice that separates good privacy pros from exceptional ones: Documentation. I'm not talking about compliance paperwork. I'm talking about documenting everything you do, every decision you make, every process you build. Here's why it matters: - During audits, you'll have a clear trail of your reasoning and actions - For career growth, you build a portfolio of expertise that proves your value - In interviews, you can speak with precision about real scenarios you've handled The reality is most mid-career professionals rely on memory. They handle: - complex privacy assessments - navigate vendor negotiations - make critical data protection decisions But they don't write it down. Then audit season arrives, or a dream job opportunity appears, and they scramble to reconstruct what they did and why. This doesn't just affect your current role. → It demonstrates accountability and strategic thinking to leadership. → Your documentation becomes your knowledge base for future challenges. → It transforms you from someone who does the work to someone who can teach, lead, and scale. The best privacy professionals I know all have one thing in common: They document relentlessly. So here's my question: Are you building a record of your expertise, or letting it disappear the moment you move on to the next task?

🎯 The most overlooked skills in privacy and AI governance? They're not legal. They're business. Last week on the Legal Leaders Insights podcast, Giulio Coraggio (partner at DLA Piper) and we dug into something I've seen play out again and again: The best privacy professionals aren't just technically brilliant. They can: • Stand up and pitch to a team of sceptics • Turn metrics into a story leaders actually care about • Run governance like a product launch, not a checklist • Sell their ideas internally (yes, even without a sales title) 👷♀️When I founded Eurocomply, I had two master's degrees and zero idea how to present to hostile VCs or manage stakeholder chaos when everything's on fire. Now at Logitech, leading global Privacy and AI governance, these "business" skills are what actually move the needle: 📊 Metrics that matter "We reviewed 47 policies" → Nobody cares "30% faster time-to-market with compliance" → Now you're talking 🎤 Public speaking I've pitched to policy leaders, presented at Reuters, faced down banking conference critics. Your framework won't speak for itself. 🚀 Program management Governance is a complex program with dependencies and deadlines. Run it like one. 💡 Internal sales Every initiative needs buy-in from engineering, product, leadership. You're always selling. Want to level up? 1️⃣ Present at your next team meeting. Even 5 minutes builds confidence. 2️⃣ Track one metric that shows real impact. Make compliance compelling. 3️⃣ Shadow a product manager for a day. Learn how they drive momentum and understand the steps before GTM. We're not just privacy professionals. We're business leaders who happen to specialise in risk. 💖The sooner we act like it, the more impact we have. Link to the podcast in the comments! 💬 What "non-legal" skill transformed your career in privacy/AI governance?

Senior Privacy roles aren’t always looking for someone to roll their sleeves up. I had a great chat with a Privacy Director who sits in a Group function, managing the strategy and risk for the wider entities. They’re trying to hire someone to be in the 2nd line group team, strategic, not hands-on. They've been struggling. Not because there’s a lack of talent—but because too many senior candidates are still presenting themselves as the person who wants to get everything done themselves. Which, in most privacy teams, makes sense. People have had to be hands-on and often under resourced. But if you want to move up? You’ve got to show something else. Show where you’ve stepped back. Where you’ve built capability in others. Where you’ve influenced direction, not just delivered the work. Also, ask better questions in the process. They might think you’re applying for a strategic seat at the table. You might think you need to cover the time you did a complex DSAR. If you’re aiming for a role that’s more strategic and more about design than delivery, make sure your story reflects that. The larger the organisation is, the more relevant this is!

You don’t need “Chief” in your title, or even a CIPP, to  be the most effective  privacy person in the room. New privacy professionals often think they need a senior title before they can have real influence. But the most respected voices in privacy? They earn it by solving problems that make everyone’s day easier. They're the person who fixes problems instead of escalating them. Here's what actually works: Map where deletion requests break down. Not the process on paper, the real process. Is it the initial response? Finding the data? Verification? Most privacy teams don't actually know where things go sideways. Document the questions you get asked repeatedly. Marketing probably asks you the same 5 privacy questions every month. Turn those answers into something they can reference instead of interrupting you. Keep track of your decisions. When you approve that vendor tool or reject that data use, write down why. Build your own precedent library so you're consistent when similar situations come up. Understand one team's real constraints. Sit with sales for an hour. Shadow customer service. Figure out why IT keeps saying no to everything. Their "resistance" usually makes sense once you understand their pressure points. Fix one small broken thing. That form that doesn't work. That workflow that adds unnecessary steps. The email template that confuses customers. The key difference? Don't fix things silently. Tell people what you fixed and why it matters: "I noticed our unsubscribe process was taking 15 days and creating complaint risk. I streamlined it to be immediate. This protects our sender reputation and improves customer experience." Simple. Specific. Valuable. People start coming to you with privacy questions not because you're the most senior person, but because you give them answers they can actually use. The most respected privacy professionals aren't the ones with the fanciest titles. They're the ones who reduce risk without creating drama. Which of these could you tackle this week?

Still managing privacy with spreadsheets and manual workflows?   There’s a smarter way to move forward. As one of the most recognized voices in privacy and long-time privacy friend (listen to learn just how far back we know each other!), Ron De Jesus knows exactly what it takes to scale privacy programs. And it starts with automation.   But here’s the catch: privacy tools aren’t always plug-and-play compliance solutions. That's why companies need internal alignment, clarity on where their data lives, time to assess how new tech fits existing systems, and a thorough review of vendor software before implementing that shiny new tool. Want the inside scoop from a privacy pro who’s done it all? Tune into this week's She Said Privacy/He Said Security podcast where Justin Daniels and I chat with Ron De Jesus, Field Chief Privacy Officer at Transcend, about: 🔷 Ron's career journey in privacy, from consulting to privacy leadership at companies like Grindr, Tinder, and Transcend 🔷 Overview of the unique Field Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) role at Transcend 🔷 The challenges privacy teams face when they rely on manual processes and how automation enhances program efficiency 🔷 Factors that contribute to successful privacy technology implementations 🔷 Misconceptions about privacy compliance tools and the importance of reviewing and testing vendor software solutions 🔷 Predictions for what's in store for privacy pros in 2026 🔷 Ron's personal privacy tip 🎧 Listen to the full podcast here: https://lnkd.in/ee6AYkVk ♻️ Share this episode with your privacy and security teams. 🛎️ Subscribe to the She Said Privacy/He Said Security podcast.