Breaking silos: How DPOs work better together

  • Panel
  • Maritime
  • Wednesday 20.05 — 10:30 - 11:45

Organising Institution

CPDP

Belgium

  • Academic 1
  • Business 4
  • Policy 1
Panel Description (140 words): Data Protection Officers increasingly operate in complex, interconnected environments where cooperation is not optional but essential. This panel explores how collaboration between DPOs can enhance governance, trust, and transparency across sectors and borders. We examine how the GDPR encourages mutual support, how the European Data Protection Board enables consistent interpretation, and how professional associations build shared knowledge and capacity. Through practical insights from experienced DPOs, the session highlights what successful collaboration looks like in practice, the institutional tensions that can arise, and how cooperative structures can strengthen digital sovereignty. The panel aims to identify concrete mechanisms, networks, and habits that empower DPOs to work together more effectively.

Questions to be answered

  1. What practical forms of collaboration between DPOs deliver the greatest value?
  2. How do DPO associations help build shared expertise and trust?
  3. What is the role of DPA's, EDPB and EDPS in DPO collaboration?
  4. What support do DPOs require from collaboration networks and organizations?

Moderator

Isabelle Vereecken

EDPB - Europe

Head of the European Data Protection Board. (EDPB) Secretariat, which offers analytical, administrative and logistical support to the EDPB The EDPB’s goal is to ensure a consistent application and enforcement of data protection law across the European Economic Area, EEA.

Speaker

Paul Jordan

CEDPO - Europe

Paul serves as serves as a Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor to CEDPO, the European umbrella organization dedicated to promoting the DPO role and advancing data protection best practices across the EU/EEA.

Speaker

Thomas Ajoodha

AFCDP - France

Thomas Ajoodha is a legal professional and chargé de mission at the AFCDP (Association Française des Correspondants à la Protection des Données à Caractère Personnel). He specializes in data protection, digital law, and risk management, with a strong focus on navigating complex regulatory environments and supporting compliance initiatives.

Speaker

Bénédicte Raevens

European Data Protection Supervisor - Belgium

Head of the Accountability Advice Sector in the EDPS Supervision and Enforcement Unit, in charge of the cooperation with the EDPS-DPO network of the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies