dpo pro is a Belgian professional association for and by DPOs. We aim to bring DPO's together and to let them learn from one another. We want to be a platform for discussion and enhance academic research. We will work with different topics and questions so the participants can learn from another and the pro's and con's of certification of DPOs can be well-structured. We will also include exemples and existing projects (p. ex. CNPD). Some questions to explore: Would DPO certification really enhance the credibility of professionals in the eyes of senior management and business teams? Do self-certifications of DPO training courses really guarantee a consistent level of competence, or do they create an illusion of standardisation? Is organisational certification possible for the GDPR? How can we ensure that certifications remain relevant in the face of technological (AI, blockchain, IoT) and regulatory developments?