21st Annual Data Protection Practical Compliance Conference

 


Ireland's leading

2-day Data Protection Conference

Annual Data Protection Conference - Dublin

 

12th & 13th November 2026

 

 
Join fellow data protection professionals and gain the knowledge, confidence and authority to stay ahead of emerging regulatory and technological development
 
 

 

Day 1 Speakers Presentations

 

Speakers Presentations - Day 1

Thursday, 12th November 2026

 
On the first day, delegates hear from industry experts as they explore the latest issues and regulatory guidance in data protection, offering practical insights on emerging challenges, compliance strategies, and best practices to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving privacy landscape.
 

  

Agenda

 

Conference Chair:
 

Paul Lavery - Partner, McCann FitzGerald

 

Paul Lavery

 

 

Graham DoyleKeynote Address
 

Graham Doyle - Deputy Commissioner, Data Protection Commission

 

 

 


 

Stephen Laffan

Creating a Data Protection Compliance Programme


Stephen Laffan Global DPO, Workday

 

Building an effective data protection compliance programme requires far more than mapping policies to regulations, it demands practical execution and cross-functional strategy. How do you move from baseline requirements to a scalable framework that supports global business goals? Drawing on experience from regulatory enforcement, consulting, and enterprise privacy leadership, this session provides a pragmatic roadmap for designing, implementing, and embedding a robust compliance programme across your organisation.

 


 

Lisa Power

DSARs - Emerging Trends, Regulatory Expectations & Practical Lessons Learned


Lisa Power - Data Protection Officer, Carne Group

 

Data Subject Access Requests continue to be one of the most frequently exercised rights under the GDPR and one of the most operationally challenging obligations for organisations. This session explores the rise in complaint volumes across Europe, drawing on recent regulatory decisions, enforcement actions, and guidance from European data protection authorities. Delegates will gain insight into the issues that most commonly trigger complaints.  Exploring real-world case studies and regulatory findings, the session examines what regulators are expecting in practice and highlight the practices organisations can apply to strengthen their DSAR programmes. The discussion also addresses emerging challenges such as AI-generated content, collaborative workplace communications, messaging platforms, and balancing access rights against the rights and freedoms of others.



Denis Kelleher

Enabling the Use of AI for Employment

 

Denis Kelleher - Barrister


The deployment of AI agents for employment and recruitment purposes is one of the top data protection challenges of 2026. This session addresses the risks of AI in this context, the regulatory compliance issues and how to handle them in practice.



richard-greene-round

How AI and the GDPR Create Opportunities

 

Richard Greene - Data Protection Officer and Director, EMEA Privacy Counsel, Autodesk


AI is often presented as a new compliance challenge for DPOs – but could the GDPR actually help organisations adopt AI faster and with greater confidence? Many of the disciplines needed for responsible AI, from privacy by design and data minimisation to DPIAs, transparency and accountability, will already be familiar to privacy teams. This session looks beyond the risks to explore how existing data protection frameworks can help organisations enable responsible AI, while also considering where AI itself can make privacy compliance smarter and more effective.


 

 Further Day 1 Speakers Presentations to be announced shortly...

  


 

< Conference Overview Next - Day 2 Workshops >
 

 

 Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection (PC.dp.)

 

 

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Conference

Contributors

& Sponsors:

 

Data Protection Commission

McCann FitzGerald

William Fry

EY Law 

RDJ

Data Protection Ireland Journal

PDP Training


 

Conference Testimonials

 

"Excellent day! The presentations provided practical advice that will be useful in my day to day job."
Jason Palmer
AXA Life Europe Ltd

 

"Particularly useful was the guidance on formulation and structure of data protection policies."
Dan McDonnell
Co Carlow VEC

 

"Extremely helpful and well organised"
Jim O’Connell
Douglas Credit Union

 

"Each presentation had something important to reflect on"
Marie Cussen
Comreg


"Content was excellent"
Philip Higgins
ESB Energy Solutions

 

"Very informative and enjoyable. The handouts are very good"
Stephen Nolan
Microsoft

 

"Excellent presentations"
Paul Dawson
Dublin City Council

 

"Good to hear about the new developments. Very passionate speakers"
Ann Smith
Chartered Accountants Ireland

 

"The presenters were very interesting."
Muriel Koyce
Sunbeam House Services

 

"I found the Conference to touch all the relevant areas for practitioners and something that I have no doubt will be utilised within my organisation"
Lynne Martin
Eirecom Limited

 

"Great mix of topics/issues relating to data protection."
Tony Hughes
Waterford Credit Union

 

"Good tips on outsourcing. The lessons learned from breaches was very useful."
Bernadette Ryan
Bord Gais Eireann

 

"Speakers were very knowledgeable and articulate"
Philip Higgins
ESB Electric

 

"It was well put together. Good speakers, content and venue. First class. Thank you."
Danny O’Donoghue
Bishopstown Credit Union


“Excellent conference… really interesting. You covered a multitude of topics which has given me a food for thought!”
Louise Colgen
Central Bank of Ireland

 

"Very useful and informative"
Cathal McDermott
Dropbox

 

"Great event. All speakers and presentations were compelling and relevant"
Brian Short
Irish Continental Group plc

 

"Informative as usual"
Helen Sheehan
Euromedic Diagnostics Ltd

 

"The theory and practical advice given were highly welcomed"
Ann Smith
Chartered Accountants Ireland

 

"The presenters were very interesting."
Judith Fanning
RTE

 

"The practicality of the subjects was brilliant. A real feeling of having learned something to take away and think about"
Nicola Flannery
Paddy Power Plc

 

"Every subject was relevant and current"
Veronica O’Brien
Irish Water

 

"A very useful conference for all DP Practitioners and a great opportunity to share experiences with other practitioners in the field"
Catriona O’Sullivan
University College Cork

 

"This year, I was very happy with all the presentations. Thank you for organising it"
Irina Sharapova
Kerry Group Plc

 

"I found the conference not only to be practical, but enjoyable which was down to the standard and quality of the presenters"
Martina McKenna
Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board