Meet the expert: Daniel Selman to speak at PrivSec London

Live at Park Plaza, Riverbank in London on February 28 and March 1, PrivSec London gives global audiences the chance to learn more about Trust, Digital Transformation, Ethics, Data Protection, Privacy, Security and much more.

The event will also provide a unique opportunity for industry professionals to network with peers and develop business relationships.

Daniel Selman spent 15 years as a civil servant in the Ministry of Defence, primarily working in Data Protection and Cyber Security, before leaving to pursue new opportunities in the private sector. Roles at Direct Line, Informa and Goldman Sachs followed before he joined Camelot in June 2019 as their Data Protection Officer.

Daniel will appear exclusively at PrivSec London to discuss the challenges DPOs and organisations face as they bid to build a successful privacy management programme.

We caught up with Daniel for more on his career to date, and for an introduction to the themes on the table at his PrivSec London session.

Could you briefly outline your professional pathway so far?

After an abortive early career as a librarian I joined the Ministry of Defence and, following success at an internal assessment centre, found myself working in Data Protection – leading the MOD’s response to the Data Handling Review and Burton Report. Just over eight years later, I left the MOD and subsequently worked for Direct Line, Informa and Goldman Sachs before joining Camelot, the operator of The National Lottery, in 2019.

How much progress have we made in terms of educating people and departments on the value of data protection?

The fact that this is still a question that is being asked and a topic that’s on the agenda at conferences shows there’s still more to be done.  That said, if we compare where we were five years ago, I think we should recognise that we have made huge strides. Most people have heard of GDPR even if they don’t fully understand it, and I don’t know of any business that doesn’t accept this is something they have to take seriously.

What challenges do DPOs face as they bid to attract adequate levels of support, resources and information to build a successful privacy management programme?

We share the same challenge as Information Security, Compliance, Legal and basically any non-revenue generating area of the business as to how we demonstrate our value to the business to justify the cost of our activities. That’s why I try to focus not just on avoiding the costs of non-compliance – the potential fines and reputational impact – but on privacy and data protection as an enabler not a blocker to the business.