Trainer in the spotlight: Bert Verschelde (DPO at DPG Media)

In this column, we want to put a trainer in the spotlight by asking them a handful of questions from DPI.

Bert Verschelde, DPO at DPG Media, is happy to answer them.

Interview

Can you briefly explain your role at DPI and the type of training you deliver?

As a trainer, I’m responsible for the final sessions on day 5 of the DPO course. In those sessions, we take a deeper dive into the various GDPR roles involved in data collaborations, and I help prepare aspiring DPOs for their first 100 days in the role.

What do you see as the greatest challenge for professionals in your field today?

As privacy professionals, we don’t have an easy job—but that’s also what makes it so rewarding. We are asked to evaluate data-driven applications in a fast-moving tech landscape against a legal framework that allows for interpretation and is itself constantly evolving through new guidelines and case law. Staying up to date with both the legal and technological dimensions is, in my view, the biggest challenge we all face.

How do you connect theory and practice in your training?

The best way is through hands-on exercises based on real cases from DPO life. What’s great is that participants often raise the same points and concerns I encountered myself when working on the case in practice. I’m also a big fan of the Chatham House Rule—it allows people to speak freely during the sessions and discuss sensitive issues or dilemmas from their own organisations without filters.

What motivates you to share your knowledge with participants?

As DPOs, we bring the law to life within the daily operations of organisations. That comes with a significant responsibility: it’s up to us to show that respect for fundamental rights and compliance with data protection law can absolutely go hand in hand with data-driven innovation and growth. I see it as part of our duty to help one another in that task, and to share knowledge across sectors.

What are common questions or challenges that participants struggle with?

I often hear participants struggle with how to strike the right balance between being involved and having impact as a DPO, while remaining independent and avoiding conflicts of interest. This is made even harder by the reality many DPOs face: working alone, wearing all the privacy hats, and being flooded with varied requests and responsibilities. In my opinion, the key question every DPO should ask is: Am I mainly focusing on what really matters to the data subjects?

What developments or trends do you closely monitor in your field?

I follow all guidance, opinions, and case law related to cookies, direct marketing, and online advertising. Topics like cookie walls and “Consent or Pay” models are highly relevant for publishers who depend on both subscriptions and ad revenue. I also make a point of closely tracking the rapid developments in (generative) AI.

What, in your opinion, distinguishes a strong training course from an average one?

Trainers who draw on years of real-world experience. Just last year, I took the “AI for DPOs” course at DPI, where the modules on technology, legal frameworks, and ethics were each taught by seasoned professionals. Their examples not only brought the theory to life, but also made it clear that the real world rarely fits into neat legal boxes.

What key message do you want participants to take away from your training?

The importance of empathy and “multilingualism” in how you carry out your role. If you want to make an impact as a DPO, you need to understand what’s going on in your organisation—what drives people, what they care about. That helps you frame your advice better and contribute to creative solutions. It also increases the chances that your guidance will actually be followed. It helps to avoid speaking in legal jargon and instead speak the language of the person in front of you.

How do you keep yourself up to date in such a fast-changing field?

Mainly through my LinkedIn feed, complemented by a few newsletters and podcasts. There’s a wealth of updates in our field—the real challenge is filtering the “signal from the noise” and diving deeper only into the case law and guidance that truly matter to your organisation.