Excello Law’s Data Protection, Cybersecurity and AI Partner Wayne Cleghorn speaks at the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Data Protection Practitioners’ Conference (DPPC) on 13 October 2026.
His afternoon seminar panel is called “The Modern DPO: Impact, Influence and Independence”, exploring the value, impact and effectiveness of Data Protection Officers (DPOs), and Chief Privacy Officers (CPOs). DPPC is the ICO’s landmark annual gathering of over 7000 data protection, data privacy and information governance professionals from the UK, EU, USA and around the world.
For his DPO panel session, Wayne draws from his years of experience as a Data Protection Officer in government, in Data Privacy Lead roles within global companies, as an Outsourced DPO, building privacy offices, developing teams and maturing Data Protection and Privacy Officers. He has also been a legal advisor to DPOs and global governance, risk and compliance programmes.
He shares his perspective on DPO independence in a fast-moving AI and technology landscape and the need for DPOs to consistently demonstrate their strategic insights, resilience and practical value. He also discusses his Five Rs for DPO resilience, self-measurement and peer accountability.
Wayne says: “It is a pleasure and a great privilege to participate and share my knowledge and insights with fellow data professionals, lawyers and like-minded data governance experts. I am grateful to the UK ICO and the UK Black Privacy Professionals Network (BPPN) for the invitation.”
“AI and cybersecurity opportunities and risks are changing the ambition, risk profiles and risk tolerance of many businesses and organisations. The role of Data Protection Officers and Chief Privacy Officers have never been more pivotal in advising, guiding, recommending, managing risks and enabling responsible and sustainable growth and innovation.”
“It is a crucial time to explore the fundamental contributions and the enduring value of DPOs.”
Find out more about the DPPC 2026:
The ICO acts in the public interest to uphold information rights, promote transparency and individuals’ rights around data protection and privacy.
