DQM GRC wins “Best data ethics and privacy initiative”

15/10/2020

Data protection and privacy consultancy, DQM GRC, has won the “Best data ethics and privacy initiative” at the 2020 DataIQ awards for its Privacy by Design training programme with WarnerMedia.

WarnerMedia wanted to ensure its creative teams baked privacy into the organisation’s products and services from the ground-up. The leadership team recognised that changing employee mindsets towards privacy was a crucial first step in this process.

This required an approach that would bring privacy regulations to life in a way that could be transformed into applicable, everyday actions to deliver real change. WarnerMedia approached DQM GRC to develop a training programme that encouraged employees to view privacy as a creative challenge and help people from across different teams understand each other’s perspectives.

Designed to engage people’s imagination, the programme involved experiential learning frameworks and was delivered through practical activities which made privacy creatively engaging, and allowed employees to think about the concepts in the context of their everyday roles.

The interactive sessions finished by discussing the changes required to incorporate the lessons learned into WarnerMedia’s project lifecycle, and created a sense of ownership and a drive for change. Initially piloted in London, the fun and effective nature of the programme resulted in teams within WarnerMedia requesting to get involved - and as a result, the programme was rolled out globally.

Camilla Winlo, Director of Consultancy Services at DQM GRC, comments: “We are thrilled to have won this award and for the recognition of our work with WarnerMedia. Incorporating the requirements of the various privacy laws around the world is an essential, but can often be daunting, task – and one that our team at DQM GRC can help make simpler. This programme has inspired proactive, long-term change from the ground up for WarnerMedia, and that is not only reducing business risk, but is also improving products for their customers.”

This initiative has changed an entire multi-national corporation’s approach to data protection, with 100% of employees saying that privacy will now feature more heavily in their thinking. It has affected how WarnerMedia operates and thinks about privacy on a universal scale. The business now views privacy-by-design as a competitive advantage and a strategic framework which treats privacy as a “positive sum” project-driver.