3rd Club U Adequacy 2022

On September 27, 2022, the 3rd Club U Adequacy took place. This edition had a particular flavor since it was the first Club U since Covid. Postponed several times, due to lockdowns, semi-confinements and new lockdowns, it is with undisguised pleasure that the Adequacy teams welcomed X users of the solution for an afternoon of exchanges, information, not to mention a few bubbles to celebrate the pleasure of being together “for real”.

“Tomorrow is decided today”

Christian des Lauriers, CEO of Adequacy, opened this day by looking back on the highlights of the last few months, namely the fundraising of more than one million euros at the end of 2021 and the acquisition of GDPR Drop. He recalled the importance of listening to customers, which has been the DNA of Adequacy since its inception, and explained how this meeting was valuable for discussing with users about the current and future solution.

What DPO for tomorrow?
A first round table brought together 3 DPOs with different profiles and backgrounds. An opportunity to discuss their experiences, the key success factors identified, the difficulties encountered and the future evolutions of the profession.

Among the key success factors for a DPO mentioned, we can cite:
- Excellent knowledge of the organization and the various stakeholders thanks to the positions previously held within the structure
- Close cooperation with the DSI
- Unwavering support from the general management
- An attitude aimed at getting “your hands dirty”, to demonstrate by example, to commit yourself to convince.

With regard to the difficulties encountered, the following should be noted:
- The difficulty in mobilizing people and teams that are already very busy
- The lack of time devoted to DPO missions when the latter often combines several hats
- The need to fight against the vision of the GDPR, which is often perceived as “a new layer of constraints”

What are the future developments for this profession?
- The role of the DPO will become more and more central in the company and will tomorrow integrate the governance of the compliance of organizations, alongside the general management, the financial department, the legal & CSR department, the CISO, and the Compliance Officer.
- Labels and certifications are expected to be developed to help the DPO profession to become professional and to choose the right tools
- The participants in this round table also called for the establishment of dual DSI/lawyer training courses and bridges between legal and technical courses to best prepare the DPO for these two aspects, which constitute the core of his profession.

What service strategy for tomorrow?
The floor was then given to Angélique de Tourtier, Customer Experience Officer at Adequacy, who recalled all the resources available to customers:
- Thematic webinars
- Training videos
- Instant Privacy Podcast
- White papers, including the iconic “12 works of the DPO”
- content on the Linkedin page
- preparation for DPO certification by Afnor

Angélique took the opportunity to recall the central role of CSMs, expert consultants in RGPD, legal experts and Afnor-certified DPOs. “They are your trusted partners. They are there to support you, where you are and where you want to go.”

Alessandro Fiorentino, product owner of Adequacy, then talked about tailor-made support. Coming from the world of consulting, Adequacy's teams in fact master the methodology of qualifying the specific needs of the client, then building from A to Z an approach that meets the need and adapted to the client's budget.

At the end of this segment devoted to services, Angélique announced the establishment of several appointments for customers:
- two customer satisfaction surveys per year
- an annual workshop with customers who have made suggestions for interacting with their CSM
- customer meetings workshops, around common issues impacting the future roadmap
- Adequacy Fridays to get even better use of the tool
- sectorized breakfasts to promote meetings and exchanges between organizations in the same sector

Beyond data
The last sequence of this Club U, a round table designed to gain perspective, understand and decipher future trends, which are sure to mark the evolution of the DPO profession.
To do this, we had the chance to bring together three awareness-raisers who, in parallel with their (already demanding) profession, volunteer in associations to move the boundaries in the field of privacy:

Céline Petit — founder of Data Need Advice and member of the board of the association of digital ethics delegates
Matthieu Bourgeois — associate lawyer at Klein Wenner in data law, founder and vice-president of the Data Circle and Alessandro Fiorentino — Product owner Adequacy and vice president of the Privacy Tech association.
An opportunity for these 3 committed data professionals to tell us about their respective workhorses: ethics, sovereignty and the fight against the predatory techniques of digital platforms. These are all topics that will, we are convinced, be more and more important in the daily lives of DPOs.

To end the day on a high note, and before meeting over a cocktail, we tested the support staff's knowledge in terms of privacy thanks to an interactive quiz animated with humor and brilliance by Patrick Tiev, CSM at Adequacy. Our two winners received a trophy.

Thank you all for coming. We can't wait to see you again at the next Club U!