Data Privacy & Information Governance
Independent, senior-practitioner support for organisations that need to understand, strengthen or assure how personal information is governed — from complex UK GDPR questions and privacy-by-design decisions to DPIAs, data sharing, international transfers and wider accountability.
For requirements still being defined
For defined scopes, reviews and assurance work
Starting point of the pathway. Informs: Privacy risk.
Draws on: Processing & data flows. Informs: Accountability.
Draws on: Privacy risk. Informs: Controls & DPIA.
Draws on: Accountability. Informs: Evidence & assurance.
Draws on: Controls & DPIA. End point: the outcome the pathway supports.
Hover, focus or select a step to see what it draws on and what it informs.
Approach
Data protection requirements often become most difficult when organisations are changing — launching new services, deploying technology, introducing AI, sharing information, appointing suppliers, entering new markets or responding to scrutiny.
IG-Smart provides independent advice that connects legal and regulatory requirements to the operational decisions an organisation actually needs to make. The objective is not simply to produce documentation, but to help clients establish a defensible position, understand material risks and implement proportionate controls. Where AI is involved, this work connects with AI Governance & Assurance.
Core capabilities
Choosing the right support
Appropriate where the organisation needs:
Appropriate where the organisation needs:
Where the appropriate model is unclear, IG-Smart can help determine the proportionate level of support without assuming that a statutory DPO appointment is required. For broader records, information risk and lifecycle governance, see Information Governance.
Sample outputs
Representative reports, registers and records, so you can picture the output before you engage.
Illustrative structure — not a client document. Examples show the type, format and level of detail clients may receive. Exact outputs depend on the agreed scope.
Illustrative output
Where privacy governance stands against the agreed scope, the material gaps, and the priority and owner for each finding.
Supports: Deciding what to fix first and what can wait.
Likely format
The structure, format and level of detail depend on the agreed scope. This is not a client document.
Illustrative output
Review of a DPIA, or support to complete one, with risks and mitigations made explicit.
Supports: Deciding whether processing can proceed, and on what conditions.
Likely format
The structure, format and level of detail depend on the agreed scope. This is not a client document.
Illustrative output
Roles, decision rights, forums and reporting lines, with proportionate policy and control recommendations mapped to the findings.
Supports: Making accountability clear and repeatable.
Likely format
The structure, format and level of detail depend on the agreed scope. This is not a client document.
Illustrative output
Assessment of a sharing arrangement or international transfer against the agreed scope.
Supports: Deciding whether a sharing or transfer arrangement is supportable.
Likely format
The structure, format and level of detail depend on the agreed scope. This is not a client document.
Illustrative output
Actions sequenced by priority and phase, with owners, dependencies and the route to the agreed target state.
Supports: Tracking improvement to completion.
Likely format
The structure, format and level of detail depend on the agreed scope. This is not a client document.
Illustrative output
A concise view of the privacy position, material risks and decisions required.
Supports: Giving leadership a clear basis for decisions.
Likely format
The structure, format and level of detail depend on the agreed scope. This is not a client document.
How we work
Understand the processing, obligations, governance and material exposure.
Design proportionate policies, controls, documentation and decision frameworks.
Support implementation and ongoing privacy-governance requirements where needed.
Test whether arrangements are operating as intended and evidence the position.
Prioritise changes as regulation, technology and organisational risk evolve.
Improvement feeds the next assessment cycle, so evidence stays current rather than being rebuilt.
Regulatory context
UK organisations operate within a data-protection framework that includes the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) also apply where electronic marketing, cookies or similar technologies are involved. Regulatory guidance continues to evolve following legislative change.
The ICO expects organisations to integrate appropriate data-protection measures into processing from design through the lifecycle, to carry out a DPIA where processing is likely to result in a high risk to individuals, and to be able to demonstrate compliance. IG-Smart therefore treats privacy compliance as an ongoing governance requirement rather than a one-off documentation exercise.
Sectors we support:NHS, Health & HealthTech →Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals →Financial Services & Insurance →Retail & Consumer →
For organisations outside these sectors, requirements can be discussed directly where IG-Smart's expertise is relevant.
Relevant evidence
Selected engagements covering GDPR implementation, data protection by design and international data transfers.
Named client · Security Services & Technology
Defined-scope assessment → retained managed DPO service
Gap analysis → implementation support → outsourced DPO since 2020
Named client · Retail / Consumer
Global GDPR implementation programme
Global GDPR implementation programme
Anonymised engagement · Life Sciences / Pharmaceutical
Cross-border data-transfer advisory
International data-transfer governance
Your IG-Smart team
Subject-matter expertise is paired with a clear client and programme contact from initial scoping through delivery.
Subject-matter expert
CEO and Founder
Governance, risk and assurance specialist with more than 18 years' experience spanning privacy, cyber resilience, AI governance, digital transformation, healthcare and complex regulated organisations.
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Subject-matter expert
Senior Data Privacy & Information Governance Consultant
Privacy and information governance specialist advising organisations on data protection, DPO responsibilities and practical governance across healthcare and regulated environments.
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Client & programme contact
Head of Client & Programme Success
A key point of contact from prospective-client scoping through programme and project delivery, coordinating practitioners, workstreams and client stakeholders.
View profileEngagement & investment
For a specific review, assessment, DPIA, project or governance requirement.
Starting investment: £7,500 + VAT
Where ongoing privacy or information-governance support is required without appointing IG-Smart as statutory DPO.
Explore the Managed Data Privacy Programme →
Scoped to the support required — see Investment & Pricing.
For multi-workstream, international or transformation requirements.
Starting investment: £25,000 + VAT
The exact fee is confirmed after scoping. How engagements and investment work · Trust Centre
Consultancy addresses defined compliance, project, governance or assurance requirements. A formal Data Protection Officer has specific tasks under Article 39 of UK GDPR, together with requirements on position, independence and resourcing, where an appointment is required or made voluntarily.
Yes. Scope can range from a focused review of a particular processing activity or control area to a broader assessment of governance and accountability arrangements.
Yes. Support can include screening, facilitation, review and advice on high-risk or complex processing, with the exact scope agreed for the engagement.
Yes. Defined consultancy can be supplemented by retained support where an organisation needs continuing access to specialist privacy and information-governance expertise.
IG-Smart also provides Fractional & Outsourced DPO services. Where the appropriate model is unclear, the requirement can be scoped before an engagement route is selected.
Discuss the requirement with a senior practitioner. We can help establish the issue, appropriate scope and most proportionate route forward.
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