Joe Kirk’s Top 10 Tips: Lessons from a Career in Data Protection

In this special episode of the Data Protection Made Easy podcast, long-time host and data protection consultant Joe Kirk reflects on his journey through the world of privacy and compliance—from his early days in sales, speaking to hundreds of DPOs across the UK, to becoming a consultant himself and working with a wide range of clients across every major sector.

As this marks Joe’s final regular appearance on the podcast, we dedicated the session to the Top 10 Lessons He’s Learned over the last four years. These are practical, honest, and experience-based takeaways that he hopes will help current and aspiring DPOs make a meaningful impact in their roles.

Key Themes Discussed

• How sales and consulting provide different but complementary perspectives on data protection
• The common challenges DPOs face regardless of sector or organisation size
• The importance of empathy, curiosity, and communication in building trust
• Avoiding the “tick-box” mentality and becoming a strategic advisor
• Keeping your knowledge current in a fast-moving legal and tech landscape
• How to show your value to the business even when you’re not customer-facing
• Why DPOs should be involved in decision-making at the earliest possible stage
• Balancing legal risk with operational reality
• Encouraging a culture of accountability, not fear
• The importance of continuous learning – and what Joe would do differently if starting today

These tips are relevant whether you’re new to data protection, already in a DPO role, or even an employer looking to build a successful privacy function.

A Time of Transition for Data Protection Made Easy

Joe’s departure also marks the beginning of a new phase for the Data Protection Made Easy community. As we look to evolve and bring even more value to our subscribers, we’re making some important changes:

Podcast Frequency
We will now host one episode per month, instead of weekly. This allows us to:

• Deep dive into more meaningful topics
• Reintroduce guest speakers and expert panels
• Focus on sector-specific challenges and use cases
• Provide more actionable takeaways for our listeners

In-Person Events
To complement our podcast, we’ll be launching monthly in-person events, starting with a Housing Sector Roundtable in Leeds. These will be free to attend and packed with:

• Expert guest speakers
• Open discussion sessions
• Networking opportunities
• Food, drink, and sector-specific guidance

If you’re in the housing sector or work in data protection in Yorkshire, this is a great chance to connect with our team face-to-face. More info coming soon.

Monthly Newsletter
To replace our weekly GDPR Radio news episodes, we’ve launched a monthly email newsletter with:

• Top stories from the ICO and UK government
• Regulation changes and enforcement action recaps
• Insights from the Data Protection People team
• Highlights from recent podcasts and events

If you’re a subscriber, your first issue should already be in your inbox! If not, sign up here:

Subscribe to the Newsletter

What’s Next?

We’ll soon be publishing a full article on Joe’s Top 10 Tips for DPOs, expanding on the episode with real-life examples, links to useful tools, and guidance from our team. This will be available in the Resource Centre and shared with our newsletter subscribers.

We’ll also be sharing details on our 10-Year Anniversary Celebration taking place in July 2025. If you’re based in Leeds and would like to attend this free event, keep an eye out for the invitation — food, drinks, music, and privacy professionals all under one roof (plus a special guest DJ set from Joe himself!).

Keep in Touch with Joe

While Joe is stepping away from the podcast, you may still hear him pop up as a guest speaker in future episodes or events. He’s made a lasting impact on our community and we’d love for you to stay connected with him: Connect with Joe on LinkedIn

Catch Up On Demand

Listen to Episode 213 – Joe Kirk’s Top 10 Tips on Spotify

Or find us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and all major streaming platforms.

Thank you to Joe for four years of thoughtful, passionate, and incredibly valuable contributions to the Data Protection Made Easy community. We’ll miss him as a regular host, but we know this isn’t goodbye – just see you later.