Above image: Mark and Daniel offer advice and guidance at their GDPR clinic
May 2018 Volunteer of the Month
Our May 2018 Volunteer of the Month is Mark Taylor of HSBC. On the 10th May Mark delivered a fantastic session at Bootstrap Company on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), giving more than 20 different charities, social businesses and other local enterprises an understanding of the new regulation and how it would affect them. Mark tailored the workshop to meet the needs of his audience, taking time to understand their various needs in advance and ensuring that he addressed the challenges that they were facing.
Mark returned to Bootstrap at the start of June to deliver a GDPR clinic for some of the organisations that had attended his first session. His aim was to support them to embed their learning and to overcome specific barriers that they are facing. This time he brought HSBC colleague, Daniel Harris along him who was also able to share his knowledge and expertise to great effect.
Bootstrap Company Enterprise and Social Impact Assistant, Louise Carpenedo said:
“Mark’s GDPR workshop at Bootstrap Company last month was booked out quickly. Our tenants found it an accessible and practical way to navigate the foggy waters of GDPR. He also offered 1-2-1 follow-up sessions that were very much appreciated and extremely useful to get customised advice for each case.”
Mark was able to deliver an exceptional piece of volunteering which has enabled over 20 organisations to meet the challenges posed by the introduction of the GDPR legislation. We caught up with him to find out about his volunteering experience.
Why did you volunteer?
The opportunity to volunteer was flagged by my employer. I jumped at the chance – harrah – an opportunity to leave my computer! On a more serious note, it was great to meet new people and provide a little guidance on some of the more nitty gritty issues thrown up by the GDPR. e.g. what is the impact of the new requirements on email retention? How about the positioning of cookie wording? etc. As a compliance practitioner, I know people appreciate having an independent sounding board and hopefully my volunteering provided this.
What did you gain from your volunteering experience?
It was a real pleasure to meet so many people from different backgrounds – everyone had a fascinating story to tell. I was struck by people’s self-reliance and wish to be compliant with the rules – everyone I met oozed common sense.
Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and if so then why?
I would certainly recommend volunteering – it provides you with an opportunity to use your skills in a different setting. I came away with a fresh perspective and feeling a little more creative – I do believe it is important to step away from your usual working environment periodically. It can be very refreshing. I am pleased to say a good colleague has agreed to join me on our next GDPR volunteering adventure!
