Shannon Chamber, via its Skillnet, and in conjunction with Ulearning Skillnet and Grant Thornton, is encouraging member companies and individuals to prepare themselves for the changes that the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will introduce when it comes into force in May 2018,
The three organisations have joined forces to present a free seminar on the topic. The seminar, which takes place on Tuesday, 26 September, will be held in the Oakwood Hotel in Shannon and will run from 8:00am until 9:15am with registration commencing at 7:45am. All are welcome but prior booking via www.shannonchamber.ie/events-training is required.
Gary McPartland, Associate Director, Grant Thornton will give an overview of GDPR and its key requirements and outline the potential impact of those requirements on a company’s operations with a specific focus on data protection impact assessments, security breach notifications, data asset inventories, data subject rights, and accountability. He will address strategy and suggest approaches an organisation can implement to become GDPR compliant.
As Shannon Chamber’s chief executive Helen Downes explains: “GDPR is the latest development in the current EU agenda to safeguard its citizens and their private information. It introduces new rights for individuals, strengthens existing protections and imposes stricter requirements on all business activities involving data.
“The GDPR will have a significant impact on every business and the clock is ticking. It supersedes the existing Irish Data Protection Acts and expands the obligations already in place.
“Regulatory changes require prompt consideration and critical assessment by organisations to understand their effects on business operations. Amended business practices, supported by IT systems and operational processes will be required to achieve compliance with this new regulation.
“The data protection legal landscape is evolving rapidly and presents many challenges for businesses, government and public authorities, particularly consumer facing businesses, online businesses, those in the financial services sector or organisations that possess sensitive personal data.
“Organisations will have to move quickly to avoid potentially large fines for non-compliance. The potential severity of fines for data breaches and non-compliance with regulation has been significantly increased to €20 million or 4% of group turnover, whichever is greater. That’s why attending this seminar is both critical and timely,” added Ms Downes.
Bookings are still open and places can be reserved by logging onto www.shannonchamber.ie/events-training/. This free-of-charge event takes place on Tuesday, 26 September in the Oakwood Hotel in Shannon, commencing with registration at 7.45am.
