Appointing a Data Protection Representative:The first milestone for non-European companies on their GDPR compliance roadmap
The GDPR also applies to non-European companies, subject to specific conditions. The first practical step that companies must take to ensure compliance with the GDPR is appointing a ‘designated representative’. In this short interview Baker McKenzie’s data protection specialist lawyer Wouter Seinen discusses this legal requirement, why a DP Rep is mandatory and how companies can comply with this requirement.
When does the GDPR affect businesses located in countries outside the EU?
In this interview Baker McKenzie’s data protection specialist lawyer Wouter Seinen explains how and when the GDPR becomes relevant for organizations that do not have physical presence in Europe. The so called “extraterritorial effect” of the GDPR means that companies in other continents are subject to the GDPR – at least to the extend they process data pertaining to European residents. The main scenarios in which a foreign company must comply with the GDPR are touched upon in this brief interview.
Curriculum vitae
Wouter Seinen
Wouter Seinen is heads the IP and IT/C department in the Amsterdam office and is the co-chair of the Amsterdam Data Privacy Team. Wouter has significant experience in assisting international clients with respect to issues concerning ownership and protection of electronic data. A significant part of his practice involves data protection law and associated compliance matters, such as data security and data breaches. GDPR projects ran by his team often have a significant international angle and / or deal with innovative products or services. Wouter is author of the Direct Marketing chapter of the IAPP’s GDPR textbook and the information management & data protection chapter of the Handbook on Compliance and Integrity Management (Kluwer International, 2017). He is examiner of the Certified Data Protection Officer training of the IIR institute.
