We put our amazing SARs manager Zack in the hotseat, to ask him all of life’s most pressing questions…
Hi Zack, Can you tell us a bit about your role at DPAS?
I am the Subject Access Requests Manager, I manage a team of SAR officers that assist external organisations with dealing with SAR backlogs, Ad-hoc SAR advice and everything in between.
What does your average day look like at DPAS?
An average day includes providing advice to the SAR team, as well as external organisations. This could include redaction guidance, applicable exemptions, and how to conduct a reasonable and proportionate search for the data requested.
The majority of the day is spent leading the quality assurance process on the SAR redaction work the team completes.
What attracted you to DPAS?
I was attracted by the ambition and fast growth of the organisation. There is always opportunity to expand on knowledge and experience through the training courses DPAS provides and ongoing project work.
What do you do in your personal life?
I’m a bit of a bore to be honest! I enjoy cooking, working on my allotment, and walks on the beach.
What’s one achievement you’d like to accomplish (work or personal) in the next 5 years?
I would like to help DPAS continue to grow and cement itself as a market leader in all things data protection, namely SARs.
What’s the best place you’ve ever been to?
New Zealand. I spent a while working over there, the country is beautiful with great people!
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you bring?
Orange juice, Tequila, Grenadine
Do you have any predictions about the future of data protection? (or) In your opinion, what are the main challenges currently facing the Data Protection sector?
The main challenges currently facing the Data Protection sector are changes to legislation and the ever increasing use of AI. Each poses challenges to the sector but also opportunities.
