Law://WhatsNext Building A Scalable Privacy Function That Matters with Ben Martin
We catch up with Ben Martin, the former Director of Privacy at Trustpilot and author of "GDPR for Startups," who's currently living his best life somewhere in the Estonian wilderness with a camper van, fishing rod, and blessed freedom from subject access requests.
Having built privacy programs at high-growth companies like Trustpilot, Ovo Energy, and King Digital Entertainment, Ben brings a refreshingly practical perspective to privacy law that goes way beyond compliance theatre.
From his sabbatical perch in the Nordics, he reflects on everything from why GDPR hasn't quite delivered its promised outcomes to how privacy lawyers are uniquely positioned to lead AI governance.
What We Cover:
The Sabbatical Chronicles: Ben's epic Nordic adventure and why stepping away from work sometimes gives you the clearest perspective on it
Privacy Program Building: Moving from compliance theatre to business enablement, and why good privacy programs start with genuine curiosity about products
GDPR Reality Check: Why the regulation might not have quite yet delivered its intended outcomes and the types of privacy lawyers and approaches Ben sees in practice
AI Governance Evolution: How privacy professionals are naturally stepping into AI oversight roles and what new skills they need to develop
Technical Literacy: The importance of understanding what your business actually builds and Ben's practical approach to learning complex technical concepts
Key References:
GDPR for Startups - Ben's practical guide to building privacy programs in high-growth companies
Field Fisher Privacy Newsletter - Legal developments summary that Ben recommends for staying current
Hard Fork Podcast - Ben's go-to for broad tech and AI developments
Lovable - The AI coding platform Ben's been experimenting with to build his habit tracker (and recruit his girlfriend as user number one)
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