What Does a Data Privacy Consultant Do?
Published: • Updated:
Key takeaways
- What: Data privacy consulting services design and run the controls, policies, and workflows that manage personal data risk and meet laws.
- Why/how: Breach costs remain high, but privacy programs show strong ROI. Use recognized frameworks and measure outcomes monthly.
- Keywords: What are data privacy services, cybersecurity and data privacy, data protection consulting.
A data privacy consultant builds a practical program for collecting, using, sharing, and retaining personal data responsibly. Work spans assessments, policies, consent and rights, vendor risk, cross-border transfers, training, incident response, and board reporting tied to regulations and standards.
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What does a data privacy consultant do?
- Assess and map. Inventory personal data, systems, and vendors; run gap analyses against laws and frameworks.
- Policy and design. Draft notices, consent flows, retention rules, DPIAs, and privacy-by-design checklists.
- Operate and measure. Stand up data subject rights operations, vendor due diligence, cross-border transfer controls, and dashboards.
- Respond. Build incident playbooks with legal, IT, and comms; test readiness and report to executives.
What are data privacy services?
Typical data privacy consulting services include program build or refresh, ISO/IEC 27701 PIMS integration, NIST Privacy Framework alignment, GDPR and CCPA compliance work, audits, and managed privacy operations. For adjacent work in platforms and analytics, see our digital and technology pages and business transformation delivery approach.
How cybersecurity and data privacy fit together
Cybersecurity protects systems and data from unauthorized access; privacy focuses on lawful, fair, and transparent processing of personal data. Programs should combine technical safeguards with policy, consent, notices, and rights handling to achieve both protection and compliance.
| Finding | Figure or term | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global average breach cost | $4.44M (first decline in 5 years) | IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2025 |
| Average U.S. breach cost | $10.22M | IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2025 |
| ROI of privacy programs | 96% report positive ROI | Cisco 2025 Data Privacy Benchmark |
| GDPR fines | Up to €20M or 4% of worldwide turnover | GDPR overview |
| NIST Privacy Framework | Risk-based tool with Core, Profiles, Tiers | NIST Privacy Framework |
| ISO/IEC 27701 | Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) extension to ISO 27001 | ISO overview |
| CCPA/CPRA | California consumer rights and obligations for businesses | California OAG and CPPA |
Use these anchors to size risk, guide investments, and brief leadership on why privacy and security should be planned together.
How to start in 2 sprints
- Program baseline. Run a 10–point assessment across data mapping, notices, rights, vendors, retention, incidents, and metrics; publish a 90-day plan.
- Controls in the flow. Embed privacy-by-design reviews in product change tickets; stand up DSAR and vendor workflows with clear SLAs and audit trails.
Talk to a data privacy consultant
Sources
- IBM. Cost of a Data Breach 2025 overview and newsroom (global $4.44M; U.S. $10.22M). https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach • https://www.ibm.com/think/x-force/2025-cost-of-a-data-breach-navigating-ai • https://newsroom.ibm.com/2025-07-30-ibm-report-13-of-organizations-reported-breaches-of-ai-models-or-applications%2C-97-of-which-reported-lacking-proper-ai-access-controls
- Cisco. 2025 Data Privacy Benchmark Study (96% positive ROI). https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/trust-center/data-privacy-benchmark-study.html • PDF: https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/doing_business/trust-center/docs/cisco-privacy-benchmark-study-2025.pdf
- NIST. Privacy Framework main page and PDF. https://www.nist.gov/privacy-framework • https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/CSWP/NIST.CSWP.01162020.pdf
- ISO. ISO/IEC 27701 (PIMS) overview. https://www.iso.org/standard/71670.html • https://www.iso.org/standard/85819.html
- European Commission. Data protection overview (GDPR). https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection_en • GDPR summary: https://gdpr.eu/what-is-gdpr/
- California Office of the Attorney General and CPPA. CCPA and FAQs. https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/ccpa • https://cppa.ca.gov/faq.html
- NIST blog and FTC guidance on privacy vs security. https://www.nist.gov/blogs/manufacturing-innovation-blog/maintaining-your-online-privacy • https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/privacy-security
- IAPP certifications overview (CIPP, CIPM, CIPT). https://iapp.org/certify/ • https://iapp.org/certify/cippe-cipm/
About the Author
Aykut Cakir, Senior Partner and Chief Executive Officer, has a demonstrated history in negotiations, business planning, business development. He has served as a Finance Director for gases & energy, pharmaceuticals, retail, FMCG, and automotive industries. He has collaborated closely with client leadership to co-create a customized operating model tailored to the unique needs of each project segment in the region. Aykut conducted workshops focused on developing effective communication strategies to ensure team alignment with new operating models and organizational changes.
