Programme overview

Data protection matters have become a regular topic for SMEs as well as for executive committees in big companies. Due to the robustness of technical advancement and social change in response to digital transformation, the security of personal data is now a worldwide serious challenge. Combined with the increased data privacy demands of individuals, many Swiss companies acknowledge data privacy as a competitive advantage. The compromising of sensitive personal and also business data such as financial, intellectual property, and other privileged information is an event that no business wants to experience.

We offer an encompassing and up-to-date executive programme for professionals to develop their understanding of data protection law by looking at contemporary issues in daily lectures and interactive workshops.

As we ensure that the DPO-HSG Programme remains relevant to professional practice, we also look at the issues raised by common technologies and services such as AI, IoT, electronic communications, cloud computing, and mobile services, among many others.

Here, you can find all the speakers.

Next step

Are you interested in this programme? You have the opportunity to visit an info event to find out if this executive education fits you and your career planning:

Consultation

Learn more about the programme in a personal conversation.

1 Michelle Klaus UNI SG PORTRAIT 0112222068 INTERNET

Michelle Klaus Programm Managerin Law & Management

michelle.klaus@unisg.ch +41 71 224 75 18

Target Audience

This programme is aimed at individuals who are exposed to or engage with data protection topics on a regular basis and who wish to quickly gain a solid and comprehensive understanding of the field and deepen their expertise in a broad range of areas. It combines condensed training in the fundamentals of data protection and privacy law with a subsequent intensive learning phase in which participants gain further expertise.

Working in both the private sector and public administration, as there is no specific industry focus. This includes employees responsible for processing personal data and complying with data protection laws and standards.

Recommended for

  • Compliance and legal professionals
  • Data protection practitioners and specialists
  • DPO candidates or newly appointed DPOs
  • IT managers, officers and specialists
  • Information security managers, officers and specialists
  • Auditors and controllers
  • Marketing managers and professionals
  • Consultants
  • Managing directors
  • Risk management professionals
Zielgruppe

Objectives

Guided journey

Foundational knowledge with relevant deep dives

Expertise

Over 30 international speakers from 10 countries

Impact

Transfer knowledge into practice

Broad coverage

 Basics of Swiss and international law

Interdisciplinary

Legal, regulatory, technology and management

Modular

Modules can be completed individually

Flexible

Start with any module at your preferred time

Part-time

No interruption of you professional career

Blended learning

Modules take place on site and online

Programme Benefits

  • Recognised: collect ECTS points and expand your studies
  • Life-long-learning: stay up to date with regular refreshers
  • Networking: get to know your peers and learn about their challenges

Course Structure

DPO Grafik Oktober 2021

Content & Faculty

Fundamentals of Data Protection (5 days)

In this interactive one-week programme, participants will learn the fundamentals and develop a comprehensive overview of data protection law and regulations. The learning is enhanced by looking at current issues and working on case studies as part of daily lectures and practical workshops. Expertise and self-confidence are increased when it comes to assessing data protection issues from different perspectives and discussing relevant challenges with experts.

Module 1 is ideal in particular for those with a non-legal background who are interested in building a quick and solid foundation in the area of data protection and privacy law. This module can be booked as a single module.

Data as an asset, data as a right (3 days)

Participants will gain the cross-functional expertise necessary to carry out their role more effectively. This module provides a legal perspective on management programmes, IT execution and other relevant areas. Participants are equipped with relevant information and tools for specific situations and will learn effective ways of complying with data subject rights.

Data Governance (4 days)

In this four-day programme, participants will gain knowledge and expertise regarding the professional implementation of legal regulations and documentation processes. They will also obtain practical information about the international transfer of personal data, how to set up processes for privacy programme governance and how to handle a data breach.

Data Security (3 days)

Participants will learn to understand and engage critically with their practical knowledge and handling of data and cybersecurity. They are equipped with mechanisms for implementing security principles by becoming familiar with the fundamentals of cybersecurity and related technical measures, and will be encouraged to engage with their own role in privacy and security matters as a leader in their workplace.

The fourth module of the DPO-HSG programme is an interactive three-day session.

Here you can find all the speakers.

Testimonials

It is not easy to cover the type of information needed for data protection and privacy professionals. However, the structure of the course was clear, logical and effective, and it is delivered in a concise and strategic maner by experts that helped us evolve from the noise of complexity to a level of clarity needed to navigate this field.
Baroum Mrad
Head of the Data Protection and Privacy Office, EOC, Bellinzona
The module was an enrichment on a high level, both professionally and privately. I learned that data alone is not the new oil, first its transformation into information, decisions and finally into results. In the future, privacy will therefore become even more valuable. Privacy is the blood in the veins of freedom – it must be protected.
Lydia Woerlen
Chief Risk Officer, Zurich Invest AG Ltd.
The course is a well managed and professional mix of learning, as well as providing practical insights by top speakers and course participants, sharing interesting insights and knowledge from various businesses. Having various industry standards certifications in scope of information security, audit and data privacy, the HSG DPO-CAS was outstanding and did not only result in a diploma.
Finn Holmegaard
Senior IT Risk and Audit Manager, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG
The DPO Program at the HSG St. Gallen allowed me to understand and close the gaps between the legal requirements and the operational implementation of those complex elements. The high quality of the various lecturer during the sessions supported the learning experience and made the hole DPO CAS a full success.
Dieter Künzli
IT Governance Risk Management & Compliance Expert, Vice President, Information Technology Swiss Re Management Ltd
This course was a game changer for me as it led me directly to getting a job. Moreover, the great level of discussion enables to drive debates to a deep level of questioning and studies and that is of amazing value. I have a lot to learn and the course showered me with plenty of rich ways to do it!
Maria Fiori
Data Governance Champion, Cembra Money Bank
The Data Protection Officer DPO-HSG offers high quality education with outstanding lecturers. The content is hands-on and practical. After each module I was motivated to implement the newly learnt building blocks into my organization. I can highly recommend this course to anyone with an interest in data protection law.
Aniq Iselin
Legal Counsel and Data Protection Officer, HR Campus AG
It is unbelievable how much content the very good speakers convey in these 2.5 days. Even with topics that I thought would be impossible for me to understand, I feel comfortable after the module. It is very impressive that the speakers are able to cover such a good level for all participants with different backgrounds. The discussions are very lively and it’s interesting to learn from the extensive experience in the class.
Valérie König
Lawyer, Participant DPO-HSG
As a very topical and rapidly developing area of law, data protection is of great importance to us all. The DPO experts provide a diverse approach, through both in-depth theory and work on practical examples. The personal interaction with them and the course participants, as well as the methodical approach exceeded my expectations, and has enabled me to position myself well in this forward-looking field.
Joanna Gautier-Lambert
Hitachi Energy Switzerland, Senior Contract Manager, Compliance and Data Privacy Officer

Events

ONLINE Information event: Data Protection Officer (DPO-HSG), 14.04.2023

via Zoom
Freitag, 14.04.2023
12:30 - 13:30

ONLINE Information event: Data Protection Officer (DPO-HSG), 16.05.2023

via Zoom
Dienstag, 16.05.2023
17:00 - 18:00

ONLINE Information event: Data Protection Officer (DPO-HSG), 21.06.2023

via Zoom
Mittwoch, 21.06.2023
12:30 - 13:30

Why University of St.Gallen

The HSG – your partner for first-class executive education in Switzerland

At the University of St. Gallen (HSG), you can choose from one of the largest executive education portfolios in the German speaking region – the right programme for your needs and career objectives. The renowned quality and practical relevance of the learning experience convinces more than 6000 participants per year. Profit from an Executive Degree from St.Gallen – the best business school in the German-speaking world – and get ahead in your career!

  • For high-quality teaching and executive training by top researchers

  • For competent executives

  • For Lifelong Learning

  • For international collaborations

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