Meet the Freevacy Team

If you decide to develop your career in privacy with an IAPP or BCS professional
certification from us, this is who'll be looking after you and your data


MEET THE TEAM


Joyce Allen - Founding Director and BCS Trainer

Joyce Allen 

Founding Director and Trainer

In twenty years, few people have accomplished more than Joyce Allen to transform information rights into the modern profession it has become. Her belief in affordable, continuing professional development through recognised industry qualifications challenged the established order of the time. Previously, the high cost of training and legal focus restricted widespread adoption, limiting opportunities to consultants, academics and practitioners of law. Today, thanks to her practical approach and relatable teaching methodology, data protection and freedom of information professional certifications are considered an essential learning path for all information rights practitioners, regardless of their background.

Joyce believes in providing the skills, knowledge and tools that people need to discharge their duties or responsibilities at the highest level. In this regard, the attainment of a BCS or IAPP professional certification is recognition of an individual's newly acquired abilities, not the objective. And while understanding the law is a fundamental aspect of being an effective practitioner, Joyce focuses on the importance of data rights, ethics and the principles of fairness.

Having been a BCS trainer and course director since 2003 and, more recently, the IAPP, over 2000 students have entrusted Joyce with their professional development. Her training helps people working for multinational corporations and public sector clients achieve their career goals. Over the years, her insight, advice and opinions have been sought by supervisory authorities and government agencies involved in setting the agenda for advancing information rights.

Qualifications

  • BCS Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection
  • BCS Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information
  • BCS Certificate in Information Security Management Principles (CiSMP)
  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Practitioner Europe (CIPP/E)

Julie Dennis - Training Director


Julie Dennis

Training Director

Julie joined Freevacy in 2018 as a trainer and has since been promoted to training director. Her expertise covers data protection law, privacy programme management, and implementing privacy-enhancing technologies. Julie's practical and informal approach to data protection training helps delegates to analyse and interpret legislative requirements before applying day-to-day practices. Audience participation is highly encouraged; however, no one will be pressured to speak out (Julie looks after the introverts).

Prior to moving into full-time education, Julie enjoyed a 15-year career in various data protection roles, including 7 years as the data protection officer for a law enforcement agency. The position involved implementing and overseeing the data protection strategy to ensure compliance with GDPR requirements. As a DPO, Julie was responsible for developing policies and procedures, maintaining records of processing operations, conducting audits, and providing advice on DPIAs. The role also included training multiple departments throughout the country, along with acting as the point of contact for data subjects and the Information Commissioner's Office.

This experience helps Julie understand the demands and issues delegates face when managing their privacy operations and means that she can offer genuine insight when dealing with challenges.

Qualifications

  • BCS Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection
  • BCS Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information
  • BCS Certificate in Information Security Management Principles (CiSMP)
  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Practitioner Europe (CIPP/E)
  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT)
  • Target training qualification

Nathan Fowler - Commercial Director

Nathan Fowler

Commercial Director

Nathan Fowler is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in sales and marketing, of which the last 20 years are in the privacy industry. As the Commercial Director at Freevacy, Nathan is tasked with identifying opportunities to expand the business through new markets and partnerships.

Over the past decade, Nathan has concentrated on digital marketing and communications, which has given him a unique perspective. He understands many business practices commonly used in marketing, such as targeted advertising and user tracking, are unacceptable in the privacy industry.

Nathan's strengths lie in communications and content strategy. He strongly believes company objectives are best served by adding value to their audiences. At Freevacy, Nathan is responsible for editing the Privacy Newsfeed and bringing the Joyce Allen Privacy Champion BCS Scholarship to market. He is currently working on a new merchandising line. His commitment to ethical marketing practices and his expertise in the privacy industry make him an invaluable asset to Freevacy.

Anthony Daly - Information Security Trainer

Anthony Daly

Information Security Trainer

Anthony is an information security trainer and consultant who possesses extensive experience working within HM Government and some of the most prominent UK organisations. This includes a 22 year Royal Navy career specialising in Telecommunications and Cyber Security. He has worked as part of the Ministry of Defence's Incident Response Team and carried out various roles in Information Assurance as an IT Security Officer to secure Critical National Infrastructure.

Training and motivating people is Anthony's passion. He has sought opportunities throughout his career to help others learn by designing and delivering training programmes in risk management, security analysis, incident response, information security awareness, and data privacy. His deep and extensive operational experience makes him highly-sought-after by clients who require practical training on current techniques within security analysis, cyber and communications data fields.

Experience highlights

  • Anthony has provided consultancy on National Cyber Risk Assessments for sectors including Telecommunications to the African Commonwealth on behalf of the UK Home Office and UK FCDO in 2020 & 2021.
  • The UK Government features Anthony's Telecommunications Critical National Infrastructure course in an international marketing campaign as a flagship example of UK international capacity building.
  • Anthony is responsible for developing a Security Analyst course certified by UK NCSC and is also certified to deliver NCSC Certified Training for OSINT.


Qualifications

  • BSc (Hons) Intelligence & Security, Ethical Hacking, Network Security, Digital Forensics, Malware, Cyber Warfare, Staffordshire University
  • BSc in Social Sciences with Geography & Politics, The Open University
  • ISC(2) Certified Information Systems Security Professional
  • ISACA Certified Information Security Manager
  • ISACA Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control
  • ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor
  • ISACA Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer
  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
  • BCS Certificate in Information Security Management Principles (CiSMP)

William Bello - IAPP Trainer and Data Protection Officer

William Bello

IAPP Trainer and Data Protection Officer

William Bello is a practising data protection officer with the European Association of Data Protection Professionals (EADPP) and a professional trainer with over 35 years of experience. Since 2017, William has been an IAPP official trainer partner.

He is goal orientated, has a strategic approach to decision making and proven leadership skills. As a trainer, Williams's areas of expertise include GDPR compliance, privacy programme management, information security, and IT Service Management. William is also experienced in developing and implementing employee privacy and security culture awareness learning and development programmes.

Technical skills

  • Privacy and Data Protection practitioner (legal, compliance, technical)
  • Data Protection Officer (DPO)
  • Business Analyst (capture business requirements and manage service delivery)
  • Enterprise Architecture (analyse, improve, define, design)
  • Project Quality Assurance
  • IT data center and networking design and implementation
  • Application design, quality Assurance and implementation

Qualifications

  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Practitioner Europe (CIPP/E)
  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Practitioner United States (CIPP/US)
  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
  • IAPP Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT)
  • IAPP Certified Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP)
  • IAPP Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP)
  • itSMF ITIL V3 foundation certificate
  • BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence

Amber Badley - BCS Trainer and Data Protection Officer

Amber Badley

BCS Trainer and Data Protection Officer

Amber Badley provides practical, experience-based training and advice on information rights. With a Masters's Degree from Northumbria University and over 20 years of experience, Amber passionately supports organisations to achieve and maintain compliance with UK data protection legislation, the Freedom of Information Act, and Environmental Information Regulations.

As a practising data protection officer for over 95 UK organisations, Amber has extensive experience managing data protection security breaches or dealing with complaints following Subject Access Requests and Freedom of Information Act Requests. This includes supporting organisations through complex cases escalated to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and attending Information Tribunal court hearings.

During her time as an FOI Officer for Devon County Council (DCC), Amber was the decision maker in the successful High Court FOI Act case (Dransfield v ICO & DCC [2015] EWCA Civ 454) which resulted in the first ever UK case law and guidance on managing 'vexatious requests'.

Amber has also been invited by the Department for Education (DfE), to join their panel of data protection experts to create a series of resources, guides and templates, to support schools in their journey towards compliance with the data protection legislation.

Qualifications

  • Masters Degree - Information Rights Law and Practice (LLM)
  • BCS Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection
  • BCS Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information
  • ILM level 5 award in leadership and management

Our clients


VIEW OUR COURSES

BCS Foundation Certificate in Data Protection

The Foundation GDPR Certificate from the BCS is recommended for anyone involved in the collection, usage or protection of personal information.

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BCS Practitioner Certificate in Data Protection

The GDPR Practitioner Certificate from the BCS is the leading industry qualification for UK focused DPOs and compliance professionals.

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DPA2018 Part 3 - Criminal Law Enforcement Processing

An interactive workshop examining the UK legal framework governing the processing and sharing of personal data for criminal law enforcement purposes.

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BCS Foundation Certificate in Information Security Management Principles

An internationally recognised foundation-level qualification from the BCs that demonstrates a core understanding of information security management.

BCS Practitioner Certificate in Information Risk Management

A practical approach to learning about information risk management in the context of current standards, including ISO 27001, 27005, and 31000.

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BCS Essentials Certificate in Artificial Intelligence

Develop an understanding of the basic principles of artificial intelligence, its benefits and risks, and the processes behind machine learning.

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BCS Foundation Certificate in Artificial Intelligence

Learn the general principles of ethical, trustworthy and sustainable AI and why organisations will be defined by how well they implement it.

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BCS Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information

This BCS Practitioner Certificate is the recognised qualification for individuals with information access responsibilities under the FOIA or EIR.

IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional Europe

The CIPP/E is the essential IAPP certification for privacy professionals covering Europe's framework of laws, regulations and policies, most significantly the GDPR.

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IAPP Certified Information Privacy Manager

The CIPM is a unique qualification in privacy programme management from the IAPP that teaches DPOs and senior compliance professionals how to turn policies into accountability.

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IAPP Certified Information Privacy Technologist

The CIPT is an industry recognised qualification for IT professionals who require the technical skills and knowhow to implement comprehensive privacy compliant solutions.

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IAPP Certified Information Privacy Professional United States

The CIPP/US is an advanced IAPP certification for practitioners who require knowledge of the privacy laws and regulations in the United States at federal and state levels.

IAPP Official Training Partner Logo   BCS Accredited Training Partner

IAPP courses and BCS professional certifications can make the difference when applying for a new job or internal promotion. The knowledge gained can add tens of thousands of pounds to your lifetime earnings. With demand for qualified professionals at an all-time high, there's never been a better time to be an information rights practitioner.

Your employers benefit too by having qualified, competent personnel manage their information compliance processes.

Freevacy has been shortlisted in the Best Educator category.
The PICCASO Privacy Awards recognise the people making an outstanding contribution to this dynamic and fast-growing sector.