Advanced Data Protection Officer (DPO) Training
In-depth training for experienced data protection professionals, mapped to the Advanced Tier responsibilities in the JPDP Data Protection Officer (DPO) Competency Guideline. Covers organisation-wide compliance strategy, cross-border transfers and TIAs, privacy by design, AI and automated decision-making risk, strategic governance, and regulatory engagement.
This is the senior programme of the three PDPA courses and assumes the Foundations content or equivalent working experience as an appointed officer. The emphasis moves from knowing the obligations to building the systems that discharge them across an organisation. Participants work on their own organisation's programme throughout rather than on a case study.
Built around the latest Malaysian PDPA developments, international privacy frameworks, and practical enterprise-level implementation. A two-day programme for experienced DPOs and privacy professionals who need to move beyond basic PDPA knowledge and take ownership of organisation-wide data protection, governance, risk, and regulatory responsibilities.
HRD Corp SBL-Khas Claimable
Day 1 Agenda
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Opening, Expectations & the Advanced DPO Role
Programme introduction, participant experience sharing, and the role of an advanced DPO in organisational governance.
9:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Module 1, Advanced PDPA Implementation & Compliance Strategy
PDPA 2024 amendments, enterprise application, compliance gap assessment, and translating regulatory requirements into organisational controls. Includes the JPDP Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) Guideline, and the Data Protection by Design and Automated Decision-Making & Profiling public consultation papers, No. 2/2025 and No. 3/2025, and how to prepare ahead of finalisation.
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Break
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Module 2, Cross-Border Transfers & International Framework Integration
The Section 129 cross-border transfer regime under the amended Act 709, Transfer Impact Assessments (TIAs), and ASEAN Model Contractual Clauses. Mapping PDPA against GDPR Chapter V, Singapore PDPA, ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701 into a single unified control matrix.
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Lunch Break
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Module 3, Senior DPO Leadership, Independence & Strategic Governance
Leadership duties, DPO independence and direct reporting access to senior management, managing conflicts of interest, executive advising, privacy team building, and embedding personal data protection within corporate governance structures.
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM
Break
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Module 4, Advanced Risk Assessment & Compliance Architecture
Enterprise risk assessments, DPIA and TIA methodology, threat modelling, personal data flow mapping across the full data lifecycle, and designing a compliance control architecture that scales.
4:15 PM - 5:00 PM
Practical Workshop, Privacy Risk Mapping & Control Matrix Build
Participants identify key personal data processing activities and risks within a realistic organisational scenario, then map applicable controls against PDPA, GDPR Chapter V, Singapore PDPA, ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701 using the OrbixTech unified control matrix template.
Day 2 Agenda
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Module 5, Complex Data Subject Rights
Managing complex requests, escalation scenarios, internal coordination, and practical response considerations.
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Break
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Module 6, Advanced Data Breach Response
Incident management, breach assessment, notification considerations under Circular No. 1/2025 on Data Breach Notification, stakeholder communication, and cross-border breach scenarios.
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Module 7, Privacy by Design in Practice & Driving Culture Change
Embedding data protection by design into product, engineering and procurement workflows. Guiding development teams to build personal data protection into processing activities from the outset, and running an organisation-wide culture change programme that outlasts a single training cycle.
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Lunch Break
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Module 8, AI, Automated Decision-Making & Emerging Technology Risk
Reviewing AI systems, big data models and profiling activities for personal data risk exposure. Lawful basis for training data, transparency and explainability obligations, human oversight of automated decisions, and how the Automated Decision-Making & Profiling consultation paper, No. 3/2025, is likely to affect Malaysian deployments.
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM
Break
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Module 9, Strategic Communication, Executive Reporting & Regulatory Engagement
Executive-level reporting, privacy metrics and stakeholder communication. Records of processing, audit protocols, documentation architecture, engaging the Commissioner on regulatory matters and breach notifications, and representing the organisation in regulatory correspondence and industry forums.
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Module 10, Industry-Specific Compliance Challenges & Solutions
Case studies covering financial services, healthcare and technology.
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Advanced DPO Competency Assessment
A scored end-of-course assessment covering the six core competency areas set out in the JPDP DPO Competency Guideline: Advisory & Support, Risk Management & Assessment, Compliance Oversight & Monitoring, Audit & Reporting, Communications & Stakeholder Engagement, and Regulatory & Data Subject Management.
What you will be able to do after this course
- Lead organisation-wide compliance strategy aligned with Act 709
- Translate regulatory requirements into internal policies and controls
- Manage cross-border transfers and build a unified compliance control matrix
- Advise senior leadership and operate with the independence expected of a DPO
- Conduct enterprise risk assessments and design scalable compliance architecture
- Handle complex and escalated data subject rights requests
- Lead advanced data breach response, including cross-border scenarios
- Drive privacy by design and culture change across the organisation
- Assess AI and profiling systems for personal data risk
- Report at executive level and represent the organisation in regulatory matters
- Apply compliance principles to sector-specific challenges
- Build and present a data protection roadmap to senior management
How the course ends: case studies and practical exercises
The programme is built around two applied pieces of work, one at the close of each day, plus a sector case study module.
Day 1, Privacy Risk Mapping & Control Matrix Build
Participants identify key personal data processing activities and risks within a realistic organisational scenario, then map the applicable controls using the OrbixTech unified control matrix template. Frameworks covered in the mapping:
- PDPA (Act 709)
- GDPR Chapter V
- Singapore PDPA
- ISO/IEC 27001
- ISO/IEC 27701
Day 2, Advanced DPO Competency Assessment
A scored end-of-course assessment covering the six core competency areas set out in the JPDP DPO Competency Guideline:
- Advisory & Support
- Risk Management & Assessment
- Compliance Oversight & Monitoring
- Audit & Reporting
- Communications & Stakeholder Engagement
- Regulatory & Data Subject Management
Module 10, Industry-specific case studies
Worked sector case studies covering financial services, healthcare and technology.
Course format, duration and certification
Training Mode Physical, Online or Hybrid
HRD Corp SBL-Khas Claimable
Duration 2 Days (9:00 AM - 5:00 PM daily)
Venue Online or in-house at client’s office
Level Advanced (Fundamental Tier competencies or equivalent PDPA experience required)
Assessment Scored end-of-course competency assessment across the six core competency areas
Certificate Certificate of Completion (Advanced) awarded upon full attendance and successful assessment
Who Should Attend Experienced Data Protection Officers, Compliance Officers, Legal and Risk professionals, IT Security Managers, and privacy practitioners responsible for enterprise-level data protection and governance
Programme positioning. This is an advanced professional training programme for experienced DPOs and privacy professionals. It is not a beginner-level introduction to PDPA. The focus is on applying PDPA requirements at enterprise level, managing complex privacy risks, advising management, and building a practical data protection governance structure.