Faith Effiong

Information governance and data protection professional with over five years of experience managing Subject Access Requests, Freedom of Information, and Environmental Information Regulations requests across complex, regulated environments. Dual certified in information privacy (CIPP/E and CIPM) with a legal background providing deep, practical command of UK GDPR, DPA 2018, FOIA 2000 and EIR 2004. Currently serving as Data Protection Officer for Bristol City Council, providing statutory DPO advisory on DPIAs, breach management, privacy notices and lawful basis assessments across service directorates.

Consistent record of managing high volume caseloads to strict statutory deadlines, developing policy frameworks, conducting DPIAs and compliance audits, delivering staff training at all levels, and advising senior stakeholders on risk based decision making, with strong stakeholder engagement across public sector and local government governance structures.

Data Protection Officer at Bristol City Council (2026-08 – Present)

• Acting as statutory Data Protection Officer for the Council, advising service directorates on lawful basis assessments, UK GDPR compliance and information governance queries.
• Leading Data Protection Impact Assessments for new systems, programmes and processing activities, embedding privacy by design and signing off on risk mitigations.
• Reviewing and advising on privacy notices to ensure transparency, accuracy and accessibility for service users and staff.
• Providing data protection advisory support to senior stakeholders across directorates, translating regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance.
• Supporting breach management and incident response processes, including triage, containment advice and regulatory reporting considerations.
• Engaging with stakeholders across the Resources Directorate and wider Council to embed data protection compliance into day to day business activity.

Data Privacy and Compliance Officer at Ritem Consulting and Recruitment Ltd (2024-11 – 2026-08)

• Managed Subject Access Requests and data subject rights requests end to end, including logging, exemptions and consistent achievement of statutory deadlines.
• Provided expert first line advice to staff and client stakeholders on UK GDPR, DPA 2018 and information access legislation.
• Led Data Protection Impact Assessments for new processing activities and technology implementations, embedding privacy by design principles.
• Maintained governance documentation including RoPAs, privacy notices, information sharing agreements and compliance logs, audit ready at all times.
• Designed and delivered data protection and information governance training programmes across workforce levels.
• Produced risk based compliance reports for senior leadership and handled data breach and security incident response end to end.
• Monitored ICO guidance and legislative developments, updating policies and procedures proactively.

Compliance and Information Governance Caseworker at Third Sector Experts (2024-04 – 2024-11)

• Led complex SAR, FOI and EIR requests independently, exercising legal judgement on exemptions, redactions and third party rights in sensitive situations.
• Conducted information governance and data protection compliance audits, identifying control gaps and delivering prioritised remediation recommendations.
• Drafted and advised on data processing agreements, information sharing agreements and internal IG policies aligned to UK GDPR and FOIA.
• Delivered targeted information governance and data protection training to client workforces.
• Maintained compliance logs and governance documentation supporting regulatory investigations and evidence gathering.

Customer Operations Advisor at Lloyds Banking Group (2023-01 – 2024-04)

• Operated within a heavily regulated financial services environment governed by FCA rules, UK GDPR and DPA 2018, handling sensitive personal and financial data at scale.
• Maintained strict data confidentiality and information security standards, with no data incidents or compliance breaches.

Trainee Associate, Regulatory and Compliance at Y.C. Maikyau and Co. (2019-01 – 2022-01)

• Provided legal research and advisory support on regulatory compliance, risk assessment and statutory obligations across complex, multi stakeholder matters.
• Drafted and reviewed compliance documentation, contracts and legal opinions, demonstrating independent professional judgement under limited precedent.

LLM in Corporate and Finance Law – Nottingham Trent University

LLB in Law – University of Ilorin

Barrister and Solicitor in Called to the Nigerian Bar – Nigerian Law School