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Ryan Wheatley

he/himAssociate
Ryan is hardworking, willing to tackle any task and shows no sign of being daunted. He considers issues from multiple angles, providing carefully considered insight or opinion.
— Client, international brewing company
Edinburgh
About

Ryan is a data protection lawyer, advising on privacy compliance matters for a variety of UK based and global clients. Ryan has key experience with clients in consumer facing and technology sectors advising on international data transfers, vendor and customer contracting, marketing strategies including use of online tracking technologies and innovative personal data processing including use of analytics and artificial intelligence.

Ryan understands the value of collaborating closely with key stakeholders and in-house legal teams following his recent client secondments, providing support with commercial contracts and data protection compliance.

Areas of FocusData, Privacy and CybersecurityConsumer Goods, Food and RetailTechnologyMedia, Sport and EntertainmentInfrastructure, Construction and TransportLife SciencesFinancial Services
Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

  • Carrying out a data protection audit for a client in the industrial sector, working with colleagues in our US and Canadian offices to deliver pragmatic and comprehensive legal advice on a complex cross-border matter. Ryan's experience in cross-border matters ensures the clients receive consistent and coordinated advice.
  • Working with colleagues across various teams on quick-paced due diligence projects from a data protection angle, including reviewing data protection programmes of global companies working across various sectors to assess compliance risks, and propose appropriate remedial actions in order of priority.
  • Collaborating with the in-house legal teams and key stakeholders through secondments to an international food and beverage provider and a global data centre provider on matters related to commercial contracts, data protection, and compliance.
  • Advising a global real estate investment trust on the adequacy of their UK and EU data protection programmes, working with specialists from various jurisdictions to assess compliance risks and provide an overhaul of their compliance programme. 
  • Advising an international entertainments company in the negotiation of a variety of their commercial contracts from a data protection perspective.
  • Advising a global leisure industry client on the process of registering their Data Protection Officer in over a hundred jurisdictions. Utilising legal technology to coordinate the registration process in accordance with associated risk of non-compliance.  
Languages
  • English
Education
  • University of Law, LPC Msc Law, Business and Management, Distinction, 2021
  • Sheffield Hallam University, LLB (Hons) Law, First class honours, 2019

Prior Experience

  • 2019 to 2022, Paralegal, DLA Piper UK LLP

Additional Information

  • Assisting a UK human rights charity with website compliance including a review of transparency policies and advising on capturing compliant marketing consents.

  • Assisting a UK cerebral palsy charity advising on the data protection and privacy elements of a screening tool developed using crowd-sourced data.

  • Assisting with the development of a new AI governance tool for use by client across various sectors. Including mapping controls and risks associated with common AI use cases.

Connect

Phone

+44 (0)131 242 5046
(Work, Edinburgh)
+44 (0)772 158 5635
(Mobile, Edinburgh)
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