Data Protection for Business reputation and governance

“IT’S been almost five years since I published my previous book on data protection, and there have been significant developments in the data privacy landscape since then.”

Steven Roberts, Group Head of Marketing at Griffith College, remarks on the above in relation to his new book, ‘Data Protection for Business: Compliance, Governance, Reputation and Trust’, which will be published by Clarus Press in February of this year.

Marketing and data protection expert Steven was inspired to write this book by the “rapid adoption” of artificial intelligence technologies following the launch of ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs).

These AI tools present a “range of data privacy risks”, and there is also new guidance from supervisory authorities such as Ireland’s Data Protection Commission.

There is also more clarity on the level of fines for GDPR breaches and a deeper understanding of what “best practice GDPR compliance” looks like.

Steven therefore felt it was timely to revisit the topic to take account of these changes and outline the practical steps business leaders and managers can take to ensure their “companies are compliant”.

He points out a highlight of working on the book as putting thoughts and ideas on paper to give them a new clarity.

It has been particularly interesting examining the impact of new legislation in areas such as artificial intelligence and how that interacts with existing laws such as the GDPR and Irish Data Protection Acts.

One of the challenges of the book for Steven was assessing the interplay between the GDPR and various new EU laws, such as the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act.

He clarifies this by explaining that “both laws place a requirement on transparency, but the term has a subtly different meaning in each case.”

Steven hopes that readers realise “the importance of training and getting the basics right” when it comes to data protection for businesses.

For the rest of 2026, he will work with Griffith College’s data protection committee and as vice-chairperson of the Compliance Institute’s Data Protection and Information Security Working Group.

They will work to keep up to date on the latest data privacy trends and how they apply in a practical way to businesses.

Steven also plans to write another book for a business and marketing audience, providing practical, clear-sighted guidance for organisations.

He would like to thank his publisher, David McCartney; his data protection colleagues in Griffith College; the Compliance Institute’s working group; and his family for their support and help with the book.

The book is set to release in February; to find out more and pre-order a copy, visit the Clarus Press website.