Apr 18

DPOrganizer Founder Series – Part 1: Meta, Swedish anxiety, and US visa

Hey there, it’s Egil Bergenlind, one of the co-founders of DPOrganizer. Our CEO, Alicia Hatt, suggested we do a founder series to give you a better understanding of what we’re all about, who we are, and what we believe in. At first, I wasn’t sold on the idea, but eventually, I realized she was right.

We want to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our company and share our personal perspectives with you. We believe that doing so will help you feel more connected to us, which is important to us because we value lasting relationships with our customers more than anything else.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “This is just another marketing ploy to increase their revenue.” And, to be honest, you’re right. Everything we do is aimed at increasing growth and revenue, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be genuine and relatable in the process.

We’re not doing this series just because it’s the best practice or because the playbook says we should. We’re doing it because it aligns with who we already are as a company. We genuinely care about our customers and want them to like us. We’re not just saying that, either. We truly believe it, and it’s one of the reasons our customers choose us and stick with us.

We’re a bit different than our US-based competitors. We’re more focused on building lasting relationships with our customers than closing sales. We don’t just want your business; we want your trust and respect. Maybe it’s because we’re Swedish, and we have an inferiority complex, and we want to be liked by everyone everywhere. Who knows? But whatever the reason, we believe in being personal and honest with our customers.

So, in this series, I’m going to share my personal thoughts and experiences with you. I’ll talk about privacy management (or is it data protection?), the industry, and how it developed. I’ll also share what it’s been like building this company over the last seven years.

I’ll answer some burning questions like: Did we manage not to hire any assholes? Are the two co-founders that left the company dead to me and Andreas Yannelos, who are still here? Was it easy stepping down as CEO after five years and taking on another role instead?

I’m on my way to Washington and the IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2023 as I write this. I’ll admit that I felt pretty stupid when I realized I forgot to apply for a visa to enter the US. But hey, building a company is stressful, and sometimes you forget things.

I’m excited to meet with customers, partners, and competitors at the summit. So much has happened in the privacy space over the last seven years, yet so little has changed. Privacy professionals are still fighting for more resources and management buy-in, and they’re still struggling to get a grip on their records of processing activities. But, the approach to privacy management is much more mature now, and people are focusing on building sustainable solutions.

We started DPOrganizer because we believe that privacy professionals are the unsung heroes of any organization. They play a crucial role in enabling innovation and the use of data while respecting the rights and integrity of individuals. We’re passionate about providing world-class products and services to support these privacy heroes, and we couldn’t be more excited about the future.

In my next post, I’ll share how and why we started DPOrganizer and whether the idea was really mine. I’ll also share some thoughts from the Global Privacy Summit. So stay tuned, and let’s grow together.

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