From Manual to Automated: Building Privacy Programs That Scale

Ron De Jesus is the Field Chief Privacy Officer at Transcend, driving practical privacy governance and industry advocacy. He previously led privacy at Grindr, Tinder, and Match Group, built global programs at Tapestry and American Express, founded De Jesus Consulting, and remains an active community leader through the IAPP and LGBTQ Privacy & Tech Network. In this episode… Privacy professionals navigate a growing web of privacy regulations and emerging technologies, yet many still rely on manual processes to manage their programs. Teams might track global requirements in spreadsheets and manually triage privacy rights requests. To scale privacy programs effectively, teams need to move beyond manual approaches. So what should privacy teams consider as they adopt automated solutions? The key to scaling privacy programs efficiently lies in embracing automation and technology that aligns with an organization's broader goals. When privacy leaders secure early buy-in from stakeholders, technology decisions are more likely to support the business beyond basic compliance needs. Teams also need clarity on what they are trying to accomplish, a thorough understanding of where their data lives, and time to evaluate how new tech fits into their existing systems and workflows. Sometimes teams expect third-party privacy tools to work out of the box and solve their compliance needs. However, that is often not the case, and why companies must review and test vendor tech solutions to ensure they accurately meet company requirements.  In this episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels talk with Ron De Jesus, Field Chief Privacy Officer at Transcend, about transitioning privacy programs from manual processes to automation. Ron emphasizes the importance of internal alignment when adopting privacy technology, discusses the risks of treating privacy tools as plug-and-play compliance solutions, and highlights the need for companies to review vendor tech solutions against their specific requirements and legal obligations. He also explains how the privacy community helps shape his view of how teams operationalize privacy in practice and shares his prediction for what's in store for privacy professionals in 2026.