Strategic Data Advisory for Companies, Leaders and Organisations.
Get in touch with an expert.
A Pool of Experts across law, governance and data science. Combining regulatory insight and technical depth to deliver practical solutions.
What We Do
Fractional and outsourced audit services for data governance and EU data compliance.
Assessments and Gap Analysis
Governance & Compliance Maturity Assessment
We benchmark your data governance and EU AI Act readiness across people, process and technology, delivering a maturity map, gap report and prioritized roadmap toward stronger accountability and regulatory alignment.
Privacy & Fairness Evaluation
We independently assess datasets and ML systems for privacy risk and bias, using peer-reviewed methods aligned with EU AI Act Article 10 to support fair, transparent and compliant AI.
Advisory Expert on Regulatory Exposure and Strategy
Privacy & Data Protection Advisory
End-to-end counsel on GDPR, CCPA/CPRA and global regimes: compliance design, data mapping, cross-border transfers, incident response and regulatory investigations.
Information Security & Governance
We build security and privacy frameworks, incident response plans and internal governance aligned with GDPR, CCPA/CPRA and global regimes, including vendor and data-transfer controls.
EU Regulatory Compliance for Non-EU Companies
Tailored GDPR and EU AI Act programs for organizations outside the EU, providing a structured path to alignment without in-house EU expertise.
Algorithmic Auditing & Model Validation
AI Governance & Assurance
Technical assurance for responsible AI: model audits, red teaming and vendor due diligence for trustworthy, defensible systems. Independent technical review of AI and ML systems for bias, fairness, robustness and explainability, producing the evidence regulators, boards and procurement teams require for defensible deployment.
AI & ML Advisory
Expert guidance across the model lifecycle, from design and data strategy to deployment and monitoring, drawing on academic and applied machine learning expertise.
Ongoing and Capability-Building: retained or recurring engagements
Fractional C-suite
Interim executive leadership across core business functions, providing senior-level strategic direction, operational oversight and execution capability on a flexible basis, enabling organizations to scale, transform and deliver complex initiatives without the overhead of permanent C-suite appointments.
DPO as a Service
Your appointed Data Protection Officer under GDPR Article 37: supervisory authority liaison, DPIA guidance, breach management and ongoing compliance monitoring—full independence, predictable cost.
Training services
Role-based workshops enabling business and technical teams to identify, build and navigate modern business complexity
Data have value only when they are governed.
Our pool of experts partners with industry leaders worldwide.
Why GovernData
We are not a law firm.
We are not just a tech consultancy.
We bridge the gap between legal, IT, and business through an approach that is:
Boutique
Tailored strategies, not off-the-shelf advice.
Independent
Your interests come first, free from external influence.
Practical
Actionable governance solutions that work in the real world.
European
Rooted in the EU regulatory framework, built for cross-border data realities.
How We Work – Our Methodology
We deliver total reassurance through a clear, proven process that turns data governance into practical reality.
Our methodology ensures every step creates measurable progress and real-world adoption.
We don’t produce reports that gather dust.
We design data practices that people actually use.
Our People
Ideas move fast.
People move them further.
Beniamino Santoro is the founder of GovernData, where he counsels organizations on data protection, artificial intelligence, information security, and privacy law, with a focus on compliance with the GDPR, the ePrivacy Directive, the Data Act, and the EU AI Act. His practice spans regulatory alignment, high-risk processing, cross-border data transfers, and the governance of AI systems across their lifecycle, advising boards on material risk, incident response, and the deployment of emerging technologies.
He serves as Group Data Protection Officer and AI Legal Lead at EveryMatrix, leading global privacy and AI compliance across EMEA, APAC, NAM, and LATAM, acting as the primary liaison with supervisory authorities, and operationalizing the group's AI governance framework through conformity assessments, algorithmic audits, and Fundamental Rights Impact Assessments. He advises national data protection authorities and the European Data Protection Board as a member of the EDPB Support Pool of Experts, and counsels senior executives across Fortune 500 companies and scale-ups as an InfoSec Expert for the Gartner peer community.
Earlier, Beniamino directed a group-wide GDPR maturity assessment across twenty-five operating companies at Hili Ventures, conducting high-risk DPIAs, renegotiating vendor contracts, and structuring compliant international data transfer mechanisms. As Head of Data Privacy, DPO, and Chief AI Officer at Red Acre, he built the group's privacy and AI governance framework, applying ISO/IEC 42001 principles and conducting conformity assessments addressing algorithmic bias, transparency, and accountability.
Beniamino lectures in privacy law for the MSc in Computer Science (Information Security and Cryptography) at Ascencia Business School in Malta and has taught at institutions including Goethe University and the Leibniz Institute. He publishes on AI governance, data protection, and European regulatory policy.
He holds an LL.M. from Maastricht University and a B.Sc. in Public and Private Administration from the Università degli Studi di Salerno, and completed a program in International and Comparative Law at Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris II). He is a registered Data Protection Officer with European and non-European authorities and works in Italian, English, and Spanish.
Fabrizio Di Stefano is the co-founder of GovernData, where he advises organisations on data governance, digital transformation, operational excellence and business strategy. His expertise was built over a decade of converting fragmented, manual workflows into governed, scalable systems across global automotive, institutional research data infrastructure and AI engineering delivery.
He serves as CTO of CodXHub Solutions, where he leads a team developing IT solutions for industries ranging from manufacturing to insurance and e-commerce. His delivery work includes a production-optimisation platform with a waste-reduction component for a Fortune 500 manufacturer, and a proof-of-concept AI legal assistant for a European insurance group.
He also advises Maastricht University as Product Owner in the Research Data Collection and Storage domain, where he manages three research data platforms, one of which he introduced, and is currently leading the introduction of two further tools, coordinating multiple teams across the full research data lifecycle.
Earlier, Fabrizio served as Business Intelligence Advisor at Maastricht University, where he coordinated the overhaul of reporting on student recruitment and performance, guided the Marketing and Communications team through a shift towards data-driven decision-making, and implemented new tools including customer data platforms, automated reporting and CRM improvements. Before this, as Business Process Consultant at Mercedes-Benz, he co-led a global CRM harmonisation and master data management programme spanning 56 countries, aligning fragmented local processes and data standards into a single governed model, alongside IT projects in telecommunications and technician support.
Fabrizio is an MBA candidate at Maastricht University. He holds an MSc in Management and Economic Development and a BA in Sociology, both from the Università degli Studi di Chieti-Pescara. He has completed Data Protection Officer training at Maastricht University and is fluent in Italian, English and Dutch.
Insights and News
Check out the latest news, insights, reviews, analysis.
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Read MoreTrainings: GDPR, AI Act & Process Management
“Compliance starts with your people.” Delivered in-house or online, our role-based training sessions on GDPR, the EU AI Act and process governance are designed for employees, managers and decision-makers alike. Every programme includes a practical compliance toolkit, templates, checklists and reference materials, so your team can maintain standards and stay compliant long after the training ends.
Data Governance Maturity Assessment
“You can’t improve what you don’t measure.” We benchmark your organisation’s data governance practices across people, processes and technology, mapping your current maturity level and charting a clear roadmap towards stronger data quality, accountability and regulatory alignment.
EU Regulations for Non-EU Companies
“Operating globally, subject to EU law, we help you bridge the gap.” If your organisation is based outside the EU but processes data, deploys AI systems or offers services to EU residents, European regulations apply to you. We provide tailored compliance programmes covering GDPR, the EU AI Act and broader data governance requirements, giving non-EU businesses a structured, efficient path to full regulatory alignment without the need for in-house EU legal expertise.
Trainings: GDPR, AI Act & Process Management
“Compliance starts with your people.” Delivered in-house or online, our role-based training sessions on GDPR, the EU AI Act and process governance are designed for employees, managers and decision-makers alike. Every programme includes a practical compliance toolkit, templates, checklists and reference materials, so your team can maintain standards and stay compliant long after the training ends.
EU Regulations for Non-EU Companies
“Operating globally, subject to EU law, we help you bridge the gap.” If your organisation is based outside the EU but processes data, deploys AI systems or offers services to EU residents, European regulations apply to you. We provide tailored compliance programmes covering GDPR, the EU AI Act and broader data governance requirements, giving non-EU businesses a structured, efficient path to full regulatory alignment without the need for in-house EU legal expertise.
GDPR Compliance Audit
“Turn compliance from a burden into a competitive advantage.”
We review your data processing activities, policies and records against GDPR obligations, identifying gaps and providing actionable remediation steps. Walk away audit-ready, with documented accountability your stakeholders can trust.
Fractional Support
We embed as your part-time advisor, ensuring sustained implementation, regulatory updates, and evolution of your governance practices over time.