Supplier of the Year – Your Front Page For Information Governance News

Act Now Training is proud to announce that it has won the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS) Supplier of the Year award for 2026. The aim of the award is “to recognise suppliers in the IG/IM/RM world that go above and beyond normal expectations of customer service.” The awards ceremony took place on Monday night at the IRMS Conference in Cardiff.

This is the fourth time in six years that Act Now Training has won this award. Ibrahim Hasan said:

“We would like to thank all our colleagues in the IG profession who voted for us.
The award recognises our education led approach and our commitment to providing measurable training that develops participants’ IG skills, competencies and behaviours. ”

It has been another fantastic 12 months for Act Now Training. Notable achievements include:

Launching the Guardians of Data Podcast

The new Guardians of Data Podcast has proved extremely popular with the IG profession. It’s a show which explores the world of information law and information governance; from privacy and AI to cybersecurity and freedom of information. In each episode we speak to experts and practitioners to unpack the big issues shaping the IG profession

Previous episodes  have featured Tahir Latif talking about responsible AI deployment, Naomi Matthews and Ibrahim Hasan  explaining the law on filming people in public for social media, Maurice Frenkel looking back at 20 years of the Freedom of Information Act and Olu Odeniyi analysing recent cyber breaches and discussing the lessons learnt.

Building the AI Skillset  

Act Now launched the AI Governance Practitioner Certificate with the aim of helping data protection professionals to play a leading role in addressing the legal and ethical dilemmas posed by emerging AI as well as position themselves as
forward-thinking leaders who can bridge the gap between law, ethics, and technology. The course has been extremely well received by the profession.    

Revising the Advanced GDPR certificate 

Since its launch in 2020, Act Now’s  Advanced Certificate in GDPR Practice has attracted hundreds of DPOs from across the public and private sectors. Feedback has been consistently positive with many participants commenting on how the course has given them the confidence and skills to be able to dissect complex data protection scenarios and give clear and practical compliance advice. This year the syllabus has been revised to reflect advances in technology, especially in AI, and the latest ICO/Tribunal decisions. The assessment method for this course has also been revised to help develop participants’ communication skills.

Delivering New Workshops 

Act Now has continued to provide relevant and cost effective IG workshops during rapidly changing times for the IG community. Our programme has been expanded to include practical advice on topical issues such as the Data (Use and Access) Act, Data Breach Management and Children’s Data.

Act Now Training is proud to announce that it has won the Information and Records Management Society (IRMS) Supplier of the year award for 2024. The aim of the award is “to recognise suppliers in the IG/IM/RM world that go above and beyond normal expectations of customer service.”

The awards ceremony took place on Monday night at the IRMS Conference in Brighton where Ibrahim Hasan was also on a panel discussing the privacy implications of Generative AI and ChatGPT. This is third time in four years that Act Now Training has won this award.

Ibrahim Hasan said:

“This award will inspire us to continue to deliver practical training that meets the needs of the IG profession. It also recognises the hard work of our colleagues who are focussed on fantastic customer service as well as our associates who always go the extra mile for our delegates. We would like to thank the IRMS for another great conference and the members for voting for us.”

It has been another fantastic 12 months for Act Now Training. We launched two new certificate courses aimed at helping IG professionals develop their knowledge and skills. The  FOI Intermediate Certificate empowers FOI practitioners, by building upon the foundations established by the FOI Practitioner Certificate, delving deep into the intricacies of FOI and gaining the skills and confidence to navigate its complexities effectively. The Intermediate Certificate in GDPR Practice.  is designed to teach DPOs important DPO skills, as well as advanced knowledge, by covering more challenging topics to gain a deeper awareness of the fundamentals of data protection practice.   

We continue to encourage new entrants to the IG profession. Our development and delivery of the training materials underpinning the Data Protection and Information Governance Practitioner Level 4 Apprenticeship has helped over 100 apprentices in 2023 to join the profession; and numbers predicted to grow even further in 2024/25.  

And we are spreading the IG message beyond these shores! In November 2023, Ibrahim Hasan addressed the UAE’s first ever privacy and data protection law conference; which brought together data protection and security compliance professionals from across the world to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East data protection framework.   

In December, Act Now announced the launch of the UAE’s first Data Protection Executive training programme. This practical course focusses on developing a data protection framework and ensuring compliance with the UAE Data Protection Law’s strict requirements. This is particularly relevant given the recent advancements in Data Protection law in the Middle East, including the UAE’s first comprehensive national data protection law, Federal Decree Law No. 45/2021.  This is a real first for the IG profession. Middlesex University is the biggest international university in Dubai and this certificate is the first executive DP programme in the Middle East.  

Act Now’s programme of online workshops has been expanded to help the profession understand the hot IG topics of the day including: 