GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY

Build your accountable PDPL governance.

We establish clear accountability, formal governance, and the core records and policies your organisation needs to operate Saudi Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) compliance.

Our role is to keep accountability, processing records, policy and retention controls usable and current as your organisation, systems and processing environment change.

CORE SERVICES

ACCOUNTABILITY

GOVERNANCE-LED

EVIDENCE

AUDIT-READY

THE OPERATING MODEL

Establish the governance system that keeps PDPL accountability clear and current.

We build the governance layer that defines who is accountable, what your organisation processes, which internal rules apply and what evidence must remain current.

Controller accountability

We connect Controller registration and DPO appointment requirements through SDAIA’s National Data Governance Platform (NDGP), together with DPO governance and management ownership, into one accountable operating model.

Processing visibility

We build and maintain the Record of Processing Activities (RoPA) as a living control record connecting purpose, Data Subjects, recipients, transfers, retention and safeguards.

Policy architecture

We translate PDPL requirements into approved internal rules that business, technology, HR and vendor owners can actually follow.

Lifecycle discipline

We establish retention, review and destruction controls so Personal Data is kept for a defined reason, not simply because systems make retention convenient.

FROM OBLIGATION TO EVIDENCE

Keep governance working as a connected control cycle, not a collection of documents.

We connect each governance service into the same operating cycle: identify the trigger, assess the requirement, coordinate the decision or control, and retain the resulting evidence.

This gives management and the DPO Office a clear line from the accountability requirement to the owner, approval, operating control and retained evidence, so governance changes can be handled without rebuilding the framework each time.

Establish accountability

We confirm the Controller profile, DPO governance, decision rights and escalation routes.

Map processing

We build and maintain the RoPA as the factual foundation for ongoing compliance decisions.

Set the rules

We align policy, retention and supporting procedures with the processing your organisation actually performs.

Keep it current

We establish review triggers so governance records and controls are revisited when processing, systems, vendors, transfers or organisational roles change.

CONTINUOUS GOVERNANCE CYCLE

The result is a governance system that can be updated as the organisation changes rather than rebuilt after the fact.

WHEN THE DPO OFFICE ACTS

Bring these governance triggers into the DPO Office before they become control gaps.

When these events occur, we review the affected governance records, assessments, approvals and controls, then coordinate the updates needed to keep the compliance position current.

Bringing these changes into review early lets us update the affected ownership, records and approvals before business change creates a gap between the documented framework and actual practice.

Trigger

Change requiring attention

Response

Registration changes

Entity, representative or DPO details change.

DPO REVIEW

New processing

A new product, system, data category or purpose is introduced.

DPO REVIEW

Material change

A vendor, recipient, transfer, retention rule or processing method changes.

DPO REVIEW

Governance review

Policies, RoPA and retention evidence reach their scheduled review point.

DPO REVIEW

GOVERNANCE SERVICE CATALOGUE

Seven governance services we can scope around your current accountability needs.

Start with the governance requirement that needs to be established or strengthened. We can deliver it as a defined scope or connect adjacent PDPL DPO services where the same issue creates operational, contractual or assurance dependencies.

SDAIA Data Controller Registration

Prepare controller registration information, readiness inputs and supporting evidence.

SDAIA DPO Conflict of Interest Assessment

Assess DPO independence, responsibilities, reporting lines and potential conflicts.

DPO Appointment under SDAIA Rules

Structure and document the formal DPO appointment, responsibilities, escalation routes and accountability model.

Record of Personal Data Processing Activities (RoPA)

Build and maintain an evidence-led inventory of Personal Data processing activities, purposes, data categories, recipients and controls.

Personal Data Protection Policy

Define organisation-wide PDPL principles, governance responsibilities, control expectations and operational ownership.

Personal Data Retention Schedule

Translate legal, regulatory and business retention requirements into governed periods, review points and disposal rules.

Staff Awareness Training

Build role-relevant PDPL awareness so employees understand how to recognise, handle and escalate privacy obligations in everyday work.

SDAIA KSA PDPL CONTEXT

Regulatory references behind this service category.

These are the KSA PDPL requirements our Governance & Accountability services are designed to operationalise and evidence.

The Rules Governing the National Register of Controllers Within the Kingdom Article 4 – Registration Procedures

Sets out the national registration framework, Controller profile information and related obligations relevant to establishing the organisation’s PDPL governance baseline.

Rules for Appointing Personal Data Protection Officer (DPO) Article 5 – Cases of Appointing DPO

Defines the circumstances in which a Controller is required to appoint a Personal Data Protection Officer under the KSA PDPL framework.

Saudi PDPL Article 31 – Record of Processing Activities (RoPA)

Requires Controllers to maintain records of Personal Data Processing activities containing prescribed information and make them available to the Competent Authority when requested.

Saudi PDPL Article 18 – Personal Data Retention and Destruction

Establishes the requirement to destroy Personal Data once the purpose ends, subject to the conditions that permit or require continued retention.

DPO GUIDES

Need the detailed method behind a governance issue?

The guides provide deeper working detail where your team wants to understand the method. The service scope remains focused on establishing, operating and maintaining the governance controls for you.

DPO GOVERNANCE

How to Appoint a DPO in Saudi Arabia

The Guide is useful when the organisation needs to establish, replace or reassess the DPO role and document the appointment decision clearly.

ACCOUNTABILITY

How to Build and Maintain a RoPA

The Guide provides deeper context on how to build a reliable processing inventory, assign ownership and keep the RoPA current as activities change.

RETENTION

How to Build a Personal Data Retention Schedule

The Guide provides deeper context on how to define defensible retention periods, connect them to business and legal needs, and establish deletion controls.

LEGAL BASIS

How to Assess Legitimate Interest

The Guide is useful when legitimate Interest is being considered and the DPO Office needs to document necessity, impact and balancing before relying on it.

BUILD THE RIGHT SCOPE

Need one governance service or ongoing DPO Office ownership?

Bring us the governance obligation, accountability gap or evidence requirement. We can scope the relevant service as a defined engagement or connect it into an ongoing DPO Office model where the controls need continuous ownership.