Rolls-Royce Power Systems wins accolade for personal data protection

• Processes re-aligned to suit the European General Data Protection Regulation
• 10,000 members of staff and top executives receive relevant training

Power Systems, the Rolls-Royce business unit, has tailored its processes to meet the new requirements of the European General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR). Its highly structured approach brought it to the attention of Dr Stefan Brink, Baden-Württemberg state commissioner for data protection and freedom of information (LfDI), who selected the Rolls-Royce Power Systems case as a reference project. The project was implemented by Power Systems in consultation with the LfDI. The EU regulation has existed since 2016 but officially came into force on 25 May 2018.   

“Our company has always attached great importance to the careful handling of personal data and we have a data management system in place to ensure this,” said CFO Marcus A. Wassenberg who carries the corporate services portfolio at the company. “However the arrival of the new data protection regulation prompted us to go even further by refining our processes accordingly and giving them a clear structure.” Responsibilities and procedures are regulated in the company’s global directives which have now been revised. Some 10,000 members of staff in 24 countries worldwide, including top executives, benefited from special training.

It was this structured approach to implementing the project during ongoing operations that prompted the LfDI to use the company as a reference model. “Power Systems has demonstrated for us in an exemplary way how it is possible to attain the stricter standards set by the new data protection rules,” said Dr Stefan Brink, state commissioner in Baden-Württemberg. He went on to point out the importance of building on that success by providing staff in Germany and abroad with practical assistance in their daily routines and by offering further courses to help them commit the new rules and procedures to memory. Marcus A. Wassenberg said: “Our data protection management system has been specifically designed to keep the EGDPR rules in constant focus.   We see it as our ongoing responsibility to handle personal data properly and this principle is naturally enshrined in our compliance regime.”