Freelance consultancy · Privacy · AI governance
AI and privacy consultancy for your organisation.
Zahed Ashkara is a legal counsel and freelance AI and privacy consultant, with assignments at a major bank, an international education publisher, a drinking water utility and government bodies. He strengthens legal, privacy and governance teams on GDPR, DPIAs, contracts and AI governance, with advice your organisation can apply directly.
Choose privacy, AI or both. Your action plan is shown immediately.
How I can help
Advice and implementation
- Temporary support for your privacy or governance team
- Privacy advice and practical GDPR implementation
- DPIAs and assessment of privacy and AI risks
- AI governance, policies and responsibilities
- Supplier and contract reviews
- Practical support for legal teams and the business
No prices on the site: after a 30-minute call you know where you stand.
Experience in these sectors
Assignments at Rabobank, Sanoma, PWN, central government and municipalities, among others.
- Financial services
- Education and publishing
- Critical infrastructure
- Central and local government
- Social domain
- Innovation and SMEs
Who you get at the table
Zahed Ashkara
Freelance AI & Privacy Consultant · Legal Counsel
Legal counsel at the intersection of law, data and AI: the EU AI Act implementation programme at Rabobank, the privacy team at Sanoma, Senior Legal Counsel Privacy & AI at drinking water utility PWN, and legal adviser to central government and municipalities. I make risks visible, fix responsibilities and take decisions together with legal, IT and the business.
You work directly with me. As a member of the NEN AI & Big Data standards committee, I help shape the standards that give the EU AI Act practical form.
- CAICO, Certified AI Compliance Officer (Centre for Certified Legal and Tech Expertise)
- Certified AI Meets Law
- Member, NEN standards committee AI & Big Data
- Master of Public Law, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Three ways to work with me
Hire, external DPO or one assessment
There are no prices on this site. Each offering states how you get one. I work exclusively as a freelancer, directly or through your agency.
Hire an AI and privacy legal adviser
Interim or per project, as privacy officer, AI governance lead or DPO. Directly or through your agency, framework agreement or hiring platform.
Rate by agreement, also through your agency or framework agreement
By agreement
View this offeringOngoingExternal DPO and AI oversight
An independent data protection officer with fixed hours and a fixed point of contact, who also keeps your AI register and reviews new AI applications.
Fixed monthly fee, matched to your organisation, agreed up front
12 months, then cancellable per quarter
View this offeringOne-off, fixed scopeSigned assessment
A DPIA, FRIA, AI Act classification, Article 50 check or review of an AI contract. Fixed scope and fixed price, agreed up front.
Fixed price up front, within three working days of a 30-minute call
1 to 4 weeks
View this offeringRecent assignments
Legal expertise in practice
Three assignments that show what you can expect from me.
- 01
Sanoma · AI & Privacy Consultant
Supporting the privacy team of an international education organisation: translating the EU AI Act and GDPR into workable controls for AI use cases, guiding AI and data protection impact assessments, and deciding on risk and human oversight together with legal, product and IT.
- 02
Rabobank · AI Governance Consultant
Supporting the bank-wide EU AI Act implementation programme in the Coverage & Completeness stream: assessed the completeness of governance and evidence and prepared the transition to business as usual, working with the CRO, Compliance, Privacy and Model Risk Management.
- 03
PWN · Senior Legal Counsel Privacy & AI
Legal adviser within critical infrastructure: GDPR, AI governance, data privacy, IT contracts and compliance. Inventory and assessment of AI applications, legal risk analyses and contractual frameworks for data and AI questions.
Working together
How it works
After one call you receive a fixed price for an assessment, or a fixed monthly fee for an external DPO. When you hire me, we agree the rate, also through your agency or framework agreement.
- 01
A 30-minute call
You explain where you stand. I tell you honestly whether and how I can help.
- 02
Proposal within three working days
Fixed scope, fixed price and a schedule, within three working days. No open end.
- 03
Delivery, signed
You receive the deliverable with my name under it, and thirty days for follow-up questions.
Freelance only · No secondment · Direct contact
Frequently asked questions
Can I hire you for an interim assignment?
Yes. Interim or per project, as privacy officer, AI governance lead or DPO. Directly or through your agency, framework agreement or hiring platform. I work exclusively as a freelancer, not through secondment or employment.
Can you help with privacy questions unrelated to AI?
Yes. Privacy and GDPR are a standalone part of my advisory work, including personal data, DPIAs, agreements and privacy policies.
Can you help with one specific question?
Yes. A DPIA, FRIA, AI Act classification, Article 50 check or review of an AI contract is delivered as a signed assessment: fixed scope and fixed price, agreed up front.
Why is there no price on the site?
Because the scope differs a lot per question. After a 30-minute call you receive a fixed price within three working days for an assessment, or a fixed monthly fee for an external DPO. When you hire me, we agree the rate, also through your agency or framework agreement.
Do you use a tool for the intake of AI requests?
Yes. For the groundwork we use our own assistant: the requester first answers five plain-language questions, existing evidence is read along in read-only mode, and the privacy officer or adviser receives a dossier with source references to review and complete. The assessment itself stays with people. The assistant is in use at the first organisations; we only deploy it with your consent and within your own sources.
Next step
Need an AI or privacy consultant?
Discuss your question, desired start date and expected commitment. Together we determine whether the assignment is a fit.