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
We agree the scope, duration and rate upfront based on your assignment.
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
My services
What expertise does your team need?
Temporary support or a specific advisory question: together we determine the right engagement.
Interim consultancy
A freelance AI and privacy consultant working alongside your legal, privacy or governance team.
Additional capacity for advice, assessment and implementation in your organisation.
Weekly hours, start date and duration agreed together.
View interim supportData protectionPrivacy & GDPR
Advice on personal data, DPIAs, agreements and privacy policies, including questions unrelated to AI.
Clear assessments and practical arrangements for handling personal data responsibly.
For legal teams, privacy teams and the business.
View privacy adviceResponsible AI useAI governance
Support with AI risks, the EU AI Act, policies, responsibilities and supplier assessments.
A practical approach to decision-making and managing AI risks.
From a specific assessment to implementation support.
Discuss AI governanceRecent 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
From assignment to implementation
The engagement fits your team, question and required level of support.
- 01
Discuss the assignment
We discuss your question, the expertise required, the start date and expected commitment.
- 02
Agree the engagement
We agree the work, responsibilities, hours or project scope and rate.
- 03
Work together and hand over
I work with your team on assessments, advice and implementation, with clear documentation and handover.
Freelance support · Direct contact · Clear agreements
Frequently asked questions
Can I hire you for an interim assignment?
Yes. I work as a freelance AI and privacy consultant. We discuss the work, start date, weekly hours and duration to determine the right engagement.
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.
Do you also work on defined projects?
Yes. Alongside interim support, I undertake defined assessments and advisory projects. We agree the deliverables and the information and collaboration required upfront.
How do we agree the rate?
The rate depends on the assignment, responsibilities and commitment. We discuss it upfront and document the 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.