Business support agency Menta is staging a series of six “masterclasses” to help organisations prepare for the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into effect next May.

The sessions, in Bury St Edmunds, follow on from a GDPR conference held by Menta at Copdock Hall, near Ipswich, at which nearly 100 delegates heard from a panel of speakers including Robert Masson from the DPO Centre who specialises in data protection training and advice.

Mr Masson, who gave a full overview of what the changes mean for business owners and their employees, will also facilitate the masterclasses, four of which have already sold out although places still remain available for dates in January and February. For further details, visit www.menta.org.uk.

Other speakers at the conference included Colin Mayson of event sponsor BSI who explained how certification can help in meeting GDPR requirements.

Mr Masson said: “If a business stores personal data, whether that be on a prospect, customer, client, supplier or employee then they will fall under the GDPR requirements, and where that’s the case, it is going to have a profound effect on their organisations.”

Mr Mayson added: “BSI was pleased to participate at this informative event. It is extremely important companies get to grips with the GDPR changes as soon as possible to give sufficient time to update their processes and train their staff accordingly.”