Talk by Nigel Gooding, Academic & Data Protection, Information Security and AI Champion.
Nigel shares his own experiences of data sharing and examines the evolving social impact of cybersecurity in an AI-driven world. He’ll explore how our digital choices ripple across communities and societies, and how the rise of AI brings extraordinary opportunities, unlocking data for breakthroughs in health, education, and social good. Emphasising the belief that ‘Sharing is caring, unlocking data for human good’, this talk will also confront the challenges: from privacy erosion to algorithmic bias and cyber threats that can amplify harm. He’ll uncover how responsible data stewardship, ethical AI and thoughtful cybersecurity not only prevent misuse but also actively build trust, drive innovation, and strengthen human well-being on a global scale.
Nigel Gooding, founder of the Devon-based Data Privacy Advisory Service, is a recognised expert in data protection, AI, cyber, and information security. With a career across both public and private sectors, he’s held senior roles including Chief Operating Officer at NHS Direct, Operations Director or the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and DPO for organisations including South Western Ambulance NHS, Macmillan Cancer Support, Bristol Airport and a parade of councils. He has also advised the Government of Jersey on health, social care, education, and safeguarding, usually without spilling the beans. Nigel tells us his qualifications are almost their own postcode: multiple master’s degrees, a Fellow of the British Computer Society (BCS), External Examiner for two Law master’s degrees, and a graduate of the Oxford University Artificial Intelligence Programme. A proud West Country man, born in Exeter with Cornish roots, Nigel is also a 20-year survivor of head and neck cancer and writes a heartfelt, often witty blog about the experience.
He lectures in entrepreneurship, business management, and innovation at Plymouth Marjon and Falmouth Universities. He is working on a PhD at Falmouth, focusing on sustainable business in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with the Cornwall National Landscape serving as his research base. When not immersed in data or academia, he’s walking his dog Beau, his clinger springer, refereeing rugby, or roaming the countryside in his walking boots like a GDPR-compliant explorer.