Jan Decorte

Jan oversees AWO's compliance practice, with a particular focus on GDPR and data protection law, AI governance, cybersecurity, and the broader EU digital regulatory framework.

Jan has been a member of the Brussels Bar for 35 years and has also been qualified as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales since 1998. He began his career in the humanitarian sector before moving into business law, working with leading law firms in the UK and Belgium prior to joining AWO.

Jan brings more than 25 years of experience advising public and private organisations on data protection and digital regulatory compliance. He has assisted numerous clients across a wide range of sectors in developing and implementing data protection and broader digital compliance strategies. His practice also encompasses contract law, IP and IT law.

Jan is Vice-President of the Arbitration Commission for Professional Conduct Rules and Ethics in the pharmaceutical sector (pharma.be) and sits as an appeal judge in disputes between pharmaceutical companies. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of DNS Belgium, (Belgian Domain Name Registry) and a founding member of the Legal Expert Group (LEG) of the Belgian Association of Marketing (BAM).

Jan teaches at the Belgian Data Protection Institute, including on its Certified DPO programme and Master Classes in data protection compliance auditing.

Jan holds a Master of Laws and a Baccalaureate in Philosophy from KU Leuven, Belgium. He also holds a diploma in English Commercial Law from the College of Law in London and is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E).