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Praxikon

Freelance, exclusively self-employed

Zahed Ashkara, freelance AI and privacy legal adviser

GDPR and the EU AI Act: DPIA and FRIA, external DPO and AI governance. Hire directly or through your agency.

I am a jurist and help organisations with privacy and AI at the same time. Since August 2025 I have been AI & Privacy Consultant at Sanoma as a freelancer. Previously I was Senior Legal Counsel Privacy & AI at PWN and AI Governance Consultant in Rabobank’s EU AI Act implementation programme. I work exclusively as a freelancer, through my company Embed AI.

Zahed Ashkara, freelance AI and privacy legal adviser

At a glance

Role
Freelance AI and privacy legal adviser (GDPR and EU AI Act)
Engagement
Freelance only, through Embed AI (Dutch Chamber of Commerce 90283597). No secondment or employment.
Format
Interim or per project, as external DPO, or for one assessment
Hire through
Directly, or through your agency, framework agreement or hiring platform
Languages
Dutch (native), English (fluent)
Area
The whole of the Netherlands, on site and remote
Rate
Agreed per assignment, matched to role and duration

What organisations hire me for

Three ways to work together, each with a fixed way of working. You know up front what you get and what it costs.

Interim or project

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.

  • Roles: privacy officer, privacy counsel, AI governance lead, DPO or AI Act programme manager
  • AI governance and AI Act implementation in your organisation
  • Privacy advice, DPIAs, FRIAs and data processing agreements

Rate by agreementalso through your agency or framework agreement

By agreement

What you get and how it works

Monthly

External 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.

  • Registration as DPO with the Dutch Data Protection Authority
  • Advice on DPIAs, data breaches and data subject requests
  • Keeping the AI register and reviewing every new AI application or supplier

Fixed monthly feematched to your organisation, agreed up front

12 months, then cancellable per quarter

What you get and how it works

Fixed price up front

Signed assessment

A DPIA, FRIA, AI Act classification, Article 50 check or review of an AI contract. Fixed scope and fixed price, agreed up front.

  • A DPIA under Article 35 GDPR, with a FRIA or IAMA on the same facts where Article 27 AI Act applies
  • A classification opinion: is your system high-risk, with the reasoning per step
  • An Article 50 check for chatbots, voicebots and AI content, with notices you can publish straight away

Fixed price up frontwithin three working days of a 30-minute call

1 to 4 weeks

What you get and how it works

Praxikon is a trade name of Embed AI (Dutch Chamber of Commerce 90283597). Proposal, terms and invoice are in that name.

Roles I fill

  • Privacy officer or privacy counsel (GDPR)
  • External data protection officer (DPO)
  • AI governance lead or AI Act programme manager
  • DPIA and FRIA assessor
  • Legal adviser on AI procurement and AI contracts

Clients also look for this role as an EU AI Act consultant, AI governance expert, AI compliance specialist or responsible AI consultant. The work is the same: establish which rules apply, carry out the assessment and record the evidence.

Who it is for

  • Public bodies, education, healthcare and financial institutions with an AI or privacy programme
  • Privacy and compliance teams that need a senior lawyer for a while
  • AI providers that want to know whether their system is high-risk
  • Agencies and hiring platforms with an assignment for a privacy or AI specialist
For government: FRIA, DPIA and algorithm register

Experience

  1. 2025 to presentAI & Privacy Consultant, Sanoma (freelance)
  2. 2026AI Governance Consultant, Rabobank, EU AI Act implementation programme
  3. 2024 to 2025Senior Legal Counsel Privacy & AI, PWN
  4. 2021 to 2024Legal Counsel, PNO Consultants
  5. 2020 to 2021Legal professional, EIFFEL
  6. 2023 to presentFounder, Embed AI, trade name Praxikon
  7. 2026 to presentFounder, LearnWize, AI literacy by role

Education, certificates and committee work

  • Master in Public Law, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • Bachelor of Laws, Universiteit Leiden
  • Certified AI Compliance Officer (CAICO), Centre for Certified Legal and Tech Expertise (April 2025)
  • AI meets Law, TML Academy (October 2024)
  • Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals for lawyers, Academie voor de Rechtspraktijk (December 2023)
  • Member of the NEN standards committee Artificial Intelligence & Big Data, the Dutch mirror committee of ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 and CEN-CENELEC JTC 21 (since July 2026)

Publications and speaking

I write about AI and privacy for trade media and speak for lawyers, boards and IT teams.

The AI Act per Annex III sector

Questions about hiring

Can I hire you through an agency or hiring platform?

Yes. If you work with a regular agency, a framework agreement or a hiring platform, I come in through that route. Hiring me directly is also possible. The contracting party is Embed AI (Dutch Chamber of Commerce 90283597).

Do you also work through secondment or employment?

No. I work exclusively as a freelancer: interim, per project, as external DPO or for one assessment.

What does it cost to hire you?

We agree the rate per assignment, matched to the role and the duration. Through an agency or framework agreement the rate applies within that framework. An external DPO is a fixed monthly fee, an assessment a fixed price up front. After a 30-minute call you have a proposal within three working days.

When can you start?

We agree availability and start date per assignment. Send the assignment description and you will hear quickly whether and when it fits.

Are you an attorney (advocaat)?

No. I am a jurist (legal adviser), not an advocaat admitted to the Dutch Bar. I advise, assess and carry out DPIAs and FRIAs. For court proceedings you need an advocaat.

Do you work in English?

Yes. Advice, assessments and sessions can be in Dutch or English.

Praxikon and LearnWize

Praxikon is a trade name of Embed AI. The explanations of the GDPR and the AI Act are free and open here; I carry out the services myself. AI literacy for all staff runs through LearnWize.

A 30-minute call

Want to discuss an assignment?

I tell you honestly whether I can help, and what it costs. Within three working days you have a proposal with a fixed price.