Zdravko Vukić, director of the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency

Zdravko Vukić graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Osijek and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration. He earned a Master’s degree in Economics from Libertas International University in Zagreb, and later completed a postgraduate specialist programme at University North in Varaždin, obtaining the academic title of Specialist in Economics.

He also holds an internationally accredited ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Lead Auditor certificate in information security management systems, with expertise in information security, cybersecurity, and privacy protection.

From 2005 to 2016, he served as Chief Human Resources Officer, overseeing human resources management and legal affairs. In parallel (2008–2016), he held the role of Data Protection Officer.

Between 2016 and 2020, he served as Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Construction and Physical Planning of the Republic of Croatia, where he supervised the Directorates for Inspection Affairs, Supervision, and Information System Development.

In 2020, he was appointed Director of the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency, and in February 2024 he was reappointed for a second four-year term. On 19 June 2024, the members of the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) elected him Deputy Chair.

In addition to his executive roles, he has held several elected public offices, including Vice President of the Assembly of Osijek-Baranja County, member of the City Government, and member of the City Council.

He is a guest lecturer on personal data protection at various faculties in Croatia and a member of the National Cybersecurity Council.

He has been actively involved in EU institutional cooperation initiatives supporting the harmonization of national legislation with EU data protection law and in the successful implementation of the EU-funded ARC project, in cooperation with the Irish Data Protection Authority.

Under his leadership, the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency organized the Spring Conference of the European Supervisory Authorities in 2022, the most important forum for cooperation among European regulatory authorities.

He played a key role in the implementation of the ARC I project, aimed at supporting SMEs in achieving GDPR compliance. He served as a member of the Steering Committee of the ARC II project, a joint initiative between the Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency and the Italian Garante per la Protezione dei Dati Personali, focused on developing an innovative GDPR compliance tool for SMEs and Data Protection Officers.

Professional, Academic & Speaking Activities:

• Guest lecturer on personal data protection at multiple Croatian universities: University of Split Faculty of Law, University of Osijek Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb Faculty of Economics, University North (Sveučilište Sjever) in Varaždin.
• Speaker at international conferences and symposiums:
• Privacy Symposium, Venice, Italy (2023, 2024, 2025) – The Future of DPOs; GDPR and Generative AI After the EDPB Opinion.
• ARC project conferences and workshops: Brussels, Belgium (2022), Rome, Italy (2024), EU ARC II workshops (2022–2024).
• Spring Conference of European Supervisory Authorities, Budapest, Hungary (2023); Cavtat & Dubrovnik, Croatia (2022).
• III & IV International Congress of Lawyers, Bled, Slovenia (2024, 2025).
• 22nd Annual Conference of CEE Data Protection Authorities (CEEPDA), Tbilisi, Georgia (2024) – Topics: video surveillance, biometric data processing, sanctions.
• AI & GDPR conferences, Zagreb (2024, 2025); Digital Transformation in Financial Sector, Pristina, Kosovo (2025).
• KosovoPAR 2025, Pristina, Kosovo – Panel: AI Risks: Legal Perspective and Data Protection.
• 1st Annual Regulators’ Meeting, Zagreb, 2025 – Panel: Status and Importance of Regulators in Croatia.
• 30th anniversary of Hungarian Data Protection Authority – Speaker as Deputy Chair of EDPB.
• EU project & public sector involvement:
• Member of the Supervisory Board of the EU ARC II project (2022–2024), lecturer at workshops.
• Participant in Twinning project, North Macedonia, Skopje (2021, 2022).
• Professional training & workshops:
• Lectures/workshops with Croatian Chamber of Economy, Croatian Employers’ Association, Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts.
• Annual Data Protection Officer conferences, (2022, 2023).