Our Team

Certified data protection professionals with deep expertise in GDPR compliance, international frameworks, and Portuguese regulatory landscape.

Leadership & Specialists

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Ricardo Mendes

Chief DPO & Managing Partner

15+ years data protection and regulatory compliance. Founder of Direct Hit with focus on strategic DPO positioning and international compliance convergence.

CIPP/E CDPO ISO 27001

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Helena Costa

Senior DPO & Compliance Lead

12+ years GDPR implementation and cross-border compliance. Specialises in group DPO arrangements, NIS2 integration, and Portuguese regulatory relationships.

CIPP/E CIPM CNPD Liaison

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João Silva

Technical DPO & Privacy Engineer

Software engineer turned compliance professional. Expertise in DPIA, technical measures, data security architecture, and privacy-by-design implementation.

CDPO ISO 27001 Privacy Engineer

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Mariana Sousa

International DPO & EU Counsel

EU regulatory expert based in Brussels. Specialises in cross-border transfers, Schrems II assessments, adequacy decisions, and EDPB jurisprudence.

CIPP/E CIPM EDPB Liaison

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Thomas Rodriguez

Internalisation Consultant & Training

DPO service model specialist. Leads DPO onboarding programmes, team development, and compliance maturity assessments for internalisation projects.

CIPP/E Certified Trainer Change Management

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Ana Ferreira

Data Rights & Subject Support

Specialises in data subject access requests, rights response management, and GDPR complaint handling. Portuguese and EU rights procedure expert.

CDPO Rights Specialist Customer Advocacy

Professional Development

Our team maintains continuous professional development through IAPP membership, EDPB following, CNPD liaison engagement, and regular certification renewal. We stay current with emerging regulations including NIS2, AI Act, and sectoral compliance frameworks.