By Jess Pembroke, Director of Information Law Services
I recently met a colleague who is preparing to go on maternity leave, which prompted me to reflect on my own experience of doing the same twice, some years ago.
Looking back, one of the hardest parts of preparing for maternity leave was never just the handover itself. It was stepping away from something I had spent years building.
As Data Protection Officers, we do far more than oversee compliance frameworks, respond to incidents, or advise. We build relationships. We become trusted sounding boards. We create confidence across an organisation about how to handle people’s personal data. Over time, you become the person people turn to when something is sensitive, complex, or when things have gone wrong. I have always felt it is an exciting and challenging role but that makes stepping away feel incredibly personal.
At the time, I remember feeling both excited and unsettled. Excited about the new chapter ahead, of course, but also deeply aware that I was leaving behind a role that had become a huge part of my professional identity.
Leaving Behind What I Had Built
For anyone who has worked as a sole DPO, or in a small privacy function, that feeling can be particularly intense.
When you’re the one who has built the programme, shaped the relationships, and earned trust across the business, it can be difficult to imagine what happens when you step away. You know the history behind decisions, the context behind risk appetite, and the way certain conversations need to be handled. You know which senior leaders need reassurance, which teams need practical support.
That was one of my biggest concerns before I went off: not simply whether the work would continue, but whether the relationships I had built would continue too.
I had worked hard to establish strong relationships with senior managers — relationships based not only on technical knowledge, but on credibility, consistency, and trust. I worried about whether those connections would hold while I was away. Would privacy still be brought in early enough? Would those senior conversations still happen in the way they needed to? Would the function retain its visibility and influence?
Those worries felt very real at the time.
When You Lead Others, You Leave People Too
For those working in larger teams, maternity leave can bring a different kind of challenge.
If you lead information governance officer’s, records managers, privacy analysts, or wider compliance colleagues, stepping away is not just about handing over projects. It is also about stepping back from the people you support every day.
That, too, can feel emotional.
You think about who will mentor them while you are away. Who will advocate for them. Who will notice their progress, support their development, and help them navigate organisational change. If you have spent years investing in a team’s growth, it can feel strange to suddenly let go of that day-to-day connection.
And then there is the uncertainty of time. 9 months to a year is a long time in any organisation.
I remember wondering what the team would be like when I came back. Would it feel the same? Would there be new colleagues? Would familiar faces have moved on? Would team dynamics shift? Would I return to something recognisable, or something entirely different?
These are the kinds of thoughts many people have, but do not always say out loud.
The Fear of Falling Behind
One of the strongest feelings I remember was the fear of falling behind.
Data protection does not stand still. Guidance evolves, technology changes quickly. New systems appear, new priorities emerge, and fresh risks demand attention. In such a fast-moving profession, taking a step back for a long period can feel daunting.
At the time, I remember asking myself difficult questions:
It was not really about capability. It was about confidence.
When you are used to being immersed in your work every day, even a temporary pause can feel like a professional distance opening up between who you were before leave and who you might be when you return.
Trying to Stay Connected While Away
I also remember thinking carefully about how I might keep up with the pace of change while I was off.
Of course, maternity leave should be exactly that — leave. Time to focus on your new family, your recovery, and a completely different chapter of life.
For me, the answer was never to stay fully plugged in, but rather to find reassurance that re-entry was possible. That I would be able to refresh my knowledge, rebuild confidence, and get back up to speed when the time came.
Looking back now, I can see that the core skills never went away. Professional judgement, relationship-building, communication, leadership, and experience do not disappear simply because you have taken time away from the workplace.
Coming Back
Walking back into work after maternity leave can feel surprisingly disorientating. The organisation I had left in one case ceased to exist and this evolved into me setting up my own business. After my second period of maternity leave (covid19 happened) and new priorities have emerged, colleagues had left, others had joined, and people used Teams/Zoom in a way I had never before done.
Thankfully, during my own experience, I had some wonder mentors who supported me in rejoining the workforce, and rebuilding my confidence because actually, I retained all the skills I needed to be a good DPO, I just needed a crash course on the developments in that space.
Looking back, I do not think enough is said about how important that support can be. Returning from maternity leave is not simply about resuming a role. It is about rebuilding rhythm, confidence, and a sense of professional self. That is much easier to do when you are not doing it alone.
Supporting the Individual — and the Organisation
One of the main things I have taken from the experience is that maternity leave should not feel like something an organisation simply “manages around”.
For employers, particularly where the DPO role sits with one person, maternity leave can create a genuine gap. Continuity matters. Relationships matter. Ongoing support for projects, risk, governance, and compliance matters too. That is why interim support can be so valuable.
If your organisation is planning for maternity leave and needs specialist cover, reaching out to my company about an interim DPO solution can help provide reassurance and continuity during that period. It allows privacy responsibilities to remain properly supported while giving the individual going on leave the confidence to step away fully.
And for professionals returning to work, the right support matters just as much. If you have recently returned or are preparing to our upcoming Advanced Certificate in Data Protectionin September could offer a practical and supportive refresher. Sometimes a structured space to refresh your thinking, reconnect with the profession, and re-find your professional footing can make all the difference.
Final Reflection
Looking back now, I can say this with real clarity: the worries I had before maternity leave were completely valid. The uncertainty, the questions, the emotional weight of stepping away from something I had built all of it was very real.
But I came back different. Not just professionally, but personally too. I returned as a mother (and later, a mother of two), with a new perspective and strengths I hadn’t fully appreciated before: the ability to stay calm in chaos, to prioritise instinctively, and to juggle more than I ever thought possible.
If you are about to embark on maternity leave, I wish you the most wonderful time. And when or if you choose to return, I hope it marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter, both in your career and beyond.
