What does it actually take to embed AI governance across 39 countries?
In this episode of Practical Privacy, Orla Dormer speaks with Martin Woodward, Director Global Legal & Global Responsible AI Officer at Randstad, about building and scaling an AI governance programme at global level.
Operating across 39 markets and multiple business verticals, Randstad faced a challenge many multinational organisations recognise: how do you ensure global alignment while still respecting local realities?
Martin shares candidly why their initial centralised approach led to slow adoption — and how flipping the model fundamentally changed engagement.
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What we cover in this episode
Instead of pushing governance from headquarters, Randstad shifted to a distributed model. They:
- Appointed Responsible AI Officers in each market and business vertical
- Created structured dialogue spaces instead of one-way communications
- Hosted monthly calls where local teams could shape the agenda
- Ran EU roadshows to build ownership where regulatory pressure is highest
The result was not just policy alignment, but stronger local buy-in, faster adoption, and genuine ownership across markets.
Key lessons from this episode
- AI governance cannot be imposed, it must be co-created
- Organisational culture should shape your governance model
- Human-centric organisations require a people-first change approach
- Designing AI principles early builds long-term alignment
- You do not need 39 voices at the table, but you do need the right ones
This episode goes beyond frameworks and theory. It is a practical reflection on change management, leadership, and what it really takes to embed responsible AI in complex, global organisations.
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🟡 If the challenges discussed in this episode resonate, you don’t have to solve them alone. Book a demo to see how organisations like Randstad and other global companies operationalise privacy and AI governance in practice, reducing complexity while aligning compliance with how their business actually works. 👉 Book your demo here