Controls-as-Code—sometimes called Compliance-as-Code—is the idea of automating the enforcement of required controls directly within an organization's systems. The promise is compelling: compliance that is consistent, auditable, and built in rather than bolted on. But real progress requires more than tooling. It takes a deliberate blend of strong data management discipline with compliance and legal expertise, translating obligations written for lawyers into rules a system can enforce.

This session is built for practitioners, not theorists. Gretchen will share actionable guidance for moving Controls-as-Code from concept to implementation: how to decompose privacy, legal, and regulatory obligations into programmable units, how to align the stakeholders who must own the result, and how foundational data capabilities—especially reference data and metadata—make automated compliance achievable. Attendees will leave with a realistic view of the obstacles and practical steps to start.

Attendees will learn:

• How to break down privacy, legal, regulatory, and other obligations into programmable units
• How to drive alignment across key stakeholders—data, compliance, legal, and engineering
• How reference data and metadata provide critical support to compliance objectives
• Where Controls-as-Code delivers the fastest wins—and where automation has limits
• The common obstacles to real implementation, and how to navigate them
• Practical first steps to pilot Controls-as-Code in your own organization