Engage Compliance vs HewardMills

Key takeaways

• Both serve growing organizations across multiple jurisdictions, so choose HewardMills for a larger established firm with team-based delivery and Engage Compliance for direct senior practitioner access.
• We operate an expert-led model where each client works directly with a senior DPO backed by specialist advisors, while HewardMills is a larger team-based firm covering different client portfolios.
• We focus specifically on technology sectors (SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, and AI) with deep expertise in AI Act, DORA, and HIPAA, whereas HewardMills serves a broad range of sectors.
• We publish tiered pricing (Privacy Advisory From €600, DPO Foundation From €1,000, DPO Complete From €4,500 per month); HewardMills does not publish standard rates.
• We suit technology companies at Seed through Series C valuing direct senior access and EU establishment for non-EU companies expanding to the EU.

At a glance

HewardMills is an international DPO and privacy consulting firm founded by Dyann Heward-Mills. The firm offers outsourced DPO services, EU Representative service, UK Representative service, and a broader privacy compliance services portfolio. HewardMills has been a recognized name in the outsourced DPO market for several years.

Engage Compliance is an expert-led fractional DPO and privacy compliance consultancy based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Experience across 100+ startups and enterprises including Amazon, Coinbase, and Robinhood. Tiered pricing published from €600 per month.

Both firms serve growing tech companies. They differ in firm scale, sector breadth, and senior expertise.

Note: Outsourced DPO is also referred to as external DPO, virtual DPO, fractional DPO, or DPaaS. Local-language equivalents include externer Datenschutzbeauftragter (Germany), DPO externe (France), DPO esterno (Italy), DPD externo (Spain).

Firm scale and service model

HewardMills operates as a larger team-based firm with practitioners covering different client portfolios and scopes. The firm has been an established presence in the outsourced DPO market with multi-jurisdictional service coverage.

Engage Compliance operates on an expert-led model with direct senior practitioner engagement. Each client works directly with a senior DPO, backed by specialist advisors. This model is structurally different from team-based service firms.

For companies that prefer the stability and scale of a larger firm with team-based delivery, HewardMills offers that model. For companies that prefer direct access to a senior in-house veteran with leadership at recognizable companies, Engage Compliance’s expert-led model is structurally different.

Senior expertise

Experience across 100+ startups and enterprises including Amazon, Coinbase, and Robinhood.

HewardMills founder Dyann Heward-Mills brings background in compliance, regulation, and privacy. The firm has been operating in the outsourced DPO market for several years.

Sector focus

HewardMills serves a broad range of sectors including tech, financial services, healthcare, and others.

Engage Compliance focuses specifically on technology sectors including SaaS, FinTech, HealthTech, and AI companies. The narrower focus enables deeper sector-specific expertise including AI Act for AI companies, DORA for fintech, and HIPAA coordination for HealthTech.

Pricing transparency

Engage Compliance publishes tiered pricing: Privacy Advisory From €600 per month, DPO Foundation From €1,000 per month, DPO Complete From €4,500 per month.

HewardMills does not publish standard rates.

ICP fit

Both firms serve growing companies. Specific fit considerations:

• HewardMills is well suited for organizations across multiple sectors needing a recognized established outsourced DPO firm with multi-jurisdictional coverage and team-based delivery.
• Engage Compliance is well suited specifically for technology companies at Seed through Series C stages valuing direct senior practitioner access, sector-specific expertise in tech regulations including AI Act and DORA, transparent published pricing, and EU establishment for non-EU companies expanding to the EU.

Which to choose

Choose HewardMills if you want a larger established firm with multi-sector experience and team-based service delivery.

Choose Engage Compliance if you are a tech company at Seed through Series C, you want direct senior practitioner access from a privacy leader with documented in-house experience at recognizable tech and healthcare companies, you value transparent published pricing, or you need deep sector-specific expertise in tech-specific regulations (AI Act, DORA, US state laws).

Get started

If you want to evaluate Engage Compliance for your fractional DPO needs, book a consultation.