Data protection is a critical issue for all organisations operating in the digital era. And it’s something GCs play an integral role in protecting. Your focus on business risk as much as legal risk, and unique position as chief problem solver, means you need to be well informed about ongoing legal developments and collaborate with multiple departments in a company.

While privacy compliance isn’t just a legal issue and should involve the whole company, it’s something GCs are often expected to lead on, ensuring procedures are in lockstep with any applicable laws and helping to anticipate and mitigate any damage when or if a data breach occurs. And with a recent survey revealing over half of businesses suffered a data breach in the last 24 months, the odds of a data breach occurring under your watch are shortening.

Do’s and Don’ts For General Counsel Privacy

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) 2023 Chief Legal Officers Survey, which surveyed almost 900 chief legal officers (CLOs) from 35 countries, found cybersecurity, regulation and compliance, and data privacy are seen as the three most important issues facing CLOs today. More than two thirds expect the volume of privacy related regulatory enforcement to increase in 2023.

As a GC, you know it’s a busy job, with multiple priorities jostling for time and budget. But it is possible to get on top of privacy, and build a culture of ongoing compliance within your organisation. Here’s how:

1. Don’t put it off

You probably did a little data protection work a few years ago. You know that it is out of date. You know it needs taking care of. Don’t put it off. The longer you put it off, the worse it will get and the more you’ll worry about it. There are easy solutions that can put your mind at ease. Take some time to find the right solution for you and your organisation so that you minimise the risk of that embarrassing data breach which you know will be way more work and stress than putting a simple privacy management programme in place.

2. Don’t worry that you’re not an expert

You’re probably not a data protection expert. That is absolutely fine, you don’t need to be. And it doesn’t mean that you have to pay somebody else to be the expert. Data protection is not meant to need lawyers and consultants to get it done. All you need is a good plan and to set aside some time each month to tick off the privacy tasks that need taking care of.

3. Don’t let perfect get in the way of good

Lawyers love perfection. But as the old adage goes, ‘don’t let perfect get in the way of good’. Every organisation has its own particular privacy problem that it doesn’t know how to solve. It may be how to map complicated data flows; it may be its use of online advertising; it may be taming a product management team or a marketing team. Don’t let that troublesome problem get in the way of fixing all of the other things you can take care of more easily, such as training your staff, evaluating your security and making sure that your organisation is transparent about the ways in which it uses personal data. There is no shame in leaving some of the hard stuff until later.

4. Do set aside some budget

Don’t worry about the expense of getting privacy sorted – explain the risks and justify the value of what you need. We understand that the business is probably paying you a lot of money to sort all of the legal stuff. You may or may not have a team of very expensive people to help you. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve help. Getting privacy wrong is a risk to your business and one of your main jobs is to minimise risk. It goes without saying that the business will want to prioritise revenue and deliver great products and services, but if you get privacy wrong it will be on your head and you won’t have anyone else to blame. And getting it right costs a lot less than you think.

5. Do make it a habit for everyone

Getting privacy sorted is not a one off project, it is a programme. To keep your programme going, you’ve got to develop a habit and involve everyone in the organisation. Get a team of privacy champions together, agree on a plan and continue to chip away at that plan. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Slow and steady wins the race every time.

NEWINGTON, N.H., (June 30, 2023) – Laurence Grayer has joined SIG SAUER as Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer as a business partner to provide counsel while furthering corporate business objectives.

“Larry is an extraordinary addition to the SIG SAUER executive team,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales. “As SIG continues our path of unprecedented growth and expansion, Larry’s skills, experience, and leadership will be essential in supporting our strategic initiatives.”

Grayer previously served as the General Counsel for the global government services providers DynCorp International (McLean, VA) and Creative Associates International (Chevy Chase, MD). Grayer has been repeatedly recognized for excellence in the legal field by his peers, receiving honors and awards for his legal abilities, including named Top 50 Corporate Counsel in the U.S. (OnCon Icon Awards), Legal Executive of the Year – International (Best in Biz), and Top 25 Attorneys in Virginia (Attorney Intel).

“I’m truly honored to join SIG SAUER. With a fantastic reputation, an unparalleled dedication to quality and serving the needs of their customers, and an unwavering commitment to ethics and compliance, SIG SAUER is an employer of choice. I feel privileged to join such a highly skilled management team,” added Grayer.

Grayer received his juris doctorate from St. John’s University School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The George Washington University. Additionally, Grayer currently serves on the Board of Directors for Veterans Moving Forward, a non-profit organization providing service dogs, facility dogs, and emotional support dogs to veterans with physical or mental health challenges at no cost to the veterans.

“Latham & Watkins LLP¹ is pleased to announce that Colin Stretch, Facebook Inc.’s now Meta Platforms, Inc. General Counsel from 2013-2019, has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as Of Counsel, with a focus on the Public Company Representation and Emerging Companies Practices. He will,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“We are honored to welcome such a distinguished and outstanding talent to the firm, said Daniel Lennon, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins’ Washington, D.C. office. Colin is a superb strategist with exceptional regulatory, litigation, and corporate governance experience, and he will prove an asset to clients addressing.”

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“NYSE-listed RE/MAX Holdings, parent company of RE/MAX and Motto Mortgage, has promoted Susie Winders to become general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary. Winders most recently was vice president, assistant general counsel for RE/MAX, managing its legal department,” reports Ben Maiden in Corporate Secretary.

“Litigation teams and overseeing elements of the compliance program. In her new role, she leads the legal and contracts departments, which handle corporate governance and compliance, trademark and advertising, franchising, M&A contracts and licensing litigation privacy and employment matters. RE/MAX is one the largest US franchisor.”

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“The University of Iowa is bringing back to campus a former deputy general counsel who for the last year has been advising colleges, including the UI, on issues like sexual misconduct policies and Title IX-related internal investigations to succeed Carroll Reasoner as vice president for legal affairs,” reports Vanessa Millers in The Gazette.

“James D. Jorgensen, who served as UI associate counsel and deputy general counsel from 2006 to 2018, will start as UI general counsel Sept. 30. He’ll earn an annual salary of $385,000. Having earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Iowa State University, a Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School.”

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“James D. Jorgensen, senior counsel at Husch Blackwell LLP in Denver, Colorado, has been named the new vice president for legal affairs and general counsel at the University of Iowa. He is scheduled to begin on Sept. 30. Jorgensen succeeds Carroll Reasoner, who announced in March she would retire,” reports IOWA Now in their blog.

“Jorgensen has been at Husch Blackwell since 2021, where he advises colleges and universities on numerous issues, including workplace and academic accommodations, accreditation, student conduct and faculty discipline, negotiation of real estate transfers and academic programming partnerships. Jorgensen served as associate counsel.”

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“Armand Paliotta, a two-time alumnus of OU, will become the new vice president and general counsel starting on Oct. 1, pending approval from the OU Board of Regents. OU President Joseph Harroz announced the appointment on Tuesday in a press release. The position was previously held by Anil V,” reports Karoline Leonard in OU Daily.

“Who announced he would be leaving the university for another job opportunity this past May. During their May meeting, the Board of Regents approved a search committee, chaired by Vice President for Executive Affairs Sean Burrage, to replace Gollahalli before the start of the fall semester. Susanna Gattoni has been serving as the interim.”

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“Savills has named James Repking its general counsel in North America, effective August 1. Repking, formerly associate general counsel, will succeed retiring General Counsel and Executive Vice President L. Stanton Towne. Repking will relocate to the company’s North American headquarters in New,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“With significant in-house and private practice experience, James has established himself as an invaluable member of our internal legal team said Mitchell E. Rudin, chairman and CEO, Savills. In a short time, James has demonstrated his ability to advance our strategic priorities and thoughtfully navigate complex issues. We are proud.”

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“PPG announced that Joe Gette, currently assistant general  counsel, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and securities, will become vice president, deputy general counsel and secretary, effective June 1. Gette will continue to report to Anne M. Foulkes, PPG senior vice president, general counsel and.” reports Coatings World in their blog.

“In this new role, Gette will assume corporate secretary responsibilities while continuing to provide oversight and support for the company’s global M&A activities. He will also have oversight responsibility for securities, labor and employment and commercial legal activities for PPG’s U.S. and Latin America, North and South regions.”

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“Service Titan, a  software platform built to power the trades, today welcomed two seasoned leaders to its executive team: Olive Huang as General Counsel and Secretary of the Board, and Doug Myer as Senior Vice President of Operations. Both executives bring a wealth of experience and expertise as,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“Trades People are the unsung heroes we rely on to provide essential services like running water, electricity, air conditioning, and heat,” said Ara Mahdessian, co-founder and CEO of Service Titan. As the Operating System that powers the trades, it’s our responsibility to build a leadership team with the experience and expertise to solve our.”

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“Arsenal executive James King is set to be announced as the Professional Footballers’ Association’s general counsel, The Athletic understands. King had been employed by Arsenal since 2016 where he worked on commercial deals for their legal team before moving to their football operations department in,” reports David Ornstein in The Athletic.

“His most recent title at the Emirates Stadium was senior legal counsel for football operations. He was also a member of the FA’s legal and governance group for women’s football. King worked with Arsenal’s men’s, women’s and academy teams during his most recent years at the north London club. The PFA, the world’s oldest profession.”

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“Matillion, the leading enterprise cloud data integration platform, today announced the appointment of its General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer. Markus Bauman joins the company as it moves into a new phase of growth, having reached unicorn status late last year following its most recent series,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“Bauman is an accomplished corporate attorney with years of experience in both the US and Europe working at leading international law firms and investment banks, including Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. He was most recently Partner and Head of European Strategic Relations at Goodwin, a global law firm serving the technology.”

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“Service Titan Inc., a cloud-based software company that assists electricians and other home services businesses, has hired former Latham & Watkins and technology company lawyer Olive Huang as general counsel. Huang, who spent more than five years as a Latham associate, most recently was general,” reports Brian Baxter in Bloomberg Law.

“The trades are the ultimate customer service industry, Huang said in a Tuesday statement, adding that her new company aids businesses large and small. She joins the Glendale, California software services provider that to date has raised roughly $1.1 billion in capital. The company completed a $200 million Series G fundraising round.”

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“REI Co-op has hired Minnie Alexander as vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, effective May 31. Alexander is joining REI from The Walt Disney Company, where she has been assistant general counsel. Her previous work includes being in-house counsel at Campbell Soup,” reports Ben Maiden in Corporate Secretary.

“An attorney with law firm Dorsey & Whitney. She succeeds Wilma Wallace, who was promoted to senior vice president, chief diversity & social impact officer and chief legal officer in the fall of 2021. Alexander’s role will entail leading and helping to implement the specialty outdoor retailer’s strategies by integrating legal considerations.”

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“Databricks, the Data and AI company and pioneer of the data lakehouse paradigm, today announced the appointment of Trâm Phi as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. In this role, Phi will pull from her decades of experience scaling high-growth companies, both public and private, to lead,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“Tram’s depth of experience and focus on operational excellence in scaling impactful legal and regulatory functions across enterprise software is critical to our continued success as a company,” said Ali Ghodsi, CEO and Co-Founder of Databricks. “Her leadership and expertise across both public and private markets will prove invaluable.”

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“Charles Barber has been appointed George Washington University’s permanent vice president and general counsel, President Mark S. Wrighton announced Friday. A higher education legal expert with decades of experience at major research universities, Barber has served GW’s Office of the General Counsel since,” reports GW Today in their blog.

“Charles has been a crucial member of my leadership team since I joined the university, offering sound judgment and guidance through a wide range of legal matters, from business operations and strategic partnerships to our response to the Wrighton wrote in his message to the GW community. Charles’ legal acumen, collaborative.”

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“General Mills (NYSE: GIS) today announced that Karen Wilson Thissen will join as general counsel and corporate secretary of General Mills, effective June 6, 2022. Thissen, a 29-year legal veteran, joins from Ameriprise Financial, Inc. where she most recently served as general counsel and executive vice,” reports Business Wire in their blog.

“Karen brings a proven track record of strategic thinking and global experience which is critical for General Mills’ continued success, said Jeff Harmening, Chairman and CEO of General Mills. As we continue to advance our growth, Karen’s sophisticated global legal experience will help move us forward across the many geographies we are.”

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“Podium, a communication and payments platform for local businesses, announced today that it has hired Mariam Sattar as its first-ever general counsel. In this newly created role, Mariam will be responsible for running Podium’s legal department. She will be a member of Podium’s executive team and report,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“Mariam brings extensive legal expertise to Podium with nearly two decades of experience in the legal field, working in areas such as securities, M&A, finance and corporate governance. She comes to Podium from Twilio, where she was Vice President of Legal, Corporate. Prior to Twilio, she was Senior Corporate Counsel at Atlassian.”

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“General Mills Inc. named Karen Wilson Thissen as its new general counsel on Tuesday. Wilson Thissen will take over the position from Richard Allendorf, who is expected to retire in August. Karen brings a proven track record of strategic thinking and global experience which is critical for General,” reports Naasir Akailvi in Business Journal.

“Karen’s sophisticated global legal experience will help move us forward across the many geographies we are honored to serve. And above all, her passion for developing people and culture makes her a natural addition to our team. Wilson Thissen began her career at law firm Faegre & Benson now Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath before.”

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“Target Corp. said Thursday it’s promoting senior vice president Matthew Zabel to executive vice president and general counsel as the company seeks continued growth in the face of rising wages and higher freight costs. Zabel, a former Justice Department lawyer and chief of staff to Sen. John Thune,” reports Brian Baxter in Bloomberg Law.

“In his new role, Zabel will be a member of the senior leadership team and oversee legal operations at the company, according to Target. Zabel’s promotion follows the company’s forecast in March for an operating profit increase, defying Wall Street expectations for declines in that metric. Target also said it would add $300 million in wage.”

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