Incoming President Bojana Bellamy Addresses Global Privacy and Cybersecurity Concerns as President of the Centre for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton & Williams LLP

WASHINGTON — September 3, 2013 — Privacy and cybersecurity risks facing businesses around the world are at an all-time high as Bojana Bellamy, former global director of data privacy for Accenture, assumes the presidency of The Centre for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton & Williams LLP.

Fortunately, Bellamy is well-suited to her new role. A highly regarded leader in the privacy profession, she has more than 20 years of experience and deep knowledge of global data privacy and cybersecurity law, compliance and policy. Below, Bellamy answers the most pressing questions that she faces in her new role.

Why is the Centre for Information Policy Leadership important to the privacy community?

The Centre is the preeminent global information policy think tank and has been successful in working with business leaders, regulatory authorities, and policy makers around the world to help frame the privacy and cybersecurity agenda. Since its establishment in 2001, the Centre has provided thought leadership and helped businesses, regulatory authorities, policy makers and consumer organizations rethink how to appropriately use, manage and protect personal data in today’s information age. As business reliance on data and global data flows continues to evolve, and innovative uses of data and technology are fueling economic and societal growth, so do the policy and global privacy and cybersecurity compliance challenges multiply. The Centre's continued work in this area is essential, now more than ever, when legislators and policy makers around the world are considering new laws and rules for appropriate data handling in the modern digital economy.

Who are the members of the Centre?

The Centre’s member companies include leading organizations such as Accenture, American Express, Apple, Bank of America, HP, IBM, Intel, MasterCard, Merck & Co., Nokia, Procter & Gamble, Symantec, Telefónica, and Visa. Privacy professionals and lawyers at member companies participate in Centre activities to help resolve thorny issues facing their organizations and industries and to bring best practices in information management to their organizations. Each of these companies recognizes the need for thoughtful, forward-thinking solutions for a rapidly changing, information-intensive, global business environment. The Centre frequently engages regulatory authorities, policy makers, privacy experts and consumer privacy organizations in its work to foster thoughtful, balanced solutions to vexing policy issues.

In this environment of enhanced government scrutiny, how is the role of the corporate data privacy officer changing and how can companies best keep compliant?

No organization can avoid dealing with privacy and security issues in today's digital economy. The new rules being proposed in the EU and elsewhere require organizations to implement extensive corporate privacy and security compliance programs, procedures, and safeguards, and to be able to demonstrate these to regulators and consumers. Already today, many organizations appoint privacy leaders to build and oversee corporate privacy programs. In the future, data privacy officers must not only stay on top of these interoperability challenges, but also enable new and innovative uses of data as well as participate in the design of data-driven products and services. After all, privacy and security are not only matters of legal compliance and corporate accountability for a company’s Board and General Counsel, but also are an increasingly pressing business issue of how to realize full economic potential and societal benefits of information and data, while maintaining customer trust.

A new undertaking of the Centre is its Cybersecurity Project. Can you tell us about the importance of cybersecurity to privacy and information security professionals?

We introduced this project to Centre members in July with the goal of helping privacy and information security professionals stay current on developments in the field. Cybersecurity has many dimensions and the cyber threat is increasing exponentially all over the world. At the same time, the US and Europe, in particular, are looking to pass new rules and develop frameworks for industry and governments to together address cybersecurity threats. It is important for companies to assess and understand the current environment and vulnerabilities, and work together on law and policy developments across the globe. The Centre seeks to not only inform members, but also influence industry in taking precautions against these vulnerabilities.

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About the Centre

The Centre for Information Policy Leadership leads public policy initiatives that promote responsible information governance necessary for the continued growth of the information economy. The Centre was founded in 2001 by leading companies and Hunton & Williams LLP to develop innovative, pragmatic approaches to privacy and data security policy that take into account the requirements of business processes and address the concerns of individuals about the protection of their information. Collaborating with industry leaders, consumer organizations and government representatives, the Centre develops information policy that fosters privacy and security, while balancing economic and societal interests. More details about the Centre can be found at www.informationpolicycentre.com.

About Hunton & Williams LLP

Hunton & Williams LLP provides legal services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals, as well as to a broad array of other entities. Since our establishment more than a century ago, Hunton & Williams has grown to more than 800 lawyers serving clients in 100 countries from 19 offices around the world. Our practice has a strong industry focus on energy, financial services and life sciences, and our experience extends to practice areas including bankruptcy and creditors' rights, commercial litigation, corporate transactions and securities law, intellectual property, international and government relations, real estate, regulatory law, products liability, and privacy and cybersecurity.