DIFC Academy in collaboration with OneTrust and White Label Consultancy proudly presents “PrivacyConnect UAE”. In this webinar, our group of experienced privacy professional panelists will share their thoughts on the basic steps that any organisation may consider to kick-start a new privacy program. PrivacyConnect brings together local privacy professionals in their communities to discuss the latest trends in privacy and security, review regulatory updates, and share best practices for implementing privacy programs in practice.
DIFC Academy in collaboration with OneTrust and White Label Consultancy proudly presents “PrivacyConnect UAE”. In this webinar, our group of experienced privacy professional panelists will share their thoughts on the basic steps that any organisation may consider to kick-start a new privacy program.
PrivacyConnect brings together local privacy professionals in their communities to discuss the latest trends in privacy and security, review regulatory updates, and share best practices for implementing privacy programs in practice.
Privacy is becoming an area of focus for businesses of all sizes across the UAE. We have already seen the introduction of “GDPR-inspired” data protection regulations across the Middle East and North Africa, including the DIFC and ADGM financial centres in the UAE. This trend is driven by the desire to achieve global harmonisation, to facilitate the ease of doing business internationally, and the need to respond to the extra-territorial obligations being imposed by a growing list of national and industry specific regulations focused on safeguarding privacy. Privacy is becoming a boardroom conversation in the region; and the UAE is no exception. We have seen something very similar happen already with corporate governance and cybersecurity.
There is a clear ambition by jurisdictions like the EU to ensure the adequate protections for personal data beyond regional or national borders. This typically includes an emphasis on transparency, accountability and the requirement to assess and monitor the way in which an organisation, their partners or their supply chain vendors process the personal data of customers and employees. Privacy compliance has become a risk. All of this has (or will) significantly impact how organisations in the UAE will collect, store and process personal data, particularly when the draft UAE Federal Data Protection Law is implemented. Concerns with GDPR fines and the patchwork of criminal and civil liability risks introduced across the Middle East are still well founded, but the threat of losing well-established business contracts, or having organisational data flows across national borders stopped, could literally become an existential threat to any organisation in a data driven future.
The bottom line – having a privacy notice on a website and signing some “tick box” contractual undertakings with third parties will no longer “cut the mustard.” You need to operationalise policies and processes. This will likely necessitate defined roles and responsibilities that map to your organisation’s governance framework. You need to ensure your employees and vendors are following these policies and implementing the required controls to mitigate privacy risks. You need to generate and present documentation to prove compliance to customers, partners and supervisory authorities. And beyond compliance, your hard-earned reputation and your customer’s trust is increasingly at stake.
This can all be extremely daunting for any organisation. Where do you start? How do you decide what to prioritise? How much is enough? In this webinar, our group of experienced privacy professional panelists will share their thoughts on the basic steps that any organisation may consider to kick-start a new privacy program.
1:00PM | Welcome and Introduction
1:05PM | The Building Blocks of a New Privacy Program in the UAE
1:55PM | Closing and Q&A
Please click below link to register:
https://www.privacyconnect.com/workshops/privacyconnect-uae/
Speakers:
Dale Waterman CIPP/E, White Label Consultancy
Dale is a corporate attorney, regulatory affairs professional and data protection consultant who is passionate about helping organisations implement digital transformation in a data-driven world. He has 20 years of experience in the technology industry. Prior to establishing White Label Consultancy in the UAE he held a number of roles in the HQ of Microsoft’s Middle East and Africa legal department, including HQ Lead, Industry Digital Transformation Lead and Digital Crimes Unit Lead. Dale holds BA and LLB degrees from Rhodes University in South Africa and is also an IAPP certified privacy professional.
Shanthi Thangaraj CIPP/E, Dubai Tourism
Shanthi Thangaraj works as a senior data privacy officer at Dubai Tourism and her practice area primarily focuses on advisory and contracts support on all matters concerning data protection and privacy. These include in relation to digital transformation projects, data partnerships/ collaborations, commercial and technology contracts, data protection compliance functions and related matters. As part of her role at Dubai Tourism, she has been involved in providing expert advisory support on data protection matters at an intra-governmental level.
Shanthi is also an IAPP certified privacy professional (CIPP/E) and holds an LL.M in International Business Regulation from NYU School of Law.
Caro Robson MBA, LLM, FIP, Mastercard
Caro is a Data Protection expert and Fellow of Information Privacy with 12 years’ experience of working with governments, international organisations and multi-national businesses on Privacy and Data Governance. She has led organisational reform programs in Data Protection for multinational organisations, helping to make complex legal requirements simple and intuitive for public and private sector entities. She has acted as an expert advisor to several governments on Data Protection and Privacy legislation, including in the Middle East, Africa and UK.
Caro is a passionate advocate and thought leader for Data Governance, Privacy and new technology. She holds an Executive MBA with Distinction from Oxford, an LLM with Distinction in Computer & Communications Law from Queen Mary, University of London, and has contributed to legal textbooks, publications, and research on Privacy and Data Governance, including for the ITU and IEEE.
Martin Hayward, Al Tamimi & Company
Martin is the regional Head of the Digital & Data practice at Al Tamimi & Company. He has over 15 years’ experience advising on the full range of commercial, outsourcing, telecommunications, technology, intellectual property and information law issues. After qualifying into the Information, Communications & Technology team at Simmons & Simmons LLP in 2006, Martin spent several years working in their London office before relocating to Dubai in 2009. In 2012, Martin joined an Abu Dhabi government owned IT services provider as General Counsel and Company Secretary, and most recently held the position of Senior Corporate Counsel EMEA and Middle East Regional Counsel at a major US telecommunications solution provider.
Martin has spent extensive periods of time on secondment at a major UK telecoms company, in the supply management function of an international investment bank in the UK, and at one of the largest UAE telecommunications services provider.
