US, UK, Europe and Asia Pacific
A listed pharmaceutical giant retained Victoria van der Vaart to build their global privacy team. The first search for a Chief Privacy Officer required a dual UK and US search, looking for the best privacy lawyers with deep technology and digital experience. We assessed candidates with pharmaceutical and healthcare experience and benchmarked them against leading privacy lawyers in other sectors. A dual shortlist split across the UK and multiple US locations was produced, and a candidate was appointed.
Once the Chief Privacy Officer was appointed, Victoria worked alongside Samantha Knowles to build the global digital and privacy team. This work included:
- Embedding privacy into Research and Development (R&D) required a complex understanding of data flows in clinical trials and a unique ability to bridge R&D, privacy legal, and the business.
- Appointing a European Data Protection Officer and lawyer with broad EMEA experience to lead privacy across the company’s largest European markets and manage a team of in-country privacy advisors.
- Embedding cybersecurity expertise through the addition of an Assistant General Counsel Cybersecurity. This US lawyer serves as dedicated support for the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and combines leading international cybersecurity experience with a background in privacy.
- Supporting the commercial business – dedicating an experienced lawyer to serve the commercial business with a deep understanding of AI and machine learning, in addition to substantive global privacy and digital experience.
- Addressing the evolving US privacy landscape – placing an experienced Vice President of Digital and Privacy to support the US tech leadership team and advise on the everchanging US privacy landscape.
- China – giving this complex and unique market the dedicated privacy support it needs. We placed an experienced Chinese qualified privacy lawyer to serve the Chinese business and act as a strong connection between the local business, the global legal team and privacy.
The global privacy landscape is changing quickly, and the privacy function is expanding to include AI and AI governance. The pharmaceutical industry is behind where it should be when bringing these skill sets in-house. We are frequently asked to advise clients on benchmarking positions, global team design (including whether privacy should sit under legal or compliance), budgets, and local talent pools.
We have an unrivalled network in this space, and clients have praised us for our “incredible industry knowledge and deep understanding” of digital and privacy hiring.
