Anyone that is involved in the world of Privacy & Data Protection is aware that things are getting very interesting. Strap yourselves in, it’s going to be an exciting ride.

Virtually every company now handles enormous amounts of personal data. The soon-to-be finalised EU directive has a renewed momentum. Law firm privacy practices are booming. Corporates are increasing their in-house expertise. For many companies privacy has evolved from being a box ticking exercise, to a critical and hugely important part of enterprise management. Information Governance is here, and it’s here to stay.

The BIG QUESTION is: With such a demand for Privacy & Data Protection  professionals – where will they all come from?

As a leading executive search firm specialising in Data Privacy & Information Governance, we are at the very fore-front of the ‘sourcing privacy & data protection professionals’ industry. On the shop-floor if you like. We are talking to the hiring managers, the thought-leaders and of course the very best privacy & data protection talent across the globe. These are the people driving this transformation and it’s clear that there is a need for us to make sure the right people are talking to each other. Forget job boards and social media. This is a people industry. We are talking to the best global privacy talent. Every day.

There has been a clear shift over the last few years. In the early days of my executive search career (circa 1998) privacy & data protection professionals could often be found sitting alone in the back-office that stored the company marketing brochures, scratching their heads wondering how they came to be responsible for all things data compliance for the company. Now, the brave new world of all things privacy has brought with it the next generation of privacy professionals, who are strategic, commercial and undertake a crucial advisory role, which is recognised at board level.

With more lawyers choosing a career in privacy, it’s true to say the world’s of privacy, data protection and legal are starting to converge. Report-lines are changing. Team structures are changing. Attitudes towards privacy at the very highest level are changing. Our clients are increasingly looking for new, modernised privacy professional and we are helping to find them. Make no doubt that there is a supply/demand issue on the horizon. We will need to continue being creative when sourcing the very best candidates for our clients. Searching across multiple industry sectors, professionals services, law firms. Legally qualified and non-legally qualified. Leave no stone un-turned. It’s going to be challenging for everyone to find and secure the talent they need, but we are excited to help you find them.