ICO Makes Senior Appointments Ahead Of GDPR

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has made two senior appointments as it continues its data regulation work ahead of the introduction of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) next year.

GDPR will come into effect on 25 May 2018 in the UK, regardless of the outcome of Brexit negotiations, and will give citizens more power over their personal data. Organisations will have to be compliant with the new regulations, or face significant fines.

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham has spoken of the need for businesses to restore trust with GDPR and now has two new colleagues to help the regulator enforce it.

ICO GDPR

Paul Arnold, who was previously responsible for customer services, IT and information at the ICO, is now deputy CEO, while James Dipple-Johnstone will join in Jun as Deputy Commissioner – Operations.

“Given the breadth of Paul’s experience at the ICO, his outstanding service focus, and his excellent leadership credentials, I am delighted to have him take on the role of Deputy CEO,” said Denham.

Arnold is currently director of investigations and supervisions at the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA), which he joined in 2015 from the Independent Police Complaints Commission. He was previously Director of Investigations at the Office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

“I am delighted that James will be bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience in public sector regulation to the ICO, and I am confident he will prove to be a great asset to our team,” added Denham.

“These key appointments will strengthen the ICO’s ability to meet the many and varied challenges we will face in the months and years to come.”

The ICO recently expressed concerns that local councils had a lot of work to do before they were ready for GDPR.

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