Stewart Dresner

Chief Executive

Stewart graduated from the University of Lancaster in Politics and Marketing. In 1975 Stewart initiated research on Open Government at the UK Consumers’ Association. He then made an independent trip to the USA and Canada, meeting consumer advocates, politicians and journalists researching Freedom of Information (FoI) and privacy legislation. He had articles published in The Geographical Magazine, in 1977 on the use of the FoI Act by the Navajo Tribe of Arizona, and The Times in 1978 on the use of the FoI Act to improve car safety. In May 1980, the Outer Circle Policy Unit published his Open Government: Lessons from America. His career included consumer research and working for The Economist as a business journalist where he wrote occasionally on privacy laws and honed his skills as an investigator and writer.

He launched the Privacy Laws & Business Newsletter in February 1987. In October 1988 he organised PL&B’s first international conference. Stewart co-founded and chaired the UK’s Data Protection Forum, and has spoken at conferences around the world. He lives and works in Pinner, has a beautiful wife, who wrote this, and 3 adult sons.

Contact: stewart.dresner@privacylaws.com

K'an Thomas

General Manager

Overall strategic management of all Privacy Laws & Business data protection services including recruitment, consulting, training, auditing, publications and events. Responsible for effective planning, delegating, coordinating, staffing, organising, and decision-making across all areas of business operations. K’an joined Privacy Laws & Business in May 2017. His years of management in customer service, operations, events, marketing and communication strategies have given him the tools to offer relevant and value added solutions for any organisation’s data protection and privacy programmes. K’an has also spent time teaching English in Japan.

Contact: kan@privacylaws.com

Laura Linkomies

Editor

Laura oversees the whole editorial process from researching, commissioning and managing freelancers to writing about a wide range of legislative and management issues within privacy, data protection and freedom of information. She also assists in conference planning marketing, public relations, and PL&B GDPR Roundtables. Laura joined PL&B as Associate Editor in 1997 for PL&B International Report, and launched the UK Report in 2000. Before joining PL&B, she worked at the UK Information Commissioner's Office as a European Secretariat Officer facilitating co-operation with European Union national Data Protection Commissioners. Laura has also worked as freelance business content writer for Thomson Reuters, and written for several publications in Finland. She is fluent in English and Finnish, and has a working knowledge of Swedish, Italian and German.

Contact: laura.linkomies@privacylaws.com

Tom Cooper

Deputy Editor

Tom began working for PL&B in 2010 as a sub editor. He produces the print and online versions of our PL&B UK and PL&B International reports using desk top publishing software. His role also involves close checking of stories and ensuring a consistent style across publications. He writes for PL&B Reports and undertakes administrative tasks as needed.

Tom trained as a journalist in Australia. He has worked for a number of local newspapers, and was editor of UK hockey magazine Push from 2008 to 2014. He has had spells as an editor at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and for an online wire service covering European Union business news.

Contact: tom.cooper@privacylaws.com

Graham Greenleaf

Asia-Pacific Editor

Professor Graham Greenleaf AM has been an advisor and contributor to PL&B Reports since 1991 and PL&B’s Asia-Pacific Editor since 2007. He is also a regular speaker at PL&B's Annual International Conference and provides periodic Seminars in London on Asian Data Privacy Laws.

Graham is a research Professor of Law & Information Systems at UNSW Australia. He is Senior Researcher and Founding Co-Director of the Australasian Legal information Institute (AustLII). In 2010 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his contributions to both free access to legal information and privacy protection. Since the 1970s his involvement in privacy policy and research has involved Australian DPAs (as an official and as consultant), the Australian Privacy Foundation (as a co-founder and Board Member 1987-2017), the Asian Privacy Scholars Network (as founder, 2010) and Privacy Law & Policy Reporter (founder and editor 1994-2006). He has provided consultancy advice to the European Commission on data privacy laws in seven countries in the Asia-Pacific. His most recent book on this area of the law is Asian Data Privacy Laws: Trade and Human Rights Perspectives (OUP, 2014).

Contact: graham@austlii.edu.au

Valerie Taylor

Consultant

Valerie is a qualified solicitor and throughout her legal career has specialised in data protection matters as well as IT and intellectual property law. Having qualified as a solicitor at Clifford Chance, Valerie went on to work in the in-house legal department of the Royal Mail Group plc where she was the principal data protection adviser.

Valerie now works with Privacy Laws & Business in a wide range of roles: as a consultant advising large and small businesses in the public and private sector on data protection compliance - she advises on all aspects of data protection and freedom of information, including data related projects, internal business policies and procedures and advising on proposed new legislation
speaking at conferences; providing training; is available for assignments working in-house to cover for staff absences.

Contact: valerie.taylor@privacylaws.com

Helena Wootton

Consultant

Helena is an experienced Lawyer, Data Protection Officer, Public Speaker and Coach. Having worked with over 150 businesses and other organisations through implementation of the GDPR, she has established a compliance framework and assists organisations with data mapping, Legitimate Interest Assessments, Data Protection Impact Assessments and Records of Processing Activities – all necessary to demonstrate accountability, and transparency as required by the Information Commissioner and other regulators. As well as advising major corporates and start-up businesses on how to comply with the law, Helena has a great deal of experience advising and defending clients who are being investigated by the Information Commissioner or who have suffered a data breach. Helena is bilingual in French and English and is experienced in discussing an organisation's data privacy and commercial issues in plain language relevant to each context - in short, she speaks your language, is engaged, builds connections and makes life easy. Her extensive background in commercial law, as a barrister, solicitor, in-house counsel and partner in a national top 20 law firm makes her a safe pair of hands and an exceptional advisor, coach and mentor.

Contact: Helena.Wootton@privacylaws.com

Merrill Dresner

Assistant Editor

Educated at City of London School for Girls and the University of Kent at Canterbury (English Literature) Merrill has worked mostly at Privacy Laws & Business as Assistant Editor, Advisor and Counsellor because she married its founder in 1979. She worked at Times Books, and then went to Goldsmith’s College for a PGCE enabling her teach at primary schools, which she enjoyed for a few years.

Her main role in the business now is to polish the words of the amazing contributors to the Reports, who live in many countries round the world and for whom English is sometimes not even a second language, and turn authoritative legalese into eloquent and elegant articles. She also enjoys travelling with Stewart wherever a DPA requires a visit and an interview. Interests include running a small bookshop from home, making music with friends and gardening.

Contact: merrill.dresner@privacylaws.com

Mary Liddell

Administrative Assistant

Mary is primarily responsible for client administration, while also assisting with database management and website upkeep.

She spent 15 years as the Data Protection Officer at Brunel University London. Mary also worked at Uxbridge College and Eurostar, and spent 10 years in the US Navy.

Contact: mary.liddell@privacylaws.com