40th International Conference

"I think the conference has the most fantastic venue of any conference, so you should really come here. If you have not been at this conference, you’ve probably missed something in your life."

Rainer Knyrim , Knyrim Trieb Rechtsanwälte

"So this is my first time attending the conference and I’d heard good things, but actually, it’s gone far beyond what my expectations could have been for a number of reasons. Obviously, the location is very special, but also the calibre of the people that attend this event. I just keep hearing over and over when I meet people – everyone is astounded at the level of the people that are attending this conference, the networking that’s available here. So that’s for sure been an incredible experience of this event. And also, the sessions – they’re very practical, they get into a level of depth that some of the competing privacy conferences just don’t attain these days. So, for so many reasons, those and many more, it’s been a fantastic event."

Jen Rees-Jones , Meta

"I’ve been coming here for a long time now at this stage, and there’s a number of things that I think are really special about this conference. One thing that’s really special is the quality of the speeches and the talks and I think that differentiates itself from other data protection conferences. The second thing is the engagement that we all have with each other at the conference, so the social element of this is really excellent. Very easy to talk to people over coffee, at lunches, at dinner, in the bar aswell. And then the third element is the fantastic location. You couldn’t get a better location than Cambridge to have a conference. So it’s absolutely amazing. It’s my favourite data protection conference by quite some distance."

Paul Lavery , McCann FitzGerald

"Well this is my first conference in Privacy Laws and Business, and I say it’s already one of the best conferences I’ve attended. I’m used to attend[ing] like way bigger conferences, thousand, three thousand, even five thousand people, where you do not get a chance to interact with people, getting along, having meaningful conversations, meet them a lot of times […] only one or two minutes down the corridor. So I really recommend for that if you want to be in a small environment where you’re going to have practitioners, you’re going to have regulators, you’re going to have academics, this is the place to be. Also you get very meaningful conversations and lectures that are really updated towards having all around [?]. So, join me on the next year’s conference as well"

Renato Leite , e&

"So other than the valuable insights that this conference brings to the table through the various stakeholders, it’s also of a size which facilitates proximity with all the attendees I think which allows us all to provide, develop meaningful connections which will help us effectively in our journey to navigate the complexities of data protection and hopefully support the development of technology and innovations."

Bradley Tosso , Gibraltar Regulatory Authority

"I’ve been attending this conference every few years since 1992, and I find it’s a wonderful mix of professionals, regulators and academics, and I always learn a great deal from all three of those sectors."

Graham Greenleaf , Macquarie University

"Well, this conference is definitely one of the best privacy conference[s] I have attended. It really encourages people to do great networking and the sessions are just so inspiring and so insightful that I think it’s definitely worth coming every year."

Paul Quero Cisneros , FTI Consulting

"[I] think it’s very special because of getting together with all these knowledgeable people in the area of data protection, and of course the location is really great here in St Johns."

Ragna Hogen , n/a

"In terms of the speakers, we’ve got quite a cross-section of speakers which is quite unusual compared to other conferences. […] The cross-section of speakers has been really interesting, and quite unique to other conferences. I think the networking opportunities, you’ve got a cross-section of the industry and everyone’s very happy and willing to network. The location’s amazing, and the entertainment’s even better, so in all in all, a good experience."

Rupa Pattni , Maples Group

"I’ve been coming for about twenty years and there is no better way to get to know your colleagues, your peers and your regulators than this conference. It puts all of those groups of people cheek by jowl in the most delightful surroundings. As a way to get to know your peer group, it’s an amazing conference to attend."

Richard Cumbley , Linklaters

"You have really good people here and compared to other conferences, this is the only one [where] I really can learn something."

Thomas Strohmaier , Austrian Airlines

"Well one of the things that makes it really special is the synergy between international DPAs and between sectors in the UK."

Richard Sims , Brooke, Action For Working Horses and Donkeys

"It’s been very informative - I’ve enjoyed the real life examples instead of just putting it into practice and everyone here has been lovely and Stewart is amazing."

Gurpal Samra , Dentons

"So this conference, I think, is really special because it allows a group of privacy specialists across all different walks of life, including private practice to various companies, to come together as a close-knit community in society to really engage with each other to have a great insight into some really interesting and focused content and great opportunity also to network with the whole community also."

Alex Rutherford , Hogan Lovells

"The privacy laws conference is unique – it’s the only one of its type that brings together practitioners, the regulators, law firms - people that bring expertise to the field and not only from the UK but from around the world, so you get to learn about what’s going on in the states, in Europe, and in other parts of the world and you don’t find that in another conference in the UK – it’s really, really good."

Parmjit Gill , University of Leicester

"It’s like a community, so I came back I came here three years ago and so I come back here and I will definitely come back next year."

Johanna Pezechkian , Federal Public Service Finance

"I am very thankful to have been participating in this conference this year and if I think of why this is special for me I may highlight three things – one thing is the level of knowledge, of high knowledge, of the participants and most of the speakers in the conference, the second thing is the venue - this is magnificent and magnificent because it enables us to focus on the topics that we are here to discuss because we are all together all the time but also because Cambridge is really at the centre of European knowledge [from] an historical viewpoint and the third thing is that it has been a place for me to, again, in person, meet professionals that have become friends along the time [over time] or that I admire professionally so thank you very much Stewart for continuing doing this every year and I’m super happy to have been part of it this year as well."

Cecilia Alvarez , Meta

"I think of all the privacy conferences, it’s got a really nice atmosphere and intimacy to it. I think people feel open to ask really challenging questions, so that makes a very interest debate, and I’ve particularly enjoyed the punting on the river and a glass of champagne awaiting on my arrival, so thank you very much"

Yasmine Charaffedine , Salesforce

"Well, it’s my first time here and it’s been really enlightening to have some strong speakers from governments and regulators and policymakers and it’s been fantastic, really, to be with people who just enjoy talking about data protection."

Jennie Kendall , Hargreaves Lansdown

"PL&B provides great opportunity for networking and also [a] great forum to develop my SME further – been coming here for 15 years and I look forward to the next 15 years."

Rajee Sritharan , State Street

"I love coming to the [PL&B] conference every year – the quality of the debate is always excellent, the speakers that come – they really set an intellectual tone which is without compare [comparison] with the other privacy conferences around the world."

Julian Cunningham-Day , Linklaters

"It’s really a magical place, and in magical places, good things really happen, so to have a magical place, and to have all these data protection experts coming from all over discussing the most relevant topics, has been a really extraordinary happening I would say."

Helga Þórisdóttir , Data Protection Authority Iceland