Rebecca Cousin

Head of Privacy, Senior Consultant, Slaughter and May

Rebecca is a senior consultant in our Technology, Digital, Data and IP group, having previously been a partner at the firm for over 15 years.

Rebecca heads our Data Privacy practice, with her practice also covering cyber and areas adjacent to data, including consumer protection. She supports clients on data projects, including on data commercialisation, data analytics, AI, data sharing, data governance and marketing and customer digital journeys. She also advises on data aspects of corporate and commercial transactions and as part of disputes and regulatory investigations, as well as on standalone privacy issues such as strategic DSARs. Rebecca regularly advises clients on cyber preparedness and on incident response.

Rebecca is vice chair of the City of London Law Society Data Law Committee, and regularly writes for Privacy Laws and Business, as well as speaking at their conferences and others such as the International Bar Association meetings.

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Alison Deighton

Director, HelloDPO

Alison is an internationally recognised expert in UK and EU data protection regulation. Alison guides clients through complex privacy problems finding practical solutions that meet business and compliance needs.

Alison has particular expertise advising on overseas transfers of data, including advising on EU and UK BCR applications. Alison also supports businesses with managing significant data breaches, making regulatory reports and advising on remediation actions. She also regularly advises on contractual matters, negotiating and drafting data processing agreements for both controllers and processors. On the compliance side, Alison helps clients to design and implement privacy governance programmes and provides mentoring to DPOs and others starting their privacy careers.

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Annabel Gillham

Partner, Morrison & Foerster

As a member of our renowned global data privacy team, Annabel Gillham specializes in employee data protection and data crisis management. Described by clients as “excellent, very pragmatic, efficient and completely client-oriented”, she works across a variety of sectors, including technology, retail, and financial services, and frequently manages multi-jurisdictional advice for international clients. Her practice includes advice on:

• cross-border labor and employment matters
• employee litigation
• data privacy compliance management
• data security breach management
• internal and regulatory investigations

Annabel regularly helps senior management and HR executives with the “people” aspects of takeovers, restructuring projects, business and share sales, and outsourcings. She also advises employers in relation to sensitive claims, such as unlawful discrimination, equal pay, and whistleblowing. Annabel also advises on team moves.

She supports her clients on all aspects of General Data Protection Regulation compliance and regularly advises organizations facing ICO enforcement action. She has developed particular specialties in complex areas, such as the collection and use of data relating to criminal offenses and the application of data protection law to insolvency practitioners.

As an experienced litigator with experience in helping clients defend group litigation, Annabel helps clients develop their strategy for responding to regulatory action and court claims relating to the use of employee and customer personal data. She regularly designs and presents employment and data protection law training and updates to senior managers and HR executives and is involved in preparing responses to UK government consultations.

In addition, Annabel is qualified to practice in the British Virgin Islands, where she spent three years advising on cross border commercial litigation and insolvency matters, including high value board and shareholder disputes, freezing orders, and third-party disclosure orders.

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Will Manley

Head of Digital Regulation

Will is Head of Digital Regulation based in our Brussels office. He has broad experience advising leading digital, technology and corporate clients on high-value matters across digital and AI regulation, antitrust and other regulatory areas.

Highlights include advising:

• Meta in relation to various issues under the DMA, DMCCA and other similar regimes;
• Google in relation to various antitrust investigations and inquiries relating to digital advertising and payments services;
• A major tech platform in an offensive strategy against a designated gatekeeper under the DMA and in relation to comparable regimes in other jurisdictions;
• A major AI company in connection with UK regulatory strategy under the DMCCA;
• Figma on its proposed acquisition by Adobe;
• Activision on its acquisition by Microsoft, including as intervener in Microsoft’s appeal to the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT).

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Ralph O'Brien

Principal and Founder, Serious Privacy & Data Protection Ltd

Ralph O’Brien is a global privacy and data protection professional with over 25 years’ experience helping organisations manage data protection and privacy risk, prevent data harms, and build practical, trustworthy information governance programmes. He loves to be a "positive sum advisor", protecting people from harm and enabling trust in a digital world for the good of business and individuals alike. He has moved into policy and standards creation and appointed a director of the Institute of Operational Privacy by Design.

He is also a co-host of the award-winning Serious Privacy Podcast, where he engages with leading privacy professionals to critically examine regulation, enforcement, and emerging challenges in data protection.

He is the Founder and Principal Consultant at REINBO Consulting, advising organisations across sectors on GDPR, Information Security, ISO 27001 and global data protection compliance, strategy, AI governance, and operational risk. Ralph is known for translating complex legal and technical requirements into practical, business-aligned solutions that actually work in real environments.

Ralph’s background spans privacy, security, risk management, audit, and assurance, with experience supporting private and public sector bodies, multinational organisations, regulated industries, and high-risk programmes. His work focuses on embedding data protection into decision-making rather than treating it as a checkbox exercise.

Ralph believes effective data governance is a win-win, enhancing trust, transparency, and accountability—not fear-driven compliance.

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Mercedes Samavi

Of Counsel, Morrison & Foerster

Mercedes Samavi’s practice spans both the Technology Transactions Group and the Data, Cyber & Privacy Group.

She regularly advises clients on a broad spectrum of commercial and technology matters, including complex tech licensing, digital regulatory compliance projects with a particular emphasis on online safety, outsourcing arrangements, and corporate transactions. As part of her privacy and cybersecurity work, Mercedes has extensive experience helping clients develop global and pan-European programmes and strategies to protect their data, respond to regulatory requests and investigations, and implement robust data and operational resilience contractual frameworks. In the words of her clients, “Mercedes Samavi is incredibly responsive and a dream to work with. Nothing is ever too much trouble, she will always go the extra mile to ensure the client’s needs are met, and her legal expertise is exceptional and her advice always delivered in a practical, realistic way for the client.” (Legal 500 UK).

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Laura Linkomies

Editor, Privacy Laws & Business

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.