Michael McGrath

EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, European Commission

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Dr Des Hogan

Commissioner for Data Protection, Data Protection Commission, Ireland

Des Hogan was appointed as Commissioner for Data Protection and Chairperson of the Irish Data Protection Commission in February 2024. Prior to that he was Assistant Chief State Solicitor in the Office of the Chief State Solicitor in the period 2015-2024. He served as Acting Chief Executive in the Irish Human Rights Commission in 2007 and from 2012 to 2014. He previously worked for the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and for Amnesty International in Australia and its International Secretariat in London. A solicitor by profession, Dr Hogan was awarded a Masters in European Law from University College Dublin and a PhD in Philosophy of Law from Trinity College Dublin.

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Richard Nicholas

Partner, Browne Jacobson

Amy Brick

Partner, Litigation, McCann FitzGerald, Ireland

Amy is an experienced litigator with particular expertise in contentious matters with a regulatory, public law or economic aspect, having acted for a number of regulators across different sectors in cases concerning challenges to regulatory decisions, supervisory and enforcement actions and investigations.

Amy also acts for international and domestic clients in a range of contentious data protection and privacy matters, particularly those arising under the GDPR.

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Adam Finlay

Partner, McCann FitzGerald, Ireland

Adam is the head of the firm’s Technology and Innovation Group and advises on a wide range of data protection, information technology, intellectual property, cyber security and outsourcing issues. His clients include international and domestic market leaders, innovative disruptors and regulatory bodies.

He acts as trusted advisor to clients on all aspects of data protection and e-privacy law and compliance strategies, with a particular focus on providing sector specific and commercial advice.

On the technology side, Adam drafts and negotiates outsourcing agreements software licences, IT services agreements and transitional services agreements and advises on the legal issues attached to digital transformation projects, transacting online and dealing with consumers. He leads teams advising on some of the largest and most complex outsourcing projects in Ireland. He also advises on navigating existing and upcoming legal requirements laws in relation to new and emerging technologies.

Adam has particular expertise in the commercialisation of intellectual property. His work in this area includes drafting and negotiating assignments, licensing, collaboration, technology transfer, franchising, distribution, agency, sponsorship and naming rights agreements and advising on brand protection strategy, advertising and product placement. He is also a registered trade mark agent.

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Paul Lavery

Partner, McCann FitzGerald, Ireland

Paul is a partner in the Technology and Innovation Group and advises on a wide range of information technology, data protection, intellectual property, confidentiality and freedom of information issues.

Paul drafts and negotiates cutting-edge technology supply and implementation agreements and IT outsourcing agreements with a key focus on mobilisation, business transformation and key performance elements as well as exit management.

Paul is a leading expert on data protection and advises a large number of private sector entities and public bodies on their data protection obligations under existing and prospective data protection law, including advising on subject access requests, data security incidents, marketing obligations and consents, record retention matters, data protection notices, policies and privacy statements, data controller and data processor registrations as well as solutions to facilitate the transfer of data outside the EEA.

Paul is heavily involved in advising a number of private sector and public sector clients on their obligations under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including carrying out data protection assessments and audits and completing data inventories in order to advise clients on what changes to processing activities, data protection notices and agreements etc to ensure compliance with GDPR.

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Douglas McMahon

Partner, McCann, FitzGerald, Ireland

Doug is a partner in the Technology and Innovation Group and advises on a wide range of matters including information technology, intellectual property, data protection, cyber security, confidentiality and freedom of information.

Doug has particular expertise in relation to the implementation of the GDPR in private and public sector organisations. He also has significant experience advising in relation to data protection breaches and data security incidents, from initial investigation and reporting to resolution.

Doug advises a wide range of clients in connection with complex commercial agreements, with a particular specialism in relation to agreements involving information technology and large scale outsourcing projects.

Doug lectures and provides workshops for clients and industry organisations on a number of topics, including obligations under the GDPR. He is also a trainer on PDP’s certificate course in data protection compliance.

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Stewart Dresner

Chief Executive, Privacy Laws & Business

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.

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Laura Linkomies

Editor, Privacy Laws & Business

Laura oversees the whole editorial process of PL&B Reports 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.

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