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Richard Cumbley
Partner, Linklaters
Richard advises multinationals and governments on complex information management and data privacy issues. He has worked on data related projects across the globe, including major data security incidents, large-scale privacy litigation, appearances before regulators, contentious and large-scale subject access issues, online monitoring techniques, government access programs, data localisation and “big data”.
Richard also counsels clients on the implications of new technology such as 3D printing, blockchain technology, interactive TV and IOT.
In addition, Richard advises on complex technology contracts, including large scale outsourcing, cloud services, technology development and related services contracts in both contentious and non-contentious environments.
Based in London and Dublin, Richard has advised on IT, data protection, information governance and outsourcing deals in more than half of the firm’s offices around the world. He also works closely with the firm’s leading Corporate lawyers on technology and separation issues associated with corporate transactions. He is ranked by both Legal 500 and Chambers as in the first tier of UK privacy and data lawyers.
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Robin Edwards
Policy Team Leader Data Protection Policy, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Robin is a policy team leader in the Data Protection Policy Team in DSIT. He joined the team in March 2017 to help Ministers implement the GDPR and take the Data Protection Act 2018 through Parliament. Since then, he has worked on EU Exit legislation which created the UK GDPR, various iterations of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill and, most recently, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. He is currently leading a team to co-ordinate commencement and implementation of the various provisions in the Act. Before joining the Data Protection team, Robin worked in other policy and operational roles in the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.
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Helen Graham
Director, The Art of Privacy
Helen is a senior strategic leader in global data governance, cyber security, privacy, and digital transformation, with over 25 years of diverse and high-impact legal and regulatory experience spanning the public, private, and International sectors. She has advised executive boards, shaped enterprise-wide governance frameworks, and built high-performing legal teams across jurisdictions with integrity, strategic vision, and commitment to responsible innovation in the digital age.
After more than a decade as the Group Chief Privacy Officer for Shell, Helen recently established a boutique consultancy advising on integrated regulatory governance, privacy and AI ethics and strategy.
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John Kavanagh
Privacy and Security Public Policy, Europe, TikTok
John is the data protection and security expert within TikTok’s European Government Relations and Public Policy Unit since 2023. He covers data protection across a number of key areas such as user transparency, data sovereignty and cross-border data transfers, trade, digital advertising, privacy enhancing technologies, and cybersecurity. He is active across Europe, covering both EU-level data developments and national-level initiatives.
John was previously a director at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), where he spent 10 years across a number of policy areas – including central government liaison on major data-centric projects, the drafting of the DPA2018 and the later ongoing reforms.
John has been an active international participant in regulatory forums, including representing the ICO at the Global Privacy Assembly throughout its chairmanship of the assembly.
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Emily Keaney
Deputy Commissioner, Regulatory Policy, Information Commissioner's Office
Emily Keaney, Deputy Commissioner Regulatory Policy, is responsible for overseeing the ICO’s policy work programme, both domestically and internationally, as well as leadership of legislative reform and the policy profession. Emily also provides ET support and oversight for the work of the ICO’s economic analysis directorate and research function, as well as overseeing the ICO's children's privacy strategy.
Emily has had a long career in policy, strategy and research in a wide variety of regulatory and public policy contexts, including previous roles at the UK Regulators’ Network, Ofcom and the Institute for Public Policy Research. She has a strong interest in policy, current affairs and history and when not at work can generally be found reading history books and listening to history and current affairs podcasts. -
Georgina Kon
Partner, Linklaters
Georgie is a partner at Linklaters who specialises in all aspects of privacy, digital regulation and cyber security. She has helped many household names put in place innovative AI, privacy and online safety compliance structures, supporting them to harness the power of their data and technology safely and lawfully. Georgie also regularly advises on regulatory issues in connection with the use of innovative technology (including genAI), social listening, the Internet of Things, big data, digital health and more by global groups.
Georgie co-leads Linklaters’ cybersecurity and online safety practices, and its multi-disciplinary privacy and cyber investigations teams. She is recognised as a leading individual in the Legal 500 for Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity. She is a co-Chair of the IT Law Summer School in Cambridge and a guest lecturer for the Chevening Cyber Scholars Programme.
Clients describe Georgie as “pragmatic and friendly with foresight and an eye on new innovations, both technological and legal”, “technically savvy” and “professional, highly skilled and responsive” (Chambers, Data Protection and Information Law 2023).
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Greg Palmer
Partner, Linklaters
Greg is a partner in the TMT practice in London. He specialises in information law, commercial contracts including outsourcings and supply arrangements, and the IT or data elements of transactions.
His clients include large technology businesses that handle significant amounts of data and move it around the world to support their business operations and customers.
Greg advises clients on both contentious and non-contentious privacy issues. He has worked on matters involving high profile investigations by the Information Commissioner’s Office, sensitive data subject access requests, business-critical responses to sophisticated cyber-attacks, and structuring global international data transfer arrangements.
In addition, Greg advises on complex commercial contracts, having worked on a number of ICT outsourcings in both public and private sector and arrangements for the white labelling of financial services products for a retail business. Greg also focusses on helping clients implement compliance programs involving the regulation of data and has spent time working in-house on client secondments in senior data protection compliance roles.
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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.