The States of Guernsey has appointed two new Board members of the Data Protection Authority, Sarah Willis and Steve Wood.
Sarah (pictured) is a Chartered Accountant who has held senior risk and operations roles across regulated financial services firms of all sizes. Prior to returning to Guernsey in 2015 she worked in risk advisory in the UK, where her clients included the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as well as a number of other regulatory bodies. She brings strong expertise in risk, compliance, and organisational oversight, alongside a practical understanding of how regulation operates in complex environments. Sarah is particularly committed to supporting high standards of data protection, accountability, and effective governance.
Steve is Director and Founder of PrivacyX Consulting and a Visiting Senior Fellow at the London School of Economics, researching children’s online privacy and safety. Previously Steve worked for the ICO for 15 years, serving six years as Deputy Commissioner leading on policy. During this time Steve was also Chair of the OECD Working Party on Data Governance and Privacy and the UK Representative on the European Data Protection Board. He has also acted as a Special Advisor to the House of Lords EU Affairs Committee.
“We are looking forward to benefiting from the expertise and experience of Sarah and Steve as we embark upon our 3-year Strategic Plan to deliver innovative, agile and effective data protection to the Bailiwick and its citizens,” said Commissioner Brent Homan.
There remain 6 voting members of the Authority, following the retirement in January of Board members Christopher Docksey and Dr Jane Wonnacott.
Commissioner Homan added, “We would like to thank Jane and Chris for their years of service on the Board of the Data Protection Authority. Their expertise, counsel and dedication to ensuring the ODPA serves its regulated community to the best of its ability has been invaluable.”
