Christina Tueje, one of our esteemed Judges asked Katie Hewson a few questions about her dedication to the PICCASO community and her accomplishments since receiving her PICCASO award.

We’re Protecting What Matters Most, With Genuine Passion and Purpose!

Meet Katie, Privacy Leader of the Year: Legal Award winner in 2022 and proud PICCASO Awards alumnus.

Data Nerds: This one is for you.

Katie is a self-confessed data nerd who serves as the Head of Data Protection at an international law firm Stephenson Harwood. With a very welcome, healthy and brilliant obsession for data and digital regulation, she leads an incredible crew of legal minds.

Her passionate approach to leading data protection programmes promotes responsible data and AI use that is focused and deeply considered, recognizing how improper data processing can profoundly affect people's lives. So, Katie’s work isn’t just about legal technicalities – it’s personal and it’s about deeply meaningful outcomes.

She enjoys working in a shared learning environment with compliance, governance and technology experts where everyone collaborates to join the dots that others may overlook – bringing visibility to what may often be dismissed as unglamorous legalities, unimportant detail and bureaucratic process.

Her work celebrates the everyday impact of complex technical legal requirements – which support the development of trustworthy systems

There’s a momentary reflection from Katie, on how data protection is growing, evolving and thriving - from a compliance tick box exercise to a strategic business imperative that sits at the heart of responsible innovation. This is a celebration of the agile brilliance of the privacy profession – constantly horizon scanning and moving forwards.

Every day is exciting because it’s about shaping valuable, impactful and meaningful client solutions, amidst such rapid change.

She is equally passionate about nurturing the next wave of talent within the privacy profession -championing others along their career journey, inspiring the rising stars within the privacy profession with her warmth and wisdom. This is a great opportunity for Katie to share her love for her work and her belief in its impact with others.

Katie’s trailblazing advisory work with the Association of British Investigators Limited (ABI) on the UK’s first ever GDPR Code of Conduct under Article 40 is testament to her standout commitment to the profession.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your current role
Katie: I am the Head of Data Protection at the international law firm Stephenson Harwood. I lead a fantastic team of positive personalities who are passionate about data and digital laws. Our international team provides practical and commercial advice to clients across a wide range of sectors, advising on all aspects of data protection law, including advisory, transactional, contentious and investigations data privacy issues.

What first drew you to the world of Privacy?
Katie: It's genuinely important to me – as a data subject myself – that personal data is handled responsibly. I've seen some extremely serious consequences arise when this isn't done, so the real-world impacts of what we do are very important to me personally and they make what I do feel meaningful.

How has your approach to data protection law evolved over the course of your career?
Katie: It used to be the case that data protection was seen as just a compliance checkbox exercise. Now, using data responsibly has become so much more valuable, not least because of AI, there are whole teams of people available to help. I enjoy learning from the technical, governance and compliance experts I work alongside, to come up with practical solutions for clients.

You won Privacy Leader of the Year: Legal in 2022. What do you think set your work apart?
Katie: I suspect that the judges could tell I'm genuinely passionate about digital regulation, and dare I say a bit of a data nerd. I'm sure that didn't hurt my chances. It has been great to see a really broad cross section of those involved with data recognised for their work, and the common theme tends to be their true enthusiasm for what they do and their awareness of its true value.

Did your award win prompt you to reflect on your career journey, your professional growth, your values or how the privacy profession continues to evolve?
Katie: It's an exciting profession that's constantly evolving, and it offers a lot of opportunity to work at the cutting edge. For example, we recently advised the Association of British Investigators Limited (ABI) on the development of the first ever UK GDPR Code of Conduct, the first code to be approved under Article 40 of the UK GDPR. It’s exciting and challenging to work in a field experiencing such rapid change. One of the inspiring things about this profession is how many people starting out in their careers want to work in data and AI regulation, which was not the case when I started out. My win made me reflect on my responsibility to support and mentor others on their career journeys.