Dentsu Aegis Network sets the pace on data protection, appointing Mark Keddie as its first Global Data Protection Officer

LONDON: As businesses prepare for the biggest shake up in data protection history, driven by the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Dentsu Aegis Network has announced the appointment of Mark Keddie to the newly created role of Global Data Protection Officer. The appointment comes 12 months before the role is mandated for organisations by the GDPR. 

John Murray, President, Amplifi Global said: “Data is now the lifeblood of businesses in the digital economy and the ones that get data protection right will accelerate through the transition and win. We believe the future of marketing will be personalised and addressable, requiring a holistic understanding of people’s behaviours and motivations. Our vision is for all planning and activation to ultimately be people-based and underpinned by anonymised real people data, so data protection and privacy by design is at the core of our business.”

“Mark is an industry leader on data protection and we are thrilled to welcome him to Dentsu Aegis Network to help us set the pace for our industry on data protection.” 

Mark joins Dentsu Aegis Network from British Telecom Group where he was the Chief Privacy Officer since 2012. Having spent most of his 20 year career specialising in data privacy and protection, he says: “A tougher regulatory environment is an opportunity for businesses to supercharge their relationships with consumers through data protection.” 

“Tougher regulation will drive greater awareness amongst individuals of how their personal data is used and the rights they have for it to be protected. For brands to release real value from data, they must build greater trust with their customers by being responsible operators in the digital economy.” 

“The convergence of data, technology and privacy is an opportunity to innovate and create new products and services that deliver more personalised and effective communications. We’ll be working with our clients through the forthcoming regulatory changes to help them do that, and continue building their brands in the digital economy.”