EU Data Protection Regulation: A Concise Primer for In-House Counsels on Key Changes in the Regulatory Regime

Shahab Ahmed, Managing Counsel, Lead Privacy Counsel, Etihad Airways and Etihad Aviation Group

After years of discussions, wrangling, lobbying and politicking, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“EU GDPR”) was finalized in the spring of 2016 by EU institutions, which means that it will go into effect in the spring of 2018, radically transforming the data protection regulatory landscape in EU and perhaps, around the world. While the final text of EU GDPR is significantly better for organizations than the initial draft proposed by the EU Commission in 2012, it is still the most stringent and expansive piece of data protection regulation around the world, with the potential of very stiff penalties for non-compliance. In this paper, we will review the key aspects of the EU GDPR from a general counsel perspective to provide a bird’s eye view of key features of the EU GDPR and key areas of the EU GDPR which may bring about significant change for legal and compliance departments.

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UAE Data Protection Aviation November 2016 Vol.10, No. 37, Autumn 2016

Shahab Ahmed

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Shahab Ahmed is an American attorney with more than a decade of experience in compliance and privacy law on a global basis with focus on the EU law. Mr. Ahmed is the lead privacy counsel at Etihad Aviation Group, responsible for global privacy law across the world. He is also the Managing Counsel for the Etihad's Hala Division. Prior to Etihad, Mr. Ahmed was the Director of law at Microsoft Corporation, where he focused on global privacy law and regulatory compliance. Mr. Ahmed has a JD degree, a MBA and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and has completed post graduate work at Harvard. He is a frequent author and speaker on privacy issues. All views presented in this paper are Mr. Ahmed’s personal views and is not meant to be legal advice.

Etihad Airways and Etihad Aviation Group

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Etihad Aviation Group is world's premier aviation group with aviation interests and companies around Middle East, Europe and Asia.

UAE Data Protection Aviation November 2016 Vol.10, No. 37, Autumn 2016