In-house Counsel’s Role in Responding to a Data Privacy Breach

Marion Hemphill, General Counsel , Australian Red Cross Blood Service, Australia

Every week more privacy and data security incidents are making headlines. Regardless of the quality of your organisation’s security controls and practices, if you have not already had to respond to a data privacy breach, it is just a matter of time before you will. Organisations need to respond urgently to data privacy breaches and will be judged in the court of public opinion not only on the cause of the incident but on the quality of the response. Privacy is an issue of increasing concern to stakeholders and the public as personal information is now recognised as a valuable asset to be protected as carefully as any financial asset.

General Counsel and Chief Privacy Oficer to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. Board member of Melbourne City Mission. Previously worked as a corporate lawyer in large firms in Australia, London and New Zealand. Finalist - Lawyers Weekly Corporate Counsel Awards Not for Profit Lawyer of the Year.

The Blood Service is the provider of Australia’s blood supply. It collects, processes and dispatches millions of blood products to improve the lives of Australian patients. The Blood Service provides transplanation and biological products for world-leading health outcomes.