About the IAPP

Carolyn Lidgerwood is Global Privacy Counsel for Rio Tinto, a leading global mining and metals group. Carolyn is based in Melbourne, Australia. Carolyn manages Rio Tinto’s global data privacy compliance program and advises on data privacy issues across Rio Tinto’s operations (which include more than 50,000 staff working across 6 continents).   



Carolyn has 25 years’ experience as a regulatory lawyer, specialising in privacy and broadcasting law, and in developing and implementing compliance programs.  



Prior to joining Rio Tinto in 2011, Carolyn worked in the Australian private and public sectors, including as General Counsel & Company Secretary at Southern Cross Media (one of Australia’s largest broadcasting companies) and as Special Counsel at Gilbert + Tobin Lawyers in Sydney. In private practice, Carolyn advised privacy clients across many different industries and was a founding member of the Law Council of Australia's Privacy Law Working Party (now the Privacy Law Committee).



Carolyn has honours degrees in Arts and Law from the University of Melbourne and has been a board member of iappANZ since 2014. Carolyn is joint editor of Privacy Unbound, iappANZ’s journal. As an iappANZ board member, Carolyn has worked on the Journal Advisory Committee and also is co-chair of the iapp’s Certification Advisory Board (alongside Daimhin Warner).