About the IAPP

John Edwards

U.K. Information Commissioner's Office

Information Commissioner

Mr. Edwards was educated in New Plymouth, New Zealand, and achieved a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Public Policy at the University of Wellington.

He worked as a solicitor and barrister for more than 14 years, including time as a policy adviser to the New Zealand prime minister and cabinet around Freedom of Information.

From February 2014 to December 2021, Edwards was New Zealand Privacy Commissioner. During that time, he chaired the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (now known as the Global Privacy Assembly), and was a member of the OECD’s Informal Group of Experts on Children in the Digital Environment.

Contributions by John Edwards

• A Commissioners’ Chat: Priorities for the ICO & BfDI
  Speaker at IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2022
• Opening General Session
  Speaker at IAPP Data Protection Intensive: UK 2022
• An Update on the Privacy Act 2020 from the Privacy Commissioner
  Speaker at Wellington and Auckland KnowledgeNet: 13 May 2021
• Influencing Privacy as a Priority: A Regulator’s Perspective
  Web Conference Speaker
• The Privacy Commissioner on the Privacy Act 2020
  Speaker at Auckland KnowledgeNet: 3 December 2020
• New Zealand Privacy Act 2020... Are you ready?
  Speaker at Virtual Sydney KnowledgeNet: 17 September 2020
• The Current State of Play of the Privacy Bill
  Speaker at Auckland KnowledgeNet: 26 November 2019
• Musings of an Outspoken Regulator: A Conversation with the Privacy Commissioner
  Speaker at IAPP ANZ Summit 2019
• Closing General Session
  Speaker at IAPP ANZ Summit 2019
• Privacy Act's 25th Anniversary: Changes and challenges of the privacy professional
  The Privacy Advisor