The Privacy Maturity Evolution: From Checkbox Compliance to Business Value

Keith Eyre, AIGP, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, FIP, Executive Manager, Privacy, Westpac

Greer Harris, CIPP/E, CIPM, Group Chief Privacy Officer, Commonwealth Bank of Australia 

Anna Johnston, CIPP/E, CIPM, FIP, Partner, Privacy Director, Helios Salinger

Privacy frameworks and standards continue to multiply while technologies like AI create new challenges for privacy professionals. This session explores the practical realities of building privacy maturity in today's complex environment. Our expert panelists will share insights on benchmarking privacy maturity across different organisational contexts and identifying critical "non-negotiable" elements versus aspirational "nice-to-haves." They will lay practical strategies for advancing privacy maturity with limited resources. They will also investigate how to balance compliance requirements with operational realities, as well as how to measure progress and demonstrate value to leadership. As privacy laws become increasingly complex across jurisdictions and intertwined with AI-specific regulations, companies face greater challenges in establishing effective privacy programs. This session will provide senior privacy leaders with actionable frameworks to assess their current state and build practical roadmaps for advancement.

What you will learn:

• How to identify the essential "non-negotiables" versus aspirational "nice-to-haves" and make progress tailored to your organization's specific context and resources.
• An understanding of your current maturity level through practical benchmarking and frameworks to measure progress and demonstrate tangible value beyond basic compliance.

• How to bridge theory and practice, from research to operational realities.