The IAPP has named Teleperformance as the winner of its HPE-IAPP Innovation Award in the category of privacy operations innovation. Specializing in providing support for companies through outsourced customer experience management, Teleperformance operates in 74 countries. Its annual interaction with 40 percent of the global population makes it possibly the world’s largest data processor.
The HPE-IAPP Privacy Innovation Awards recognize unique programs and services in global privacy and data protection in the private and public sectors. The awards recognize organizations that integrate privacy in such a way that elevates its value as both a competitive differentiator and a centerpiece of customer and citizen trust.
Teleperformance describes its approach to security as holistic, believing a siloed approach to organizational management leads to a breakdown in communication and complications for integration across departments. As such, the functions of privacy, security and compliance are rolled up under one roof, facilitating the ability to react and respond in real-time and across departments.
Alan Winters, deputy chief global compliance officer and chief privacy officer, describes privacy and security as a “journey with no real end.” Being global in focus and operation, Winters said the company has had to navigate the privacy landscape through its drastic changes over the last several years, “from both a governmental regulation point of view and from a client-requirement perspective.”
Despite the changes, Winters said the company’s privacy strategy has remained constant: " protecting sensitive data of our clients, their customers, and our own employees."
“Simply put," he said, "we are in the service business and we serve our clients all over the world, and in many cases serve the same client in multiple geographies. So again, we must be compliant and we must be flexible to meet the needs of our clients. Service in the larger sense of the word is part of our DNA, and we look at privacy and data protection as just another part of our duty to our clients and their customers.”
Besides its holistic approach to organizational structure, the company has created an internal threshold of security standards, called the Global Essential Compliance and Security Policies (GECSP), designed to anticipate any possible risks of fraud or violation of any security guidelines. GECSP allows the company to maintain a trusted privacy infrastructure globally as well as shape operations to meet regional compliance.
Teleperformance boasts a 47 percent placement of women in managerial positions, and Winters said Teleperformance’s philosophy is, “We view corporate social responsibility as a core value and certainly feel that diversity in all forms is a key enabler for our company to succeed the way we have. We of course want the best person for the job, but I am also mindful to ensure we are diverse in our thinking and ensuring that we have women in key roles is important. In fact, I will be announcing in coming weeks our SVP of Privacy and DPO for our European operations, “ Winters added, “She brings the right experience, the right perspective, and enormous credibility to this position.”