The International Association of Privacy Professionals has named Marc Groman, CIPP/US, and Ted Dean winners of the association’s 2017 Leadership Award. The two accepted their respective honors this morning at the IAPP’s Global Privacy Summit. 

The IAPP Leadership Award is given annually to those who have an “ongoing commitment to furthering privacy policy, promoting recognition of privacy issues and advancing the growth and visibility of the privacy profession.”

Groman called his win a "personally and professionally meaningful accomplishment,” especially when he considered the scope of talent in his peer group. “I’m really eager to live up to the standard that’s been set.”

2017 IAPP Leadership Award Winner Marc Groman, CIPP/US

The award for Groman is in part the culmination of a near 20 year-long career in privacy, beginning at the Federal Trade Commission. He eventually became the agency's chief privacy officer, building its privacy program "from the ground up,” he said.

He most recently spent 19 months serving as the senior advisor for privacy at the Office of Management and Budget, a prestigious position for sure, where he touched privacy and data protection policies in myriad government agencies. He also saw the launch, under OMB Director Shaun Donovan, of a Federal Privacy Council and the release of an update to Circular A-130, the document guiding government agencies' privacy practices, among other accomplishments.  

His work, and the award, is a reflection of his passion. “The reason why I love privacy is that this career is intersection of law, technology and policy,” Groman said  “Each day we grapple with issues from all three worlds.”

Groman added that he hopes to use his status as an award winner in “a difficult climate” to shed light on important privacy issues, both home and abroad. “Privacy is a hot issue for a reason, and it’s important for a reason,” he said.

While Ted Dean’s career hasn’t always been privacy-centric, his recent work with the Department of Commerce negotiating the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework and as head of the U.S. delegation on APEC's Cross Border Privacy Rules were behind his nomination for the Leadership Award. 

While each task had its own unique set of challenges, Dean called the Safe Harbor/Privacy Shield project “the most intense.” Once Safe Harbor was struck down, companies were in crisis mode, and everyone needed solutions, he said. “We knew we had to come up with something that companies had to implement, something companies were interested in and that would work with their global compliance programs.”

2017 IAPP Leadership Award Winner Ted Dean

There were EU member states to impress, too, and the replacement mechanism had to both "withstand the potential future court challenges while working within the U.S. legal system." It was a tough balance to strike successfully, he said.

Thus, the Leadership Award is “a great honor, and in some ways a recognition on behalf of a much larger team,” he said. “We worked on some really hard issues … and we sat around a conference table for a real long time to get the results that we did.”

Top photo: Marc Groman, IAPP CEO and President Trevor Hughes, Ted Dean