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With the scorching July sun shining over Singapore, some 1,500 privacy and artificial intelligence governance professionals gathered in our island state last week for the IAPP Asia 2025: Privacy Forum + AI Governance Global conference.
As with previous seasons, IAPP Asia 2025 was co-hosted alongside Singapore's Personal Data Protection Week 2025. We basked in the warmth of knowledge-sharing, the exchange of practical insights and networking. The event was ablaze with energy, chilled only by the crisp air conditioning that streamed throughout the venue, the iconic Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre.
The opening session at PDP Week saw Minister for Digital Development and Information and Minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity Josephine Teo highlighting Singapore's commitment to privacy-enhancing technologies through a newly released regulatory guide — helping the region sync standards while keeping innovation red-hot.
The panel "From Policy to Practice: Translating AI Use for Businesses" offered a sprinkler of strategies for adopting AI in the workplace responsibly, while "Staying Ahead of Data Breaches: From Cyber Security to Cyber Resilience" offered tactics for sweating out cyber vulnerabilities.
Four afternoon workshops delivered practical hands-on immersion into a garden of topics. "It's Not Child's Play — Protecting Kids' Data in a Grown-Up Digital World" offered scenario‑based learning, covering children's privacy in a popsicle. "Fortune Favours the Prepared — Architecting a Cyber Incident and Data Breach Management Plan" guided participants through breach preparedness, akin to a trusty summer umbrella shield on the beach. "Why Border? Building up your Organisation's Cross Border Data Transfer Toolbox" laid out a picnic blanket of mechanisms including the recently launched Global CBPR Forum's Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Model Contractual Clauses
"AI, AI, Captain! — Steering your Organisation in the Waters of GenAI" shone a ray of sunshine on responsible enterprise adoption of generative AI.
At the IAPP Asia 2025 opening session, Deputy Commissioner of Singapore's Personal Data Protection Commission Denise Wong, AIGP, cast three birthday wishes for the IAPP's 25th anniversary year: one, that the IAPP continues to reinvent itself to tackle the increasing demands and expanded challenges facing the field; two, that it continues to enable and equip professionals to become wiser, as it grows older; and three, that it continues to bring the growing community together.
My own treasure trove of memories at this year's IAPP Asia 2025 includes moderating a lively panel titled "Never a Dull Moment: A Day in the Life of Asia Privacy Counsel." This golden hour would not have been possible without the sheer dedication and brilliance of my panelists, who continue to blaze the trail of privacy and AI governance in the Asia-Pacific region.
A concurrent panel, "Practical Strategies for Companies to Adhere to Evolving Children's Privacy Laws," was an assuring breeze to an increasingly heated dialogue on kids' privacy and online safety issues internationally.
Other sessions at IAPP Asia 2025 included "Addressing Cyber Risks and Threats in Data Privacy and AI," akin to donning metaphorical sunglasses against cyber adversities. "Keep It or Delete It? KonMari Your Data" offered data decluttering best practices, akin to spring-cleaning to make way for a stress-free summer. Meanwhile, "Regulatory Trends and Best Practices for AI Governance and Privacy Compliance" offered refreshing shade under the blazing sun of global AI and data regulation. The session on "Risks and Opportunities: Incident Preparedness and Response in the Age of AI" brought sizzling ideas on frameworks to combat AI incidents swiftly and effectively.
Day two served up "Automate Privacy Programs from an In‑house Perspective," a technological fan to cool down manual-heavy workflows. Following that, "Shifting Sands: The Outlook for Cross‑border Data Transfers in APAC in 2025" navigated the solar-shifting regulations of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Finally, "Privacy by Design and Default in AI: The Role of Privacy‑enhancing Technologies" closed the forum on a sweet note, outlining practical integration of PETs under the soothing shade of data protection.
As the week wrapped, we basked in the glow of a soothing sunset after a robust swim through complex privacy and AI seas, freshly committed to keeping digital innovation ablaze in the summer days ahead.
Charmian Aw, CIPP/A, CIPP/E, CIPP/US, CIPM, FIP, is a partner at Hogan Lovells.
This article originally appeared in the Asia-Pacific Dashboard Digest, a free weekly IAPP newsletter. Subscriptions to this and other IAPP newsletters can be found here.
