TLT hires data protection and financial services specialist as partner

With deep experience advising global businesses, Chris’s appointment further boosts the strength and breadth of services offered to clients by this rapidly expanding data practice.

Chris joins from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce where he led the privacy programmes in the Europe and APAC regions. He previously worked for AXA, OSB Group and Deloitte, where he helped create a new multi-jurisdictional data risk service for assessing privacy and confidentiality for global technology initiatives.

At TLT Chris will be offering strategic legal counsel to new and existing financial services, tech and fintech clients, in particular, advising on the implementation of complex data and privacy programmes.

Leaning on his consultancy experience, Chris will also support the growth of the firm’s data privacy consulting practice. The practice, which was launched last year, combines the consulting experience of certified privacy managers with legal expertise, alongside TLT’s award-winning FutureLaw team delivering new legal tech, consulting, and managed legal services to transform clients’ legal and data protection operations.

Chris commented: “I am thrilled to be joining TLT. Having advised multinationals for years on data privacy, I’m convinced that clients don’t just want legal advice. They want agile, integrated managed services to help them implement and optimise their privacy programmes. I’ve been looking for some time for an opportunity to develop a hybrid practice to deliver on these needs and in TLT I have found the perfect home. Gareth’s team has a remarkable reputation and in collaboration with the firm’s consultancy and FutureLaw practices, we’re in the best possible position to support our clients with this game-changing service model.”

Gareth Oldale, head of data, privacy and cybersecurity at TLT said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Chris to the team. Chris is a talented lawyer and brings years of experience advising some of the biggest organisations in the financial services world. Having worked in-house (both as a senior lawyer and as a data protection officer), as well as in private practice, he has a unique perspective on the needs and requirements of our financial services clients, which will be instrumental in building our consultancy practice. Welcome to Chris.”