ICO appoints new Deputy CEO and Deputy Commissioner
The Information Commissioner’s Office is pleased to announce two senior appointments to help strengthen its strategic work in regulating the use of data.
Paul Arnold has been appointed to the role of Deputy Chief Executive Officer, while James Dipple-Johnstone joins the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as Deputy Commissioner – Operations.
Paul joined the ICO in 1998 and has held a number of senior leadership positions, most recently responsible for customer services, IT and Information Governance.
Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner said:
“Given the breadth of Paul’s experience at the ICO, his outstanding service focus, and his excellent leadership credentials, I am delighted to have him take on the role of Deputy CEO.
“I have found him to be incredibly hard working and capable, as well as committed to the ICO, and I look forward to working with Paul in the years to come.”
James Dipple-Johnstone, who is expected to join the ICO in June, is currently the Director of Investigation and Supervision at the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA), where he leads the teams assessing and investigating the 12,000 reports it receives each year.
He brings extensive experience of conduct and regulatory investigation. He joined the SRA in 2015 from the Independent Police Complaints Commission, where he was Commissioner for the North West England Police forces and a lead Commissioner for the Hillsborough Investigation.
He was previously Director of Investigations at the Office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman where he headed the unit carrying out investigations into health service cases.
Ms Denham said:
“I am delighted that James will be bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience in public sector regulation to the ICO, and I am confident he will prove to be a great asset to our team.
“These key appointments will strengthen the ICO’s ability to meet the many and varied challenges we will face in the months and years to come.”
Notes to Editors
- The Information Commissioner’s Office upholds information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
- The ICO has specific responsibilities set out in the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
- The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new law that will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 and will apply in the UK from 25 May 2018. The government has confirmed that the UK’s decision to leave the EU will not affect the commencement of the GDPR.
- The ICO can take action to change the behaviour of organisations and individuals that collect, use and keep personal information. This includes criminal prosecution, non-criminal enforcement and audit. The ICO has the power to impose a monetary penalty on a data controller of up to £500,000.
- Anyone who processes personal information must comply with eight principles of the Data Protection Act, which make sure that personal information is:
- fairly and lawfully processed;
- processed for limited purposes;
- adequate, relevant and not excessive;
- accurate and up to date;
- not kept for longer than is necessary;
- processed in line with your rights;
- secure; and
- not transferred to other countries without adequate protection.
- The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) sit alongside the Data Protection Act. They give people specific privacy rights in relation to electronic communications. There are specific rules on:
- marketing calls, emails, texts and faxes;
- cookies (and similar technologies);
- keeping communications services secure; and
- customer privacy as regards traffic and location data, itemised billing, line identification, and directory listings.
We aim to help organisations comply with PECR and promote good practice by offering advice and guidance. We will take enforcement action against organisations that persistently ignore their obligations.
- Civil Monetary Penalties (CMPs) are subject to a right of appeal to the (First-tier Tribunal) General Regulatory Chamber against the imposition of the monetary penalty and/or the amount of the penalty specified in the monetary penalty notice.
- Any monetary penalty is paid into the Treasury’s Consolidated Fund and is not kept by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
- To report a concern to the ICO telephone our helpline 0303 123 1113 or go to ico.org.uk/concerns.