New Deputy Commissioner joins ICO
Rob Luke joins the ICO today as Deputy Commissioner (Policy).
He was previously British High Commissioner to Malta, and has also served overseas in Brazil and Paris as well as in policy roles at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London.
Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said:
“This is a time of change for information rights, but it is an exciting time. The new General Data Protection Regulation brings an opportunity to look at how we all do things afresh, and the ICO will be at the forefront of that, helping organisations to improve how they comply with the law.
“Rob will be a key part of that work. We’ll be drawing heavily on his leadership skills, and he’ll be central to our work to evolve the ICO to make sure we stay relevant, both to the public and the organisations we regulate.
“The digital world is a smaller world. The ICO will be taking an internationalist approach, continuing and growing our work with regulators around the world. Rob’s experience will be invaluable, and I look forward to working with him.”
Rob Luke said:
“I am delighted to be joining the ICO. The information rights landscape is evolving rapidly and I look forward to working as part of the ICO team in anticipating and shaping that change in the public’s interest, engaging closely with our numerous stakeholders.”
Notes to Editors
- Rob Luke’s biography: Educated at St George’s School, Harpenden and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, Rob joined the British Diplomatic Service in 2000 after working for the UK’s Millennium Commission. He served initially at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London, working on the Middle East Peace Process. In 2002 he was seconded to the Brazilian Diplomatic Institute before serving for three years as Political and Press Officer at the British Embassy in Brasilia. He returned to the FCO in London in 2005 as Head of the War Crimes Section in the International Organisations Department. In 2008 he was seconded to the French Immigration Ministry, and then served for four years as Counsellor for Justice and Home Affairs at the British Embassy in Paris. In 2012 he was appointed British High Commissioner to Malta, a position he held until 2016.
- 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 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.