Information is an Asset

Information is the new natural resource for business, providing untapped opportunities for companies to leverage.  And like any resource, the greater the value, the greater the need to apply measured governance – tracking, protection, maintenance and compliance with applicable obligations.  And the pace of change and innovation is increasing – as are the risks and consequences of missteps.

James Howard has deep experience as a former Chief Data Officer and Chief Privacy Officer for a major professional services firms, having designed, built and led successful teams focussed on leveraging and protecting information assets.

James has helped organizations implement right-sized information management capabilities, with a view to deriving value from data while managing risk and ensuring compliance with obligations.

Please see my blog for articles and thought-leadership pieces on topics related to information management, and see my CV here.

All views expressed on this blog are my own and do not reflect the views or positions of any company or organization with which I have been associated.

About James…

As the former partner serving as Chief Privacy Officer and Chief Data Officer at KPMG, James developed, implemented and operated an Information Management Office, positioning the organization to leverage the transformative opportunities that cognitive computing and intelligent automation present.  In his role, James was responsible for the processes, tools and controls necessary to meet the complex information handling requirements, enabling use while ensuring protection.  James has strong experience and insights into how to enable use of information while complying with regulatory obligations and protecting “crown jewels” information; he’s done it for one of the leading professional services firms in the world.

James has over 30 years of experience assisting companies innovate with business-enabling technologies while managing related risk.  His experience helps him focus on the management of information, technology, protection and privacy risk/control frameworks, to ensure they are aligned with business strategies, processes, policies, and compliance requirements, and to make information privacy and confidentiality part of the organization’s culture.

His experience includes defining and implementing information use and protection strategy (ranging from governance to operations), IT Risk, security, business continuity management programs, IT audit, Sarbanes-Oxley 404 services, as well as designing and developing software applications and related infrastructure solutions.  He has experience serving both global clients in financial services, health insurance, consumer and industrial markets (retail, food & beverage and manufacturing), as well as internally-focused roles overseeing portions of the organization’s operations.