PwC's Risk Assurance Practice Expands its Data Protection and Privacy Capabilities

NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- PwC US today announced that its Data Protection and Privacy practice within its Risk Assurance division has significantly expanded its team and service offerings. The latest additions to the already strong & deep team build on the notable talent acquired during the firm's recent acquisition of Minnesota Privacy Consultants.  Among them was Jay Cline, MPC's founder and president, now a principal in PwC's Data Protection and Privacy practice.

"The continued growth of our practice comes as data privacy risks have risen to the forefront of every Board and audit Committee's agenda," said Dean Simone, leader of PwC's U.S. Risk Assurance practice. "We're serving that agenda by bringing to the market the deepest bench of talent and the most advanced offerings." 

Most recently, several highly experienced professionals have joined PwC's Data Protection and Privacy team with various industry specialties:

• Ken Mortensen, Managing Director, Boston – a former chief privacy officer in the pharmacy and medical-device industries
• Angela Saverice-Rohan, Managing Director, Los Angeles – a former chief privacy officer from the big data and health-insurance industries
• Brad Chin, Managing Director, San Jose – a former engineering privacy leader in the technology industry
• Doris Patrick, Director, Detroit – a former privacy director in the financial services and automotive industries
• Bob Gibson, Director, Indianapolis – a former privacy officer in the pharmaceutical industry
• Jim Williams, Director – New York – a former privacy officer in the financial services industry
• Frank Cindrich, Director – Washington, DC – a former healthcare industry consultant
• Several other managers and staff with direct industry experience with  Fortune 500 companies in managing and operating privacy programs

PwC has also launched six new offerings to address the next generation of challenges facing businesses. Specifically, these solutions are reflective of the emerging technology developments, global laws and needs, regulator focus and, most important, the challenges of privacy leaders.

• CPO Executive Dashboard: A metrics-based view of the status of data privacy compliance and risk across the enterprise.
• Advanced Data Inventory & Dataflow Mapping: Technology-enabled identification, classification, and visualization of data flows across the organization.
• Cross-border Privacy Compliance: Enabling the seamless global transfer of personal data using a consolidated set of privacy requirements from over 200 countries and jurisdictions.
• Healthcare & Life Sciences Privacy Readiness: Working with companies in the health and life-sciences industry on everything from helping them design, implement, and assess their privacy programs to responding to data privacy breaches.
• Big Data Privacy Readiness: Unleashing the long-term value of large data sets by embedding balanced privacy controls into data-analytics processes.
• Privacy Program Maturity Optimization: Enhancing the privacy office's relevance to the Board by demonstrating business impact and value creation over a sustained path of maturity growth.

"Ongoing changes in global privacy regulations, technology, and cyber threats are making it more critical for companies to rely on privacy vendors with deep experience and advanced solutions," said Carolyn Holcomb, Partner and Leader of PwC's Data Protection and Privacy practice. "From program assessments, to next generation protection strategies our team helps companies protect themselves, remain compliant both in the U.S. and globally, and gain a competitive advantage in the market."

PwC's Privacy and Security practices consist of more than 750 security and privacy professionals in the U.S. and more than 85 Certified Information Privacy Professionals (CIPPs).  PwC's network of privacy professionals works to bring the right solution to global clients and stay abreast of global privacy developments and best practices. 

For more information, visit the IT & Project Assurance Services within http://www.pwc.com/us/en/risk-assurance-services.

About PwC's Risk Assurance Practice
PwC understands that significant risk is rarely confined to discrete areas within an organization.  Rather, most significant risks have a wide-ranging impact across the organization. As a result, PwC's Risk Assurance practice has developed a holistic approach to risk that protects business, facilitates strategic decision making and enhances efficiency. This approach is complemented by the extensive risk and controls technical knowledge and sector-specific experience of its Risk Assurance professionals. The end result is a risk solution tailored to meet the unique needs of clients.

About PwC US
PwC US helps organizations and individuals create the value they're looking for. We're a member of the PwC network of firms in 157 countries with more than 184,000 people. We're committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com/US. Gain customized access to our insights by downloading our thought leadership app: PwC's 365™ Advancing business thinking every day

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SOURCE PwC US