Sylvia Kingsmill named KPMG's global cyber privacy leader

Sylvia Klasovec Kingsmill, a partner at KPMG Canada, has been appointed KPMG International’s global cyber privacy leader.

In the role, Kingsmill – an expert in privacy law – will be tasked with building and overseeing a global cyber privacy team at the Big Four accounting and consulting network.

“Sylvia will be responsible for setting and executing the firm's strategic direction in privacy, ensuring that it remains relevant to our clients' complex and evolving needs," said Akhilesh Tuteja, global cyber security practice leader at KPMG.

Cyber privacy is an increasing concern for organizations and consumers as more data is collected and digitized and cyber breaches increase in frequency and severity. Along with maintaining consumer trust, organizations also must stay abreast of regulatory changes as more jurisdictions pursue privacy regimes on a standard akin to the EU’s GDPR.

"For many organizations, data is at the heart of every major strategic decision and investment, so this is a great opportunity to have conversations with clients about embedding privacy and security, by default, into those decisions they moment they are made," Kingsmill said.

Kingsmill has more than 15 years of experience providing strategic, risk management, and compliance advisory services to private and public sector clients. A lawyer by trade, Kingsmill specializes in transforming corporate compliance and privacy programs in response to internal audits, regulatory findings, and exams. She has served as an interim chief privacy officer at various organizations and advised on some of the largest data breach investigations.

Kingsmill has been at KPMG Canada since 2018, serving as leader of the national privacy, regulatory, and information management practice. Before that, she spent eight years at Deloitte Canada, where she served as partner and national data protection and privacy leader.

Prior to Deloitte, Kingsmill served as a privacy consultant and in-house counsel at Anzen Consulting in Toronto. Earlier in her career, Kingsmill held roles within the Information Privacy Commissioner’s Office of Ontario.

She has a law degree from the University of Ottawa and a bachelor’s degree from York University.

"As more digital identity programs are rolled over the next few years, privacy will be paramount for governments, citizens, and businesses,” Kingsmill added. “Public trust and transparency will be crucial for every digital interaction and transaction, so organizations will need to build privacy and cybersecurity into their foundation."