Estella Cohen
Executive Director – Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner— Ontario, Canada
Estella Cohen is the Executive Director at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), the independent body that oversees the privacy and access laws in Ontario. Most of her professional experience has been in the Ontario Public Service (OPS), where she was responsible for a number of high profile portfolios, both at Management Board Secretariat and the Ministry of Government Services. In 2006, Estella was charged with developing and implementing a comprehensive privacy awareness program for Ontario Shared Services. The program was awarded a Public Sector Quality Award in 2008. Estella’s passion for privacy and specifically, for Privacy by Design was sparked by working closely with Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, the creator of this leading edge privacy protection methodology. Her concept of Privacy by Design seeks to proactively embed privacy into the design specifications of information technology and accountable business practices, thereby achieving the strongest protection possible. In October, 2010, regulators from around the world gathered at the annual assembly of International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Jerusalem, Israel, and unanimously passed a landmark Resolution recognizing Privacy by Design as an essential component of fundamental privacy protection. With extensive adult education experience, Estella has developed and conducted many staff training workshops and seminars.
Estella Cohen is the Executive Director at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), the independent body that oversees the privacy and access laws in Ontario. Most of her professional experience has been in the Ontario Public Service (OPS), where she was responsible for a number of high profile portfolios, both at Management Board Secretariat and the Ministry of Government Services. In 2006, Estella was charged with developing and implementing a comprehensive privacy awareness program for Ontario Shared Services. The program was awarded a Public Sector Quality Award in 2008. Estella’s passion for privacy and specifically, for Privacy by Design was sparked by working closely with Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, the creator of this leading edge privacy protection methodology. Her concept of Privacy by Design seeks to proactively embed privacy into the design specifications of information technology and accountable business practices, thereby achieving the strongest protection possible. In October, 2010, regulators from around the world gathered at the annual assembly of International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Jerusalem, Israel, and unanimously passed a landmark Resolution recognizing Privacy by Design as an essential component of fundamental privacy protection. With extensive adult education experience, Estella has developed and conducted many staff training workshops and seminars.
