Sunny Athwal is the Chief Privacy Officer at HCLTech where she leads the global privacy risk management program. In her role, she is responsible for implementing and overseeing the privacy framework across HCLTechs’ entities and affiliated subsidiaries across countries, including ensuring compliance with GDPR, HIPPA, and other privacy laws across the world. She also oversees the firm’s regulatory risk program, which is responsible for deploying industry best practices, and procedures to ensure compliance with broader IT and technology regulations including DORA and NIS. Recently, she has expanded her role to govern all things data and is now overseeing the Data Governance program. She is a key member of the AI Ethics Committee and a key advisory member to the Board on all matters related to privacy, data, and regulatory risk.

Prior to joining HCLTech, she held key privacy roles at Symantec and Visa. She is an English & Welsh qualified lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in privacy and data protection. Based in London, she has been at the forefront of regulatory change and has provided inputs to EU Supervisory Authorities on topics such as FinTech initiatives such as contactless. She is an active member of key industry bodies and forums such as Centre Information Policy Leadership (CIPL), International Association of Privacy Professional (IAPP), and NASSCOM.

She is passionate about raising awareness of privacy and creating a culture of privacy within organizations. She is an active mentor in the mentorship program at both HCLTech and the EWF. She has created a network of over 1,000 privacy and security champions in her time at HCLTech. She regularly speaks at conferences, events, and schools to help build education in the young generation on the importance of protecting your personal information and rights.