Dr. Alexander Dix, LL.M., is Vice-Chair of the European Academy for Freedom of Information and Data Protection in Berlin. He has more than 30 years of practical experience in Data Protection and Freedom of Information. From 1998 to 2005 he was Commissioner for Data Protection and Access to Information in Brandenburg. He was then elected as Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, a post which he held until January 2016. Under his leadership, his office imposed a fine of €1.1M on the German Railways in 2009, which was accepted and paid, for the illegal monitoring of their workforce – the largest fine ever imposed by a single supervisory authority in Germany.

From 2005 to 2015 he chaired the International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications (also known as “Berlin Group”) and represented the Data Protection Authorities of the 16 German states (Länder) in the Art. 29 Working Party of European Data Protection Authorities. Currently he is a member of the Privacy Advisory Group in the UN Global Pulse Project. Dr. Dix has published extensively on transborder data flows, privacy in global networks and freedom of information. He is co-editor of the Jahrbuch für Informationsfreiheit und Informationsrecht and member of the Editorial Board of the European Data Protection Law Review.

Jules serves as CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that seeks to advance responsible data practices. FPF is supported by the chief privacy officers of more than 110 leading companies, several foundations, as well as by an advisory board comprised of the country’s leading academics and advocates. FPF’s current projects focus on Big Data, Mobile, Location, Apps, the Internet of Things, Wearables, De-Identification, Connected Cars and Student Privacy.

Jules previous roles have included serving as Chief Privacy Officer at AOL and before that at DoubleClick, as Consumer Affairs Commissioner for New York City, as an elected New York State Legislator and as a congressional staffer, and as an attorney. Jules serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Copyright Information. He has served on the boards of a number of privacy and consumer protection organizations including TRUSTe, the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and the Network Advertising Initiative. From 2011-2012, Jules served on the Department of Homeland Security Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee.

In 2001, Crain’s NY Business magazine named Jules one of the top technology leaders in New York City. Jules is a regular speaker at privacy and technology events and has testified or presented before Congressional committees and the Federal Trade Commission. His writing and research can be found here.

Louise Thorpe started her career as a Policy and Compliance Officer at the Victorian Privacy Commissioner’s office in Australia before moving to Vodafone, serving as both U.K. Privacy Officer and Global Privacy Counsel until 2012. Since then, she has worked at American Express as the CPO for the European, Middle Eastern, African, Latin American, and Asia-Pacific regions and now serves as the Global Head of Privacy and Information Security Oversight.