First Global Data Protection Officer for Dentsu Aegis

In London, marcoms giant Dentsu Aegis Network has appointed Mark Keddie as its first Global Data Protection Officer, ahead of the new GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) which governs the general use and privacy of EU citizens' data.

Last year, the EU approved a raft of data protection measures, which include strict requirements for data protection compliance and heavy fines for breaches. Keddie (pictured) joins the firm twelve months before the role of Global Data Protection Officer is mandated for organisations by the GDPR. Most recently, he spent five years as Chief Privacy Officer for British Telecom Group; and before this, he spent a decade at BP plc, as a Marketing Analyst and then Compliance and Ethics Leader. Commenting on his new role, Keddie says the firm be working with clients through the forthcoming regulatory changes to help them deliver more personalised and effective communications, and continue building their brands in the digital economy.

John Murray, President, Amplifi Global, adds: 'Data is now the lifeblood of businesses in the digital economy and the ones that get data protection right will accelerate through the transition and win. We believe the future of marketing will be personalised and addressable, requiring a holistic understanding of people's behaviours and motivations. Our vision is for all planning and activation to ultimately be people-based and underpinned by anonymised real people data, so data protection and privacy by design is at the core of our business'.

Web site: www.dentsuaegis.com .