Phoenix appoints first dedicated Chief Privacy Officer

Ciara Maerowitz has been appointed Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) to drive transparency, trust, and accountability in handling personal information for the City of Phoenix.

Maerowitz will serve as the city’s first dedicated CPO – the role was previously an additional duty for the Chief Information Security Officer.

“Separating the two roles is a clear signal that the city recognises that data privacy has evolved with its own set of risks and mitigation efforts,” she told Cities Today. “The importance of data privacy and protection will only grow as the world grows increasingly digital. Having this as a dedicated role helps us elevate data protection in collaboration with all of our partners, both internally and externally to the city.”

Maerowitz will play an integral role in developing and maintaining frameworks for data governance, providing guidance on mitigation of privacy risks, and ensuring Phoenix continues to comply with emerging global privacy laws.

She brings nearly ten years of experience in regulatory compliance, and has held positions at multiple global financial services firms, where she implemented privacy programmes across over 50 jurisdictions.

“The CPO plans to advocate for ‘privacy by design’, which embeds privacy controls into all systems and processes from its inception,” she said. “This ensures the city can be proactive and intentional with our data privacy strategy.”

The CPO will also act as the main contact in the event of a privacy breach, both internally and externally.

Maerowitz added: “I am excited for this role because I am helping protect our residents by safeguarding their data and proving worthy of the trust they’ve placed in us.”

Image: Chris Curtis | Dreamstime.com