Field Trips: A CPO Listening Tour with Ron De Jesus

With the flowers blooming and temperatures rising, it’s hard to resist the allure of a good field trip.

So as I settle into my first 90 days as Transcend’s new Field Chief Privacy Officer, I’m thrilled to announce I’m headed out on a series of ‘field trips’ to meet with Chief Privacy Officers across the U.S.

My goal? Listen closely and learn about their needs in the face of rapid, industry-wide change. 

As a former CPO for some of the industry’s leading brands, I know how valuable it can be to connect face-to-face with my peers and the broader privacy community—to share best practices, dissect emerging issues, and explore new approaches to ongoing challenges. 

There are so many unaddressed pain points in our line of work, and many of us are experiencing increased, sometimes intense, regulatory scrutiny. But regulation isn’t the only thing on my mind. The businesses we lead are also changing rapidly—and privacy plays a pivotal role in the responsible adoption of new technologies. 

Chief Privacy Officers sit in every corner of the global business landscape: from consumer companies and health care, to software and critical infrastructure. Despite our different vantage points, our approach, challenges, and concerns are often the same. I’m looking forward to sitting down with CPOs across industries to:

• Learn and share what CPOs throughout the country are seeing and feeling

• Listen to their challenges and understand their pain points, and 

• Provide a space to unpack yet unmet needs

If you’re a CPO looking to participate in Field Trips: A CPO Listening Tour, here are a few stops coming up on the calendar: 

• April 2-4: IAPP Global Privacy Summit

• June 4-5: IAPP AI Governance Global (Brussels)

• August 8: Consero Chief Privacy Office Roundtable (Chicago)

• September 10: Consero Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable (Dallas)

• September 22-23: IAPP Privacy. Security. Risk. (LA)

• October 10: Consero Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable (NYC)

And because variety is the spice of life, many of my field trips will have a slightly different format and flavor. I’m planning several 1:1 sessions with CPOs, a few strategic round tables, and CPO-only group discussions at marquee events.

I’ve been in privacy for over 15 years, and I know just how important it is to stay ahead of the changes that inevitably come our way. I’m looking forward to hearing from my friends and colleagues across the CPO community—learning where the fire is right now and exploring their vision for the future. So, I’m off to pack my proverbial bag. 

I’m looking forward to building strong connections, gathering a diversity of valuable perspectives, and ensuring the most pressing challenges Chief Privacy Officers face have the best solutions. As my calendar is filling up, I want to make sure I hear your perspective. Feel free to send me an email at ron@transcend.io or shoot me a message on LinkedIn. Can’t wait to see you out in the field!