Published on December 27, 2024
With many countries enacting privacy laws and India, too, on the cusp of enacting DPDPA, Tata companies are initiating programmes to address privacy compliance requirements. Against this backdrop, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), in collaboration with Tata Business Excellence Group (TBExG), organised the first pan Tata group-level summit on data privacy. The summit featured three virtual sessions (November 21, 27 and December 3, 2024) and a physical meet at TCS, Chennai on December 16, 2024.
1. Privacy Principles and Operationalising Privacy Programme by Abha Tiwari, Data Privacy Officer, Air India; and Sujatha Sree, Global Data Privacy Office, TCS
2. India DPDPA and its implementation by Heena Vazirani, Partner, PwC; and Anuj Kumar, Head Information Security and Data Privacy, Tata Steel India
3. Sustaining Privacy Compliance by Remco Bakker, Privacy Officer, Tata Steel Netherlands; and Rajesh Ranjan, Data Privacy Officer (DPO), Titan
These sessions engaged more than 170 participants from over 40 group companies.
The in-person ‘Tata Data Privacy Summit 2024’ at TCS, Siruseri Campus, Chennai, brought together over 120 senior leaders (both in person and virtually from more than 40 Tata companies) from privacy offices, IT, legal compliance, and business. The summit saw engrossing, thought-provoking, and insightful panel discussions and presentations from experts from various Tata companies (including TCS) and The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India.
Deepak Deshpande, Vice President, TBExG, gave an overview of various interventions and initiatives TBExG is driving for the group.
K. Krithivasan, CEO, TCS, welcomed the participants in his address, emphasising the importance of strong data protection practices that go beyond legal requirements and serve as a cornerstone for ethical business operations.
Sridhar Venkataraman, the Global Head of Delivery Centres and Shared Services at TCS, highlighted the importance of ethical growth, unwavering compliance, and maintaining the trust that customers have built over years in his address. He discussed the need to balance innovation and agility with privacy and collectively strive to uphold our brand reputation.
Dileep R, Head of the Global Privacy Office at TCS, outlined the importance of privacy in fostering customer trust.
India DPDPA — Road Ahead
The highlight of the event was an insightful conversation, anchored by K. Subramanian, Global Head, Delivery Excellence and Governance, TCS; with Deepak Goel, Sr. Scientist and Group Coordinator, Cyber Laws Division, MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology). The session provided an inside view of the India DPDPA journey from genesis to the current streamlined version with simplified measures and pioneering rights. Goel spoke about the need for responsible data usage to foster innovation without stifling it. Simplifying compliance would facilitate the exploration of bespoke solutions. Further, from this session the audience received guidance on personal data management and sectoral regulatory influences on compliance in this new regime.
Case Study Insights: Lessons in Action
Nine groups of participants were assigned case studies to deliberate and discuss topics like data protection, global regulatory compliance, responsible data handling, and creative privacy solutions. Participants brainstormed strategies to address challenges of consent management, data transfers, and data breaches and presented their approaches. This collaborative interaction revealed proactive and innovative approaches that participants took back to enhance their privacy practices.
Panel Discussion – A Fine Print – The Legal Lens on Privacy
Madhav Anchan, General Counsel, TCS, set the context for the session by stressing the need to think about compliance beyond contracts. During a panel discussion, Siddhartha Sen, Sr. General Manager, Corp-Legal, Tata Motors; Spencer McDuff, Privacy Counsel, TCS; and Paul Finnegan, Privacy Compliance Manager, Jaguar Land Rover, further discussed and developed this point.
The panel stressed that privacy should not be mere afterthoughts or solely compliance matters, instead, they should be integral to the brand promise, utilising niche practices to instil trust, attract, and retain customers. Understanding and interpreting the law, along with focusing on building a first line of defense and raising awareness, are the key drivers in this approach.
Complying with any new regulations is a growing process that requires constant learning and sustenance. To achieve this, it is crucial to have management buy-in, as top-down support defines and assigns clear roles and responsibilities and works collaboratively with business and technology. This was the key takeaway from the panel.
Sustaining Privacy Compliance and Assurance
Complex regulations now demand the urgent adoption of a suite of data privacy tools to assure compliance. Rajesh Ranjan, Data Privacy Officer, Titan Company; Kamlesh Pandey, Principal Data Architect, Tata Technologies; Rahul Mhaskar, Engagement Director, Data Engineering, Tata Technologies; and Sekhar Vadari, Senior Scientist, TCS, shared their insights on the various products and tools they have implemented to meet data privacy requirements in their respective domains. These revolved around user consent, cookies and preferences, privacy rights automation, data security governance, data vaults, and more.
Fireside Chat — Privacy for Responsible AI
Rahul Puri, Senior Vice President, Tata Play; Abha Tiwari, Data Protection Office, Air India; and Aparna Pathak, Global Privacy Office, TCS, moderated an engaging discussion that explored the delicate balance between fostering innovation and adhering to stringent privacy regulations, addressing the crucial question of adopting ethically sound groundbreaking AI technology. The audience concluded that while AI presents numerous opportunities and benefits, fear of the unknown can often perceive it as a threat. Emphasising privacy as a unique selling proposition and key differentiator would ensure sustainable business. Understanding the return on investment and business impact, with legal guardrails, would help businesses grow faster. As regulations and technology rapidly evolve, businesses will need to imbibe the privacy principles to stay compliant and innovative.
Key Takeaways
The objective of this entire series was not only to understand the concepts but also understand what it takes to be privacy compliant to various laws and to really make it happen on the ground. Top-notch conversations gradually uncovered the layers of privacy, a complex techno-legal domain. These discussions highlighted the vital partnership between privacy and business, demonstrating that effective compliance and innovation can serve as key differentiators in today’s market. The exchange of knowledge and ideas among the participants gave them a clearer understanding of privacy and provided directions to imbibe a culture of privacy first in their organisations.
Participant Speak
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for organising such an engaging and informative workshop on data privacy. The content was not only comprehensive but also highly relevant to current industry challenges, making it a truly valuable experience. The efforts put into the presentations, expert discussions, interactive sessions and admin/facility arrangements were evident and greatly appreciated. It has deepened my understanding of critical privacy frameworks and best practices, which I am confident will benefit each one of us. Thank you once again for your hard work and dedication to delivering such a high-quality event. I look forward to participating in future workshops organised by your team.
— Gaurav Choudhry, GRC team, Tata 1mg