Meet the Pride: Javi Perez

Travel to Ireland to meet Javi Perez, Lionbridge’s Director of Privacy and Compliance. Javi is passionate about promoting a positive data protection culture at Lionbridge and keeping our privacy policies up to date with new regulatory requirements. When he’s not working, he enjoys playing guitar, traveling across Ireland and to other European countries with his dogs, and playing video games.

Tell us a little about your role at Lionbridge.

As Director of Privacy and Compliance, I am responsible for Lionbridge’s data protection and privacy program and making sure we are compliant with all the data protection laws in areas where we operate. I assist with the implementation, review, and amendments of our privacy policies and services, including the completion of Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA). I am the point of contact for the Data Protection Commissioner, and for data subjects who have questions about their data subject rights, concerns about our privacy practices, or incidents they need to report. Additionally, I identify new and emerging data protection legislation and risks, and make sure Lionbridge is aware of any new requirements and these are implemented from the people, process, and technology standpoints.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I really enjoy promoting a positive data protection culture within Lionbridge, including developing training for employees and talking to people about what privacy is and why it is important. I like translating complex topics into simple terms and explaining how regulatory requirements apply to what we do every day.

You were recently selected as a member of the European Advisory Board for the International Association of Privacy Professionals. What are you most looking forward to achieving in that position?

It is an honor to have been selected as a member. I want to give back to the community of privacy professionals and to share my knowledge and experiences with them. And I want to learn from my distinguished peers who are also on the board.

What are some key trends affecting privacy today?

International transfer is an important topic. In the past few years, there have been some major cases across Europe regarding the transfer of information from the EU to the U.S., and whether this is lawful. This has resulted in some decisions from the European Court of Justice—for example, invalidating the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and requiring companies to implement new organizational, security, and technical measures. This requires all companies to do their due diligence when exporting data outside the EU and ensure that all the security controls are in place to minimize any risk and to inform the customer if any data transfer actually happens from the EU to other countries (know your transfers).

What’s the most exciting opportunity on the horizon this year for the privacy team?

We’re excited to produce more public facing documentation about our trust organization and our commitment to privacy, security, and quality. We’re looking forward to explaining how our trust organization works, why customers can trust us, and how we process customer information. Our goal for next year is transparency and to preserve the trust we’ve earned from our customers.

We’ve also worked hard over the past 18 months to achieve full certification for the ISO 27001:2013 and 27701:2019 standards, becoming the first Language Services Provider to do so. We wanted to achieve these certifications to ensure we were doing everything possible to preserve the trust of our customers.

Where do you live, and what do you enjoy about living there?

I’m originally from Mexico, but I’ve lived in Ireland for the past 13 years. What I most enjoy about living here is the people. Everyone is friendly—Ireland is a country that welcomes anyone who moves here. I also enjoy the nature and the countryside.

What’s something a tourist visiting your area shouldn’t miss?

Anyone who visits Ireland needs to go to Donegal. Most people who visit Ireland go to the Cliffs of Moher in Galway, but there is a series of mountains in Donegal that I always recommend to anyone who visits. It’s called Slieve League. The Ring of Kerry is a popular route to visit as well, with lakes, mountains, and waterfalls. It’s one of the best places you can find in Ireland.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I enjoy playing the guitar, walking my dogs, and playing video games. When I want to relax, I build Lego sets.

How many languages do you speak?

My native language is Spanish, and I also speak English.

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Take risks and do whatever makes you happy. And be driven by a purpose.