James Leaton Gray

An expert in Privacy and Data Protection who uniquely combines this with knowledge and experience in business strategy, policy and press management.

At the Privacy Practice James provides consultancy services in Data Protection and Privacy. A leading thinker in the policy debates in this vital arena, he is regularly invited to address conferences in the UK and internationally. He specialises in making compliance part of business operations, not a legal tick box exercise. He writes the Privacy Practice Blog shining light onto current issues in Privacy.

For over 10 years James lead the BBC’s Information Policy and Compliance Department, in the BBC’s Legal section. There he oversaw the operation of the Corporation’s systems for compliance with the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts. Before he left the BBC he led the development of privacy and data governance for myBBC as it developed its big data capability. Additionally he provided expert advice on media and privacy and lobbying on the proposed EU GDPR.

Before that he had a wide variety of management roles including overseeing projects to ensure the BBC’s impartiality during elections and the introduction of staff multi-skilling in areas of BBC News. Before joining the legal section he was a programme maker and spent much of his time in political journalism. He edited many of the BBC’s Political and Parliamentary programmes including Today/Yesterday in Parliament, The Week in Westminster, Westminster Live, and the documentary series Scrutiny.

He was one of the first staff members to be invited to take part in the BBC’s MBA programme. He is a former Chairman of the Strategic Planning Society, and is a member of BAFTA and the Royal Television Society. He is on the editorial board of Data Protection Law & Policy.