Data Privacy, Security, and Compliance with Michelle Beistle - a podcast by Mary Shirley and Lisa Fine

On this episode of Great Women in Compliance, we have Michelle Beistle, the Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Privacy and Ethics at Unisys. Prior to this, she was an Assistant General Counsel specializing in privacy. What was this career trajectory like? Michelle shares her story and discusses how data privacy and security go hand in hand with compliance.
From privacy to complianceMichelle started her compliance career in privacy first, a move that’s often the reverse of the usual career trajectories. As privacy counsel and chief privacy officer, she eventually took on the ethics program as well as becoming chief compliance officer.
She sees a lot of synergy and complementariness between the two roles. While privacy is about respecting an individual’s right to control their own data, ethics is about respecting the law and ensuring you’re following rules and regulations. From a programmatic point of view there are some overlaps: plenty of training and awareness, providing a place for people to report concerns, conducting investigations into those concerns, and then monitoring those concerns for trends.
There is a benefit to having both programs under one umbrella, because at the heart of it, acting with integrity is essential to success.Data privacy vs. data security
Data security, and the security of personal data, is an integral component and requirement for a good privacy program. But privacy is not just data security; that’s just one element.Privacy is much more than just protecting data, it’s about giving individuals the ability to control how personal data about them — data that identifies who they are as a person — is used. It’s about respecting that data, and respecting the wishes of the individual as to how their data should be used.
What would you say to women who want to build their compliance careers?Michelle received mentorship early in her career, and she observed that successful women took on challenges, even if they weren’t sure they were 100% qualified. When opportunities would arise, they wouldn’t turn away because they only had 50% of the qualifications. If you see a challenge or an opportunity, and you think you could make a difference, speak up. Don't wait for someone to come out and offer it to you.
Another piece of advice she received was to always be respectful and kind to everyone. You don’t know who your next boss is going to be, or who’s going to give you your next opportunity.She also mentors young people now and tells them: Nobody is thinking more about your career than you. So make sure you’re thinking about it. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice.
Final thoughtsPrivacy is a fantastic area to take on and grow as an individual in your career; don’t shy away from it. If you realize there’s more that can be done to respect individuals’ personal data at your company, step up, get involved, and explore privacy if you’re not already taking it on.
Be the person at your company that can look out and proactively help.Resources
Michelle Beistle

Further episodes of Great Women in Compliance

Further podcasts by Mary Shirley and Lisa Fine

Website of Mary Shirley and Lisa Fine