Government puts forward Canadian privacy chief for Information Commissioner role

Elizabeth Denham to take over from Christopher Graham in the summer

The next UK Information Commissioner has been announced as Elizabeth Denham, subject to final approvals.

Denham currently serves as Information and Privacy Commissioner in British Columbia, Canada and will take over from Christopher Graham as the head of the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the summer on a five-year term and a salary of £140,000.

She will join the ICO at a time of great change in the data protection landscape, with the European Commission's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) set to hit the statute books, radically changing the scope of data protection in the UK, including the chance to levy far bigger fines for data loss incidents.

Her appointment is subject to scrutiny by the Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee and final, ceremonial, approval by The Queen.

This approval is likely a formality given the secretary of state for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), John Whittingdale, has put Denham forward for the role.

"I am delighted to put forward Elizabeth Denham as the UK's next Information Commissioner. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role having been British Columbia's Information and Privacy Commissioner for the past six years."

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, minister for data protection, also gave her backing to Denham: "The work of the Information Commissioner is vital for public and business alike. I'm pleased that we are recommending Elizabeth Denham to take on this role.

"She has a track record of working with business and other stakeholders, as well as a proactive approach to enforcing data protection law."

For her part, Denham said she was "honoured to be nominated" and was excited to join the ICO as data privacy becomes a major challenge.

"I believe the rapid pace of technological change we face will continue to accelerate and present challenges to information rights - we must ensure access to information while maintaining high standards of data protection," she added.

"The Information Commissioner's Office has a global reputation for practical, innovative and responsive regulation. I look forward to contributing to this work."