In a year that has seen the biggest upgrade in UK data protection laws for twenty years, all five commissioners met for the first time at a dinner in Manchester in November 2018.
Around the table with current Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham were:
- Eric Howe, the first UK Data Protection regulator who served as the Registrar from 1984-1994.
- Elizabeth France, who oversaw a period of significant legislative change and served until 2002. She saw the introduction of the FOI Act in 2000.
- Richard Thomas, who headed the office from 2002-2009 and was charged with implementation of FOI.
- Christopher Graham, who was our commissioner from 2009 to 2016. He focused on raising data protection awareness and implementation of the European framework.
All the Commissioners spoke about the importance of international connections, keeping abreast of technology and commented on the work of the dedicated and creative staff who worked with them over the years. They encouraged Ms Denham to retain the sense of ‘family’ at the ICO but acknowledged it would be a challenge given that we are approaching 700 staff!