FPF Announces new APAC Director, Hosts Panel for Singapore Personal Data Protection Week 2022

As part of this year’s Personal Data Protection Week in Singapore, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) — a global non-profit focused on data privacy, data protection and emerging technology policy — will host “Data Sovereignty, Data Transfers and Data Protection – Impact on AI and Immersive Tech” on July 21, 2022, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. GMT+8.

The panel will feature FPF’s recently appointed Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, Josh Lee Kok Thong, who will discuss principles, practices, and policies to help businesses elevate their data governance practices and build trust in the use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Lee joins FPF after working at the Personal Data Protection Commission Singapore (PDPC) for three years, where he helped draft Singapore’s Model AI Governance Framework and worked on the country’s strategy in AI governance. He is an Advocate and Solicitor of the Singapore Bar, a former international arbitration practitioner, and a former Assistant Director for Legal Policy in Singapore’s Ministry of Law. 

Additionally, Lee co-founded LawTech.Asia, Singapore’s foremost publication on legal technology, as well as the Asia-Pacific Legal Innovation and Technology Association (ALITA). Lee is also a Research Affiliate in the Singapore Management University’s Centre for AI and Data Governance and a Voting Member of the IEEE Standards Association. For his work, he was identified as one of Asia’s Top 30 Persons to Watch in the business of law (Asia Law Portal, 2019). 

As Managing Director for APAC, he and his team will drive FPF’s agenda in the region, particularly focusing on AI governance, cross-border data flows, and emerging realms like immersive technologies. 

“We’re excited to welcome an experienced data protection expert and innovative thinker to our Asia Pacific team,” said Jules Polonetsky, FPF’s CEO. “FPF Asia-Pacific aims to serve in the wider Asia region as a cooperative and trusted platform of reference to advance principled privacy and data protection practices and policies supporting emerging technologies. Josh Lee and the FPF Singapore team will work closely with local stakeholders to develop these conversations within the Asia-Pacific but also will operate as a trusted communication hub between APAC and the other regions of the world.

At the upcoming panel discussion during Personal Data Protection Week in Singapore, Lee, and others, will explore the foundational differences between data localization requirements, international data transfer frameworks in data protection law, and data sovereignty. Attendees will learn about the latest APAC and global regulatory and policy developments and how businesses can better safeguard data against potential risks.

“I am excited to join the renowned team at the Future of Privacy Forum’s APAC office in Singapore and represent them at this year’s Personal Data Protection Week,” said Lee. “In my new role, I hope to work with like-minded partners to continue fostering data best practices in the APAC region as we prepare for the new opportunities and challenges in technology.”

FPF launched the Asia-Pacific office based in Singapore in August 2021. The office expands FPF’s international reach in Asia and complements FPF’s offices in the U.S., Europe, and Israel, as well as partnerships around the globe.

To see all the events FPF will support during PDPC’s Personal Data Protection Week, visit FPF.org.  Follow the FPF APAC team’s activities here and sign up for the FPF APAC email list to stay in touch.