Future of Privacy Forum Recognizes Two Privacy and Technology Leaders with Career Awards

The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) — presented Maneesha Mithal, a long-time leader in privacy and consumer protection at the Federal Trade Commission, the Distinguished Public Service Award, and Jane Horvath, Apple’s former Chief Privacy Officer and a privacy and technology trailblazer of more than two decades, the Career Achievement Award. The awards were presented at the FPF Advisory Board Meeting on June 13, an annual gathering of senior privacy leaders at companies, academia, civil society, and government. 

The Distinguished Public Service Award acknowledges an individual whose public service career efforts are notable for advancing protection as a government regulator. FPF awards the Career Achievement Award to private sector leaders who have made major contributions to advancing the values of data protection. 

Jane Horvath and Maneesha Mithal have been trailblazers. Their achievements have directly benefited millions of people in the U.S. and globally by elevating standards for data protection.

Christopher Wolf, FPF Founder and Board President

Horvath recently stepped down as Chief Privacy Officer at Apple, where she led the company’s regulatory, policy, and product strategy on all privacy and cybersecurity-related legal matters. Horvath is currently a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and is the co-chair for the firm’s Privacy, Cybersecurity, and Data Innovation Practice Group. She is also a member of their Administrative Law and Regulatory, Artificial Intelligence, Crisis Management, Litigation, Media and Entertainment, and Technology Practice Groups. Horvath has also previously served as Google’s Global Privacy Counsel and the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s first Chief Privacy Counsel and Civil Liberties Officer.

Mithal is a privacy and cybersecurity partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. She is an internationally recognized expert on privacy and data security, having led the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection prior to joining her current firm. Mithal also previously served as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel in the Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP). In her time as a public servant, Mithal oversaw teams that were responsible for the enforcement of privacy and security laws and the development of policy positions.

Jane Horvath and Maneesha Mithal have inspired me and so many others working in data protection. Each has had a tremendous impact in shaping for the better how our data is managed by companies, and each has shown that courageous individuals can drive real data protection progress.

Jules Polonetsky, FPF CEO

Previous award winners have included former FTC official Jessica Rich, Georgia Tech Professor Peter Swire, Irish Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon, former Procter & Gamble executive Sandra Hughes, and former Dell and Kodak privacy leader Dale Skivington.