Meet Bianca-Ioana Marcu, FPF Europe Managing Director
FPF is pleased to welcome our colleague Bianca-Ioana Marcu to her new role as Managing Director of FPF Europe. With extensive experience in privacy and data protection, she takes on this responsibility at a pivotal moment for digital regulation in Europe. In this blog, we will explore her perspectives on the evolving privacy landscape, her approach to advancing discussions on data protection in Europe and Africa, and her vision for strengthening FPF’s leadership in addressing emerging challenges. Her insights will be key in navigating the complex intersection of privacy, innovation, and regulatory development in the years ahead.
You’ve been part of FPF for some time now, but this new role brings fresh responsibilities. What are you most excited to lead as Managing Director of the European office, and how do you see your work promoting the privacy dialogue in the region?
Stepping into this new role at FPF has given me a renewed sense of energy and opportunity that I hope to bring to the brilliant team on the ground. We are at a crossroads in Europe where existential questions are being asked with regard to the effectiveness and malleability of the existing digital regulatory framework. The privacy question is and will remain essential in this ongoing dialogue, as the GDPR is recognized as both the foundation and the cornerstone of the broader EU digital rulebook.
Within the FPF Europe office we will continue to contribute actively to this dialogue, acting as a source of expert, practical, and measured analysis and ideas for identifying ways in which respect for fundamental rights can coexist alongside technological development.
As you step into the role of Managing Director, you will also continue coordinating FPF’s growing presence in Africa. What are your top three priorities for the coming year?
With the expert knowledge and support of our Policy Manager for Africa, Mercy King’ori, this year we successfully launched FPF’s Africa Council. The basis for our work in the region is to advance data protection through collaboration, innovation, and regional expertise, focusing on thought leadership and regionally grounded research. We were delighted to be an official partner of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA) Conference hosted in Abuja, Nigeria, with an event on securing safe and trustworthy cross-border data flows.
Over the next years, FPF Africa will sustain its support for data practices that drive innovation, protect privacy, and uphold fundamental rights while being rooted in the diverse legal, social, and economic contexts of the continent.
FPF is known as a trusted platform where senior leaders come to test ideas, share solutions, and learn from one another. As Managing Director, how do you plan to strengthen these connections further while supporting members navigating emerging challenges?
Now in my third year of bringing to life FPF’s flagship event in Europe – the Brussels Privacy Symposium – I am continually inspired by the openness and commitment of the senior leaders in our community in ensuring strong data protection practices globally.
Our dedication to delivering high-quality legal research and policy analysis to our members remains strong, as well as opportunities to come together with intellectual curiosity.
Innovation and data protection are often seen at odds. In your view, what are the most promising opportunities for advancing privacy and innovation in the EU?
As the regulatory dialogue in Europe evolves, there is certainly an opportunity for advancing privacy protection as well as for supporting the region’s ambitions for economic growth. The current momentum for European legislators to streamline the EU’s digital rulebook brings promising opportunities for gathering all stakeholders around the same table, with a focus on clarifying legal uncertainties or points of tension between the rulebook’s different elements, and with an eye on the type of future we want to co-design.
On a more personal note, what inspires your commitment to privacy, and how has your perspective evolved through your work at FPF and beyond?
My commitment to privacy is fueled not only by the belief that the fulfillment of this right is conducive to the enjoyment of other fundamental rights, including non-discrimination, but also by the support and dedication I have found within a privacy community that extends far beyond Brussels. My work at FPF, particularly on Gabriela Zanfir-Fortuna’s brilliant Global Privacy team, has exposed me to the rich and diverse practices and understandings of privacy and data protection around the world. My ambition is to bring this valuable global perspective to FPF Europe’s work, finding ways for continued cooperation and alignment rather than distance and isolationism.