Future of Privacy Forum Announces 2026 Career Achievement Award Recipients

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Future of Privacy Forum, a global non-profit focused on data protection, AI, and emerging technologies, announced new recipients of its Career Achievement Award, recognizing exceptional leaders whose work has advanced privacy, responsible data governance, and AI leadership worldwide.

The 2026 recipients of the FPF Career Achievement Award are: 

• Anita L. Allen, one of the world’s foremost scholars of the law and ethics of data and technology, and Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Penn Carey Law School; Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus   
• Nuala O’Connor, a leading voice in the responsible and ethical use of technology and data, a board member and senior advisor to companies and nonprofits, and the first Chief Privacy Officer of the Department of U.S. Homeland Security 
• Harriet Pearson, an esteemed technology governance and policy advisor and Managing Principal at Axia Advisory, former Cybersecurity Division Head, New York Department of Financial Services, former Partner, Hogan Lovells, first Chief Privacy Officer and Security Counsel, IBM Corporation.

Alan Raul, FPF’s Board Chair, and Jules Polonetsky, FPF CEO, were honored to introduce the awardees and presenters at the organization’s Advisory Board Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

“At a moment when conversations around privacy, AI, and digital governance are evolving faster than ever, these honorees represent the very best of principled leadership,” said Polonetsky. “Anita Allen, Nuala O’Connor, and Harriet Pearson have each made extraordinary contributions to advancing thoughtful, practical, and responsible approaches to data protection and emerging technologies. Their work has shaped the field in profound and lasting ways.”

“Each of this year’s honorees has helped define the modern privacy field through decades of leadership, scholarship, and public service,” added Raul. “Their work has influenced legal frameworks, corporate governance practices, academic thought, and public policy conversations around the world. FPF is proud to recognize their leadership.”

Anita L. Allen

Anita Allen is an internationally recognized scholar, philosopher, and legal theorist whose work has helped shape foundational conversations around privacy rights, ethics, civil liberties, and data governance. She is the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and served as Vice Provost for Faculty. A prolific author, educator, and thought leader, Allen has examined issues of consent, accountability, equality, and ethical responsibility across both public and private life. Allen is also the author of more than 130 articles and chapters, as well as several books, including Unpopular Privacy: What Must We Hide.  She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Law Institute, the American Philosophical Society and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Throughout her distinguished career, she has advised policymakers, data protection authorities, and institutions on questions at the intersection of privacy, technology, and democratic values, helping establish frameworks that continue to influence privacy law and ethics globally.

Nuala O’Connor

Nuala O’Connor is a globally recognized leader in the responsible use of data and technology in our daily lives. She currently serves as senior advisor on technology, privacy, and AI to multinational companies Maersk and Kekst CNC and is a board member at several nonprofit organizations including EqualAI, the Society for the Rule of Law, and the Future of Privacy Forum. Nuala has held technology and legal leadership roles at General Electric, Amazon, DoubleClick, and Walmart, and served as President and CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT). She has held senior appointed positions in the U.S. Federal government, including serving as the country’s first statutory chief privacy officer, when she was appointed as CPO of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Throughout her career, O’Connor has been a leading voice advancing practical, human-centered approaches to emerging technology policy, responsible innovation, and digital governance.

Harriet Pearson

Harriet Pearson is one of the pioneers of modern corporate privacy leadership and cybersecurity governance. She is the founder of Axia Advisory LLC, where she consults on program design and governance, coaches senior leaders, and supports strategic communications and external engagement.  Pearson served for more than a decade as IBM’s first Chief Privacy Officer, helping establish one of the world’s most influential corporate privacy programs during a transformative period for global data governance and technology regulation. Until June 2024, Pearson was Executive Deputy Superintendent and head of the Cybersecurity Division at the New York Department of Financial Services where she led a comprehensive update of DFS’s cybersecurity regulation. Previously, Pearson was a Partner at Hogan Lovells where she founded and led the global cybersecurity practice for a decade starting in 2012. In addition to her corporate leadership, she has served in advisory and board roles across the technology, policy, and nonprofit sectors, helping organizations navigate complex questions around accountability, ethics, and responsible innovation. Pearson’s work has been at the leading edge of technology innovation and her work has led the implementation of privacy leadership as a core business and governance function at companies around the world.

FPF’s Annual Awards recognize individuals whose work has had a lasting impact on privacy protections, responsible innovation, and the advancement of ethical technology governance worldwide. 

Past FPF award winners are listed below.

Career Achievement Award

• Dale Skivington (2019) – former Chief Privacy Officer, Dell & Eastman Kodak
• Sandra Hughes – former privacy executive, Procter & Gamble
• Jane Horvath (2023) – Partner, Gibson Dunn, former Chief Privacy Officer, Apple
• Jim Halpert (2024) – General Counsel, White House Office of the National Cyber Director, Partner, DLA Piper
• Barbara Cosgrove (2025) – VP & Chief Privacy and Digital Trust Officer, Workday

Distinguished Public Service Award

• Jessica Rich (2017) – former Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission
• Helen Dixon (2019) – Data Protection Commissioner, Ireland
• Maneesha Mithal (2023) – Partner, Wilson Sonsini, former Associate Director, Division of Privacy & Identity Protection, Federal Trade Commission

Excellence in Career Award

• Patrice Ettinger (2024) – Chief Privacy Officer, Regeneron, former Chief Privacy Officer, Pfizer

Community Builder Award

• J. Trevor Hughes (2019) – President & CEO, IAPP

Outstanding Academic Scholarship Award

• Peter Swire (2019) – J.Z. Liang Chair, Georgia Tech School of Cybersecurity & Privacy Senior Counsel, Alston & Bird

Global Responsible AI Leadership Award

• Government of Singapore (2024)
• Brazil’s Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados (ANPD) (2025)

Lifetime Achievement Award

• Julie Brill (2025) – Founder and Principal, Brill Strategies, former Commissioner, Federal Trade Commission, former Chief Privacy Officer, Corporate Vice President for Global Privacy, Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Microsoft

To learn more about the Future of Privacy Forum, visit fpf.org. 

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