About the IAPP

Vanessa Deschênes is the Leader of ROBIC’S Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity Sector and is part of the Emerging Technologies Group within the law firm. She has extensive expertise in privacy, data governance and compliance. She offers strategic advice on best practices to adopt, whether when implementing a new technology, launching a new product or during a crisis, in particular in the event of a security incident, complaints, or investigations by a privacy commissioner. Vanessa uses her expertise to help companies manage legal risks related to the use of data while creating added value for the company and its client.

In addition to holding an MBA, Vanessa Deschênes is a Canadian Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/C), a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) and is recognized as a leader in the privacy field with her Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) designation.

Before joining the ROBIC, Vanessa was the very first appointed Chief Privacy Officer of a large Canadian financial institution, which earned her the prize of ZSA Quebec Legal Counsels Tomorrow’s Leader Award, in 2018. She was also a lecturer at the Polytechnique de Montréal and at the Faculty of Law at Laval University.