From Principle to Practice: What Privacy Pros Need to Succeed

Peter Kosmala is a course developer and instructor at York University in Canada and leads its Information Privacy Program. Peter is a former marketer, technologist, lobbyist, and association leader and a current consultant, educator, and international speaker. He served the IAPP as Vice President and led the launch of the CIPP certification in the early 2000s. In this episode… As data privacy continues to evolve, privacy professionals need to stay sharp by reinforcing their foundational knowledge and refining their practical skills. It’s no longer enough to just understand and comply with regulatory requirements. Today’s privacy work also demands cultural awareness, ethical judgment, and the ability to apply privacy principles to real-world settings. How can privacy professionals expand their expertise and remain effective in an ever-changing environment? Privacy professionals can’t rely on legal knowledge alone to stay ahead. Privacy frameworks like the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs), OECD Guidelines, and others offer principles that help privacy pros navigate shifting global privacy laws and emerging technologies. Privacy pros should also deepen their cultural literacy, recognizing the societal and political drivers behind laws like GDPR to align privacy practices with public expectations. Hands-on operational experience is just as important. Conducting privacy impact assessments (PIAs), responding to data subject access requests (DSARs), and developing clear communications are just a few ways privacy pros can turn knowledge into practical applications. In this episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels talk with Peter Kosmala, Course Developer and Instructor at York University, about how privacy professionals can future-proof their skills. Peter discusses the value of foundational privacy frameworks, the tension between personalization and privacy, the limits of law-based compliance, and the growing need for ethical data use. He also explains the importance of privacy certifications, hands-on learning, and principled thinking to build programs that work in the real world.