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Dominique Shelton Leipzig is Mayer Brown’s privacy and cybersecurity partner. Leading Global Data Innovation, he advises CEOs and board members on intelligent digital management. It has trained over 50,000 specialists in artificial intelligence, privacy and cybersecurity. For decades, Dominique has studied legal trends to accurately forecast digital threats and opportunities. Companies with a combined market capitalization of $3 trillion have benefited from her insights. Trust is her fourth book. Her articles include a Financial Times article on cross-border transfers adopted by the White House. She founded the Digital Trust Summit so leaders can reimagine effective data governance. She has been recognized as a Diligent Modern Governance 100 leader and a “Legal Visionary” by the Los Angeles Times. She won 24 awards. He is a board member of the AI ​​Governance Center and the International Association of Privacy Professionals. He is certified in privacy and board management. Dominique is the co-founder of NxtWork, dedicated to diverse leadership.

Recently, in an exclusive interview with Digital First Magazine, Dominique shared her career path, insights on the most important cybersecurity issue facing companies today, thoughts on diversity and inclusion in technology, the best advice she has ever received, plans for the future, words wisdom and much more. The following excerpts are from the interview.

Hello Dominik. Could you explain how you became interested in data protection?

There wasn’t one specific point of contact, but rather a continuum that started with tracking my customers’ needs and data trends. Beginning in 1999, I worked on digital privacy issues related to technology companies. In the early 2000s, retailers and entertainment companies began to leverage new technology and social media for digital advertising and community building purposes, and I helped guide them through the process to capture the benefits of using this technology, anticipating global legal trends to building strong management. Around the mid-2000s, after several major retail breaches in 2012, clients approached me to discuss cyber preparedness and how to increase resilience and avoid disruption from cyber attacks.

What do you like most about your current role?

It’s hard to choose one thing because there were so many of them. The moment we are in presents a unique opportunity for me to speak up and inform companies, in particular, how they can innovate and improve their brands at the same time.

You are also the co-founder and CEO of NxtWork. Can you tell us about this organization, its mission and vision?

NxtWork is a nonprofit group that supports enterprise goals to fully embrace a consciously diverse leadership culture. NxtWork has developed a seven-step process for meaningful engagement, derived from building member experience and leading diverse teams in organizations with market capitalizations exceeding $2 trillion.

What do you think is the most important cybersecurity issue facing companies today?

Artificial intelligence is being used to launch attacks like never before in many interconnected ways, so it’s difficult to isolate just one in particular. For example, the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (“OWASP”) has identified a list of the top 10 cyber threats related to artificial intelligence. These include access, data and reputational risks. On the data side, AI training data can become poisoned. turbocharged Distributed Denial of Service (“DDoS”) attacks. In these types of attacks, cybercriminals flood the server with internet traffic that prevents users from accessing connected online services and websites. AI can also be used to crack passwords at scale, making it easier to install ransomware. I think about the 17 hospitals in five states that suffered ransomware attacks in August, and how terrible it must have been for people in emergency departments when rooms had to close due to ransomware and ambulance diversion. I think about how much worse it would be if artificial intelligence was used to deploy malware in hospitals across the United States and beyond.

We have also seen a wave of impersonation of CEOs and CFOs using WhatsApp and other platforms in sophisticated, targeted phishing attempts using fake images and AI-powered video spoofing. However, we can build a governance system to protect our people and systems from fraud and geopolitical cyber events. But planning is everything. You can either fail to plan or plan to fail when the stakes are so high. I discuss these and other strategies in my book Trust.: Responsible AI, innovation, privacy and data leadership but most importantly, leadership should no longer work alone.

For systems to be future-proof, effective management and supervision are achievable and feasible. Governance must be synchronized with legislative trends in 161 countries. From this point of view, a strategic approach makes sense. First, boards need to use external advisors to help them ask the right questions to ensure organizations are resilient and forward-thinking when it comes to readiness. The CEO also needs guidance from advisors to understand what questions to ask the CISO. The Global Data Innovation team I lead at Mayer Brown then analyzes these trends around the world so leaders don’t have to do this and can make clearer decisions in the future.

What are your thoughts on diversity and inclusion in tech? How important are authentic conversations with leaders, professionals and changemakers to ensure greater acceptance around the world?

Diversity in technology is absolutely key. By embracing diversity in AI design and development, we can create AI systems that truly reflect the diversity of humanity and serve the needs of all, not just a privileged few. Additionally, the business of creating and fully adopting a diverse leadership culture can be achieved quickly and at scale if companies meaningfully engage with diverse leaders.

Have there been any mentors in your academic or professional career who have helped you develop? What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Yes, there were many mentors. In law school, I took a keynote course taught by Professor Anita Allen titled “Privacy in American Law.” I learned a lot from her, and this was before the Internet. Throughout my professional career, I have had the honor of working for great companies and meeting many talented lawyers. The best advice I ever received was to always stay curious and work hard.

The meaning of leadership can change from era to era. How would you define the meaning of leadership today?

Leading by example. A leader must practice what he preaches. You can’t expect anything from your colleagues if you don’t do it yourself. If you want to emphasize cooperation, you have to cooperate. If you want a calm and productive work environment, you need to lead like this. An organization is really a reflection of its leaders.

What motivates and inspires you in everyday life?

Hit. In everything I do, I want to make sure I do things better. This also applies to my legal work and helping the CEO and board community manage their data.

Fun fact about you?

I love traveling with my family. Before I met my husband in 2017, my mother and I took many trips to France, Senegal and Morocco, just the two of us. When my sister first met the person who would later become my husband, we were on a sister’s trip to Greece and Adam showed up to join us just a few weeks after we started dating. After the wedding, we traveled a lot – my husband, my mother, my sister, my aunt. We traveled (and had great memories) to France, Santa Fe, Martha’s Vineyard, and Palm Springs.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Having influence.

What advice would you give to women looking to enter the tech industry?

Maintain your own vision for your career. Along the way, others may try to define you. But the most important thing is your own definition. Also commit to being the best professional you can be. It’s rewarding to be able to get to a place where you’ve dug deep into the problems and can help clients chart a path forward for complex problems.

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