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Yann Padova
Partner
Data, Privacy, and Cybersecurity
Brussels

D32-2-2745716

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  • Substantial Regulatory Investigations Experience

    Yann began his career as an Administrator at the French National Assembly, where he focused on personal data law and criminal law and criminal investigations. He also served as Secretary General of the CNIL—France’s data protection authority—where he notably built the CNIL’s enforcement and technological capacities. Yann was also involved in the early negotiation of the GDPR at the EU level.

  • Focused on Representing Clients in France and at the Pan-European Level

    In private practice, Yann has focused on enforcement and sanction proceedings by Regulators at the pan-European and French levels on complex cases involving cross-border processing and multinational companies.

  • Comprehensive Scope of Experience—From Regulatory Investigations to Privacy and Cybersecurity Matters

    In addition to regulatory investigations matters, Yann also advises companies on cybersecurity issues and internal investigations. His practice centers on finding innovative solutions for the novel regulatory responses that companies face.

  • Leadership Roles in International Privacy and Data Protection Organizations

    In 2019, Yann was appointed “country leader” for France by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). He was also named “strategic advisor” from 2016 to 2019 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) —the UK’s Data Protection Authority —on the interplay between innovation and regulation (“sandbox” initiative).

Yann Padova is a partner in the Brussels office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he is a member of the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice. He has extensive experience dealing with regulatory issues and with issues related to internet law, data protection, internet surveillance, cloud computing, international data transfers and cybercrime. He has also assisted numerous businesses with complex projects involving new technologies (ethics of algorithm, data and AI governance, biometrics, profiling, e-discovery procedures, etc.).

Yann advises on enforcement and sanction proceeding by regulators. He also works with large companies on problems linked to cybercrime, internal investigation and security breach notification matters.

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini in 2023, Yann was a partner in the information technology group and head of the data protection practice at Baker McKenzie in France. Before joining Baker McKenzie, Yann served as Commissioner with the Commission de Régulation de l’Energie (CRE - 2015-2017), to which he was appointed by the President of the National Assembly due to his skills in the field of personal data. Before this appointment, he worked for Baker McKenzie in Paris as Senior Counsel in the information technology team (2012-2015).

For six years, he was Secretary General of the CNIL (2006-2012), the French data protection authority, where he built the enforcement and technological capacities of the authority and participated in the very first rounds of negotiations of the GDPR.

He began his career as an Administrator at the National Assembly (1995-2006) where he specialized in personal data laws, criminal law, and criminal investigations and, perhaps most notably, participated in the legal work that led to the transposition of the Directive 95/46 on data protection into French Law.

Yann is also a lecturer in Data Protection and Digital Regulations at Paris II Law University and at Sciences Po Paris.

Yann is fluent in English, French, and Spanish. He has a conversational level in Swedish.

Experience

Yann Padova is a partner in the Brussels office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he is a member of the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice. He has extensive experience dealing with regulatory issues and with issues related to internet law, data protection, internet surveillance, cloud computing, international data transfers and cybercrime. He has also assisted numerous businesses with complex projects involving new technologies (ethics of algorithm, data and AI governance, biometrics, profiling, e-discovery procedures, etc.).

Yann advises on enforcement and sanction proceeding by regulators. He also works with large companies on problems linked to cybercrime, internal investigation and security breach notification matters.

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini in 2023, Yann was a partner in the information technology group and head of the data protection practice at Baker McKenzie in France. Before joining Baker McKenzie, Yann served as Commissioner with the Commission de Régulation de l’Energie (CRE - 2015-2017), to which he was appointed by the President of the National Assembly due to his skills in the field of personal data. Before this appointment, he worked for Baker McKenzie in Paris as Senior Counsel in the information technology team (2012-2015).

For six years, he was Secretary General of the CNIL (2006-2012), the French data protection authority, where he built the enforcement and technological capacities of the authority and participated in the very first rounds of negotiations of the GDPR.

He began his career as an Administrator at the National Assembly (1995-2006) where he specialized in personal data laws, criminal law, and criminal investigations and, perhaps most notably, participated in the legal work that led to the transposition of the Directive 95/46 on data protection into French Law.

Yann is also a lecturer in Data Protection and Digital Regulations at Paris II Law University and at Sciences Po Paris.

Yann is fluent in English, French, and Spanish. He has a conversational level in Swedish.

Focus Areas
Recent Insights
Alerts
New Enforcement Powers for the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL)
On May 21, 2024, France adopted law No. 2024-449 to secure and regulate the digital space. This law grants new enforcement powers and authority to the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL), including to seize documents, record declarations during dawn raids, and enforce certain provisions of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Governance Act (DGA).
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News Articles
Wilson Sonsini Attorneys Honored in 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers Guide
On April 26, 2024, Lawdragon named 15 Wilson Sonsini attorneys to its inaugural edition of 500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers. The core of this guide are the privacy and data security specialists who began forming this practice well over a decade ago as companies experienced data breaches and attorneys scurried to become designated as privacy specialists. To create this list, Lawdragon weighed nominations, independent research, and views of peers. The guide is 39 percent female and 19 percent inclusive.
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Recent Events
Speaking Engagements
IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress 2024
IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress, Europe’s must-attend data protection event, is returning for its 13th year in Brussels. Learn from subject matter experts and gain working knowledge to assess ways to improve your current data protection operations and safely integrate new technologies.
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WSGR Events
Regulatory Outlook for 2025
Join former senior regulatory officials from the US and EU to discuss likely regulatory priorities in 2025 in Wilson Sonsini's San Francisco Office. Wilson Sonsini partners Maureen Ohlhausen, former Acting Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, Maneesha Mithal, former Chief of the FTC’s Privacy Division, and Chris Olsen, former Deputy Director of the FTC Consumer Protection Bureau, will share their perspectives on what to expect post-election on the regulatory enforcement and policymaking front at the FTC. Wilson Sonsini partner Yann Padova, former Secretary General of the CNIL, France’s data protection authority, will discuss how the DSA, DMA, the EU AI Act, and other EU laws are shaping enforcement priorities in the EU and emerging enforcement trends.
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