How to Build a Global Privacy Program That Enables Growth

Heather Kuhn is Privacy, Security, and Technology Counsel at Genuine Parts Company. She is a privacy and technology attorney with nearly two decades of professional cross-industry experience. She teaches at Georgia State College of Law, serves on the Georgia Bar's AI Committee, and formerly chaired its Privacy & Technology Section, leading conversations at the intersection of law, AI, and innovation.

In this episode…

Embedding privacy and security practices into a large, global business requires more than policies. It takes early collaboration, constant relationship building across teams, and a deep understanding of business goals. Privacy programs are most effective when they build consumer trust, increase operational efficiency, meet privacy requirements, and support strategic business goals, like revenue growth and product development. And as companies continue to adopt AI, the same principles apply to managing AI risk. Teams need to evaluate how data is used, assess risks, and adapt existing privacy and security measures to new technologies.

Managing privacy across a massive global company requires building the right partnerships and embedding privacy-by-design principles from the start of projects. Most companies have small but mighty privacy teams, so the key is finding privacy champions across the business to handle operational functions while the privacy team sets global policies and procedures. Data mapping and privacy impact assessments are critical tools that help identify risks and right-size privacy programs. This also extends to the customer experience, where meaningful consent, clear privacy notices, and giving users control strengthens trust. Privacy training is also essential for internal teams and works best when it's interactive and relevant to an employee's daily work rather than abstract compliance requirements. 

In this episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi Daniels and Justin Daniels speak with Heather Kuhn, Privacy and Technology Counsel at Genuine Parts Company, about operationalizing privacy and security across a global enterprise. Heather explains how early engagement, strong internal relationships, and cross-functional collaboration make it possible to scale privacy programs without slowing the business. She shares how her team uses data mapping and privacy impact assessments to right-size privacy programs and privacy requirements and emphasizes the need to embed privacy into customer experiences through clear privacy notices and meaningful consent. Heather also highlights the importance of privacy training tied to employee roles, delivered through in-person sessions and gamified content. And she explains how her department uses generative AI to enhance legal team efficiency, and how she approaches privacy risks associated with AI tools and automation.