As part of The Drum’s latest Deep Dive, The New Data & Privacy Playbook, Arielle Garcia, chief privacy officer at IPG-owned media agency UM Worldwide, argues that it’s high time for the ad industry to widen its lens on what ‘privacy’ means.

As the fifth anniversary of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) approaches, I’ll be celebrating my milestone: my 10th year of being a part of UM. It’s also my third year of having the privilege to contribute to The Drum’s Data & Privacy Deep Dive, sharing my perspective on the opportunity and imperative of a people-first paradigm to advertising data collection and use that delivers value to consumers and sustainable growth to brands. While today I hope to do the same, a special milestone calls for a more personal approach.

10 years ago, I planned to get a steady job, go to law school at night and move on to a career where I could contribute to a better world – likely in the non-profit sector, perhaps at an NGO supporting human rights.

As graduation neared in 2018 – along with GDPR’s effective date – I realized that I was exactly where I needed to be. I had become enamored with UM, having had the opportunity to witness how great work can shape culture and add value to people’s lives, and to experience the privilege of being a trusted steward of our clients’ brands.

Read the full piece on The Drum.