Meet the Authority

The Law creates the independent Data Protection Authority which is tasked with the development and implementation of the regulatory regime necessary to oversee the Law's requirements. Comprising a Chair and between four and eight Members, the Authority provides governance to the Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA).

5 year term commencing May 2018

Richard was the UK’s Information Commissioner from 2002 to 2009, responsible for enforcement of the Data Protection and Freedom of Information Acts. He was subsequently the Chairman of the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council and served as a Member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 2012 to 2017. In January 2018, he was appointed by the UK’s Prime Minister to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

Richard Thomas CBE

Chairman

5 year term commencing May 2018

John Curran is a former Chief Executive of the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (CICRA) and currently sits as a non-voting Member on the States of Guernsey Transport Licensing Authority (TLA). John has experience acting within a regulatory model and proven experience in interpreting and applying complex legislation.

John Curran

Voting member

4 year term commencing May 2022

Based in Brussels, Christopher has extensive experience in the field of data protection, having worked as Director of the Office of the European Data Protection Supervisor and before that as the Legal Adviser on data protection to the European Commission. He retired in 2018 as Honorary Director General of the EDPS and now teaches and writes extensively on data protection law. Christopher was a founding member of the Authority and served an initial 4-year term from May 2018. 

Christopher Docksey

Voting member

5 year term commencing May 2018

Simon retired from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2018 after 13 years’ service as a member of the ICO Management Board. He was originally the Chief Operating Officer and served as Deputy Commissioner and Deputy CEO, gaining vast experience of data protection. Simon has a clear analytical mind and the ability to understand and effectively communicate complex legislative issues to anyone.

Simon Entwisle

Voting member

4 year term commencing May 2022

Mark is Guernsey-based and retired as the Chief Secretary to the Committee for Home Affairs in April 2018 where he was instrumental in the strategic development of Guernsey’s data protection legislation. Mark has considerable experience strategically and operationally in the development, compliance and practical enforcement of statutory regimes including the implementation of new legislation and change management. Mark was a founding member of the Authority and served an initial 4-year term from May 2018. 

Mark Lempriere

Voting member

4 year term commencing May 2022
 

Jane is an information technology specialist with extensive experience of working with data from a technical perspective. Her career, which has taken her to the UK, USA and Europe, includes roles in medical research and pharmaceuticals, consultancy for Fortune 500 companies and over 14 years as Director of IT for the States of Guernsey. Jane is also a non-executive director of two local charities, Guernsey Chest and Heart and Guernsey Disability Alliance.  
Dr Jane Wonnacott

Voting member

5 year term commencing May 2022
 

Nicola is the Senior Independent Director at the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office. She has more than a decade’s experience of leading public sector boards and is a former solicitor.
Nicola Wood

Voting member

Meet the Commissioner

The Data Protection Commissioner is a statutory role, is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Data Protection Authority and acts as the chief executive of that Authority with responsibility for day-to-day operations.

Bailiwick of Guernsey Data Protection Commissioner Emma Martins has overseen the rapid evolution of data protection in the Channel Islands for the past two decades. She became Commissioner for both Jersey and Guernsey in 2011 when a pan-island regulatory office was set up, then stayed on in Guernsey when the two offices separated at the start of 2018. She believes passionately that responsible data protection practices are about protecting people, and that behaviour change comes from a cultural shift, rather than enforcement alone.

Emma Martins

Data Protection Commissioner