Sylvia Klasovec Kingsmill

Partner, Global Cyber Privacy Services Leader

KPMG in Canada

Sylvia has over 20 years‘ experience providing privacy risk management advice, serving both the public and private sectors. She advises executive teams on large scale implementation of data-driven & AI strategies to support major business transformations in alignment with privacy regulations, policy and AI governance trends. Her specialty is privacy tech enablement & privacy automation, helping clients to integrate holistic privacy solutions into their operating environments and across siloed functions.

She was recognized in 2022 by Borden Ladner Gervais as one of the top 10 inspiring Canadian privacy leaders, and nominated for the Women of Influence Trailblazer award in 2019 for launching her ISO 31700 Privacy by Design Certification Program to demonstrate compliance against international data protection laws and privacy best practices, specifically created to assess emerging tech. She has certified several global organizations for proof of compliance to privacy regulators in multi-jurisdictional breach investigations – she has advised on some of the largest, high-profile data breaches. To this end, Sylvia has extensive experience in transforming corporate compliance and privacy programs in response to internal audits, regulatory findings and compliance orders.

Sylvia is a lawyer by training, her privacy career began at the Information Privacy Commissioner's Office in Canada. She now leads a multidisciplinary privacy practice of privacy engineers, technologists, former privacy lawyers, privacy regulators as well as global Chief Privacy Officers to provide pragmatic, business-friendly privacy advisory services.

Professional and Industry Experience - Highlights

  • Co-Chair of Osgoode Hall Law School Privacy and Cyber Security Professional Development Program
  • Special Advisor to the International Council on Global Privacy and Security by Design, advising on the deployment of privacy enhancing technologies involving AI, Big Data, & Ethics by Design
  • Canadian Chair, ISO PC/317 (31700) Consumer Protection: Privacy by Design for Consumer Goods and Services
  • Advisor, CIO Strategy Council, CICSO 101:2019 Automated Decision Systems using Machine Learning, Ethics by Design and Ethical Use
  • Advisor to federal government for Canada’s National Digital Strategy 
  • Interim Chief Privacy Officer, LifeLabs
  • Cyber security
  • Data privacy
  • Digital-driven transformation
  • Emerging Technology
  • Public Policy and Regulatory Change
  • Risk Management
  • Transformation

  • Law Society of Upper Canada (Called to Ontario Bar in 2003)

  • LLB, University of Ottawa

  • BA Honours in Sociology, York University

  • CIO Strategy Council, Advisory Member

  • Canadian Bar Association, Member

  • International Association of Privacy Professionals, Member

  • International Women of Risk Community, Canadian Chair, KPMG Canada

  • Co-Chair of Osgoode Hall Law School Privacy and Cyber Security Professional Development Program