Leadership

John Keyes

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

John Keyes is a highly experienced international lawyer, negotiator and policy maker, with a distinguished career at the forefront of data privacy, governance, and innovation. Having expert knowledge spanning legislative drafting, regulatory enforcement, and international diplomacy, John brings unmatched insight into how privacy rules are shaped — and how organisations can successfully navigate them.

Before co-founding Privacy Next, John served in pivotal roles at the European Commission, where he was directly involved in steering the development of major EU data privacy legislation and policy. He represented the Commission in high-stakes bilateral and multilateral negotiations — including at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and other international forums — ensuring EU leadership in global privacy standards. His work positioned him at the centre of some of the EU’s most consequential privacy debates, giving him an in-depth understanding of how regulation is conceived, negotiated, and applied.

Prior to his time at the European Commission, John represented Ireland at the European Union in a diplomatic capacity, focusing on criminal justice and data protection legislation. Earlier in his career, as Head of Investigations for the Irish Data Protection Authority — a regulator with unique jurisdiction over many of the world’s largest technology companies — he led complex cross-border investigations and enforcement actions at a time when EU privacy oversight was rapidly evolving.

Having developed a career reputation for integrity, technical expertise, strategic insight and practical problem solving, John partners with clients to advise on advocacy and engagement strategies that protect the individual’s right to privacy, while enabling economic growth and innovation.