Elizabeth Smith

My background is Building Society management, training and compliance.  After a long career break, I joined BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, as Data Protection Lead just over 3 years ago. Since that time my remit has been extended beyond data protection and I am now Head of Compliance with the organisation, responsible for all legal and regulatory compliance, no mean feat in a complex organisation! Data Protection will always have a special place for me but Compliance in its entirety is something I am incredibly passionate about.  I firmly believe that the success of a positive compliance culture is not built on telling people what they have done wrong but actively building relationships, working with colleagues and taking them on a journey where everyone succeeds.  All journeys of course should have some fun and that’s how we do it at BCS!  For me, Compliance isn’t a work thing, it’s a people thing and I just love people!