Francis Katamba

Francis is a commercial partner who specialises in data privacy, cybersecurity and AI. During a career spanning over twenty years, his clients have ranged from startups to some of the world’s most recognisable brands. Clients value Francis’s commerciality and his ability to find practical solutions to their data issues in a complicated regulatory environment.

Francis began his career working at magic circle law firms in London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. He has significant experience of advising on a diverse range of corporate and commercial matters and speaks Chinese, Japanese and French. He has also held senior inhouse roles at a global technology brand and as DPO of an international financial services regulator, where he implemented a highly successful GDPR compliance programme. 

Francis has substantial experience of advising on subject access requests, breach handling, international data transfers, cookies, direct marketing, DPIA’s, legitimate interest assessments, privacy notices, data mapping, records management, risk assessments, audits, policies, procedures, training and all other day-to-day aspects of GDPR/ PECR compliance. He is also very experienced in advising clients on contract negotiation, change management, data strategy and the adoption of new technologies (including AI).

Before joining Browne Jacobson, Francis spent three years at the Information Commissioner’s Office ('ICO') as a senior commercial lawyer. In this role, he advised the ICO on a wide range of domestic and international transactions as well as on some of its most complex policy and enforcement issues. This experience has given him a unique, practical, insight into how the ICO expects public and private sector organisations to comply with their regulatory obligations.

Outside of law, Francis has a MSc in Cybersecurity, and is a member of the Security Awareness Special Interest Group (SASIG).