Kirsten Daru

General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer, Netgear

Search every verified Kirsten Daru interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Kirsten Daru, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at Netgear, spoke at the 2024 DataGrail Summit about building cross-functional privacy and risk councils. Daru described her experience as the first privacy counsel at Electronic Arts in 2008 and later as a general counsel, where she realized that privacy and governance required a broader approach. She advocated for creating a council of cross-functional leaders to make strategic decisions about data and AI, aiming to "unleash the power and value of data and AI while maintaining trust and minimizing risk." Daru emphasized that such councils should use a principles-first framework, be engaging for stakeholders, and include open forums to drive alignment and surface risks. Daru stated that privacy and AI are among the most challenging legal disciplines because they involve ethics, integrity, morality, and trust. She noted that a successful privacy council requires a definition and governance framework, the right people, and the right focus. Daru also highlighted the importance of embracing dissent, as it ensures a program serves the company's best interests and adapts to evolving law, technology, and consumer expectations. She concluded that governance today requires a mindset shift toward proactive change and that a simple framework allowing leaders to contribute meaningfully is key to success.