Included in the ‘Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity in Europe’, Dr. Valerie Lyons is executive director and COO at BH Consulting, where she leads data protection, cybersecurity, and AI governance consulting initiatives. Prior to joining BH Consulting, Valerie spent 13 years leading the cybersecurity risk management team in KBC Bank. She is a recognised expert in building cybersecurity and data protection governance into corporate strategies, and in 2024 published The Privacy Leader Compass: A Comprehensive Business-Oriented Roadmap for Building and Leading Practical Privacy Programs. This book has been adapted into a sold-out workshop at several IAPP conferences.
Valerie holds an award-winning PhD researching the influence of Privacy as a CSR on consumer trust and privacy concerns and is currently undertaking a Post Grad in Corporate Governance. She is a Certified Data Protection Systems Engineer (CDPSE), a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E), and a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). She is a member of the Institute of Directors, honorary fellow of the Irish Information Security Forum, a member of the EDPB pool of experts, and a member of the Irish Internet Governance Forum committee.