Legal team follows a privacy-by-design model
Privacy is a top priority for Joanna Leong as she navigates evolving federal and provincial laws at Honda Canada. As the focus on privacy has shifted in recent years, Leong and her team have revamped their approach to privacy in line with customer expectations and shifting regulations.
“It can be very challenging to keep up with that ever-changing landscape while at the same time keeping up with quickly advancing technologies, especially in the auto space,” says Leong who is the company’s privacy officer as well as manager, legal affairs and counsel. Together with her team, Leong follows a privacy-by-design model which allows her to be proactive in thinking about privacy at the outset of a project. As traditional auto manufacturers like Honda did not collect data in the early days, there has been a gradual shift to fit modern expectations.
“There has been a slow progression to come to the realisation that customers expect more customization in their vehicles, but in order to provide that we’re having to adjust the technology to potentially collect more data,” says Leong. “We had to work very quickly to get up to speed with expectations and technology and compliance with privacy laws.”
Leong says her strategy is to think about privacy at a very early stage in each project, and to determine how best to serve the needs of the customer and comply with the law at the same time, as opposed to playing catch up after the event. One of Honda’s guiding tenets is “respect for the individual” so this is something the legal team keeps in mind with everything they do – especially with regard to privacy.
Leong and her team are also keeping a close eye on provincial and federal electric vehicle mandates, as well as the consumer protection landscape – particularly in Quebec in view of the recent changes to the Consumer Protection Act.
Leong joined Honda in 2019 – her first foray into an in-house counsel role after 11 years in private practice. She was quickly promoted from legal counsel to manager, legal affairs and counsel.
“In private practice you are often pigeon-holed into one very specific area of the law, but in-house every day is different,” says Leong. “That diversity is really what interests me and keeps me passionate about it, as well as the continuous interaction with the business and the ability to impact what they do.”
Leong manages a team of eight people, including two other lawyers with whom she shares the legal work for the various different business groups. This year, she has been focusing on changing the team’s mindset in the way they deliver legal services as an in-house department, with a goal to being more business and strategy focused. This included introducing new technologies such as workflow management programs and electronic document management programs.
In 2024, Leong plans to promote more mental well-being and a better work-life flow among her team.
“I want to find that flow where we’re able to be resilient and adjust to those ebbs and flows in terms of work volume and personal life issues,” she says. “My goal as a manager is really to have a happy team.”
