Dale Waterman is a Managing Director based in Dubai. Mr. Waterman is responsible for consulting growth and market development within the Middle East and North Africa region, with a focus on global data privacy, information governance, regulatory approaches to AI, data ethics, and cybersecurity.
Mr. Waterman is also currently assisting the World Bank as team leader on a project to identify opportunities and challenges related to strengthening data governance frameworks and practices for a Middle East country, including AI regulation, cross border data transfers, data protection, open data initiatives, and data sharing practices.
Mr. Waterman previously served as the founding partner of a boutique data protection consultancy in the UAE. Prior to consulting, Mr. Waterman served as a corporate attorney, public policy, and regulatory affairs professional at Microsoft where he gained 15+ years of legal and technical experience, including expertise in digital transformation across industry verticals, cloud computing, cybersecurity, AI, governance, risk management, and compliance. During this period, Mr. Waterman held several positions, including the Headquarters Lead for Legal and Corporate Affairs for the Middle East and Africa, the lead attorney for industry and digital transformation, and the head of the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit for the region.
Mr. Waterman currently serves as the Chair for the IAPP’s KnowledgeNet chapter in the UAE and is responsible for developing and moderating an ongoing Privacy Series for the MENA Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Education
- LLB, Rhodes University, South Africa
- BA, Legal Theory and Sociology, Rhodes University, South Africa
- Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy Program – MIT Sloan School of Management and MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Accreditations
- Certified Information Privacy Professional / Europe (CIPP/E) – International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)
- Governance Risk & Compliance (GRC) Professional (GRCP) – Open Compliance & Ethics Group) (OCEG)
- Certified Risk and Compliance Management Professional (CRCMP) – International Association of Risk and Compliance Professionals (IARCP)
- Certified in Data Protection (CDP) – Identity Management Institute