The M&A Playbook from the Chief Privacy Officer at Synopsys Inc, Erin McCurdy

Summary What does it take to share personal data during a merger or acquisition without creating regulatory liability before the deal even closes? Host Ethan Prete sits down with Erin McCurdy, Chief Privacy Officer and Data Protection Officer at Synopsys, who has managed privacy through three to five acquisitions a year at Ansys and then lived the sell side of the $32 billion Synopsys acquisition of Ansys. Erin breaks down the three non negotiables that must be in place before a single row of personal data moves, why aggregated data satisfies most buyer requests at the NDA stage, the difference between due diligence and integration after signing, and why a Legitimate Interest Assessment is the lawful basis that gets you to Day One. A must listen for privacy professionals, in house counsel, and anyone whose company might one day be on either side of a deal sheet. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:15 Erin's path to chief privacy officer 05:30 Inside the Synopsys privacy team 08:45 Why a privacy notice is not a blanket pass 09:45 The three non negotiables before sharing data 12:45 Personal data under the NDA 14:45 The power of aggregated data 19:00 Diligence versus integration after signing 21:30 Day one readiness and the legitimate interest assessment 24:45 Web privacy audits and marketing consent 37:00 Preparing before the deal sheet hits 41:15 Know where your data is Takeaways - Never share personal data at any deal stage without an executed data protection agreement in place - Keep due diligence and integration strictly separate, a signed agreement is not an all access pass - Default to aggregated or de identified data early, most buyer requests can be satisfied without individual records - Back every pre closing transfer with a documented legitimate interest assessment and a signed deletion clause in case the deal does not close - Know where your data is before the deal sheet arrives, data mapping and records of processing are the foundation of a defensible sale Connect with the Guest Erin McCurdy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-e-mccurdy-11040017/ Company Website: https://www.synopsys.com Sponsor Brought to you by ObservePoint, the web governance platform that helps the world's largest enterprises see exactly what their websites are doing, and prove it. https://www.observepoint.com/