Privacy is still viewed by many through the narrow lens of compliance. Maman Ibrahim, a respected strategist in cybersecurity and governance, sees this limited view as missing the broader business value of privacy. “Privacy directly underpins reputation, and that makes it central to long-term competitiveness,” says Maman, who emphasizes a framework that positions privacy as a driver of trust and resilience. With over two decades of experience spanning telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and consumer goods, he has transformed complex regulatory requirements into strategies that improve both customer experience and executive decision-making.
From Compliance Burden to Competitive Advantage
Maman outlines four guiding principles to help leaders elevate privacy into a business advantage. The first is embedding privacy by design into products and services. “When you build a product or a service for your business, you factor privacy in by design. That’s the first element,” he says. The second is robust data protection, including encryption at rest, in transit, and in use.
Clarity is equally essential. Organizations often forget that the data they collect belongs to individuals outside their walls. “People need to understand clearly why you are collecting data, what you are collecting, and how they can opt out. No business jargon, just plain language,” Maman stresses. Finally, privacy must be managed as an ongoing program, not as a one-off initiative. This ensures organizations can adapt to evolving risks and maintain consistency across global operations.
AI, Accountability, and Emerging Risks
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence has amplified privacy challenges. AI systems often rely on vast data sets, many of which are poorly controlled. Maman notes the hidden risks: “Imagine using AI for meeting transcription. Everything you say is recorded, stored, and used to train the AI. By design, you create a risk.” The problem is not limited to technology itself but to accountability in how data is collected and used. AI operates globally, blurring boundaries between jurisdictions and increasing the potential for leaks. “AI is a tool that needs to be configured and secured properly. Leaders must ensure data is used in the way it was promised when collected, not repurposed in ways customers never agreed to,” Maman says.
Responsible AI is the disciplined way of designing, building, and deploying AI systems that create value while safeguarding human dignity, organizational trust, and societal wellbeing. It comes with three imperatives:
• Ethical: fairness, accountability, transparency, and human rights.
• Technical: robustness, security, reliability, and explainability.
• Governance: oversight aligned to laws, standards, and organizational values.
Explainability, and trust must remain central principles.
A Case Study: Streamlining Customer Data
Maman recalls working with a French early stage company developing a restaurant booking platform intended for European customers. Initially, the system asked users for extensive personal details, far beyond what was necessary for the simple act of reserving a table. “You just want to book a restaurant. You don’t need to fill out a 15-minute form,” he recalls.
Excessive data collection not only increased compliance obligations under GDPR but also eroded the customer experience. By reassessing the purpose of data collection, Maman and his team reduced the requirements to only essential information: a name and a payment method. Payment security was handled by a third-party processor, further simplifying compliance. “It simplified the model and allowed us to implement the solution quickly. Most importantly, it rebuilt customer trust,” he explains. The case underscores Maman’s philosophy: privacy should support business goals rather than obstruct them. Simplifying processes, minimizing unnecessary collection, and ensuring accountability all translate into efficiency gains and stronger customer loyalty.
Preparing for the Next Five Years
Looking ahead, Maman anticipates that quantum computing and increasingly complex AI ecosystems will test traditional approaches to privacy. “We are generating so much data now, and in five years, this volume will be multiplied by thousands,” he predicts. Instead of trying to secure every dataset retrospectively, organizations should focus on embedding controls at the point of data creation. “When you generate the data, generate it in a setting where it already embeds security and privacy,” Maman says. Principles such as minimization (collecting only what is needed) will be vital. By shifting controls upstream, businesses can better manage the explosive growth of data while reinforcing customer confidence.
Building Trust Through Clarity, Courage, and Control
For Maman, data privacy is not only about legal compliance but about creating clarity for customers, courage for leaders, and control over organizational risks. His career demonstrates how governance, when reframed as a strategic driver, empowers leaders to act decisively even under pressure. “At the end of the day,” he notes, “privacy is about trust. If customers believe you are protecting their data responsibly, they will continue to do business with you.”
To follow Maman Ibrahim’s work and insights, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit his website.
