Operationalizing Privacy Across Teams, Tools, and Tech

Sarah Stalnecker is the Global Privacy Director at New Balance Athletics, Inc., where she leads the integration of privacy principles across the organization, driving awareness and compliance through education, streamlined processes, and technology solutions.

In this episode…

Operationalizing privacy programs starts with translating legal requirements into actions that work across teams. This means aligning privacy with existing tools and workflows while meeting evolving privacy regulations and adapting to new technologies. Today's consumers also demand both personalization and privacy, and building trust means fulfilling these expectations without crossing the line. So, how can companies build a privacy program that meets regulatory requirements, integrates into daily operations, and earns consumer trust? 

Embedding privacy into business operations involves more than just meeting regulatory requirements. It requires cultural change, leadership buy-in, and teamwork. Rather than forcing company teams to adapt to new privacy processes, organizations need to embed privacy requirements into existing workflows and systems that departments already use. Leading with consumer expectations instead of legal mandates helps shift mindsets and encourages collaborative dialogue about responsible data use. Documenting AI use cases and establishing an AI governance program also helps assess risks without reactive scrambling. Teams should also leverage privacy technology to scale processes and streamline compliance to ensure privacy becomes an embedded, organization-wide function rather than a siloed concern.

In this episode of She Said Privacy/He Said Security, Jodi and Justin Daniels chat with Sarah Stalnecker, Global Privacy Director at New Balance Athletics, about operationalizing privacy programs. Sarah shares how her team approaches data collection, embeds privacy into existing workflows, and uses consumer expectations to drive internal engagement. She also highlights the importance of documenting AI use cases and establishing AI governance to assess risk. Sarah provides tips on selecting and evaluating privacy technology and how to measure privacy program success beyond traditional metrics.