Stephen Almond, Director of Technology and Innovation, leads the ICO’s team responsible for anticipating, understanding and shaping the impacts of emerging technology and innovation on people and society. He is charged with engineering information rights into the fabric of new ideas, products and business models as part of our dynamic digital economy.

Prior to joining the ICO, Stephen led a World Economic Forum initiative to promote the adoption of a more agile, innovation-enabling approach to regulation with governments and tech firms worldwide. He previously worked in leadership roles across the UK Government, including creation of the White Paper on Regulation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and roll-out of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund, which invested in regulatory sandboxes and similar initiatives to unlock technological innovation.