Kellerhals Carrard

Data & Privacy, IP, IT security and cybercrime, Startup & Venture Capital Desk, Corporate/M&A

Attorney at Law, Partner

About

Rehana Harasgama is a leading expert in data, technology and information law. She advises clients on complex data protection and cybersecurity questions including the design of data governance and compliance frameworks, major cross-border disclosures, privacy-by-design in emerging technologies and new business models, data-driven M&A transactions and data breach response planning. Her work spans the full information lifecycle – collection, storage and strategic use of data – and covers digital economy regulation including platform law, adtech, and artificial intelligence.

She has held in-house roles, notably as Data Protection Officer at Ernst & Young Switzerland, and gained further international experience during a secondment at Bird & Bird LLP in London. Recognised as a Legal 500 Rising Star / Leading Lawyer and by Leaders League for data privacy (2023-2025), she combines legal precision with practical insight.

Rehana lectures at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and its Executive School and is a contributing author to the Basler Kommentar zum Datenschutzgesetz and the Online Kommentar on the revised Swiss Data Protection Act.

She is co-founder of the Swiss Association for AI Law and serves on the advisory board of the Swiss IT Women Lawyers Association. During her Ph.D. at HSG, she was a visiting researcher at Harvard Law School’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

Since August 2025: Partner at Kellerhals Carrard Zurich

2024: Secondment, Bird & Bird LLP, London

2019-2025: Associate, Bär & Karrer, Zurich/Basel

2018: Legal Consultant, Ernst & Young Switzerland

2016-2017: Trainee, VISCHER AG, Zurich

2015-2016: Data Protection Officer, Ernst & Young Switzerland

2012-2015: Doctoral Candidate & Research Assistant, Research Center for Information Law (FIR-HSG), University of St. Gallen

Zurich Bar Association (ZAV)

Swiss Bar Association (SAV/FSA)

International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw)

Swiss Association for AI Law

Swiss IT Women Lawyer’s Association

Member of the board of the Swiss Association for AI Law

Member of the advisory board of the Swiss IT Women Lawyer‘s Association

Member of the board of the Digital Hub Association (DHA)

2019: Admission to the bar of the Canton of Zurich

2014: Visiting doctoral candidate, Berkman Klein Center for Information & Society, Harvard Law School, Boston, USA

2013-2016: Doctor of Philosophy in Law, University of St. Gallen

2012: Exchange semester (during master’s degree), Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada

2010-2013: Master of Arts in Law, University of St. Gallen

2007-2010: Bachelor of Arts in Law, University of St. Gallen

Co-founder of the Swiss Association for AI Law

Lecturer at the Executive School of Management, Technology and Law (ES-HSG), University of St. Gallen: Data Protection Officer DPO-HSG

Lecturer at the University of St. Gallen: Data Governance and Regulation in the Digital Economy

Co-founder of the journal “ex ante”, a journal to encourage young academics to publish their work

Expert in the Kickstart Innovation program