Alston & Bird LLP

Cynthia Cole is a former CEO and general counsel who helps clients confidently navigate AI, data, and technology with practical, globally informed strategies.

Cynthia brings unparalleled insight to technology, data, and AI matters drawn from her background as a former CEO and general counsel and her decades of experience guiding companies through complex commercial, digital, and cross‑border initiatives. She advises clients across the technology, life sciences, industrial, energy, media, and consumer sectors on structuring and negotiating strategic technology transactions, intellectual property arrangements, data‑driven collaborations, and cloud and platform deals that support innovation while addressing operational and regulatory risk.

Cynthia counsels executive teams and boards on global privacy and cybersecurity obligations, including compliance with the GDPR, CCPA, and emerging national and international AI and data governance frameworks. She also helps clients prepare for and respond to cybersecurity incidents, coordinating forensic investigations, and multijurisdictional notification and regulatory engagement.

Her experience leading technology organizations and technology transformations positions her to help clients operationalize data protection, build cross‑functional AI governance structures, and create practical contracting frameworks for novel technologies and data uses. She also supports M&A and private equity transactions by identifying and mitigating intellectual property, privacy, AI, and data‑related risks in acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic alliances.