Joanne Bennett is an accomplished Chief Legal Officer, governance leader and technology lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience advising global technology, consulting and digital services organisations. She has built a distinguished career at the intersection of law, technology, risk management and business transformation, helping organisations navigate complex regulatory environments while enabling sustainable commercial growth.

Currently serving as Chief Legal Officer at the innovative technology consultancy and solutions provider, NashTech, Joanne leads the organisation’s global legal, compliance, corporate governance and risk management functions across multiple jurisdictions including the UK, Europe, North America, India, Vietnam and Australia. As a member of NashTech’s executive leadership team, she works closely with senior executives and operational leaders to align governance frameworks with the company’s strategic growth ambitions.

Since joining NashTech, Joanne has played a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s governance and compliance maturity. She has championed responsible AI governance programmes, led the development of enterprise-wide risk management and compliance frameworks and modernised customer contracting arrangements. Her work has helped create practical, scalable structures that support innovation while effectively managing legal, ethical and operational risk.

Prior to NashTech, Joanne held senior legal leadership positions with global organisations including Dentsu International and Hitachi Consulting. During her tenure at Hitachi, she was instrumental in delivering major transformation programmes, leading complex international commercial negotiations and overseeing global regulatory compliance initiatives. A notable achievement was leading the GDPR compliance programme that resulted in Hitachi Consulting becoming the first global brand to achieve BSI’s BS10012 excellence standard for GDPR compliance.

Joanne is widely recognised for her ability to combine legal expertise with commercial pragmatism. Throughout her career, she has successfully negotiated and advised on complex, multi-million-dollar technology and outsourcing transactions, supported mergers and acquisitions, managed employment and organisational change programmes, and developed legal and compliance functions. She has a strong reputation for simplifying complex legal issues and providing practical, business-focused solutions that enable organisations to achieve their strategic objectives while maintaining effective risk controls.

Beyond her executive responsibilities, Joanne has an extensive record of service in the not-for-profit sector, and has served as a Trustee and Chair of Policy Development for HEART UK, the national cholesterol charity. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Data Protection and Privacy, reflecting her long-standing commitment to advancing thought leadership in privacy, governance and emerging technologies.

Joanne holds qualifications in law, computer science, data privacy, governance and artificial intelligence, including studies at University of Wales, Cardiff, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Her legal, technical and strategic expertise equip her to lead on major challenges facing modern organisations, including AI governance, cybersecurity, data protection, regulatory compliance and digital transformation.