FitzPatrick & Associates Recognized with the Global Data Privacy & AI Compliance Excellence Award at the Great Companies Global Business Awards 2026
FitzPatrick & Associates has been recognized with the Global Data Privacy & AI Compliance Excellence Award at the Great Companies Global Business Awards 2026, recognizing its specialized expertise in navigating the increasingly complex intersection of data privacy, data sovereignty, cybersecurity regulation and artificial intelligence.
Founded by Sheila M. FitzPatrick in 1995 and operating globally from Rocklin, United States, FitzPatrick & Associates is a strategic data privacy and protection legal compliance consulting firm serving organizations navigating regulatory obligations across international markets.
Its expertise spans global data protection compliance, data sovereignty, cybersecurity regulations, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, data breach management and records management.
At the heart of the firm's proposition is a highly specialized global perspective: hands-on expertise across more than 160 countries, allowing clients to work with one primary expert resource rather than assembling separate specialists for different jurisdictions.
Key Highlights
Recognized with the Global Data Privacy & AI Compliance Excellence Award 2026
Founded by global data privacy and sovereignty expert Sheila M. FitzPatrick
Hands-on data privacy and protection expertise across 160+ countries
Advises on GDPR, data sovereignty, cybersecurity, AI, cloud computing, big data and data breaches
Has supported more than 500 multinational corporations with worldwide data protection compliance, according to company-provided information
Developed more than 550 model contracts and bargaining agreements across more than 100 countries
Six multinational companies have achieved Binding Corporate Rules approvals with her support, according to the founder's professional profile
From Privacy Barrier to Strategic Business Function
When Sheila FitzPatrick began working in data privacy, she recalls that organizations often viewed privacy professionals as people whose primary role was to say “no.”
The perception has changed dramatically.
As organizations have become increasingly dependent on data, cloud infrastructure, connected technologies and artificial intelligence, privacy has evolved into a strategic business consideration.
Today, the challenge is no longer simply protecting information. Organizations must understand where data can move, where it can be stored, who can access it, how regulations apply across jurisdictions and what obligations arise when new technologies are introduced.
That evolution has shaped FitzPatrick & Associates and its approach to global data privacy compliance.
Global Expertise Without Fragmentation
One of the firm's clearest differentiators is its geographic reach.
FitzPatrick & Associates brings hands-on expertise across more than 160 countries, allowing organizations with international operations to approach global privacy and protection challenges through a consolidated resource.
This matters because multinational organizations can face very different regulatory requirements depending on where employees, customers, systems and data are located.
Instead of requiring clients to coordinate multiple regional specialists, the firm's model is designed as a one-stop privacy and compliance resource.
That combination of global reach and centralized expertise is particularly relevant for organizations operating across multiple markets and managing complex data environments.
Navigating the New AI Compliance Landscape
Artificial intelligence has added another layer of complexity to the privacy and regulatory environment.
Organizations adopting AI must consider not only the technology itself, but also the data used to develop, train and operate AI systems, along with questions of privacy, governance, security and regulatory responsibility.
FitzPatrick & Associates brings its established data protection expertise into this evolving area, advising on the legal and compliance issues associated with AI, cloud computing, big data and emerging technologies.
The firm's work therefore sits at an increasingly important intersection: helping organizations pursue technological innovation while understanding the privacy, sovereignty and regulatory implications that accompany it.
Experience Built Across Global Organizations
Sheila FitzPatrick's professional experience spans more than three decades and includes work with multinational organizations and public institutions.
Before founding FitzPatrick & Associates, she held executive and senior positions with organizations including Oracle, Price Waterhouse, General Electric and General Dynamics.
Her professional profile states that she has worked with the U.S. Government, the Council of the European Union and country-specific data protection agencies across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas.
She has also worked with National Works Councils, European Works Councils and law enforcement agencies, providing a broad perspective on the practical and regulatory dimensions of international data protection.
Turning Global Regulation into Practical Compliance
The complexity of privacy regulation can be particularly challenging for multinational organizations because compliance is rarely limited to a single law or jurisdiction.
FitzPatrick & Associates works across areas including GDPR, data sovereignty, cybersecurity regulations, data breach compliance and management, records management and international data protection requirements.
According to Sheila FitzPatrick's professional profile, she has written more than 550 model contracts and bargaining agreements across more than 100 countries and helped six multinational companies achieve Binding Corporate Rules approvals.
She also states that she has helped more than 500 multinational corporations achieve full worldwide data protection compliance approvals.
These experiences demonstrate the practical, international nature of the firm's work rather than limiting privacy to a theoretical or purely legal exercise.
Becoming Part of the Business
A key part of FitzPatrick & Associates' client philosophy is integration.
Clients are seeking more than a consultant who provides occasional advice. Their stated objectives include finding a partner that can become part of the business rather than operating as an outsider.
That expectation aligns with the firm's hands-on approach.
Global privacy programs often touch multiple functions—including legal, technology, human resources, security, operations and business leadership. Effective compliance therefore requires an understanding of how regulations interact with the way an organization actually operates.
The firm's approach is built around that practical integration.
A New Role for Privacy Leadership
The changing importance of privacy and AI governance is also reflected in Sheila FitzPatrick's professional leadership.
She has been asked to join the Global Council for Responsible AI and the International Commission on AI Safety as Chief Privacy Officer/Counsel, according to the company-provided information.
This reflects the growing connection between traditional data protection expertise and the governance challenges surrounding artificial intelligence.
As organizations adopt AI at increasing speed, privacy leadership is becoming part of a broader conversation about responsible technology, accountability and risk.
Why FitzPatrick & Associates Earned the Award
The Global Data Privacy & AI Compliance Excellence Award recognizes FitzPatrick & Associates for bringing together deep privacy expertise, international regulatory knowledge and practical experience across emerging technologies.
Its defining strength is the ability to approach data protection as a global business and technology issue, rather than as a narrow compliance exercise.
Expertise across more than 160 countries, experience with multinational organizations, and work spanning data sovereignty, cybersecurity, AI, cloud computing and data breaches give the firm a distinctive scope.
At a time when organizations are navigating both increasingly complex privacy regulations and rapidly evolving AI technologies, that combination of global perspective and hands-on expertise is particularly relevant.
What Sets FitzPatrick & Associates Apart
The firm's strongest differentiator is its combination of global reach and centralized expertise.
Clients do not need to build a separate network of privacy specialists for every region where they operate. FitzPatrick & Associates brings its experience across more than 160 countries into a single advisory relationship.
That model is reinforced by decades of experience, practical implementation work and a focus on integrating privacy and compliance into the client's broader business operations.
Its evolution into AI-related compliance further extends that expertise into one of the most consequential areas of modern technology governance.
Looking Ahead
The intersection of data privacy, sovereignty, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence is likely to become increasingly complex as organizations expand their use of data and emerging technologies.
For FitzPatrick & Associates, that environment reinforces the importance of practical, internationally informed compliance expertise.
The firm's future is closely connected to helping organizations understand not only what regulations require, but how privacy and responsible technology governance can be incorporated into the way businesses operate.
As AI and other emerging technologies continue to develop, the ability to connect innovation with privacy, accountability and compliance will remain an important strategic capability.
Award Recognition
Great Companies Global Business Awards 2026
Award: Global Data Privacy & AI Compliance Excellence Award
Winner: FitzPatrick & Associates
Industry: Data Privacy and AI Consulting Services
Location: Rocklin, United States
Founded: 1995
Founder: Sheila M. FitzPatrick
Core Focus: Global data privacy, protection, sovereignty and AI compliance
Geographic Expertise: 160+ countries
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