Articles

What It Means to Be a Privacy Hero in 2026

In the early days of digital compliance, the privacy office was often whispered about as the “Department of No.” It was viewed as a hurdle, a final, painful checkpoint where marketing dreams went to die and product launches were stalled by dense legalese.

But as we celebrated Data Privacy Day this year, that trope is officially extinct. The modern privacy professional has evolved. Today, they are the “Department of Yes, and Here’s How.” They are the architects of trust and the secret weapons of brand integrity.

To celebrate this evolution, TrustArc launched the Privacy Hero Campaign to honor those who move beyond “checking boxes” to actively build bridges between legal rigor and business growth.

It is our distinct honor to announce our winner: Anastasiia Bazhmina, Business Systems Analyst at Northland.

The Anatomy of a Hero: Beyond the Spreadsheet

What makes a Privacy Hero? It isn’t just an encyclopedic knowledge of the GDPR or the latest CCPA amendment. It’s a specific blend of three “superpowers”: Methodological Rigor, Operational Empathy, and Strategic Vision.

Anastasiia Bazhmina embodies all three. When she was tasked with finding a cookie consent solution for Northland, she didn’t settle for the path of least resistance. She understood that a consent banner is more than a legal requirement; it is a customer’s first handshake with a brand’s values.

Superpower #1: Methodological Rigor (The Vetting Process)

Great privacy programs aren’t built on guesswork. Anastasiia took on the monumental task of vetting over 15 vendors. In a “heroic” display of due diligence, she hunted for a partner that could handle the friction between global privacy regulations while preserving Northland’s user experience.
This isn’t just about technical specs; it’s about defensibility. By conducting a rigorous evaluation, she ensured that the chosen solution wasn’t just a temporary fix, but a strategic move that reduced long-term risk and secured ongoing support. For those looking to replicate this rigor, evaluating privacy tech stacks is the first step toward building a resilient program.

Superpower #2: Operational Empathy (The Bridge-Builder)

Privacy does not exist in a vacuum. For a program to succeed, it must be adopted by people who aren’t privacy experts. Operational Empathy is the ability to see the world through the eyes of a developer, a marketer, or a sales lead.

A hero knows that if a privacy control breaks the website or ruins the customer journey, the business will eventually find a way to bypass it. By empathizing with the “builders” of the company, heroes ensure that compliance feels like an upgrade, not a tax. Our winner exemplified this by specifically seeking a solution that “elevated the user experience” rather than just imposing a legal requirement. When you partner with the web team instead of policing them, you create a sustainable culture of compliance.

Superpower #3: Strategic Vision (The Risk Mitigator)

A “compliance officer” looks at what the law says today. A “Privacy Hero” looks at where the world is going tomorrow. Strategic Vision is about thinking three moves ahead in a game of global chess.

This foresight allows a business to scale without rebuilding its foundations each time a new regulation is enacted. Instead of reactive, “check-the-box” moves, heroes implement forward-looking strategies designed to “reduce long-term risk.” By looking beyond the immediate need and planning for a future in which data transfers and consent requirements will only become more complex, leaders save their organizations millions in potential rework and reputational damage.

Why the “Department of Yes” Wins Every Time

In 2026, privacy is no longer a cost center, it is a competitive differentiator. Look at companies like Apple; they don’t treat privacy as a legal chore; they treat it as a product feature.

Privacy Heroes like Anastasiia understand that every piece of data represents a person. By protecting that data, they are protecting the company’s most valuable asset: its reputation.

Lessons from Northland

Anastasiia proves that “doing your homework” isn’t just a cliché, it’s a professional superpower. Her dedication to vetting, focus on user experience, and strategic partner selection have fortified Northland’s program for years to come.

She is a hero because she understands that Privacy is a Team Sport. It requires getting into the trenches with IT, Legal, and Marketing to ensure everyone moves forward safely and together.

Conclusion: Your Journey to Becoming a Privacy Hero

Anastasiia Bazhmina’s victory at Northland is an inspiration, but it’s also a call to action. Whether you are a “team of one” or leading a global department, you have the opportunity to be a hero in your own organization. Stop viewing your work as “fixing” problems. Start viewing it as building trust.

Embodying the Heroic Traits:

• Be a Translator: Turn dense legislation into business-friendly guidance.
• Be a Builder: Use automated privacy workflows to make compliance easy for your colleagues.
• Be an Adventurer: Embrace the ever-changing landscape of AI and data transfers with curiosity, not fear.

The “Department of No” is dead. Long live the Privacy Hero.