California Privacy Update: Leadership Change at State's Privacy Agency

Tom Kemp will become Executive Director of the California Privacy Protection Agency (the Agency) on April 1, 2025, the state’s independent privacy watchdog.

Mr. Kemp succeeds Ashkan Soltani, who departed earlier this year after serving as the Agency’s inaugural executive director.

The executive director is selected by majority vote of the five-member board that oversees the Agency.

As Executive Director, Mr. Kemp will oversee the Agency’s mission to enforce and implement California's privacy laws—including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and California Delete Act—and ensure the public has a strong understanding of their rights.    

Mr. Kemp formerly served as CEO of Centrify, a cybersecurity company that provides identity and access management solutions. He has been a longtime policy adviser to elected officials on state privacy laws.

The Agency was created by Proposition 24, a ballot measure on the state’s General Election Ballot in November 2020. Also known as the California Privacy Rights Act, Proposition 24 amended and expanded the CCPA. Prior to the creation of the Agency, the state Attorney General’s Office was primarily responsible for enforcement of the state’s privacy laws.  

Among the Agency’s current activities are formal rulemaking activities for two sets of proposed privacy regulations—which includes an extensive —and announcing recent enforcement actions against data brokers and regarding website privacy rights.