Johann Carlos S. Barcena
Atty. Johann Carlos S. Barcena, CESO III is a career executive service officer with extensive experience in public policy and government administration.
Prior to his appointment as Privacy Commissioner, he served as Executive Director of the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) and was its designated Data Privacy Officer. Before his stint as Executive Director, Atty. Barcena was the Director of the GCG’s Corporate Governance Office that oversaw GOCCs in the energy, agriculture, communications, utilities, transportation, and infrastructure sectors. He was with the GCG for close to fourteen (14) years and was among the pioneers that joined the agency shortly after its creation.
Among his key roles in the GCG was ensuring the alignment of the policies governing the GOCC sector with international standards and best practices on corporate governance and competitive neutrality. On various occasions, he served as resource speaker for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Earlier in his legal career, Atty. Barcena was an Associate under the litigation department of one of the Philippines’ leading law firms, where he handled cases on corporate governance, telecommunications, competition, and corporation law.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the Ateneo de Manila University and obtained his Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines - College of Law. In 2015, he earned his Master of the Science of Law degree from Stanford University, where he was a Fellow under the Stanford Program in International Legal Studies. While in Stanford Law School, he was legal assistant to Professor Jenny S. Martinez for business and human rights.
As Privacy Commissioner, he aims to advance a regulatory environment that ensures personal information is secured and protected, while also encouraging innovation and growth in information and communications technology.
Monday 28 September Day One Plenary Agenda
Panel 2: GLOBAL ALIGNMENT – Europe’s role in a multipolar digital economy
- How can Europe engage constructively with diverse digital governance models while advancing its own regulatory priorities on data, AI and digital infrastructure?
- Where do differences in technology policy risk creating long-term fragmentation, and what is the cost of regulatory divergence for European businesses and consumers? Where can pragmatic alignment instead be achieved through standards, adequacy and regulatory cooperation?
- How can Europe make data-transfer frameworks more flexible, durable and predictable, while using its regulatory and market influence to promote interoperability, mutual recognition and greater regulatory cooperation rather than reinforcing global fragmentation?
- Can cooperation on international technical standards, including through organisations such as ISO and IEEE, deliver practical alignment across jurisdictions faster than legislative convergence?