The Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers is sponsoring a training event organised by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in conjunction with Britain’s Information Assurance for Small and Medium Enterprises Consortium to help businesses prepare to comply with new rules on the use of personal data.

IASME has developed governance standards relating to cyber security and assurance and is working with PrivCom to develop a Bermuda-specific component of its Cyber Assurance and Privacy standard.

It provides a framework by which local businesses can comply with the Personal Information Protection Act, which is due to take effect in 2025.

Individuals interested in becoming assessors of certification standards in Bermuda will attend the two training sessions, conducted by Peter Loomes, IASME’s head of training, on July 10-11 at O’Hara House and July 12-13 at Convex Re, venues sponsored by Abir.

Places are still available for the first session.

Suzanne Williams-Charles, director of policy and regulation at Abir, said the initiative will help any Bermuda company prepare to comply with Pipa when it takes effect.

She said: “Implementation of world-class standards and best practices in data privacy and cybersecurity is of great importance, not only to our global re/insurance industry, but also to all Bermudians.”

The Abir Data and Privacy Taskforce has worked closely with PrivCom to facilitate implementation of Pipa, which sets out how Bermuda-based organisations should handle personal data to protect the rights of Bermudians and compliantly operate in global markets.

Shannon Dyer, Bermuda counsel for Convex Re Limited, has been appointed the new chairman of Adapt, succeeding Jim Paugh, general counsel of Arch Reinsurance Ltd, who oversaw the taskforce from its inception in 2020.

Mr Dyer has held senior positions with law firms in Hong Kong and Bermuda, and also worked at the Bermuda Monetary Authority as in-house counsel within its insurance supervisory team.

He said: “I look forward to building on the foundations Jim put in place and to leading Adapt as it works in support of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and implementation of Pipa in 2025.”

Alexander White, the Privacy Commissioner, said: “This project will help to strengthen the privacy and cybersecurity readiness of Bermuda organisations.

“IASME is recognized for its work in the UK, building a certification framework that makes the process of reaching cybersecurity maturity easier for businesses of all sizes.”