Meet the Team
“Our pledge to you: innovation • commitment • excellence“
Etika Privacy was founded by seasoned entrepreneurs that have been in business for more than 15 years. Bernadette Sarazin and Martine Dion are recognized as trustworthy and savvy businesswomen who have contributed significantly to their clients’ success as well as the well-being of their community. They have successfully shaped a reputation for excellence. As an entrepreneur, Lin Henry Qiu has developed a reputation for being analytical, efficient and collaborative.
Together, they have pooled their expertise and experience to rethink Privacy compliance. Etika Privacy is also composed of skilled consultants. This multidisciplinary team of Privacy, cybersecurity, communications and legal leaders, as well as leading-edge compliance tools, are activated to efficiently and creatively deliver an organization’s Privacy Protection Program.
Bernadette Sarazin
CEO and Chief Privacy Officer
B.Com Finance and Marketing, LLM Privacy & Cybersecurity, Lead Implementer ISO/IEC 27701:2013
Bernadette enjoys the challenge of developing strategic Privacy Protection Programs that meet an organization’s goals. As en entrepreneur herself, she weighs the corporate context and applicable Privacy laws when developing Privacy compliance. When it is an asset, she is able to model a Privacy Protection Program on the ISO 27701 international standard.
As former DPO of an international aerospace company and again as a former Senior Privacy Advisor with a national Canadian law firm, Bernadette understands the challenges and opportunities that Privacy compliance can pose to an organization and their Privacy Officers. She brings a strategic business acumen to managing Privacy compliance in addition to an in-depth knowledge of the GDPR, Québec’s Privacy Act and Canada’s PIPEDA (soon to become the CPPA).
Her experience in communications and marketing allows her to perform dynamic awareness and training sessions that will help clients build a robust and knowledgeable privacy culture within. Her sense of humour and kind personality will no doubt contribute to a positive and respectful client experience!
Bernadette Sarazin
CEO and Chief Privacy Officer
B.Com Finance and Marketing, LLM Privacy & Cybersecurity, Lead Implementer ISO/IEC 27701:2013
Bernadette enjoys the challenge of developing strategic Privacy Protection Programs that meet an organization’s goals. As en entrepreneur herself, she weighs the corporate context and applicable Privacy laws when developing Privacy compliance. When it is an asset, she is able to model a Privacy Protection Program on the ISO 27701 international standard.
As former DPO of an international aerospace company and again as a former Senior Privacy Advisor with a national Canadian law firm, Bernadette understands the challenges and opportunities that Privacy compliance can pose to an organization and their Privacy Officers. She brings a strategic business acumen to managing Privacy compliance in addition to an in-depth knowledge of the GDPR, Québec’s Privacy Act and Canada’s PIPEDA (soon to become the CPPA).
Her experience in communications and marketing allows her to perform dynamic awareness and training sessions that will help clients build a robust and knowledgeable privacy culture within. Her sense of humour and kind personality will no doubt contribute to a positive and respectful client experience!
Kathrin Gardhouse
VP – AI and Data Governance
AIGP, CIPP/C, GPLLM, Lawyer (Ontario), Master Iuris (Germany)
Kathrin is a German- and Ontario-trained lawyer specializing in data and AI governance. Her experience includes developing comprehensive privacy and data governance programs for a Toronto-based financial institution and AI governance consulting for several boutique firms.
Kathrin’s influence in data and AI governance spans multiple domains. She actively shapes responsible AI policy at a national level while simultaneously offering thought leadership to innovators in privacy-enhancing technologies and advising start-up founders in privacy and AI governance matters. This multifaceted engagement—bridging policy development, technological innovation, and entrepreneurial guidance—keeps her at the forefront of practical and theoretical advancements in data protection and AI governance. Her unique position allows her to offer clients insights that are both forward-thinking and grounded in real-world applications across the rapidly evolving landscape of privacy and AI. Her commitment to humane technology ensures that ethical considerations remain at the forefront of her advisory approach.
Thibaut Vergne
Data Protection and Information Security Specialist
LLM Data Protection, Institut Supérieur de l’Électronique de Paris (ISEP, Paris, France), 2019
Lead Implementer, ISO/IEC 27001 & ISO/IEC 27701
Certified DPO – GDPR (Europe) and FADP Switzerland)
Exchange Student, Faculty of Law and Justice, Laurentian University, 2015
From his office in France and his experience in Switzerland and Canada, Thibaut has a global data protection expertise that spans privacy and security. He started his journey in Data Protection with a team to develop and deploy a GDPR Software to support corporate legal compliance.
His goal is to address the risks that ensue when we process personal data, and thus deploy Data Privacy compliance and governance practices that empowers, instead of disrupting the business. At ease with people, Thibaut runs training sessions to build a robust defence while raising awareness of data protection and cybersecurity principles.
To enhance his security expertise, Thibaut has obtained his ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701 certifications and now often models privacy and security management frameworks on these international standards. His expertise enables him to manage all aspects of personal data and security compliance with agility, perspective and knowledge.
Lin Henry Qiu
DPO & Europe Consultant
Certified Information Security and ISO 27001:2022 Officer, certified DPO
GDPR, UK-GDPR and technical Data Protection / Information Security
From his offices in Berlin and London, Lin has gained Data protection expertise across Europe for more than 8 years. He has been fortunate to provide compliance and data security consultancy at various corporate and official institutions, including the international aviation and manufacturing, medical research, software development and data encryption industries.
Lin enjoys working with people and has a keen ability to drive collaboration. He has extensive experience in Data Protection and Information Security Management Systems (ISMS & PIMS) project implementation and coordination with technical and legal departments, has led a cross-platform developer team for encryption software, has led the process optimization and negotiation of intragroup agreements and Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs).
Furthermore, Lin has published articles with the German “Forum Verlag Herkert GmbH”, a publishing house specialized in information security and data protection.
Martine Dion
Chief Operations, Communications and Marketing
As Chief Operations, Communications & Marketing, Martine oversees the administration of Etika Privacy, its finances, human resources, as well as all communications, and marketing activities. As CEO of Brio Strategies for the last 15 years, the first corporation founded by Martine and Bernadette in 2009, Martine has successfully managed noteworthy national and international projects.
Some of the long-lasting partnerships she developed include: the student Residence de La Cité, City of Ottawa, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She has achieved impressive results in providing consulting services for various large entities such as the National Capital Commission (NCC), the Ottawa 2017 celebrations, the TFO Media Group, the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la capitale nationale, the Montfort Hospital, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Prescott-Russell, to name only a few.
Martine has had the privilege of leading some outstanding events, where she enjoys the collaboration with others and thrives on creating memorable occasions! She is meticulous and focused, a testament to her ability to deliver projects with brio!
Martine Dion
Chief Operations, Communications and Marketing
As Chief Operations, Communications & Marketing, Martine oversees the administration of Etika Privacy, its finances, human resources, as well as all communications, and marketing activities. As CEO of Brio Strategies for the last 15 years, the first corporation founded by Martine and Bernadette in 2009, Martine has successfully managed noteworthy national and international projects.
Some of the long-lasting partnerships she developed include: the student Residence de La Cité, City of Ottawa, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She has achieved impressive results in providing consulting services for various large entities such as the National Capital Commission (NCC), the Ottawa 2017 celebrations, the TFO Media Group, the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la capitale nationale, the Montfort Hospital, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Prescott-Russell, to name only a few.
Martine has had the privilege of leading some outstanding events, where she enjoys the collaboration with others and thrives on creating memorable occasions! She is meticulous and focused, a testament to her ability to deliver projects with brio!
Erika Lessard
Designer and Marketing Coordinator
La Cité Diploma, Graphic Design
A dynamic designer, Erika is a young entrepreneur who supports Etika Privacy in the areas of marketing, communications and graphic design.
Through targeted messaging and engaging campaigns, Erika raises awareness of the importance of protecting personal information and builds trust between the Etika Privacy brand and its customers.
Passionate about her work, Erika brings an innovative approach to Etika Privacy, a company at the cutting edge of data protection in today’s digital landscape.