Meet Kevin Kim, Director of Privacy.
We are profiling employees across Calian so you can learn more about our team and the exciting work done across our company every day.
Faces of Calian profiles will be posted to the Hub on an ongoing basis—so stay tuned! And be sure to check out our social channels as we share these profiles with our growing online community.
Tell us about your background
I came to Canada from South Korea more than 20 years ago, dreaming of leading a different life than before (you live only once, right?).
I attended the Master of Forest Conservation program at U of T, followed by advancing my career in forestry for a few years in Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa, Peterborough, and Toronto, Ontario.
One of my mentors and supervisors in the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources showed me the door to the new world of records and information management; and access and privacy (it is called FOI (Freedom of Information), which allows public members to request access to government-held information, including one’s own personal information).
After a few years of FOI and privacy experience in the Ontario government, I moved westward to the beautiful, yet bone-chilling cold Edmonton, Alberta (Privacy Officer for Alberta Education for 5 years); to Vancouver (Privacy Manager for the First Nations Health Authority for 6 years); and now to Victoria (Privacy Manager for Capital Regional District for 2 years). During the time, I completed the Master of Law (LLM – Privacy & Cybersecurity) program at York University and obtained numerous privacy professional credentials, such as CIPP/C, CIPP/E, CIPM, and CIPT.
I joined Calian in September 2022. I didn’t know much about Calian when I applied, but did some research on what it does and the values it pursues. My experience at Calian has so far exceeded my expectations, and I am proud that I’m contributing to Calian’s success.
What is your role at Calian? Tell us about the type of work you do.
My role as Director, Privacy is to make sure that Calian is following applicable privacy laws and regulations. What’s more important, though, is to ensure all Calian employees truly understand that managing our customers’ personal information appropriately is crucial in obtaining and maintaining their trust, thereby keeping them as customers longer and achieving better business outcomes down the road.
As we all know, Calian is a global company that has a variety of businesses in different sectors and different jurisdictions. This requires us to be vigilant in complying with a wide range of privacy laws and regulations.
I monitor the constantly evolving landscape of compliance and provide/share up-to-date information to the relevant business units as necessary. One of my roles is to make sure that all Calian employees are equipped with a proper understanding of the key requirements of privacy protection while doing their jobs.
What do you like most about working for Calian?
The people. It may sound like a cliché, but the saying “what matters at work is not what you do but who you work with.” I am lucky to be on the Legal Team, which, unlike the somewhat austere feel the word “legal” may exude, consists of very kind and eager-to-help colleagues—who also happen to be very knowledgeable and intelligent.
What keeps you busy outside of work?
I’m an avid runner. Running is my way of feeling liberation, whatever it may mean. I have two boys: 25-year-old with ASD and an 11th-grader, who keep me and my wife on our toes. I’m also a big fan of classical music, of Gustav Mahler in particular. Mahler’s magnificent symphonies never fail to goosebump me.
