Dr Sam De Silva

Partner
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Sessions:
Procuring AI with Confidence: Legal Pitfalls and Evolving Best Practices

Dr Sam De Silva is a Partner and solicitor at the Top 10 global law firm, CMS and is the Global Co-Head of CMS’ Commercial Practice Group. Sam specialises in complex and strategic technology projects and regularly advises on data protection, privacy and cyber security issues. Sam has considerable experience advising clients as they develop, test and launch AI and machine learning products and services, and have advised them and provided regulatory assessments on a wide range of issues. Sam also advises on contractual frameworks and different models for the allocation of risk and liability. Sam is the former UK representative on the EU Commission’s Expert Group on Cloud Computing Contracts, the current UK representative on the IT Law Committee of the Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) and is on the Board of the Information Technology Law Association (iTechLaw).

Sam is an expert in legal risk management and was the Co-convenor on an ISO Working Group which led the development of the first ISO Standard on the Management of Legal Risk (ISO 31022) and in 2019 won a BSI Standards Makers Award in the category of “Representing the UK” for his leadership. In 2020 at the 11th annual CIR Risk Management Awards Sam was winner of the Risk Management Champion Award and at the Global Sourcing Association UK Awards for Best Practice in Strategic Sourcing 2021, Sam was the winner of the “Social Programme of the Year” category. In 2021 Sam was also the winner of the Governance Champion of the Year at The Chartered Governance Institute Awards.

Sam is named in the Who’s Who of Information Technology 2024, Who’s Who of Data Privacy and Protection 2024, and the Who’s Who of Data Security 2024 as both a Global Leader and Thought Leader in those areas of law. Sam was also the winner of Lexology’s Client Choice Awards 2021 and 2024 for Data Privacy & Protection in the UK.