Gil Zhang

Practice Areas

GIL ZHANG SPECIALIZES IN PRIVACY AND DATA PROTECTION, CYBER SECURITY, AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE.

Mr. Zhang practiced in private practice and in-house as senior counsel for many years. He has extensive experience in corporate and compliance work.

Mr. Zhang has advised many clients on global GDPR compliance projects. He has extensive experience in setting up data protection compliance programs in China and localizing GDPR-centric data protection programs and FTC privacy management programs in China. He has also worked on and managed the global Binding Corporate Rules project. He has extensive experience in managing global compliance projects, law enforcement actions, and setting up data protection governance structures as well as various processes to comply with EU GDPR, US laws and personal data protection laws of non-European countries, including China and APAC countries.

Mr. Zhang also advises clients on various law enforcement and contentious matters, such as criminal investigations into alleged infringement of data protection rights, mandatory privacy audits, misappropriation of confidential information by employees, and data breach response and reporting in various jurisdictions. He also advises various clients on data protection issues in relation to emerging technology such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, big data, and driverless cars.

Mr. Zhang has worked on various personal data protection related matters. These matters include conducting due diligence on target company compliance with Chinese data protection laws in M&A and investment transactions, data mapping, designing personal data collection and consent mechanisms, conducting supplier data protection due diligence, advising on cross-border data transfers and security assessments, drafting privacy policies and app user agreements, advising on data protection impact assessments (DPIA), drafting internal employee-facing privacy compliance requirements, handling data subject requests (DSR) and designing automated DSR processes, and reporting data breaches.

Mr. Zhang has represented many multinational companies and Chinese private companies on various general corporate and compliance matters in the healthcare and life sciences industries. He has advised and worked on various matters such as post-merger and post-acquisition integration, feasibility studies on China business models, drug and device promotion, medical device and life science instrument distribution, third-party sales, intermediary screening and management, government tenders, R&D collaboration and sales and marketing collaboration, intellectual property licensing, corporate restructuring and employment.

Mr. Zhang has extensive experience on various compliance matters including anti-bribery compliance, third-party vendor screening and due diligence, export control including embargo and control of dual-use items, and anti-discrimination and anti-harassment. He has also worked on various internal investigations including employee misconduct, fraud, conflict of interest and other violations of company policies and has responded to government investigations in Asia Pacific countries during his time as in-house counsel, such as responding to KCC’s investigation in Korea.

Career

Before joining Fangda in 2018, Mr. Zhang worked in Singapore as the general counsel for a US life science analytical instruments and medical device company in the Asia Pacific. Mr. Zhang also practiced law in two reputable PRC law firms in Shanghai, with primary focus on corporate and compliance as well as venture capital investment.

Professional Memberships

Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe and Asia (CIPP/E, CIPP/A) of International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) of IAPP

Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) of IAPP