John Edwards (regulator)

Edwards was brought up in New Plymouth^[4] and practised law in Wellington for over 20 years specialising in information law.^[2] He also served as legal counsel for the New Zealand Families Commission from 2003 to 2013, and as a senior solicitor at the Ministry of Health from 1997 to 1999.^[5]

Edwards was the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, first appointed in 2014 and held the post until 31 December 2021.^[2] During his tenure he was also chairman of the Global Privacy Assembly from 2014 to 2017.^[6]

On 21 December 2021, Edwards was formally appointed by letters patent as the United Kingdom's sixth^[6] Information Commissioner, and took office on 3 January 2022.^[1]

On 25 April 2026, Edwards announced that he had "voluntarily stepped aside from [his] duties at the ICO while an independent investigation into HR matters is undertaken". The announcement came one day after POLITICO made enquiries to the ICO regarding Edwards’ work absence, which the ICO confirmed began on 26 February 2026.^[3]