Sonia Cissé

Sonia leads the Technology, Commercial and Privacy team at Linklaters in Paris. Her expertise encompasses the entire spectrum of technology and privacy law, with particular emphasis on data protection, cyber security, complex commercial agreements, e-commerce, and telecommunications. She has advised leading companies across a wide range of industries on various international data protection initiatives, including GDPR compliance efforts and complex procurement.

In addition to her practice, Sonia teaches at the University of Dauphine in Paris, where she is a lecturer in the Data Protection Officer Program. She is also involved in pioneering Data Protection Officer certification programs in Africa, lecturing for the Data Protection Officer Certificates at the University of Dauphine in Tunis, Tunisia.

Sonia has been seconded at various times at BNP Paribas and Engie IT.

Sonia serves as an Innovation Partner at Linklaters in Paris and is a member of the firm's Generative Steering Group.

Committed to DEI, Sonia is also one of the two representatives of Europe at Linklaters’ Black Diversity Council.

Work highlights

• An international leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of ophthalmic lenses and equipment for eye care professionals: advising on its global compliance program to the GDPR and other local regulations, involving more than 60 entities across North America, South America, Asia and Europe;
• A major French bank: advising on the implementation of a compliance programme for its data transfers outside of the EEA including elaboration of the transfer impact assessment process, third countries laws assessments, assistance with the adoption of a standard set of supplementary measures and elaboration of a standard data importer questionnaire;
• The world leader in luxury: advising on a digitialisation project and negotiating master cloud hosting agreements in relation with the IT service providers Capgemini and Accenture;
• An American manufacturer of lead-acid batteries, including automotive batteries and industrial batteries: advising on its compliance program to the GDPR, involving entities in Europe and North America;
• A high-performing digital and IT service company: advising on the review of its Information Systems Security Charter applicable to subcontractors ensuring compliance with the GDPR;
• Negotiating an outsourcing agreement for the implementation of an IT platform and the provision of BPO services;
• A British multinational banking and financial services company: drafting and negotiating an integration and SaaS agreement;
• An international banking group with a presence in 75 countries: drafting of a standard agreement to oversee its relations with external service providers for the provision of development, data hosting and outsourcing services; and
• A leading distributor of light and commercial vehicle parts: drafting a service agreement for the development of a cloud-based software platform for the management of distributor and garage networks.

Sonia is an active member of l’Association Française du Droit de l’Informatique, IAPP, Fratel, Women in AI and the Global Sourcing Association.

Sonia’s additional experience includes assisting a French retail company during its software compliance audit and during the following litigation against a well-known service provider; an energy company on the management of its contractual relationships with its service provider for the development of a smart metering system; negotiating video agreements for the provision of content in a digital entertainment content ecosystem with several US cinema studios; advising a cosmetic company for the protection of its self-developed software in France and in the United States.

Sonia has a Masters degree in Intellectual Property Law from the University Montpellier I and an LLM in International Business Law from Kings College London. She is a member of the Paris Bar and is fluent in French, English, and Spanish.