Mr. Avila joined Walmart Inc. as Vice President, Chief Privacy Officer in October 2012. Mr. Avila is responsible for the worldwide data privacy and records management program for Walmart’s operations involving 11,000 retail locations with more than two million employees in 27 countries, as well as Walmart’s e-commerce websites in ten countries. Mr. Avila previously served as Vice President — Counsel, Chief Privacy Officer of The Walt Disney Company. Mr. Avila initiated the data privacy program at Disney in 2001 and led the development of Disney’s enterprise privacy compliance program covering all of Disney’s online and offline business activities in the nearly 50 countries in which Disney operates.
Mr. Avila began his career as a law clerk to Judge W. Eugene Davis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mr. Avila later was an associate with Latham & Watkins, and Litigation Counsel with the CBS television network. Before joining Disney, Mr. Avila served as General Counsel, Chief Privacy Officer of MValue.com, Inc., a venture capital funded Internet company. Mr. Avila served for five years on the board of directors of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, including serving as President of the IAPP in 2009.
Mr. Avila graduated with a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Mr. Avila has taught on the subject of privacy law as an Adjunct Professor of the School of Law of the University of Arkansas.