Townsend Feehan
Townsend Feehan is the CEO of IAB Europe, the leading trade association for the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem in Europe, and one of the most influential figures at the intersection of privacy law, adtech infrastructure, and industry self-regulation. She is best known for her central role in developing and defending the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF), the industry's primary mechanism for managing user consent under GDPR — a framework that underpins the consent architecture of a significant portion of the European digital advertising ecosystem. Her work has made her an indispensable voice in shaping how the open web navigates data privacy regulation. Feehan has steered IAB Europe through some of its most consequential and turbulent periods, including the Belgian Data Protection Authority's landmark 2022 ruling that found the TCF non-compliant with GDPR, and the subsequent multi-year remediation and regulatory engagement process. Her ability to manage complex multi-stakeholder environments — balancing the often competing interests of publishers, advertisers, technology vendors, and data protection regulators — has defined her leadership and cemented her reputation as a skilled policy operator in a high-stakes regulatory environment. Before becoming CEO, Feehan held senior policy and legal affairs roles within IAB Europe, giving her deep institutional knowledge of the organization and the broader European regulatory landscape. She is a frequent speaker at major industry conferences and a prominent voice in policy discussions on privacy, data governance, consent management, and the future of the open web. Her career represents a rare combination of legal expertise, industry advocacy, and operational leadership in one of the most scrutinized sectors of the digital economy.
Last updated Oct 26, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team
AI-drafted from public sources4 sources cited
- Years in industry
- 15 years
Bio
Townsend Feehan is the CEO of IAB Europe, the leading trade association for the digital advertising and marketing ecosystem in Europe, and one of the most influential figures at the intersection of privacy law, adtech infrastructure, and industry self-regulation. She is best known for her central role in developing and defending the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF), the industry's primary mechanism for managing user consent under GDPR — a framework that underpins the consent architecture of a significant portion of the European digital advertising ecosystem. Her work has made her an indispensable voice in shaping how the open web navigates data privacy regulation. Feehan has steered IAB Europe through some of its most consequential and turbulent periods, including the Belgian Data Protection Authority's landmark 2022 ruling that found the TCF non-compliant with GDPR, and the subsequent multi-year remediation and regulatory engagement process. Her ability to manage complex multi-stakeholder environments — balancing the often competing interests of publishers, advertisers, technology vendors, and data protection regulators — has defined her leadership and cemented her reputation as a skilled policy operator in a high-stakes regulatory environment. Before becoming CEO, Feehan held senior policy and legal affairs roles within IAB Europe, giving her deep institutional knowledge of the organization and the broader European regulatory landscape. She is a frequent speaker at major industry conferences and a prominent voice in policy discussions on privacy, data governance, consent management, and the future of the open web. Her career represents a rare combination of legal expertise, industry advocacy, and operational leadership in one of the most scrutinized sectors of the digital economy.
Career
CEOCurrent
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