2025 State of Data Privacy Reporting 

Senior privacy leaders told us: reporting to the board is harder than ever, and it's no surprise.  

Executives want sharper visibility into privacy risks, regulatory exposure, and program performance. Yet many privacy functions still struggle with cadence, consistency, and articulating measurable business value. 

To better understand these dynamics, we surveyed senior privacy executives across industries — from financial services to technology, retail, and consumer goods — on how they’re evolving their board-level reporting practices. 

This report offers an inside look at the frameworks, metrics, and governance models shaping executive privacy reporting, and what’s next: 

• How often privacy leaders are presenting to their boards, and why 1 in 4 never do 
• The most common reporting formats, lengths, and metrics used in board updates 
• The top challenges privacy leaders face from competing with cybersecurity to proving ROI 
• How approval paths, review layers, and cross-functional sign-offs impact reporting accuracy 
• What leaders say they need next: better metrics, stronger benchmarking, and clearer narratives tied to enterprise value 

Use this report to benchmark your current approach and enhance how your privacy program shows up in the boardroom in 2025.