Maria J. D’Avanzo is a nationally recognized attorney with more than 30 years of experience leading legal, compliance, ethics, and data privacy functions across global organizations. As Partner of D'Avanzo LLP, she provides strategic legal counsel to corporate clients navigating complex regulatory environments, internal investigations, and enterprise risk.

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Maria has built and led global compliance and data privacy programs for some of the world’s most recognized companies. Her work spans across highly regulated industries, including finance, real estate, and technology, where she has advised boards, executive leadership, and audit committees on matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), global privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA, and internal misconduct investigations.

Maria has served in multiple executive leadership roles, including Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer and Chief Data Privacy Officer for Cushman & Wakefield, and Chief Evangelist Officer at Traliant, a leading provider of ethics and compliance training. She was also Deputy Chief Compliance Officer for AIG Asset Management and held compliance leadership roles at Starwood Capital Group Management. Earlier in her career, she co-founded a niche law firm focused on real estate, financial, and corporate matters.

She is a trusted advisor known for her ability to align legal strategy with business priorities and for her leadership in building strong compliance cultures within global organizations. Maria frequently speaks and writes on issues related to ethics, investigations, privacy, and corporate governance.