Founded by Monifa Brooks and Susie Hendrie, Garabyte brings together a diverse team of professionals with expertise in privacy, information management, governance, and compliance. Our team helps organizations build sustainable privacy programs that align with operational goals and regulatory requirements.
Monifa Brooks is driven by a core belief that privacy is not just a compliance requirement. It is a foundation that enables innovation, empowers individuals, and strengthens communities. This “why” has guided her throughout her career and continues to shape her work as a privacy leader, advisor, and advocate.
As the co‑founder of Garabyte, Monifa brings extensive experience in data privacy, access to information, and regulatory compliance across both the public and private sectors. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada (CIPP/C), Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM), and Six Sigma Green Belt (SSGBC), with a career defined by advancing responsible data practices and embedding privacy into the fabric of organizational culture.
Before launching Garabyte, Monifa spent nearly twenty years in the private sector, where she led enterprise‑wide privacy and anti‑spam compliance initiatives. She played a pivotal role in implementing Mandatory Breach Notification processes, launching large‑scale privacy and CASL training programs, and supporting efforts to combat SIM swap fraud across the telecommunications industry. Her expertise supported high‑profile divisions including consumer services, retail, media, and banking.
Today, Monifa provides practical, strategic privacy guidance to organizations across sectors, including telecommunications, utilities, publishing, health agencies, Federal Crown Corporations, and government bodies. Her work spans the development and maturity of privacy programs, operationalizing Privacy by Design, establishing CASL compliance programs, and designing risk management frameworks that include policies, assessments, playbooks, third‑party risk models, and breach response protocols.
She advises clients on a wide range of legislation, including PIPEDA, the Privacy Act, the Access to Information Act, Quebec’s Law 25, the GDPR, and several U.S. state privacy laws, such as the CCPA and Maryland’s Privacy Act. Across all engagements, her focus remains consistent: help organizations manage risk effectively while empowering teams to achieve their operational goals with confidence and integrity.
A passionate advocate for privacy education, Monifa regularly speaks at industry events and public forums, sharing insights on ethical AI, data governance, and the future of privacy in an evolving digital landscape.
Let’s talk about where privacy creates risk, uncertainty, or delays in your organization.
Send us an email: consulting@garabyte.ca
