Jason has been architecting, designing, and deploying security technologies that secure the most complex computing environments for almost 2 decades. His understanding of operational and informational technologies, people, and processes enable him to deliver effective, comprehensive security solutions that align to an organization’s security goals and strategic imperatives. Jason is adept at addressing a range of risk profiles across multiple industry verticals; skills he has cultivated as an end-user security practitioner, partner/integrator, and now manufacturer as the FIELD CTO, focused on Cybersecurity for Cisco Systems. Jason is also active in the direct community speaking at BC Aware, Vancouver International Privacy and Security Summit, Cisco Live achieving distinguished speaker, and has delivered multiple sessions at BSides. Jason also holds over 75+ designations across a variety of products and technologies including the CCIE designation.

Caitlin Lemiski has worked at the OIPC for 20 years in a variety of roles, including leading investigations and writing orders. She has a law degree from the University of Manitoba and an Arts degree from the University of Victoria, and maintains three certifications with the International Association of Privacy Professionals. Prior to joining the OIPC, Caitlin wrote Privacy Impact Assessments and processed FOI requests for the BC Ministry of the Attorney General. Today, Caitlin leads the Policy team at the OIPC and provides information and guidance to public bodies and private organizations about complying with BC’s access and privacy laws.

Jessica Percy-Campbell is currently an investigator with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia where she mediates privacy and freedom of information files.

She holds a MA in Sociology from Concordia University (2016) and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Victoria (2023). Most recently, her research has focused on the privacy implications of smart home devices for older adults. Other research and teaching interests include the politics of surveillance and algorithmic discrimination

Tim Wostradowski is a highly skilled cybersecurity and networking expert with a deep passion for engineering and architecture. With a focus on solving complex challenges, he is dedicated to delivering tailored solutions for Fortinet’s diverse clientele. Outside of his professional work, Tim thrives on outdoor adventures, particularly climbing—whether it’s ice, rock, or mountain peaks, he embraces the thrill and resilience that these pursuits offer.

Tim McCreight is a visionary leader in the global security industry, with over four decades of experience spanning physical and cybersecurity. As the CEO and Founder of TaleCraft Security, he is a passionate advocate for Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) and has dedicated his career to empowering organizations to build resilient, business-aligned security programs.

A trailblazer in his field, Tim has held prominent leadership roles, including Vice President – Canada at Apollo Information Systems, National Director of Market Development and Strategic Advisory at CGI, and Managing Director of Enterprise Security for Canadian Pacific Railway. He has also served as Chief Security Officer (CSO) for The City of Calgary and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Government of Alberta, where he implemented transformative security strategies to align with business objectives.

Tim’s impact extends far beyond his executive roles. He served as the 2023 President of ASIS International, where he championed initiatives to advance the profession globally. As a columnist for Canadian Security Magazine and co-host of the podcast “Caffeinated Risk,” Tim shares thought leadership on ESRM and critical security trends, inspiring professionals worldwide.

An accomplished speaker and educator, Tim has delivered keynote addresses at prestigious conferences, providing insights on topics such as risk-based security, resilience strategies, and the convergence of physical and cybersecurity programs. His expertise in bridging complex security concepts with actionable business strategies has earned him recognition as one of the foremost thought leaders in his domain.

Tim holds a Master of Science in Security and Risk Management (with Merit) from the University of Leicester and prestigious certifications, including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Protection Professional (CPP), and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). These credentials underscore his commitment to professional excellence.

Through TaleCraft Security, Tim is driven by a mission to “Help, Give Back, and Grow“, offering tailored solutions to organizations seeking to develop ESRM-based security programs and empowering the next generation of security leaders. His work epitomizes the values of collaboration, innovation, and mentorship, transforming the way businesses approach security.

Explore Tim’s professional journey and connect with him on LinkedIn:  Tim McCreight LinkedIn Profile.

Holly is a PhD level trained ethicist and research consultant. She serves as an ethicist on a US-based IRB and is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She has worked as a consultant for Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the CIHR Ethics Office and her work has been published in a variety of journals including CMAJ, Trends in Neurosciences, and Cell Stem Cell. Her current Director role at the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) of British Columbia reflects PHSA’s commitment to strengthening its research enterprise in support of its fundamental mandate to conduct world class research as an academic health science organization with an integrated mandate to deliver care, conduct research, and train tomorrow’s providers.

Brent J. Arnold is the founder of Capstan Legal, specializing in cybersecurity and commercial litigation. Brent is a twenty-year Bay Street veteran with extensive experience in litigation and arbitration, appearing in various administrative tribunals and in all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada. His experience includes cyber risk analysis, data breach and privacy breach disputes, Web3 (including cryptocurrency and metaverse) and other technology, software and e‑commerce disputes, and general contractual disputes.

Brent is a sought‑after speaker and thought leader in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy, technology, artificial intelligence, Web3, and the modernization of courts. He has appeared on national television and radio programs (including CTV News and CBC’s The National) and been quoted in the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, and the Canadian Press.

Brent currently serves as Chair and a director of the Canadian Internet Society, a think tank devoted to ensuring access to a free and safe internet for all Canadians, and hosts its Net Positive podcast. He is also a member of the Canadian Technology Law Association and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Dr. Khaled El Emam is the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Medical AI at the University of Ottawa, where he is a Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and newly appointed Director of Medical AI at the Faculty of Medicine. He is also a Senior Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and Director of the multi-disciplinary Electronic Health Information Laboratory, conducting research on privacy enhancing technologies to enable the sharing of health data for secondary purposes, including synthetic data generation and de-identification methods. Khaled also recently completed a one-year term as Scholar-in-Residence at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC).

Khaled has founded or co-founded eight product and services companies involved with data management and data analytics, with some having successful exits. Prior to his academic roles, he was a Senior Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada. He also served as the head of the Quantitative Methods Group at the Fraunhofer Institute in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

He participates in a number of committees including the European Medicines Agency Technical Anonymization Group, the Panel on Research Ethics advising on the TCPS, the Strategic Advisory Council of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, and he is also co-editor-in-chief of the JMIR AI journal.

In 2003 and 2004, he was ranked as the top systems and software engineering scholar worldwide by the Journal of Systems and Software based on his research on measurement and quality evaluation and improvement. He held the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the University of Ottawa from 2005 to 2015. Khaled has a PhD from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, King’s College, at the University of London, England.

Dr. Lisa Pilgram is a clinician scientist and currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Electronic Health Information Laboratory. Her research interests involve sharing of healthcare-related data, with a particular focus in privacy-enhancing technologies. She has previously worked on anonymization (de-identification) and is now exploring the potential of synthetic data in this field. Lisa’s clinical expertise lies in internal medicine – nephrology.

Tara Laughlin is an Investigator at the Office of the Information of Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. Throughout her tenure at the OIPC, Tara has worked in the administrative, case review, and now investigations departments. Prior to her work at the OIPC, Tara worked in SEO Marketing and Data Analytics and brings technical experience in data and privacy, within both private and public organizations, to her work at the OIPC. Tara is passionate about building community and is an avid volunteer. She calls Vancouver Island home, and can usually be found with a dog, book, or yoga mat.

Alexander Lonergan is an adjudicator with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. As an adjudicator with delegated authority from the Commissioner, Alexander issues written decisions arising from complaints and reviews of decisions made under FIPPA and PIPA. Alexander is a practicing lawyer with experience in privacy, conveyancing, corporate, estate planning and Indigenous law. Alexander and his wife live in Ucluelet, B.C. where they spend most of their weekends at the beach and in the rainforest

Dr. Khaled El Emam is the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Medical AI at the University of Ottawa, where he is a Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and newly appointed Director of Medical AI at the Faculty of Medicine. He is also a Senior Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and Director of the multi-disciplinary Electronic Health Information Laboratory, conducting research on privacy enhancing technologies to enable the sharing of health data for secondary purposes, including synthetic data generation and de-identification methods. Khaled also recently completed a one-year term as Scholar-in-Residence at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC).

Khaled has founded or co-founded eight product and services companies involved with data management and data analytics, with some having successful exits. Prior to his academic roles, he was a Senior Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada. He also served as the head of the Quantitative Methods Group at the Fraunhofer Institute in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

He participates in a number of committees including the European Medicines Agency Technical Anonymization Group, the Panel on Research Ethics advising on the TCPS, the Strategic Advisory Council of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, and he is also co-editor-in-chief of the JMIR AI journal.

In 2003 and 2004, he was ranked as the top systems and software engineering scholar worldwide by the Journal of Systems and Software based on his research on measurement and quality evaluation and improvement. He held the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the University of Ottawa from 2005 to 2015. Khaled has a PhD from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, King’s College, at the University of London, England.

Dr. Lisa Pilgram is a clinician scientist and currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Electronic Health Information Laboratory. Her research interests involve sharing of healthcare-related data, with a particular focus in privacy-enhancing technologies. She has previously worked on anonymization (de-identification) and is now exploring the potential of synthetic data in this field. Lisa’s clinical expertise lies in internal medicine – nephrology.

Drew McArthur retired from TELUS in 2007 as Vice President Corporate Affairs and Chief Compliance Officer. As Chief Compliance Officer, Drew was responsible for legal and regulatory compliance for all of TELUS’ operations, reporting to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The responsibilities of this role included ensuring TELUS had the appropriate controls, policies and measurements in place to be compliant with many areas of law and regulation. Drew played a key role in the privacy community in Canada as a founding member of the Council of Canadian Chief Privacy Officers and a member of the advisory board of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). From June 2016 to April 2018, Drew was the Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC, and is now consulting in the area of privacy. He can be contacted at drew.mcarthur@telus.net.

As Vice-President, Chief Privacy and Data Ethics Officer, Suzanne is responsible for overall privacy leadership at Sun Life and its subsidiaries worldwide. Her mandate includes evolving standards for the responsible use of data at Sun Life. Suzanne’s prior roles include leading the legal team in Quebec, compliance for IT and the global code of conduct and whistleblower program. Before joining Sun Life in 2015, Suzanne spent more than 20 years working in the communications industry, for businesses such as Bell Canada and BlackBerry.

A passionate believer in giving back, Suzanne is actively involved with many organizations including the Canadian Bar Association’s National Privacy and Access Law Section, CANON (Canadian Anonymization Network), MediaSmarts (a leader in media and digital literacy), and recently joined Statistics Canada’s Advisory Council on Ethics and Modernization of Microdata Access.

Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction novelist, journalist and technology activist. He is a contributor to many magazines, websites and newspapers. He is a special advisor to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org), a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties. He holds an honourary doctorate in laws from York University (Canada) and an honorary doctorate in computer science from the Open University (UK), where he is a Visiting Professor; he is also a Cornell University AD White professor-at-large, a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate and a Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science. In 2024, the Media Ecology Association awarded him the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity. In 2022, he earned the Sir Arthur Clarke Imagination in Service to Society Awardee for lifetime achievement. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 2007, he served as the Fulbright Chair at the Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California.

His novels have been translated into dozens of languages and are published by Tor Books (US), Head of Zeus (UK), Verso Books (UK), Beacon Press (US), SCRIBe (UK), Titan Books (UK) and HarperCollins (UK). He has won the Locus, Prometheus, Copper Cylinder, White Pine and Sunburst Awards, and been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and British Science Fiction Awards.

He is the author of dozens of books, most recently ENSHITTIFICATION: WHY EVERYTHING SUDDENLY GOT WORSE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT (nonfiction); and the novels PICKS AND SHOVELS and THE BEZZLE (followups to RED TEAM BLUES). Other notable books include the solarpunk novels WALKAWAY and THE LOST CAUSE; the tech policy books THE INTERNET CON and CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM; and the internationally bestselling YA LITTLE BROTHER series; and the picture book POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER

He maintains a daily blog at Pluralistic.net.

Jim Richberg’s role as Fortinet’s Head of Cyber Policy and Global Field CISO leverages his nearly 40 years’ experience driving innovation in cybersecurity and threat intelligence. At Fortinet he focuses on helping government and companies take actionable steps to improve their cybersecurity. Prior to joining Fortinet, he served as the National Intelligence Manager for Cyber, the senior Federal Executive focused on cyber intelligence within the $80B+/100,000 employee US Intelligence Community (IC). He led the implementation of cyber strategy for the 17 departments and agencies of the IC, set integrated priorities on cyber threat, and served as the senior cyber advisor to two Directors of National Intelligence. He also oversaw implementation of a multi-year Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative for Presidents Bush and Obama. Before joining the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Mr. Richberg served for 20 years at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Mr. Richberg is a member of the US IT Sector Coordinating Council, the World Economic Forum’s Cybersecurity Leadership Community, and the Forbes Technology Council. He leads industry working groups focused on national cyber strategy, implementing Federal cybersecurity initiatives with the private sector, and on helping state and local government improve their cybersecurity. Since joining Fortinet, Jim has been named a “Fed 100” and a “Pinnacle” awardee for his influence on technology in the U.S. Federal government, a “State Scoop 50” leader for driving innovation in state IT, and he was nominated as a “Security Pioneer” for his sustained contribution to cybersecurity. He has written nearly 400 published articles on cybersecurity topics ranging from AI to Zero Trust and serves on multiple corporate boards. Jim received his undergraduate degree at the Honors Tutorial College of Ohio University and attended graduate school at M.I.T. and Stanford.

Brent J. Arnold is the founder of Capstan Legal, specializing in cybersecurity and commercial litigation. Brent is a twenty-year Bay Street veteran with extensive experience in litigation and arbitration, appearing in various administrative tribunals and in all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada. His experience includes cyber risk analysis, data breach and privacy breach disputes, Web3 (including cryptocurrency and metaverse) and other technology, software and e‑commerce disputes, and general contractual disputes.

Brent is a sought‑after speaker and thought leader in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy, technology, artificial intelligence, Web3, and the modernization of courts. He has appeared on national television and radio programs (including CTV News and CBC’s The National) and been quoted in the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, and the Canadian Press.

Brent currently serves as Chair and a director of the Canadian Internet Society, a think tank devoted to ensuring access to a free and safe internet for all Canadians, and hosts its Net Positive podcast. He is also a member of the Canadian Technology Law Association and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Jennifer Irish is an accomplished former Canadian diplomat and senior international and national security executive, currently serving as an Associate at uOttawa’s Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership, where she directs its security and intelligence programming. She is the Founding Director of uOttawa’s Information Integrity Lab, advancing the understanding, analysis and mitigation of disinformation, misinformation and foreign influence operations.

Over a distinguished 36-year career in Canada’s foreign service and security community, Ms. Irish served in five international postings and held senior roles addressing national and international security, foreign affairs, humanitarian crises, and climate change. She further honed her expertise leading intelligence assessment and geostrategic analysis as Director General of the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre and as Director of Operations at the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat in the Privy Council Office, providing strategic intelligence to senior decision-makers.

She brings that extensive experience to her training, facilitation, and consulting — helping organizations strengthen resilience, sharpen risk and crisis communications, and build effective alliances in a complex and contested information and geostrategic environment.

Sybila Valdivieso is Executive Director and Lead Counsel, Healthcare and Privacy Law, for Island Health Authority and the Provincial Health Services Authority, leading privacy and legal teams working with subject matter experts and navigating complex issues spanning health law, privacy, cybersecurity, data governance, research, and technology innovation, including the responsible use of AI to improve patient care. Her interest in AI and robotics was instigated during the COVID‑19 pandemic, informing her contributions to AI policy discussions that balance innovation with strong protections and she has a particular interest in the discourse for upcoming AI regulations. Prior to her work in healthcare, she worked as Counsel to the Law Society of Upper Canada (now Ontario). She values the unique responsibilities of In-House lawyers as gatekeepers supporting organizational strategies while ensuring legal and ethical integrity is maintained. She also works in areas of legal reform and social justice with the Canadian Bar Association and mentors law students and new lawyers.

Andrew Drummond is Director of Health Policy at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Prior to joining the IPC in 2022, Andrew was Manager and, earlier, Senior Health Information Management Policy Advisor at the Information Management Strategy and Policy Branch of Ontario’s Ministry of Health, where he worked extensively on the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and its regulations. He has also held numerous administrative positions at the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta over the course of his career. Andrew holds a BA (Hons) and an MA from the University of Alberta, and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Dr. Khaled El Emam is the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Medical AI at the University of Ottawa, where he is a Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and newly appointed Director of Medical AI at the Faculty of Medicine. He is also a Senior Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute and Director of the multi-disciplinary Electronic Health Information Laboratory, conducting research on privacy enhancing technologies to enable the sharing of health data for secondary purposes, including synthetic data generation and de-identification methods. Khaled also recently completed a one-year term as Scholar-in-Residence at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC).

Khaled has founded or co-founded eight product and services companies involved with data management and data analytics, with some having successful exits. Prior to his academic roles, he was a Senior Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada. He also served as the head of the Quantitative Methods Group at the Fraunhofer Institute in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

He participates in a number of committees including the European Medicines Agency Technical Anonymization Group, the Panel on Research Ethics advising on the TCPS, the Strategic Advisory Council of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, and he is also co-editor-in-chief of the JMIR AI journal.

In 2003 and 2004, he was ranked as the top systems and software engineering scholar worldwide by the Journal of Systems and Software based on his research on measurement and quality evaluation and improvement. He held the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the University of Ottawa from 2005 to 2015. Khaled has a PhD from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, King’s College, at the University of London, England.

Holly is a PhD level trained ethicist and research consultant. She serves as an ethicist on a US-based IRB and is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. She has worked as a consultant for Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the CIHR Ethics Office and her work has been published in a variety of journals including CMAJ, Trends in Neurosciences, and Cell Stem Cell. Her current Director role at the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) of British Columbia reflects PHSA’s commitment to strengthening its research enterprise in support of its fundamental mandate to conduct world class research as an academic health science organization with an integrated mandate to deliver care, conduct research, and train tomorrow’s providers.

Jeannette Van Den Bulk joined the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia as Deputy Commissioner in 2018. She heads the OIPC’s Policy, Audit and Adjudication departments, providing strategic, legal and policy leadership on emerging privacy and access to information matters in British Columbia, Canada and abroad.

She is responsible for leading systemic investigations of significant public interest issues, including the privacy practices of large private sector companies and BC’s political parties as well as the timeliness of access to information by BC government ministries. In addition, she oversees the development of guidance and educational materials for public bodies and organizations and manages the OIPC’s collaboration with national and international partners.

Prior to her current role, she spent three years as the Assistant Privacy Commissioner for the State of Victoria, Australia and 10 years with the BC government responsible for embedding privacy and access solutions into large-scale public sector initiatives, including the province’s corporate data analytics centre and the BC Services Card.

She is a practicing lawyer in both Canada and Australia with a specialization in legal principles relating to privacy, access, and information management.

Martin Green is a Senior Fellow at the MacDonald Laurier Institute and the sole proprietor of Lancaster North his consulting firm.

As a former senior public servant and political aide Mr. Green has unique and diverse experience and accomplishments in a wide range of international and domestic public policy issues. Over the last 15 years Mr. Green focussed on foreign, defence, national security, and intelligence issues.

As Assistant Secretary to Cabinet, Intelligence Assessment, the Privy Council Office, (2015-2024). Mr. Green provided covert and open-source foreign intelligence analysis and assessment to the Prime Minister, Cabinet, the Clerk of the Privy Council, the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister and the senior leadership of the Government of Canada. In this capacity he played a key leadership role in the Canadian intelligence community and fostered relationships with allied intelligence organizations and other partners.

From 2011 to 2015, Mr. Green served as Director General Policy Planning at the Department of National Defence. In this capacity, he provided strategic policy direction to senior DND/CF leadership on emerging global trends in the defence and security domains. Key files included: cyber and space security policy, regional and functional strategic analysis on global trends, the Canada First Defence Strategy, export permits, arms control and non-proliferation.

Mr. Green held senior management positions at Environment Canada, in the Intergovernmental Affairs and Ops Secretariats of the Privy Council Office, Industry Canada, and at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.

Prior to joining the Public Service, Mr. Green was as a Senior Political Advisor and Legislative Assistant to several Ministers of the Crown including: the Ministers of Industry, Trade, Environment, as well as to the President of Treasury Board. During this time Mr. Green also worked on the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary and in the Senate of Canada.

Mr. Green holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Glendon College, York University in Toronto. He is married to Sheila and has two daughters – Veronica and Savannah.

James Gough served fifteen years with the RCMP Security Service and seventeen years with CSIS. In addition he had a number of contracts with CSIS following the events of September 11th, 2001 (9/11).

Most of his time, in both the Security Service and CSIS, was spent in counter espionage and foreign interference operations, with a brief stint as Chief of a Counter Terrorism section. His first contract after 9/11 was, at the request of CSIS, with Transport Canada security. As an aside, it was the person in charge of this section who authorised the planes to land at Gander after North American air space was closed following 9/11. Contracts with CSIS dealt with Foreign Intelligence and a Counter Terrorism case.

James’ introduction to the workings of the Security Service was serendipitous. The Security Service in the Division where he was posted after training, learned that he had access to someone of interest to them and his cooperation was “sought”. The operation was successful and it sparked an interest in the work. He successfully applied for the Security Service and was posted to field operations in Ottawa and to RCMP HQ. During this time he was involved in a number of operations against cold war targets which resulted in the expulsion from Canada of a number of hostile intelligence officers.

With the establishment of CSIS ( the Service, as it came to be referred to) in 1984, the offer to transfer to the new Service was readily accepted. The RCMP had been good to him and he was proud to have served, but the work to which he had devoted so much of himself was going elsewhere and he was eager for new, and some not so new, challenges in an organization specific to that work. In truth, those serving in the Security Service were already somewhat estranged given their operational distance from other members of the Force. There were of course, those who’s affiliation with the RCMP meant more to them than the work, and they stayed behind.

The birth of CSIS, like any birth, was not without its issues. Some were substantial, such as Air India, but most were in day to day activity. Where once the recognizable RCMP badge gave access at a door, the “warrant card” identifying you as a member of an organization unknown to most, was a hurdle to surmount. Acquiring a safe house for agent meets, unattributable to CSIS, called for innovation. Operational backstops that the RCMP had provided were gone. Nevertheless, as time passed, the Service matured into an organization the equal to any of it’s counterparts within the Five Eyes community.

The latter years of James’ time with CSIS was as Chief of a major Counter Espionage and Foreign Interference target. The lead up to the fall of the Soviet Empire and the fall out from Tiananmen Square were situations from which counter espionage organizations benefit. Any such benefit often provides the government of those organizations with security and economic intelligence of significant value. During this time James worked in collaboration with allied services and was able to benefit CSIS through these contacts.

Intelligence Officers and support staff that worked with James aquitted them selves well and the CSIS that he left was and is an organization in which he was proud to have served.

Donald G Mahar spent eight years with the RCMP Security Service and twenty years with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in Canada and abroad. Upon retirement he spent a further six years working at Communications Security Establishment, where he worked extensively with the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Maryland. In retirement, he held the position of National President of the Pillar Society, the CSIS retirement organization, for eleven years, and he established the CSIS National Memorial Cemetery situated at Beachwood Cemetery in Ottawa. He also founded and co-produced the Pillar Society Speakers Series which featured national security experts from across North America’s intelligence community as guest speakers. He ran it for eighteen years.

Mr. Mahar’s service has been primarily in Counter Intelligence where he was directly involved in the recruitment of legally mandated foreign hostile intelligence officers and other diplomatic personnel. He travelled extensively throughout his career and worked with intelligence professionals from all our Five Eyes partners as well as many other countries.

He had the privilege of serving in an Asian country at a pivotal time in its history, and that of the region, gaining much needed information for operational intelligence which could be applied to operations within Canada.

Mr. Mahar was selected by the Service to open its first ever post in East Africa which covered responsibilities in thirteen countries. As Head of Station, he was a member of the embassy management team and had a working arrangement with the Ambassador and the Immigration Program Manager. He also maintained close working relationships with the host country’s intelligence service as well as those other countries intelligence services with who he was accredited to.

During his final four years Mr. Mahar was engaged in Counter Terrorism investigations both in Canada and the Middle East.

Mr. Mahar is the author of, Shattered Illusions: KGB Cold War Espionage in Canada

Ralph Mahar is a 34-year Veteran of the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. He served 5 years as a uniformed RCMP officer in the Prairies and transferred into the RCMP Security Service in 1978. With the establishment of CSIS in 1984, he transitioned into the Service where he served another 24 years in a range of operational and managerial roles in the field and national headquarters within the Security Screening, Counter Intelligence and Counter Terrorism programs. He conducted and managed agent recruitment operations, investigations, and special operations within the Service’s primary Counter-Intelligence program during the height of the Cold War from the Brezhnev era through Gorbachev’s Perestroika, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the liberation of Eastern Europe, the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the early ascendancy of Vladimir Putin.

He also served terms in a key support role as Executive Assistant to the Director, CSIS; as a Senior Manager within the Service’s primary intelligence production branch producing all-source analytical reports for domestic clients and allied agencies; as an Intelligence Advisor at Privy Council Office; as Chief Counter Terrorism of the Service’s largest regional office during the 9/11 attacks in the United States and several years as a Senior Manager managing the Service’s key operational support units conducting federally warranted physical and technical surveillance and communications intercept operations.

Following retirement from the Service, he served for four years as an Investigator conducting use-of-force investigations for the Ontario Attorney General’s Special Investigations Unit. He served six years as a civilian contractor supporting the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) during the Afghan mission with two tours as an operations manager at Kandahar Airfield, and four deployments to Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait supporting CAF capacity building and training missions in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan (2019/20 & 2023). He also spent time in the Fort McMurray region as General Manager of a 3,500-room residential lodge of an American-owned oil production site, and as an Ottawa-based retail store manager of a major Canadian clothing outlet.

Mr. Mahar served as the national vice-president of The Pillar Society, the alumni association of formal employees of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. For the past 4 years, he has published a weekly book review for Pillar Society members of recent non-fiction releases covering espionage, terrorism, international affairs, cyber security and biographies of operators, spies and intelligence chiefs.

He continues to work as a senior administrator for the RCMP Veterans’ Association and devotes his time and energies to the welfare of Veterans and their families.

Iwona J. Mooney’s service in the Canadian federal government totalled 33 plus years, beginning with the then-Unemployment Insurance Commission (1970/71), the RCMP Security Service (SS) (1976-1984) and the Canadian Intelligence Security Service (CSIS) (1984-2008). Post-retirement she worked as a private security intelligence consultant with K&M Consulting for six years specializing in security breach and personnel harassment investigations for federal government departments.

After graduating from university, Iwona first worked in the corporate offices of a now-defunct major retail enterprise. Then she received an intriguing job offer. Iwona’s Slavic ethnicity, fluency in the Polish language, and academic background in Slavic studies and political science provided the opportunity to join the RCMP SS as a civilian member. Her language skills and knowledge of Slavic history served her well in Counter Intelligence. In 1984, the establishment of CSIS opened career doors for not just Iwona but for female civilian members in general. She became an intelligence officer in 1985 and was transferred from the Toronto regional office to CSIS Headquarters in Ottawa

Throughout her career Iwona held both operational and administrative positions in HQ and Ottawa Region. These ranged from operational trainer, operational and intelligence analyst, Chief of Management Training, Chief of Operational Policy, auditor of operational programs, and a regional operational supervisor. With the tragic events of 9/11, Iwona’s operational skill sets were put into good use expanding her knowledge base in the field of terrorism. Her final position was Deputy Director of Intelligence Assessments where she served on inter-departmental committees, liaised with foreign intelligence partners on strategy issues of the day, and managed the Service’s Information Centre.

Iwona used her professional skills in her volunteer work, serving as chairman of two rural public library boards for over a decade, and also spent several years on a provincial public library board. Upon retirement Iwona joined The Pillar Society, a closed organization for retired intelligence professionals in Canada. She held the position of National Secretary and Editor of the newsletter and now serves as a director-at-large on the National Board of Directors.

Today, Iwona is an active member of a quilting guild as well as being an advisor to the Polish Heritage Institute, a group dedicated to promoting the history of the Polish community in Eastern Ontario.

Daniel Stanton served for thirty-two years with CSIS, acquiring extensive experience in human source recruitment and management, both domestically and abroad. After the Service, he worked on contract to CSE for two years. Mr. Stanton is the director of national security and an instructor at uOttawa’s Professional Development Institute. He has coauthored an article on foreign intelligence for Foreign Policy Magazine and written op-eds on national security in The Hill Times, Toronto Star, and the Ottawa Citizen. He is a frequent commentator in the media on intelligence subjects.

Mr. Stanton testified at two House of Commons committees and a Senate hearing on foreign interference. He represented the Pillar Society with Standing at both phases of the Commission (Hogue) of Inquiry into Foreign Interference. He has a B.A. Honours in history and philosophy from Queen’s University. Mr. Stanton is writing a memoir, Seesoid: A Spy’s Perspective on Combatting Foreign Interference, University of Toronto Press, (Aevo).

Lina has three decades of RCMP law enforcement leadership spanning frontline policing to national security, major and organized crime, protective operations and cybercrime. She has built and led teams tackling complex threats, both physical and digital, and worked at the intersection of intelligence, technology, and public safety.

Now in the role of Executive Director, office of the CISO at Optiv Canada, Lina brings a mission-driven approach to cybersecurity; combining operational insight with a passion for innovation and resilience.

With over 25 years in IT, Rishi has been part of many transformational initiatives across business sectors in Retail, Manufacturing and Oil and Gas. His thought leadership helps organizations across the country, create alignment between the business and Information Security teams. Rishi is our Field BISO and Evangelist at Check Point Software.

Bharath Nagaraj is the Global Head of AI Specialist Presales, focused on enabling secure, scalable Generative AI adoption for large enterprise customers across Financial Services, Healthcare, Biotech, and other highly regulated industries. He leads global AI GTM motions, partnering with sales, product, and engineering teams to drive customer outcomes from early value articulation through production deployment.

Bharath has spent his career bridging strategy and execution—helping enterprises modernize legacy environments, operationalize data at scale, and adopt AI within real-world security, compliance, and governance constraints. In his current role, he works directly with executive stakeholders to translate business problems into differentiated AI use cases, aligning technology capabilities with measurable business value.

His work centers on building trusted, private, and compliant GenAI platforms that strengthen cyber resilience, improve data intelligence, and enable responsible AI adoption at enterprise scale—helping organizations innovate with confidence in risk-sensitive environments.

John Wunderlich is an information privacy & security expert with extensive experience in information privacy and data security. He has designed, built, operated and assessed systems for operations and compliance in the private and public sectors for over 25 years. This includes working or consulting for Fortune 500 corporations, government ministries, small companies, volunteer organizations, regulators, and health systems organizations of all sizes in Canada and abroad. He adds value to organizations that need to meet multiple stakeholder expectations for the responsible information management of personal information. John works with organizations to enable them to focus on measurable performance and process improvement so that they can focus on risk management rather than crisis management.

In addition to his hands-on experience, John is a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP), Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/C), a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM), a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA), and a trained Six Sigma Black Belt. He has an MBA from the John Molson School of Business in Montreal. He has been a lecturer on privacy and information management at Guelph University and is a frequently sought out speaker. He is the author of the third edition of “Your Payroll Questions Answered”. He is also a co-author of “Managing Personal Information: insights on Corporate Risk and Opportunity for Privacy – Savvy Leaders” from Carswell Press and also a contributor to “Managing the Risk of Re-Identification for Public Use Files”, a report for the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. John has a regular column on privacy issues for payroll and HR professionals in Dialogue, the bi-monthly magazine of the Canadian Payroll Association.

John’s interest in data protection, operational excellence, and continuous improvement are best represented by his commitment to the principles of Privacy By Design (PbD) – a made in Ontario pro-active approach to privacy protection that creates a win-win situation for the individual and the organizations the collect, use, and disclose their personal information. He is an advisor to Ryerson University’s Privacy By Design certification for organizations.

In a volunteer capacity, John serves as member of the Sick Kids Research Ethics Board and is on the Canadian Advisory Committee of the Standards Council of Canada for SC27, which includes ISO standards for security and privacy. John is a member of the Consent & Information Sharing Work Group of the Kantara Initiative, focusing on open notice projects to help fix the broken consent and notice system on the Internet. John is the board member for Theatre Smith-Gilmour, a theatre company in Toronto.

Robert W. (Bob) Gordon is the executive director of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX). Over his career, Bob has worked for four federal national security agencies—the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the Communications Security Establishment, and Public Safety Canada—as well as in the private sector at CGI. While serving in these roles, Bob has been a senior assistant deputy minister, led the national counterterrorism program, overseen broad technology and internal security initiatives (including personnel, IT, and physical security), and designed Canada’s first Cyber Security Strategy. At the CCTX, Bob oversees information sharing and collaboration programs designed to create an open threat data exchange between the public and private sectors.

Ian L. Paterson is an entrepreneur with 10+ years of experience in leading and commercializing technology companies. Paterson has raised millions of dollars in private and public financing, completed international M&A transactions, and is co-inventor of 3 patents on digital identity and data analytics. As CEO of Plurilock, Paterson successfully built and grew Plurilock, leading to its successful public listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange Venture.

Previously Paterson served as founder and CEO of data monetization platform Exapik (acquired), and as Director of Insights for Terapeak (acquired), a venture-backed analytics firm. Paterson is a regular speaker, media commentator, and active angel investor.

Jim Richberg’s role as Fortinet’s Head of Cyber Policy and Global Field CISO leverages his nearly 40 years’ experience driving innovation in cybersecurity and threat intelligence. At Fortinet he focuses on helping government and companies take actionable steps to improve their cybersecurity. Prior to joining Fortinet, he served as the National Intelligence Manager for Cyber, the senior Federal Executive focused on cyber intelligence within the $80B+/100,000 employee US Intelligence Community (IC). He led the implementation of cyber strategy for the 17 departments and agencies of the IC, set integrated priorities on cyber threat, and served as the senior cyber advisor to two Directors of National Intelligence. He also oversaw implementation of a multi-year Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative for Presidents Bush and Obama. Before joining the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Mr. Richberg served for 20 years at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Mr. Richberg is a member of the US IT Sector Coordinating Council, the World Economic Forum’s Cybersecurity Leadership Community, and the Forbes Technology Council. He leads industry working groups focused on national cyber strategy, implementing Federal cybersecurity initiatives with the private sector, and on helping state and local government improve their cybersecurity. Since joining Fortinet, Jim has been named a “Fed 100” and a “Pinnacle” awardee for his influence on technology in the U.S. Federal government, a “State Scoop 50” leader for driving innovation in state IT, and he was nominated as a “Security Pioneer” for his sustained contribution to cybersecurity. He has written nearly 400 published articles on cybersecurity topics ranging from AI to Zero Trust and serves on multiple corporate boards. Jim received his undergraduate degree at the Honors Tutorial College of Ohio University and attended graduate school at M.I.T. and Stanford.

Dr. Brenda McPhail is a Senior Technology and Policy Advisor at the Information and Privacy Commission of Ontario where her primary focus is on children’s privacy and privacy in the context of next-generation law enforcement. She came to the role from McMaster University, where she led the development of an executive master’s degree for thought leaders in digital policy. As the former Director of the Privacy, Technology and Surveillance Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, her work has supported Supreme Court litigation, legislative reform, and public education on privacy rights and risks. She has appeared as an expert witness before Parliamentary and Senate committees regarding privacy law, protecting privacy rights in the face of emerging technology, and national security. Brenda received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto Faculty of Information.

Dr. Emily Laidlaw is a Canada Research Chair in cybersecurity law and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary, and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Laidlaw serves as Ethics Advisor to Calgary’s City Council and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Cybersecurity Consortium.

Dr. Laidlaw researches and advises at the intersection of technology regulation, human rights and corporate governance, with a special focus on platform regulation. She actively contributes to law reform and other advisory work, with recent projects on online harms, mis- and disinformation, defamation law, and intimate image abuse. She co-chaired the expert group that advised the Federal Government on development of the Online Harms Bill.

Dr. Laidlaw is author of two books: Regulating Speech in Cyberspace: Gatekeepers, Human Rights and Corporate Responsibility (Cambridge University Press, 2015), and co-editor with Florian Martin-Bariteau of the forthcoming book Security of Self: A Human-Centric Approach to Cybersecurity (Ottawa University Press, 2025).

Prior to joining the University of Calgary in 2014, Dr. Laidlaw spent almost 10 years in the United Kingdom, where she completed her LLM and PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science and was a lecturer at the University of East Anglia Law School.

Ethan is the Legal Counsel to the Information and Privacy Commissioner and Registrar of Lobbyists for British Columbia. He has worked in both official languages for all levels of government, as well as the private and non-profit sectors. Ethan holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Ottawa in International Development, a JD from the University of Victoria, and was called to the bar in British Columbia in 2018.

Christine McKenna is a Policy Analyst at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), where her work focuses on issues related to privacy and access to information in the public sector, transparency and democracy, law reform, and children and youth.

Christine holds a Master of Information from the University of Toronto with a specialization in Critical Information Policy Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Communication Studies from Carleton University. Her key areas of study have included privacy and surveillance, information integrity, and digital and media literacy. She has previously worked within the security industry, federal public service, and non-profit sector.

Claire Atkin is the CEO of Check My Ads, the digital advertising watchdog. An award winning speaker, leader, and entrepreneur, she is a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 brands, government officials, journalists and industry leaders. Claire’s work to build a global online business economy and better business standards pushes the envelope for what the internet could be and how it can be governed. As an advocate for better business, she holds the adtech industry accountable for abuses against advertisers, publishers, and citizens. Her work to build new sustainable standards in digital advertising has been recognized in New York Magazine, New York Times, The Guardian, WIRED, El Pais, and more.

Matt is the Executive Director of OpenMedia, Canada’s grassroots digital rights community of more than 230,000 Canadians. Since 2019 he has led OpenMedia campaigns to make Canada’s Internet more affordable, private and free. He previously freedom of expression rights at IFEX, the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, in partnership with more than 100 organizations operating in global democracies in crisis. He holds a BA in International Relations from the University of British Columbia, and a Masters of Global Affairs from the University of Toronto.

Jennifer Irish is an accomplished former Canadian diplomat and senior international and national security executive, currently serving as an Associate at uOttawa’s Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership, where she directs its security and intelligence programming. She is the Founding Director of uOttawa’s Information Integrity Lab, advancing the understanding, analysis and mitigation of disinformation, misinformation and foreign influence operations.

Over a distinguished 36-year career in Canada’s foreign service and security community, Ms. Irish served in five international postings and held senior roles addressing national and international security, foreign affairs, humanitarian crises, and climate change. She further honed her expertise leading intelligence assessment and geostrategic analysis as Director General of the Integrated Threat Assessment Centre and as Director of Operations at the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat in the Privy Council Office, providing strategic intelligence to senior decision-makers.

She brings that extensive experience to her training, facilitation, and consulting — helping organizations strengthen resilience, sharpen risk and crisis communications, and build effective alliances in a complex and contested information and geostrategic environment.

Dr. Teresa Scassa is the Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. She is a member of the Canadian Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence. She is the author of Canadian Trademark Law, and co-author of Digital Commerce in Canada, and Canadian Intellectual Property Law. She is a co-editor of the books AI and the Law in Canada and Law and the Sharing Economy. Her research interests include: privacy law, data governance, intellectual property law, law and technology, law and artificial intelligence, and smart cities.

Barbara Cosgrove is Vice President, Chief Privacy and Digital Trust Officer at Workday, the enterprise AI platform for people, money, and agents. During her tenure at Workday, Barbara has advocated for Workday globally on data protection matters, championed the company’s global data privacy strategy, and created Workday’s initial AI governance program. Barbara also served as Chief Security Officer at Workday. Barbara is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the IAPP and is on the AI Leadership Council and Privacy Advisory Board of Future of Privacy Forum. She co-chaired the Responsible AI Institute’s Employment Working Group. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/E) with extensive experience in building and leading international data privacy, ethics, security, technical compliance and HR compliance programs.

Christopher Gillespie has fourteen years of experience in privacy and access to information across the public and private sector. He currently serves as the Corporate Privacy Officer (CPO) and Director of Privacy and Access at the University of Victoria (UVic). In this role he leads the team reviewing privacy assessments, conducting information incident investigations, responding to access to information requests, and conducting training.

Before becoming the head of privacy and access at UVic, Christopher served as the Senior Program Manager for Smart Infrastructure with TELUIS’ Data & Trust Office. He has also served as an Investigator and Senior Policy Advisor with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, a Privacy Advisor for both the BC Centre for Disease Control, as well as for the Ministry of Citizens’ Services.

Christopher holds a Master of Laws in Privacy and Cybersecurity from Osgoode Hall Law School, a Master of Public Administration degree from the Royal Military College of Canada, and a BA in Political Science (honours – with distinction) from the University of Victoria. He currently serves on the Canadian Advisory Board for the International Association of Privacy Professionals and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium.

Jennifer Jin is an AI & Data Policy Analyst at the Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL), where she leads workstreams on responsible AI governance, agentic AI, and cross-sector regulatory engagement. Her current projects support global efforts to translate evolving AI principles into actionable frameworks for industry and regulators.

Jennifer holds a background in neuroscience and ethics, and her previous experience spans research, stakeholder engagement, and global policy development. Jennifer regularly engages with stakeholders across government, industry, and civil society to develop evidence-based, forward-looking approaches to technology governance.

oline Twiss provides strategic leadership and advises on matters of law, policy, and organizational governance as Deputy Commissioner at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) and as Deputy Registrar at the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists (ORL) in BC, Canada. She has been at OIPC since 2014 and previously worked at the House of Commons doing law and policy work on digital issues (including privacy and copyright), international trade, immigration, and indigenous matters, and completed law articles at the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic. Deputy Twiss holds civil and common law degrees from McGill University, a Masters in Environmental Studies and a BA in Geography and Psychology. Called to the bar in Ontario in 2011, a member of the Law Society of British Columbia and a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) with the International Association of Privacy Professionals (CIPP/C, CIPP/E and CIPM), Deputy Twiss has long been interested in discussions at the intersection of law and policy that can better prosperity for all.

As Vice-President, Chief Privacy and Data Ethics Officer, Suzanne is responsible for overall privacy leadership at Sun Life and its subsidiaries worldwide. Her mandate includes evolving standards for the responsible use of data at Sun Life. Suzanne’s prior roles include leading the legal team in Quebec, compliance for IT and the global code of conduct and whistleblower program. Before joining Sun Life in 2015, Suzanne spent more than 20 years working in the communications industry, for businesses such as Bell Canada and BlackBerry.

A passionate believer in giving back, Suzanne is actively involved with many organizations including the Canadian Bar Association’s National Privacy and Access Law Section, CANON (Canadian Anonymization Network), MediaSmarts (a leader in media and digital literacy), and recently joined Statistics Canada’s Advisory Council on Ethics and Modernization of Microdata Access.

Elizabeth Denham CBE brings extensive international regulatory expertise to her work across the private and public sectors. She served as the UK Information Commissioner from 2016-2021, following a decade of roles as a data protection and information rights regulator in Canada (Assistant Privacy Commissioner of Canada and Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia).

As Information Commissioner for the UK (ICO), she built and led the largest data protection regulator in the world and Chaired the Global Privacy Assembly (international forum of data protection commissioners) from 2018-2021.

She is committed to making digital technologies and data work for the benefit of society. Under her leadership, the ICO embarked on some of the most daunting cross-border investigations on the misuse of individuals’ data — including her investigation into political micro-targeting and election interference, data brokers and credit reporting agencies, and use of facial recognition technology by commercial firms and the police. She is passionate about the ethical and safe collection, storage and use of data. A highlight of her time at the ICO was drafting the first ‘privacy by design’ statutory Children’s Code – a set of fifteen enforceable standards to protect children’s safety and agency on- line. This Code is having global impact as technology companies and services making meaningful changes to their services to comply with the rigorous standards in the UK Code.

In the 2019 UK Honours list Elizabeth was awarded a CBE for her services to protecting people’s privacy. In 2020 she received the British Computer Society Medal, which recognises an outstanding individual whose work and values have helped to enhance the reputation of digital technology. In 2021 she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria for international leadership in information rights.

Her present roles include serving as an International Consultant for Baker McKenzie’s Canadian, US and European Tech practices, as Chair of the Jersey Data Protection Authority, and, as a trustee on the board of a children’s safety charity, 5 Rights. Her current projects and advisory services are focused on responsible tech and AI data governance across industry sectors.

Philippe Dufresne was appointed Privacy Commissioner of Canada on June 27, 2022. A leading legal expert on human rights, administrative and constitutional law, he previously served as the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons. In this capacity, he was the chief legal officer of the House of Commons and led the office responsible for the provision of legal and legislative drafting services to the House of Commons, its Speaker, Members and committees, the Board of Internal Economy and the House Administration.

Prior to his appointment as Law Clerk of the House of Commons in 2015, he was the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s Senior General Counsel, responsible for legal services, litigation, investigations, mediations, employment equity and Access to Information and Privacy. During that time, he successfully represented the Commission before all levels of Canadian Courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, in a number of key human rights and constitutional cases over the last two decades. He has appeared before the Supreme Court on 15 occasions, on issues ranging from accessibility and equal pay for work of equal value, to the balancing of human rights and national security. As lead counsel for the Commission in the landmark parliamentary privilege case of House of Commons v. Vaid, he helped reinforce and clarify some of the country’s fundamental constitutional principles as they apply to the House of Commons and Parliament.

A member of the Bars of Quebec, Ontario, and Massachusetts, he has served his profession and community in several different capacities, including as president of the constitutional and human rights law section of the Canadian Bar Association (Quebec Branch) and as a member of the editorial board for the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association’s CCCA Magazine. In 2014, he served as president of the International Commission of Jurists, an organization devoted to the protection of the rule of law and judicial independence in Canada and internationally.

Commissioner Dufresne holds degrees in common and civil law from McGill University’s Faculty of Law, and has been a part-time professor with the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Common Law and Queen’s University’s Faculty of Law where he taught international criminal law, human rights and appellate advocacy. He regularly speaks on issues of human rights, administrative, privacy, constitutional and parliamentary law in Canada.

Patricia Kosseim brings to her role as Commissioner significant experience and a wealth of knowledge in the areas of privacy and access law, having worked in public, private and health sectors, and across various jurisdictions.

Previously, Patricia was counsel in Osler’s Privacy and Data Management Group and served for more than a decade as senior general counsel and director general at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

She has held executive positions at Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and has taught part-time at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law.

Patricia obtained her business and law degrees from McGill University, and a Master’s Degree in Medical Law and Ethics from King’s College, University of London, UK.

Patricia is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and the Barreau du Quebec, and is fluently bilingual in English and French.

Diane McLeod was appointed Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta on August 1, 2022. She is Alberta’s fourth Information and Privacy Commissioner.

For more than 25 years, Diane has been committed to helping governments, health care providers and businesses protect the access to information and privacy rights of citizens, patients and customers. Most recently, she served as Yukon’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, along with the roles of Ombudsman and Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner. In these roles, she helped to grow the offices, supported a culture of compliance across government and healthcare, and upheld individuals’ rights.

Prior to her experience in the Yukon, Diane worked at the OIPC including as the Director of PIPA. She also worked in private practice in British Columbia supporting clients in complying with access and privacy laws, and for the former Calgary Health Region where she was responsible for the administration of FOIP and HIA. Diane has also been a member of a clinical medical research ethics board evaluating privacy risks in research proposals.

Diane obtained her law degree from the University of Victoria in 2009 and has been called to the bars of British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon.

As Information and Privacy Commissioner, one of Diane’s priorities is to ensure access and privacy rights are prioritized in Alberta’s efforts to diversify the economy through data-driven innovations. This includes advocating for modernized access to information and privacy laws that enable digitization across Alberta’s public, health and private sectors while safeguarding the rights of Albertans.

Drew McArthur retired from TELUS in 2007 as Vice President Corporate Affairs and Chief Compliance Officer. As Chief Compliance Officer, Drew was responsible for legal and regulatory compliance for all of TELUS’ operations, reporting to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The responsibilities of this role included ensuring TELUS had the appropriate controls, policies and measurements in place to be compliant with many areas of law and regulation. Drew played a key role in the privacy community in Canada as a founding member of the Council of Canadian Chief Privacy Officers and a member of the advisory board of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). From June 2016 to April 2018, Drew was the Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC, and is now consulting in the area of privacy. He can be contacted at drew.mcarthur@telus.net.

As Vice-President, Chief Privacy and Data Ethics Officer, Suzanne is responsible for overall privacy leadership at Sun Life and its subsidiaries worldwide. Her mandate includes evolving standards for the responsible use of data at Sun Life. Suzanne’s prior roles include leading the legal team in Quebec, compliance for IT and the global code of conduct and whistleblower program. Before joining Sun Life in 2015, Suzanne spent more than 20 years working in the communications industry, for businesses such as Bell Canada and BlackBerry.

A passionate believer in giving back, Suzanne is actively involved with many organizations including the Canadian Bar Association’s National Privacy and Access Law Section, CANON (Canadian Anonymization Network), MediaSmarts (a leader in media and digital literacy), and recently joined Statistics Canada’s Advisory Council on Ethics and Modernization of Microdata Access.

Drew McArthur retired from TELUS in 2007 as Vice President Corporate Affairs and Chief Compliance Officer. As Chief Compliance Officer, Drew was responsible for legal and regulatory compliance for all of TELUS’ operations, reporting to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The responsibilities of this role included ensuring TELUS had the appropriate controls, policies and measurements in place to be compliant with many areas of law and regulation. Drew played a key role in the privacy community in Canada as a founding member of the Council of Canadian Chief Privacy Officers and a member of the advisory board of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). From June 2016 to April 2018, Drew was the Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC, and is now consulting in the area of privacy. He can be contacted at drew.mcarthur@telus.net.

As Vice-President, Chief Privacy and Data Ethics Officer, Suzanne is responsible for overall privacy leadership at Sun Life and its subsidiaries worldwide. Her mandate includes evolving standards for the responsible use of data at Sun Life. Suzanne’s prior roles include leading the legal team in Quebec, compliance for IT and the global code of conduct and whistleblower program. Before joining Sun Life in 2015, Suzanne spent more than 20 years working in the communications industry, for businesses such as Bell Canada and BlackBerry.

A passionate believer in giving back, Suzanne is actively involved with many organizations including the Canadian Bar Association’s National Privacy and Access Law Section, CANON (Canadian Anonymization Network), MediaSmarts (a leader in media and digital literacy), and recently joined Statistics Canada’s Advisory Council on Ethics and Modernization of Microdata Access.

Philippe Dufresne was appointed Privacy Commissioner of Canada on June 27, 2022. A leading legal expert on human rights, administrative and constitutional law, he previously served as the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons. In this capacity, he was the chief legal officer of the House of Commons and led the office responsible for the provision of legal and legislative drafting services to the House of Commons, its Speaker, Members and committees, the Board of Internal Economy and the House Administration.

Prior to his appointment as Law Clerk of the House of Commons in 2015, he was the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s Senior General Counsel, responsible for legal services, litigation, investigations, mediations, employment equity and Access to Information and Privacy. During that time, he successfully represented the Commission before all levels of Canadian Courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada, in a number of key human rights and constitutional cases over the last two decades. He has appeared before the Supreme Court on 15 occasions, on issues ranging from accessibility and equal pay for work of equal value, to the balancing of human rights and national security. As lead counsel for the Commission in the landmark parliamentary privilege case of House of Commons v. Vaid, he helped reinforce and clarify some of the country’s fundamental constitutional principles as they apply to the House of Commons and Parliament.

A member of the Bars of Quebec, Ontario, and Massachusetts, he has served his profession and community in several different capacities, including as president of the constitutional and human rights law section of the Canadian Bar Association (Quebec Branch) and as a member of the editorial board for the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association’s CCCA Magazine. In 2014, he served as president of the International Commission of Jurists, an organization devoted to the protection of the rule of law and judicial independence in Canada and internationally.

Commissioner Dufresne holds degrees in common and civil law from McGill University’s Faculty of Law, and has been a part-time professor with the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Common Law and Queen’s University’s Faculty of Law where he taught international criminal law, human rights and appellate advocacy. He regularly speaks on issues of human rights, administrative, privacy, constitutional and parliamentary law in Canada.

Bridget Walshe is the Associate Head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. Prior to this role, Bridget served the Director General of Operations, Security and Intelligence at the Privy Council Office for two years, where she was responsible for providing advice on key operational and policy issues in the Canadian Security and Intelligence community.

Bridget began her career at CSE in 2003 and has held various positions including Director General for the Secure Solutions and Services Directorate where she was responsible for applied research, architecture, engineering and development of secure cryptographic solutions. Bridget also worked as a mathematician, where she conducted applied research in cryptography and provided advice and guidance on the use of cryptographic algorithms by the Government of Canada. In subsequent roles she led teams of mathematicians and computer scientists in the development of complex, cryptologic solutions using both commodity and high-performance computing platforms.

Bridget holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Victoria.

Jason has been architecting, designing, and deploying security technologies that secure the most complex computing environments for almost 2 decades. His understanding of operational and informational technologies, people, and processes enable him to deliver effective, comprehensive security solutions that align to an organization’s security goals and strategic imperatives. Jason is adept at addressing a range of risk profiles across multiple industry verticals; skills he has cultivated as an end-user security practitioner, partner/integrator, and now manufacturer as the FIELD CTO, focused on Cybersecurity for Cisco Systems. Jason is also active in the direct community speaking at BC Aware, Vancouver International Privacy and Security Summit, Cisco Live achieving distinguished speaker, and has delivered multiple sessions at BSides. Jason also holds over 75+ designations across a variety of products and technologies including the CCIE designation.

RGS Management Consultants specializes in advising and leading privacy programs within both private and public sector companies. RGS Management services focus on providing practical, cost-effective operational solutions that meet consumer, corporate, and regulatory expectations while demonstrating accountability and compliance with privacy laws.  Having served as Chief Privacy Officer at TD Bank, HSBC, and the University Health Network, she has the unique experience of having led privacy programs in both the private and public sectors and was a privacy regulator through an Executive interchange program with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s office.

Claire is an experienced privacy and cybersecurity lawyer who partners with organizations to navigate the increasingly complex global privacy, cybersecurity and AI regulatory landscape. She provides strategic counselling and advice on privacy, digital innovation, and online safety matters to clients across many industries, including how to mitigate risks associated with the collection, use, retention, disclosure, transfer and disposal of personal information. Claire also has deep experience as a trusted advisor to clients in crisis management and has acted on some of Canada’s most high-profile privacy regulatory investigations at the provincial and federal levels. Beyond her regular commercial practice, Claire has become well known as a leading Canadian legal professional in the area of intimate privacy, deepfake technology, and online harms.

Tamir (he/him) is Director of the Privacy, Surveillance and Technology Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), where he works to advance civil liberties, particularly in light of threats posed by emerging technologies.

Tamir’s research focuses on privacy, law enforcement and national security surveillance, cross-border data sharing and the detrimental impacts of artificial intelligence. His advocacy included parliamentary testimony, regulatory proceedings, interventions at all levels of court in Canada, and participation in international law and policy development fora.

Prior to joining CCLA, Tamir worked at Human Rights Watch and at the University of Ottawa’s Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), and lectured on Internet regulation at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Graduate & Post-doctoral Studies. He holds a J.D. from the University of Toronto, sits on the advisory board of OpenMedia, and is a consultant with Human Rights Watch.

Lorraine leads and manages the Canadian Bankers Association’s (CBA) policy development and advocacy relating to public policy issues in the areas of privacy and data, working closely with member banks’ privacy and legal teams. She provides subject matter expertise on emerging provincial, national and international trends in privacy and data as they relate to banking in Canada, including technological / societal trends and digital transformation of the banking industry, including biometrics, AI, and Consumer Driven Banking.

In addition, Lorraine has been working with financial crimes groups on the topic of privacy and private-to-private information sharing relating to the detection, prevention and suppression of fraud and the detection and deterrence of money laundering, terrorist financing and sanctions evasion.

Dr. Teresa Scassa is the Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. She is a member of the Canadian Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence. She is the author of Canadian Trademark Law, and co-author of Digital Commerce in Canada, and Canadian Intellectual Property Law. She is a co-editor of the books AI and the Law in Canada and Law and the Sharing Economy. Her research interests include: privacy law, data governance, intellectual property law, law and technology, law and artificial intelligence, and smart cities.

As President of the Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC), Joni builds on 15 plus years of experience in Digital Identity innovations and standards development. She helps DIACC to fulfill its vision of unlocking interoperability of public and private sector capabilities through the establishment of an identity trust framework that will grow Canada’s economy. Joni builds impactful relationships and formalizes strategic partnerships between organizations. She has participated in committees and initiatives around the world including: OECD-ITAC, ISOC, IEEE, OASIS-SSTC, ISO SC27 WG5, and she has testified before the US Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Security and Privacy (ONC HITSP).

Anita Charters is the Senior Advisor, Interdisciplinary Research and Programs at Genome British Columbia, a non-profit organization that invests in and supports genomics research and innovation to address regional challenges. With a passion for responsible innovation, Anita is dedicated to bringing a social science lens to both the research and implementation stages of genomics. This approach ensures the development and use of genomics is both responsible and equitable.

Anita has been in the genomics ecosystem for over two decades. Her background includes integrating several genomic assays into the clinic at the Provincial Health Services Authority, as well as roles as Computational Biologist and Project Manager at Canada’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication from Simon Fraser University, where she investigated sociotechnical imaginaries that shape precision medicine.

Patricia Kosseim brings to her role as Commissioner significant experience and a wealth of knowledge in the areas of privacy and access law, having worked in public, private and health sectors, and across various jurisdictions.

Previously, Patricia was counsel in Osler’s Privacy and Data Management Group and served for more than a decade as senior general counsel and director general at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

She has held executive positions at Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and has taught part-time at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law.

Patricia obtained her business and law degrees from McGill University, and a Master’s Degree in Medical Law and Ethics from King’s College, University of London, UK.

Patricia is a member of the Law Society of Ontario and the Barreau du Quebec, and is fluently bilingual in English and French.

Nilou Noursadeghi recently completed her MSc in Genome Science and Technology at UBC. During her studies, she founded Bahar Genetics Inc., a consulting startup inspired by her personal journey and her dedication to advancing patient care in British Columbia. Through this venture, Nilou recognized a critical gap in public and professional education surrounding the fast-evolving field of genomics. She is now committed to bridging that gap by providing clear, unbiased insights into the latest advancements in genomic technology, offering valuable information to healthcare professionals, patients, and those curious about the field.

Brian Lenahan is founder and chair of the Quantum Strategy Institute, and author of six Amazon published books on quantum technologies and artificial intelligence. Brian was named a ‘Quantum Top Voice for 2022’ for his LinkedIn publishing activities. He is a former financial services industry executive with a focus on the strategic and practical applications of technology.

Lisa Lambert is the inaugural CEO of Quantum Industry Canada (QIC), the country’s business-led consortium uniting quantum technology companies and strategic partners to accelerate innovation and build a resilient quantum economy that advances Canada’s security, prosperity, and global leadership.

A recognized leader in innovation strategy, her career spans pivotal roles at the Council of Canadian Academies, the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, TRIUMF, and high-profile collaborations with global thought leaders including Seth Godin, Roger Martin, and Margaret Atwood.

Lisa holds leadership and advisory positions across business, innovation, and defence organizations worldwide, including serving on the Executive Committee of the International Council of Quantum Industry Associations (ICQIA). She advises on dual-use considerations for quantum and its convergence with other disruptive and emerging technologies in multiple international forums, including G7-led initiatives and the NATO Transatlantic Quantum Community.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau is the University Research Chair in Technology and Society and the Director of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa, where he is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section.

A technologist and creative turned legal scholar, his research focuses on technology law, ethics and policy, with a special interest in artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum science and technologiesnorth_eastexternal link cybersecurity, whistleblowers and intellectual property.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau is an internationally-recognized thought leader on technology policy, engaged in shaping frameworks that safeguard rights and liberties in the digital context to build a more secure and inclusive society. His work has been published in leading journals and publishing houses in French and English, and presented globally to academic and policy audiences. He regularly comments on technology-related news in national and international media outlets. His research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, as well as by several foundations and philanthropic gifts. Now a tenured professor, he is the recipient of the 2019 Common Law Emerging Researcher Award and the 2024 Early Career Research of the Year Award for Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa. In 2025, he waselected to the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada, adding him to the list of Canada’s most influential new voices. He also received the Royal Society of Canada’s 2025  Kitty Newman Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as an emerging scholar.

Dr. Martin-Bariteau is a Faculty Associate of the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Universitynorth_eastexternal link, as well as a member of the Nexus for Quantum Technologies Institute at the University of Ottawa. He also launched the University of Ottawa’s AI + Society Initiativenorth_eastexternal link.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau serves as co-investigator and group leader in three transdisciplinary SSHRC-funded partnerships: Cyberjustice Lab’s Autonomy through Cyberjustice Technologynorth_eastexternal link, Global Journalism Innovation Labnorth_eastexternal link, and HC2P – Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnershipnorth_eastexternal link, as well as for the NSERC Quantum Alliance Consortium QuORUM (QUébec Ontario consoRtium on quantUM protocols). He is also a co-investigator of Open AIR, the Open African Innovation Research network, and member of several international research networks.

He previously served on the Board of Directors of the NCE SERENE-RISCnorth_eastexternal link, Canada’s smart cybersecurity network and co-led, with Dr. Elizabeth Dubois, Connected Canadanorth_eastexternal link, a pan-Canadian interdisciplinary research initiative on citizenship in a digital context.

He was appointed a Fellow (2022-2023) of the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Universitynorth_eastexternal link, and a Visiting Professor at CERCRID (UMR CNRS) and the Faculty of Law of Université Jean-Monnet Saint-Etienne (2023), at the 3IA – Interdisciplinary AI Institute at Université Côte d’Azur (2024), and at QuantAlps, the quantum institute at Université Grenoble-Alpes and CNRS (2024).

Prior to joining the University of Ottawa in September 2016, Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau was a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law and in the Department of Computer Sciences (DIRO) at Université de Montréal. He was also the coordinator and co-founder of OpenUM and coordinator the L. R. Wilson Chair in Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Law. In 2015, he was named an Internet Policy Global Fellow of the Instituto de Technologia e Sociedadenorth_eastexternal link (ITS Rio, Brazil), and a Young Scholar of the Jean-Louis-Baudouin Chair in Civil Law at the Université de Montréal.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau received his LL.D. (PhD/Doctor in Laws) in December 2016 from the Université de Montréal where it was awarded the highest distinction (“exceptional”, 5%). Upon graduation, he was named on the University’s Honour List (10%). Building on and developing his doctoral work, his first book, Le droit de marque, was the runner-up of the 2018 Walter Owen Book Prize celebrating Canada’s best legal publications.

Dr. Martin-Bariteau also holds a Licence in Law (with distinctions and Dean’s List), a Maîtrise in Business Law, and a Master in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (with distinctions) from the Université d’Aix-Marseille (France). In addition, he holds both a Certificate in Criminal Law, Criminology and Forensic Sciences, and a Certificate in Legal and Moral Sciences.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau has held several positions as Chair or board member of various non-profit organizations, in Canada and France. He served as the Vice-President for Student Affairs at the Université Paul-Cézanne Aix-Marseille III from 2008 to 2011. From 2011 to 2012, he was a teaching assistant and junior lecturer at the Faculty of Law and Politics of the Université d’Aix-Marseille. He has also worked as a developer, a creative and a publicist. He now leverages the knowledge and skill sets acquired from these experiences to support knowledge dissemination, and meaningful engagement with stakeholders and research users.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau welcomes enquiries from students interested in undertaking research and pursuing graduate studies in his fields of expertise. He is authorized to supervise students at all levels, including Ph.D. and postdoctoral fellowships.

Tanya Janca, aka SheHacksPurple, is the best-selling author of ‘Alice and Bob Learn Secure Coding’, ‘Alice and Bob Learn Application Security’ and ‘Cards Against AppSec’. Over her 28-year IT career she has won countless awards (including OWASP Lifetime Distinguished Member and Hacker of the Year), spoken all over the planet, and is a prolific blogger. Tanya has trained thousands of software developers and IT security professionals, via her online academies (We Hack Purple and Semgrep Academy), and her live training programs. Having performed counter-terrorism, led security for the 52nd Canadian general election, developed or secured countless applications, Tanya Janca is widely considered an international authority on the security of software.

Jennifer is the Executive Director of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX), Canada’s preeminent private sector organization for cross-sector collaboration, enabling cyber resilience and preparedness in its members. She is responsible for advancing the mission and purpose of the CCTX and delivering value to the membership. With extensive experience in the tech sector and with membership-based organizations, Jennifer excels at creating an environment that fosters customer focus and service delivery.

Most recently, Jennifer was the Chief Operating Officer at the CCTX where she oversaw the development and maturity of collaboration opportunities for member companies, defining and enhancing the value for members. Prior to that, Jennifer served as the Director of People, Resources and Operations for Gryphon Secure, a global company that provides enterprise level security in a mobile environment.

Jennifer has worked extensively in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan, and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Studies from Queen’s University in Kingston, ON.

Rob Davidson brings more than 25 years of experience to his current role as Director of Information Security Services and Chief Information Security Officer at Pacific Blue Cross. His career started with Dell and has progressed though several senior strategic and leadership positions at industry-defining organizations such as Microsoft and Social media pioneer Hootsuite. Prior to returning to Vancouver, Rob spent two decades with Microsoft and worked in the Networking, Security, Windows Server, and Azure teams in Canada and Seattle.

Rob holds an Executive MBA and maintains his long standing CISSP certification, he enjoys the opportunity to share with and learn from others who are likeminded in his passion for the Security of People, Information and Technology.

Rachel is a recognized leader in privacy and information security, well-known on the Alberta speaking circuit. She is a passionate advocate for women in IT, fostering relationships and uniting diverse perspectives to achieve common goals. Rachel brings extensive experience and deep expertise in Cybersecurity and Privacy to the CyberAlberta team.

Her recent roles include serving on Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)’s Cybersecurity Program Advisory Committee, also lecturing at NAIT, and acting as a privacy and technology law expert for private industry. Rachel has also served over 12 years with the Alberta Privacy Commissioner’s Office, more than six of which as their Director of Compliance and Special Investigations.

Pam Simpson is an AI Business Information Security Officer at TD, responsible for implementing security governance for generative AI-based initiatives and participating in multiple industry working groups looking to the impact of AI on the financial industry. In her previous roles at TD, she worked within the Fusion Incident Management Team contributing to insider investigations and process creation, and within Threat Intelligence managing strategic planning for threat intelligence collection and threat modelling. Prior to joining TD, Pam worked with BMO as Strategic Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst, focusing on strategic reporting of state-sponsored cyber threats and ransomware. She is the Engagements Lead on the Platforms and Technology Indigenous Peoples Committee helping facilitate partnerships with Indigenous led organizations within the technology space. Pam holds her CISSP designation, a GIAC Cyber Threat Intelligence Certification from SANS, a Security + Certification from CompTIA and helps mentor individuals towards developing a career in cyber threat intelligence.

RGS Management Consultants specializes in advising and leading privacy programs within both private and public sector companies. RGS Management services focus on providing practical, cost-effective operational solutions that meet consumer, corporate, and regulatory expectations while demonstrating accountability and compliance with privacy laws.  Having served as Chief Privacy Officer at TD Bank, HSBC, and the University Health Network, she has the unique experience of having led privacy programs in both the private and public sectors and was a privacy regulator through an Executive interchange program with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s office.

Mark Milotay is an experienced technology leader and trusted advisor with over 30 years in the public sector, specializing in digital governance, privacy, and cybersecurity. As Chief Information Officer for multiple Independent Offices of the British Columbia Legislature for more than a decade, Mark has led transformative initiatives that balance innovation with security, ensuring public trust in an increasingly digital world.

Mark brings deep expertise in integrating emerging technologies into secure, scalable platforms while maintaining compliance and ethical standards. His work emphasizes responsible AI adoption, privacy engineering, and DevSecOps practices that align technology strategy with public sector values.

A strong advocate for digital sovereignty, Mark has contributed to national conversations through the Canadian Internet Governance Forum, highlighting the importance of safeguarding data and infrastructure in Canada. He is a frequent speaker on topics including AI governance, cybersecurity best practices, and open-source innovation, helping organizations navigate the intersection of technology, security, and ethics.

Harsh is a seasoned penetration tester and security researcher with over seven years of hands-on experience in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities across diverse domains, including Web, Mobile, APIs, Infrastructure, Cloud, Network, and IoT devices. Currently serving as a Manager at BDO, Harsh specializes in Application Security and Offensive Security, leveraging his expertise to protect organizations against evolving threats.

Harsh has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies and multinational corporations, leading offensive security divisions at esteemed organizations like Bell, Optiv, PwC, and others. A passionate security researcher, Harsh has been at the forefront of leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance offensive security practices. His work includes utilizing AI for red and purple team operations, automating repetitive red team tasks, and exploring innovative methods to integrate AI into security workflows. In addition, his research spans car hacking and advanced mobile hacking techniques for Android and iOS. He has presented his findings at renowned conferences, including BSides, Null, and OWASP.

Harsh is an accomplished speaker who has been invited to share his expertise on advanced topics, including bug bounty programs and data governance in AI, at prestigious events such as VIPSS and the Vancouver Health Summit.

Nathaniel Hunt has supported senior leaders in various sectors through large, complex projects within high stakes environments. Nathaniel’s background bridges business analysis and communications with critical infrastructure protection. He also has extensive experience designing and executing privacy + security focused youth programming for students working within the public service.

Mira Gillis is the Chief Operations Officer of Young Digital Leaders of Canada, and serves in the Senate of Canada as an EA. Her organization is a national effort to advance youth engagement in internet governance and digital policy, and the host of the Canadian Youth Internet Governance Forum. Her work in the senate is centred around supporting parliamentary and administrative processes related to governance. Mira has studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she completed MSc in Media and Communications (Governance). The research she conducted shaped her international presentations on internet governance and accountability, including at ICANN83. Mira works directly with young people while belonging to the cohort most affected by emerging digital regulation, Mira brings a practitioner’s perspective on how privacy and security frameworks can meaningfully engage youth and endure in practice.

Niki Harris is a North American Engagement & Policy Director at Quantum Security Defence, advising government, defence, and enterprise stakeholders on quantum and cybersecurity adoption and policy frameworks.

As an AI Policy Analyst at Canada’s Department of National Defence, she advised on AI ethics frameworks and the governance of autonomous weapons systems, and led research on quantum-AI integration for defence innovation. She collaborated with NATO, Five Eyes, NIST, and MIT on international AI governance initiatives, including the U.S. Political Declaration on the Military Use of AI, and developed risk management frameworks for AI systems.

Niki founded The Future Brief, a youth-led organization amplifying young voices in emerging tech policy across AI, quantum, neurotechnology, space, and blockchain. Through salon-style consultations and workshops, she has led youth engagement on AI’s impact on employment, elections, media literacy, and misinformation. She engages young professionals in responsible tech governance, creating policy recommendations and technical prototypes that position young people as current operators shaping technology rather than future stakeholders waiting to inherit it.

Niki is a Cansbridge Fellow and a 1834 Fellow, holding a degree in Public Policy, International Relations & Security from Carleton University, 2025.

Julia Reinhard is the Program Coordinator of the NATO Field School. Having completed the NFS program in the Summer of 2024, she assumed this role in the Fall of 2024. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Political Science and Criminology from Simon Fraser University in 2024. Currently she is pursuing her Masters Degree in Global Security Studies from King’s College London.

Elizabeth Denham CBE brings extensive international regulatory expertise to her work across the private and public sectors. She served as the UK Information Commissioner from 2016-2021, following a decade of roles as a data protection and information rights regulator in Canada (Assistant Privacy Commissioner of Canada and Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia).

As Information Commissioner for the UK (ICO), she built and led the largest data protection regulator in the world and Chaired the Global Privacy Assembly (international forum of data protection commissioners) from 2018-2021.

She is committed to making digital technologies and data work for the benefit of society. Under her leadership, the ICO embarked on some of the most daunting cross-border investigations on the misuse of individuals’ data — including her investigation into political micro-targeting and election interference, data brokers and credit reporting agencies, and use of facial recognition technology by commercial firms and the police. She is passionate about the ethical and safe collection, storage and use of data. A highlight of her time at the ICO was drafting the first ‘privacy by design’ statutory Children’s Code – a set of fifteen enforceable standards to protect children’s safety and agency on- line. This Code is having global impact as technology companies and services making meaningful changes to their services to comply with the rigorous standards in the UK Code.

In the 2019 UK Honours list Elizabeth was awarded a CBE for her services to protecting people’s privacy. In 2020 she received the British Computer Society Medal, which recognises an outstanding individual whose work and values have helped to enhance the reputation of digital technology. In 2021 she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria for international leadership in information rights.

Her present roles include serving as an International Consultant for Baker McKenzie’s Canadian, US and European Tech practices, as Chair of the Jersey Data Protection Authority, and, as a trustee on the board of a children’s safety charity, 5 Rights. Her current projects and advisory services are focused on responsible tech and AI data governance across industry sectors.

Bojana is the President of Hunton’s Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL), a preeminent global privacy and data policy think tank in London, Washington, DC, and Brussels. Bojana works with global business and technology leaders, regulators, policy and law makers to shape global data policy and practice and develop thought leadership and best practices for privacy and responsible data use. Politico nominated Bojana in its inaugural 2021 Tech28 list of top people influencing digital policy in Europe and beyond. In 2019 Bojana received the IAPP Vanguard Award, which recognizes privacy professionals for outstanding leadership, knowledge and creativity. In 2024, Bojana was awarded the Award for Achievement by the PICCASO Awards Europe for playing a crucial role in shaping global data policy, advising governments, and contributing thought leadership at high-profile events globally. With over 25 years of experience in privacy and data policy and compliance, including former global privacy head at Accenture for 12 years, she sits on several industry and regulatory advisory boards and panels, including Mercedes-Benz Advisory Board for Integrity and Sustainability and the UK Government’s Expert Council for International Data Flows.

Andrew Clement is a professor emeritus of information at the University of Toronto, where he has coordinated the Information Policy Research Program since the 1990s and co-founded the Identity Privacy and Security Institute (IPSI). With a PhD in Computer Science, he has had longstanding research and advocacy interests in the social and policy implications of digital technologies, specially in the areas of privacy, surveillance and network sovereignty. In 2025 he co-founded Canadians for Digital Sovereignty.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau is the University Research Chair in Technology and Society and the Director of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa, where he is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section.

A technologist and creative turned legal scholar, his research focuses on technology law, ethics and policy, with a special interest in artificial intelligence, blockchain, quantum science and technologiesnorth_eastexternal link cybersecurity, whistleblowers and intellectual property.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau is an internationally-recognized thought leader on technology policy, engaged in shaping frameworks that safeguard rights and liberties in the digital context to build a more secure and inclusive society. His work has been published in leading journals and publishing houses in French and English, and presented globally to academic and policy audiences. He regularly comments on technology-related news in national and international media outlets. His research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, as well as by several foundations and philanthropic gifts. Now a tenured professor, he is the recipient of the 2019 Common Law Emerging Researcher Award and the 2024 Early Career Research of the Year Award for Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa. In 2025, he waselected to the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada, adding him to the list of Canada’s most influential new voices. He also received the Royal Society of Canada’s 2025  Kitty Newman Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as an emerging scholar.

Dr. Martin-Bariteau is a Faculty Associate of the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Universitynorth_eastexternal link, as well as a member of the Nexus for Quantum Technologies Institute at the University of Ottawa. He also launched the University of Ottawa’s AI + Society Initiativenorth_eastexternal link.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau serves as co-investigator and group leader in three transdisciplinary SSHRC-funded partnerships: Cyberjustice Lab’s Autonomy through Cyberjustice Technologynorth_eastexternal link, Global Journalism Innovation Labnorth_eastexternal link, and HC2P – Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnershipnorth_eastexternal link, as well as for the NSERC Quantum Alliance Consortium QuORUM (QUébec Ontario consoRtium on quantUM protocols). He is also a co-investigator of Open AIR, the Open African Innovation Research network, and member of several international research networks.

He previously served on the Board of Directors of the NCE SERENE-RISCnorth_eastexternal link, Canada’s smart cybersecurity network and co-led, with Dr. Elizabeth Dubois, Connected Canadanorth_eastexternal link, a pan-Canadian interdisciplinary research initiative on citizenship in a digital context.

He was appointed a Fellow (2022-2023) of the Berkman-Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Universitynorth_eastexternal link, and a Visiting Professor at CERCRID (UMR CNRS) and the Faculty of Law of Université Jean-Monnet Saint-Etienne (2023), at the 3IA – Interdisciplinary AI Institute at Université Côte d’Azur (2024), and at QuantAlps, the quantum institute at Université Grenoble-Alpes and CNRS (2024).

Prior to joining the University of Ottawa in September 2016, Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau was a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law and in the Department of Computer Sciences (DIRO) at Université de Montréal. He was also the coordinator and co-founder of OpenUM and coordinator the L. R. Wilson Chair in Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Law. In 2015, he was named an Internet Policy Global Fellow of the Instituto de Technologia e Sociedadenorth_eastexternal link (ITS Rio, Brazil), and a Young Scholar of the Jean-Louis-Baudouin Chair in Civil Law at the Université de Montréal.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau received his LL.D. (PhD/Doctor in Laws) in December 2016 from the Université de Montréal where it was awarded the highest distinction (“exceptional”, 5%). Upon graduation, he was named on the University’s Honour List (10%). Building on and developing his doctoral work, his first book, Le droit de marque, was the runner-up of the 2018 Walter Owen Book Prize celebrating Canada’s best legal publications.

Dr. Martin-Bariteau also holds a Licence in Law (with distinctions and Dean’s List), a Maîtrise in Business Law, and a Master in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law (with distinctions) from the Université d’Aix-Marseille (France). In addition, he holds both a Certificate in Criminal Law, Criminology and Forensic Sciences, and a Certificate in Legal and Moral Sciences.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau has held several positions as Chair or board member of various non-profit organizations, in Canada and France. He served as the Vice-President for Student Affairs at the Université Paul-Cézanne Aix-Marseille III from 2008 to 2011. From 2011 to 2012, he was a teaching assistant and junior lecturer at the Faculty of Law and Politics of the Université d’Aix-Marseille. He has also worked as a developer, a creative and a publicist. He now leverages the knowledge and skill sets acquired from these experiences to support knowledge dissemination, and meaningful engagement with stakeholders and research users.

Dr. Florian Martin-Bariteau welcomes enquiries from students interested in undertaking research and pursuing graduate studies in his fields of expertise. He is authorized to supervise students at all levels, including Ph.D. and postdoctoral fellowships.

Dr. Nolan Beise is a PhD neuroscientist and the founder and CEO of Circl Brain Health Metrics. He has over 10 years of experience designing brain–computer interfaces and mobile EEG systems, and his work focuses on applied brainwave analysis for aging, cognitive resilience, and brain recovery. He has led the development and validation of portable EEG technologies and automated analysis tools that enable reliable measurement of brain function in real-world settings.

Christian Leuprecht (Ph.D, Queen’s) is Class of 1965 Professor in Leadership, Department of Political Science and Economics, Royal Military College, Director of the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University the inaugural Fulbright Chair in Canada-US Relations at the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC and Eisenhower Fellow at the NATO Defence College in Rome. He is Adjunct Research Professor, Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security, Charles Sturt University as well as the Centre for Crime Policy and Research, Flinders University. A recipient of RMC’s Cowan Prize for Excellence in Research and an elected member of the College of New Scholars of the Royal Society of Canada, he is also Munk Senior Fellow in Security and Defence at the Macdonald Laurier Institute. An expert in security and defence, political demography, and comparative federalism and multilevel governance, he has held visiting positions in North America, Europe, and Australia, and is regularly called as an expert witness to testify before committees of Parliament. He holds appointments to the board of the German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies, the Police Services Board of the City of Kingston, and the Polar Research & Policy Initiative.

His publications have appeared in English, German, French, and Spanish and include 12 books and scores of articles that have appeared, inter alia, in the Florida State University Law Review (2019), Electoral Studies (2016), Government Information Quarterly (2016), Armed Forces and Society (2015), Global Crime (2015, 2013), the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal (2014, Maureen Molot Prize for Best Article), Canadian Public Administration (2014), the Canadian Journal of Political Science (2012, 2003), Regional and Federal Studies (2012), and Terrorism and Political Violence (2019, 2018, 2017, 2011). His editorials appear regularly across Canada’s national newspapers and he is a frequent commentator in domestic and international media.

Leuprecht has been Matthew Flinders Fellow at the Flinders University of South Australia (2017-2018), held a senior and visiting fellowships at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute for Advanced Study (2016), the Helmut-Schmidt-University of the Bundeswehr (2016), Université Pierre-Mendès France (2015), the University of Augsburg in Germany (2011), the Swedish National Defence College (recurring) and the European Academy (recurring), and as the Bicentennial Visiting Associate Professor in Canadian Studies at Yale University (2009-2010). He is a research affiliate at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (since 2005), the Network for Terrorism, Security, and Society (since 2012), l’Université de Montréal’s International Centre for Comparative Criminology (since 2014), the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les relations internationales du Canada et du Québec (since 2015), l’Observatoire sur la radicalization et l’extrémisme violent (since 2015), the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (since 2010), the Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict at the University of Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr College (2003), the World Population Program at the International Institute for Advanced Systems Analysis in Vienna, Austria (2002), and held doctoral (2001-2003) and postdoctoral (2003-2005) fellowships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. He holds a Ph.D. from Queen’s University (2003), and graduate degrees in Political Science (1998) and French (1999) from the University of Toronto as well as the Institut d’Études Politiques at the Université Pierre-Mendès France in Grenoble (1997).

From 2015-2018 he held a Governor-in-Council appointment to the governing Council of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada where he also served on the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Committee on Discovery Research. He is also immediate past-president (2014-2018) of the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee 01: Armed Forces and Conflict Resolution. Since joining RMCC in 2005, he has served as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Deputy Head of the Department of Political Science and Economics. He has twice received the RMCC Commandant’s Commendation for Excellence in Service. A long-time proponent of experiential learning, Leuprecht has also been a finalist for RMCC’s Teaching Excellence Award and has received honourable mention for the Queen’s University Undergraduate Research Mentorship Award (2017). He is a member of the editorial boards of Armed Forces & Society, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, Current Sociology’s Manuscript Series, and the Springer book series in Advances in Science and Technologies for Security Applications. Previously, he was associate editor of the Queen’s Policy Studies series published by McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Drew McArthur retired from TELUS in 2007 as Vice President Corporate Affairs and Chief Compliance Officer. As Chief Compliance Officer, Drew was responsible for legal and regulatory compliance for all of TELUS’ operations, reporting to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. The responsibilities of this role included ensuring TELUS had the appropriate controls, policies and measurements in place to be compliant with many areas of law and regulation. Drew played a key role in the privacy community in Canada as a founding member of the Council of Canadian Chief Privacy Officers and a member of the advisory board of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). From June 2016 to April 2018, Drew was the Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC, and is now consulting in the area of privacy. He can be contacted at drew.mcarthur@telus.net.

As Vice-President, Chief Privacy and Data Ethics Officer, Suzanne is responsible for overall privacy leadership at Sun Life and its subsidiaries worldwide. Her mandate includes evolving standards for the responsible use of data at Sun Life. Suzanne’s prior roles include leading the legal team in Quebec, compliance for IT and the global code of conduct and whistleblower program. Before joining Sun Life in 2015, Suzanne spent more than 20 years working in the communications industry, for businesses such as Bell Canada and BlackBerry.

A passionate believer in giving back, Suzanne is actively involved with many organizations including the Canadian Bar Association’s National Privacy and Access Law Section, CANON (Canadian Anonymization Network), MediaSmarts (a leader in media and digital literacy), and recently joined Statistics Canada’s Advisory Council on Ethics and Modernization of Microdata Access.