Hansang Bae is the public sector chief technologist at Zscaler where he supports public sector organizations in their mission to transform and modernize securely. Previously, Bae held technology leadership roles at Netskope and Riverbed Technology and was a Citi (Citigroup) Architecture and Technology Engineering team member. As one of the six global engineering leads, he was responsible for performance engineering, network management (NMS) tools, and capacity planning groups for all of Citi. Bae is a world-renown expert in packet analysis with contributions to Wireshark open-source development.

Dr. Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer is the inaugural Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He commenced his position at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on September 1, 2021. His principal responsibility is to realize the Allies’ vision for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in support of NATO’s purpose to guarantee freedom and security for its 31 member nations. Under the mandate of the North Atlantic Council, and under the delegated authority of the NATO Secretary General, he is tasked with facilitating ICT coherence across NATO’s 50+ civil and military bodies with 25,000 users. He also performs the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) function as the Single Point of Authority for cybersecurity.

From 2010 until 2021, Manfred directed all global computing and information technology systems for Sierra Wireless in Richmond, BC. The company provides Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that empower businesses to thrive in the interconnected global economy. Prior to assuming this role, he spent eight years at Hewlett-Packard (HP) IT in Business Intelligence and Strategy & Planning leadership roles. From 1993 to 2002, he oversaw Supply Chain systems at Compaq’s Latin America Division in Houston, Texas and São Paulo, Brazil. Prior to that, he supported material planning processes at Compaq’s European Headquarters in Munich, Germany and Gorinchem, The Netherlands.

Manfred has an MBA from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. He also holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Business and Management Research and a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Reading, UK.

Andy Cheng, a Vancouver native, is the Western Canada Enterprise Territory Manager at Tenable. With a career spanning over 25 years, Andy transitioned from founding and expanding a wireless paging company into becoming one of Canada’s leading paging resellers. His expertise evolved into wireless voice and data solutions, data networks, and unified communications. Over the years, Andy has excelled in corporate sales, guiding large private and public enterprises in investing in various security technologies, including SIEMs, EDR, GRC, Firewalls, PCI Compliance, and Incident Response services. At Tenable for over four years, Andy focuses on Exposure Management, assisting organizations in enhancing their visibility and security posture across modern attack surfaces, spanning IT to OT, Cloud, and Identity realms.

George Chow was elected MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview in 2017 and re-elected in October 2020. Prior to that, he served two terms on Vancouver City Council from 2005 to 2011. He is the Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials. He previously served as the Minister of State for Trade, and assisted the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in establishing Canada’s first Chinese Canadian Museum.

Born in China, he completed primary school in Hong Kong and settled in Vancouver in 1965. George grew up in the Downtown Eastside and attended Britannia and Gladstone Secondary Schools. He graduated from UBC in mechanical engineering in 1975 and had a 30-year career with BC Hydro in power generation.

George is a retired member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC, and a Fellow of Engineers Canada.

He also served on many community organizations as a volunteer including: the Urban Spirit Foundation, Vancouver Public Library Board, Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, Boys and Girls Clubs of South Coast BC, Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver, Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association, S.U.C.C.E.S.S., and various family associations. He was actively involved with the building of the Chinese Cultural Centre in Vancouver’s Chinatown during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Professor Kate Crawford is a leading international scholar of the social implications of artificial intelligence. She is a Research Professor at USC Annenberg in Los Angeles, a Senior Principal Researcher at MSR in New York, an Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney, and the inaugural Visiting Chair for AI and Justice at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Her latest book, Atlas of AI (Yale, 2021) won the Sally Hacker Prize from the Society for the History of Technology, the ASSI&T Best Information Science Book Award, and was named one of the best books in 2021 by New Scientist and the Financial Times. Over her twenty-year research career, she has also produced groundbreaking creative collaborations and visual investigations. Her project Anatomy of an AI System with Vladan Joler is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the V&A in London, and was awarded with the Design of the Year Award in 2019 and included in the Design of the Decades by the Design Museum of London. Her collaboration with the artist Trevor Paglen, Excavating AI, won the Ayrton Prize from the British Society for the History of Science. She has advised policy makers in the United Nations, the White House, and the European Parliament, and she currently leads the Knowing Machines Project, an international research collaboration that investigates the foundations of machine learning. She was named on the TIME100 list as one of the most influential people in AI. Her latest exhibition, Calculating Empires: A Genealogy of Technology and Power 1500-2025, opened in Milan this month.

Throughout the past 15 years, Scott has acquired a strong appreciation and understanding of how IT organizations operate from end to end. The various roles he has owned within traditional IT as an Infrastructure Architect, Sales Architect, Desktop Support Lead and a Manager has proven to be invaluable to his progression as a Security Professional.

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, constitutional and parliamentary law in Canada.

Sean Falconer is Head of Developer Relations and Marketing at Skyflow. Sean spends his time building, writing, speaking, and connecting with communities about engineering and data privacy. He has a wide range of interests and expertise, including full stack development, developer experience, and API design. Prior to Skyflow, Sean led developer relations for Google’s Business Communications product suite and was CTO and founder of a startup focused on mobile hiring tools. You can connect with Sean on Twitter @seanfalconer.

Katherine Fick (Associate General Counsel, IBM) leads the global team of IBM lawyers who focus on privacy and AI issues across the corporation. Her role includes enabling the business to proactively align with existing and emerging regulations and frameworks in practical ways. She has deep experience with cybersecurity laws and regulations as well, and teaches on these subjects as an adjunct professor at Boston College Law School. She is also a Response Team Member with ShelterBox, a disaster relief organization, and has helped respond to natural and political disasters in Moldova, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Malawi.

Christopher Fielder has been in the cybersecurity world for over 22 years with experience from a range of military, government, and corporate environments. Christopher holds 18 industry certifications including the CISSP, GPEN, GISP, GCFE, GSEC, GCIH, CEH, and more; along with a Master’s Degree in Information Security. Today he is the Field CTO for Arctic Wolf where he enjoys researching emerging security trends and highlighting the expertise of the Arctic Wolf team.

Derek is the Senior Sales Engineer for Western Canada at Rubrik. As a cyber security professional, he has worked with organizations at every step of the kill chain. >From preventative controls to cyber resiliency he has become a trusted resource throughout the Pacific Northwest. During the last 15 years he has worked with the region’s leading organizations to create and enhance their security, governance, resiliency, and compliance programs. His newest challenge is taking legacy backup/data protection strategies into the modern era with purpose built, ground up, cyber resiliency programs.

In his spare time he spends time with his family, competes in cycling races for the United Velo cycling club, and takes part in Ironman triathlon events.

Mani Keerthi Nagothu is a cybersecurity professional with global work experience. Her expertise is in cybersecurity strategy, incident response, risk management, security awareness, and training. She has been a speaker at various conferences including RSA Conference 2023, Evanta, Infosec World, (ISC)2 Security Congress, Cloud Security Alliance, and many more. She is passionate about sharing knowledge with others, and most recently, her LinkedIn course – Insider Threat Risk Management, was published.

Saqib is the Field CIO for Tanium, he has spent the last 15 years in different roles including Advisory, Management Consulting, Cybersecurity, Risk Management and Large Global Digital Transformations. Saqib has helped organizations transform with a key focus on delivering digital, cyber and risk outcomes at scale. He currently focuses on thought leadership, advisory into top fortune 100 organizations at Tanium through strategic partnerships.

Sami Khoury is the Head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre). The Cyber Centre is the single unified source of expert advice, guidance, services and support on cyber security for government, critical infrastructure owners and operations, the private sector and the Canadian public. Sami began his career at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) in 1992 as a research engineer exploring the impact of emerging multimedia communications technologies. He held various management positions and leadership roles at CSE, including Director General Capabilities Development and more recently as Deputy Chief (ADM) for Enterprise Technologies and Solutions. In this role, he was CSE’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and responsible for IT and Information Security, as well as leading CSE’s overall Research program and 24/7 Operations Centre.

Sami holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering (1988) and a Masters of Applied Science (1991) from Concordia University in Montreal. He completed a certificate program in Public Sector Leadership at the University of Ottawa in 2016. Sami received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the APEX Award of Excellence for Innovation in 2020.

Karl is ServiceNow’s Director of Product Marketing, Security Operations, and has over 15 years of experience in product positioning and marketing of enterprise security platforms, including SIEM, SOAR, and endpoint technologies, most recently from product marketing roles at RSA and McAfee, where he was responsible for the positioning of their security operations and automation platforms.

With 15+ years of industry experience, Aaron Koning has spent the last 5 years focused on data security. He specializes in helping organizations prevent data breaches, ensure regulatory compliance, implement access controls, conduct security assessments, and respond to incidents. Aaron’s insights in data security make him a valuable addition to our conference, where he’ll share strategies to enhance data protection practices.

Alex MacLennan was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister & Chief Technology Officer, OCIO – Enterprise Services, Citizens’ Services on August 28, 2020.

As Chief Technology Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister for the Enterprise Services Division (ES), Alex is responsible for enabling Government to deliver services to citizens by providing high quality, secure and cost-effective information management and technology services. Enterprise Services provides the public service and many broader public sector organizations with data and voice networks, workstations and mobile devices, messaging and collaboration services, information security, data centre and application hosting, licensing, strategic technology procurements and enterprise IT Change Management.

Before joining Citizens’ Services, Alex worked in the Office of the Premier as the Assistant Deputy Minister for Cabinet Operations and Deputy Cabinet Secretary. Alex has held several executive roles with the BC Public Service during his 20 years of service including Executive Director of Social Policy with Treasury Board Staff, Executive Director of the Road Safety Initiative with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Executive Director of Strategic Design with the Government Digital Experience.

Alex is passionate about public service and is always striving to build high performing organizations that improve services and outcomes for citizens.

Robert May has more than 25 years of experience in the networking and security industries. Since joining Fortinet in early 2004, Robert has been responsible for overseeing the product roadmap and engineering execution. Leveraging years of experience and direct engagement with global customers, Robert has driven the successful launch of many new product lines and cloud-based services in Fortinet’s portfolio. Prior to joining Fortinet, he held senior engineering and product positions at Nortel Networks, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and IP Infusion, Inc. Robert holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of British Columbia in Canada.

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.

Michael McEvoy was appointed to a six-year term as Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC by unanimous motion of the Legislative Assembly in 2018. Immediately prior to his appointment he helped lead the Information Commissioner’s Office of the United Kingdom’s investigation into Cambridge Analytica and Facebook. Commissioner McEvoy joined the OIPC in 2007, adjudicating more than 50 inquiries under provincial access and privacy law before his appointment as Deputy Commissioner in 2013.

He was a public school trustee for 12 years, a role that included two terms as President of the British Columbia School Trustees’ Association and one as President of the Canadian School Boards’ Association. He has chaired Greater Victoria’s United Way campaign and presently serves on the board of the Victoria Conservatory of Music. He obtained a Juris Doctorate from the University of Manitoba in 1985 and a Bachelor of Arts in 1980 from the University of Winnipeg. Commissioner McEvoy has been a member of the Law Society of British Columbia since 1986.

Robert Rachwald has been in cybersecurity for more than 20 years including two IPOs and six acquisitions. Currently, Rob manages portfolio strategy for Palo Alto Networks. Rob joined Palo Alto Networks through the acquisition of Expanse in 2020. Prior to Expanse, Rob led marketing at several startups including ShieldX (acquired by Fortinet), RedOwl (acquired by Fortinet) and also helped take FireEye and Imperva public. Robert holds a Bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. Rob is an amateur Sommelier and has completed Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 training.

Ben Radcliff is a security practitioner with over a decade of experience in security and IT operations. As Director of Security Operations within Optiv’s Cyber Defense and Applied Security group Ben currently supports a large team of security professionals across a wide array of sub disciplines including Identity and Access Management, Vulnerability Analysis, Public Key Infrastructure, and perimeter security. Ben joined Optiv in 2019 to lead Optiv’s nascent Managed Identity Practice, where he helped develop and mature Optiv’s Privileged Access and Identity Governance managed service capabilities. He holds a Master of Science degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University.

Career Summary: Enterprise level change leader known for developing and delivering next generation capabilities that transform legacy operating models and dramatically enhance mission execution. Proven expertise across the Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Defense (DOD) and the private sector accelerating implementation of critical initiatives. Highly respected emissary to international partners, Congress, and senior White House officials. Frequent keynote speaker who translates complex technical issues into the language of any audience. Board member for several non-profit corporations.

Highlights: Joined AWS Worldwide Public Sector in March 2021 as a senior executive responsible for delivering national security solutions across the globe. Advancing a wide range of initiatives to address customer requirements for hosting sensitive and classified workloads in the AWS cloud. Immediately prior to AWS he served on the intelligence and national security team during President-Elect Biden’s transition. He led reviews for cyber security, satellite reconnaissance and digital transformation.

From 2015 to 2019 he was the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) first Associate Deputy Director for Digital Innovation. He accelerated the integration of advanced digital capability across CIA’s mission areas and was responsible for a wide range of espionage missions including cyber intelligence, open source collection, secure global communications, worldwide mission information systems, data curation, and data science. He led a worldwide workforce to rehost legacy systems and create an agile, secure and resilient digital infrastructure that enables all source intelligence for 17 agencies and edge users.

Prior to this position, he served as Deputy Director of CIA’s Science and Technology Directorate (DS&T). Within the DS&T he held senior executive roles across a wide range of missions, technical disciplines, and tradecraft, ranging from research and development to clandestine operations. He led teams that developed, delivered, and deployed satellite and airborne reconnaissance systems, next generation collection platforms, clandestine technical collection systems, and advanced targeting tools and methodologies. His direct role in high profile counterterrorism efforts has been recognized by multiple Presidents, Congress and leaders across a wide range of foreign partners.

He began his career as a US Air Force (USAF) officer and continued serving in the USAF Reserve. He retired at the rank of Colonel and supported combat operations in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He has received the Meritorious and the Distinguished Presidential Rank Awards, numerous IC, CIA, DOD, and USAF individual and unit awards. He was the inaugural recipient of CIA’s highest individual award for advancing workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. He served on the adjunct faculty at Pepperdine University and completed post graduate coursework at MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Northwestern, Carnegie-Mellon, and The Aspen Institute. He resides in Los Angeles, California with his family.

Parul Sharma is the Enterprise Solutions Engineer at Cloudflare, the Internet security and performance company running one of the world’s largest networks. In this role, she advises key customers on strategies to secure and optimize distributed workforces and computing architectures. Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better Internet and today its infrastructure spans more than 310 cities in over 120+ countries including locations in Mainland China. Since joining Cloudflare, Parul has been assisting customers in harnessing the power of cutting-edge technologies at Cloudflare to meet their business goals. She is working with businesses around the world to develop robust, agile, and secure computing architectures. Parul has worked with multinationals, national governments, and many enterprises from a range of industries to help them plan, build, and execute strategies to secure their infrastructures, accelerate their digital transformation, and propel their businesses forward.

Ben Shelston holds 18+ years of experience building and growing businesses with disruptive technologies in Canada. Ben currently serves as Technical Director responsible for sales engineering in Canada. Prior to Netskope, Ben spent many years in the networking and security industries including Infoblox where he assisted in a successful IPO.

Wayne Silberman is a distinguished data management veteran with an illustrious career spanning over 30 years. Throughout his extensive tenure, Wayne has successfully adapted to and thrived amidst numerous industry and technological shifts. Currently serving as the Canadian Field Director for Cohesity, he not only champions the company’s current product offerings but also leads the charge in propelling Cohesity into the Software as a Service (SaaS) space.

Recognized for his keen understanding of data security, Wayne brings a valuable perspective to his role, ensuring that Cohesity remains at the forefront of safeguarding sensitive information. His strategic initiatives not only promote the current product portfolio but also prioritize advancing the company’s capabilities in the realm of data security within the ever-evolving landscape of data management. Wayne Silberman’s expertise and leadership significantly contribute to Cohesity’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions that prioritize the highest standards of data protection.

Its Liz’s love of people that leads her passion for data privacy and protection. Liz points out that we all have personal data, so we should all know how to look after not only our own, but also others people’s data when we are entrusted with it. Embedding an engaging privacy culture is fundamental across all business activities. For Liz, organisational measures and controls are key.

A proactive, approachable problem solver with a proven track record; Phil Tecklenburg has been in IT and cybersecurity for over a decade, with broad experience in consulting services across forestry, mining, hospitality, financial services and more.

Phil is currently a Security Solutions Architect at iON United, a pureplay cybersecurity provider based in Calgary, Alberta.

Having been on the customer side of the table multiple times throughout his career, Phil uses this experience to advocate for iON’s clients and focus on finding sustainable, integrated security solutions that reduce risk and technical debt.

Phil combines an extensive background in network engineering, security and customer-facing positions to articulate effective and relevant solutions to complex cybersecurity problems in plain English.

With business outcomes as the guide, Phil helps iON’s clients pave a secure path for digital transformation across IT, OT, and cloud environments.

Mark Teolis is Director and Incident Commander with TELUS Cybersecurity, where he is responsible for leading corporate security investigations, cyber threat intelligence and security incident response teams in defense of the enterprise. He has 25+ years experience in telecommunications and security roles, having held leadership roles supporting, designing, selling and securing how we communicate.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Technology in electronics engineering from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He is also a Professional Engineer member of the Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). When Mark is not working, he’s out training for his next ironman and enjoying all that outdoor BC has to offer.

Martin Abrams, Chief Policy Innovation Officer at The Information Accountability Foundation, has over 40 years of experience as an information and consumer policy innovator. He believes data should serve people. Abrams is currently exploring multi-dimensional proportionality as means to drive trusted innovation, the nature of risk in risk based regulatory structures, and how to incorporate to full range of human interests into data protection, including data protection law fit for the next decade.

Abrams led the Global Accountability Project, which has refined the accountability principle that is part of various data protection laws and guidance documents. The IAF is the incorporation of that dialogue. His work on accountability has impacted privacy laws in most regions.

Multi-stakeholder collaboration has been a key for Abrams in developing practical solutions to dilemmas in information policy. He has been a key player in developing such data protection key concepts as accountability, a two-phase approach to advanced analytics, and ethical assessments. Abrams’ activities are global with projects, dialogs, and seminars in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Pacific regions.

Abrams has also provided leadership in other policy areas. He worked on multilayered privacy notices, which changed the way policymakers and organizations thought about privacy transparency. He has been involved in the development of the APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules and has also been involved with the OECD Working Party on Information Security and Privacy. He is an advisor to numerous benchmark corporate privacy programs.

Before founding the IAF, Abrams was the co-founder and President of the Centre for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton & Andrews LLP, which he led for 13 years. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Information Policy at Experian and Director of Information Policy at TRW Information Systems where he designed one of the early privacy impact assessment tools. Abrams began his consumer policy work at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland where he was Assistant Vice President and Community Affairs Officer.

Ewan Affleck has worked and lived in northern Canada since 1992. He is currently serving as the Senior Medical Advisor – Health Informatics, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta, Strategic Advisor – Clinical and Informatics at the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and Chair of the Alberta Virtual Care Working Group. He is the past Chief Medical Information Officer of the Northwest Territories, was co-chair of the national Virtual Care Task Force, served on the Expert Working Group of the pan-Canadian Health Data Strategy, and is the Executive Producer and co-writer of The Unforgotten (2021), an award-winning film about inequities in health service for Indigenous people living in Canada. In 2013, he was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contribution to northern health care.

Melanie Anderson is the Director General, Secure Solutions and Services Directorate at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, responsible for applied cryptographic research, architecture, engineering and development of secure cryptographic solutions.

In her previous role as Director, Cryptographic Security and Systems Development, Melanie and her teams were responsible for Canadian Communications Security (COMSEC ) policy and compliance, evaluating the security of cryptographic products, providing cryptographic advice and guidance including preparations for the quantum threat to Cryptography , and modernizing the Government of Canada’s classified infrastructure. Melanie is an Executive Champion of the Women in Cyber and Intelligence (WICI) group at CSE, and CSE’s Co-Executive Champion for Women in Defence and Security (WiDS) in Canada. She is passionate about promoting the well-being of women in the workplace, and mentoring and encouraging girls and young women to pursue careers in STEM.

Melanie began her career at CSE in 2003 and has held numerous technical and leadership roles in cyber security and IT, including Manager of Cryptographic Systems Development, Manager of Cyber Threat Relationships and Incident Management, and Supervisor of Cyber Health and Trend Reporting. She was a technical liaison for CSE in the United States, and has held roles as a software developer, a technical trainer, and a project manager for IT systems used by Government of Canada clients.

She holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of New Brunswick and completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program through the Harvard Kennedy School in 2020. In 2023, Melanie was recognized by Deloitte as one of 30 Women in Cyber at the forefront of the cyber revolution and she was named one of Canada’s Top 20 Women in Cyber Security by IT World Canada.

Robin Andruss’ 15+ years of privacy experience includes senior-level positions at Google, Yahoo, TrustArc, and Twilio, faculty member of IAPP, and advisory board member for numerous privacy tech organizations. Her expertise spans building, leading, and scaling all aspects of privacy programs, including global privacy policies and legislation (GDPR, CCPA, COPPA, HIPAA, etc.).

During Robin’s risk, assurance, and privacy career, she has implemented global privacy risk programs in the areas of AI privacy, HIPAA privacy, as well as BCR-compliant privacy programs. In addition, Robin has been published in Chief Privacy Officer magazine and has presented at several conferences on AI privacy.

Brent J. Arnold is a partner practising in Gowling WLG’s Advocacy department, specializing in cyber security and commercial litigation. Brent heads the firm’s Commercial Litigation Technology sub-group. In 2019, he co-authored the Canada chapter of Chambers Global Practice Guide: Data Protection & Cybersecurity, 2nd ed.

Brent’s experience includes cyber breach coaching, cyber risk analysis, class actions defence, consumer protection, implementation and other disputes for e-commerce vendors and software developers, administrative and insolvency law, shareholders’ rights, class actions, employment contracts, and general contractual disputes.

Brent is a Director of the Internet Society (Canada Chapter), Steering Committee Vice Chair for the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy section of the US-based Defence Research Institute (DRI), and Vice Chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s Privacy and Access to Information Law section, having also served two terms on the Executive for the Civil Litigation Section of the Ontario Bar Association. Brent is also a member of the Canadian Technology Law Association and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Corey has provided cybersecurity consulting services since 2011, and has primarily focused his expertise on the energy, financial, legal, and health care industries. He has extensive technical experience in multiple security areas, including penetration testing, web application security, API security, network security, social engineering, and risk mitigation. Corey recently authored a book, which won Book of the Year with the SANS Difference Makers Award 2022. He also served as the technical editor for the Kali Linux Penetration Testing Bible by Gus Khawaja and Blackhat GraphQL by Dolev Farhi and Nick Alecks. Additionally, Corey is the creator of the APIsec University and the API Penetration Testing certification program, the first hands-on API security testing certifications.

Adrian Beaudin is a Principal Solutions Architect at Elastic. Adrian has over 25 years experience across a variety of technical solutions and services in both the Public and Private sectors alike. He’s worked in roles ranging from Support to Pre Sales, Product Management to Architecture as well as Systems Administration to Site Reliability. Today, Adrian is focused on helping organizations in Western Canada achieve better security, better observability and better search experiences with Elastic.

Colin Bennett is Emeritus Professor of Political Science and Fellow at the Center for Global Studies at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. For over thirty years, his research has focused on the comparative analysis of privacy
protection policy at domestic and international levels. In addition to numerous scholarly and newspaper articles, he has published seven books on these subjects, including The Governance of Privacy (MIT Press, 2006), as well several policy reports for national and international agencies. His current work focusses on the importance of privacy for democratic rights, and on the capture and use of voters’ personal data by political parties in Western democracies.
www.colinbennett.ca

Erik Berg is a Partner in KPMG’s Advisory practice with a focus on Digital Government, Transformation Risk, Organizational Resilience, Privacy and Cyber Security services. He has over 20 years of advisory experience helping organizations assess and design new (and responsible) governance and operating models that support secure and trusted digital-enabled business processes and services. Erik is a senior advisor in supporting Executives, Boards and Audit committees/Risk Functions through transforming their cyber security and privacy programs.

He advises clients on Cyber Security and Data Protection, Privacy, Information/Data Management, Business Process Controls and Emerging Technology Trends. Erik oversees Digital Risk and Cyber Security Advisory Services in British Columbia which includes a portfolio of services related to IT Governance, Information Risk Management, IT Program/Project Quality Assurance, Cyber Security, Responsible AI, Privacy and Business Resiliency.

With more than 17 years in the industry, Chris Boland brings a highly diverse skillset that includes solutions architecture, deployment and troubleshooting of technologies in environments ranging from high-uptime, multi-tenant data centers to small managed service providers. In his current role at Fortinet, Chris supports Fortinet Sales Teams across Canada as a subject matter expert for Single-vendor SASE, SSE and Zero Trust Network Access.

Passionately curious and deeply technical, Chris strives to breakdown highly technical subjects, eliminate jargon and focus on meaningful discussion of cybersecurity concepts that protect your organization.

Dr. Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer is the inaugural Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He commenced his position at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on September 1, 2021. His principal responsibility is to realize the Allies’ vision for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in support of NATO’s purpose to guarantee freedom and security for its 31 member nations. Under the mandate of the North Atlantic Council, and under the delegated authority of the NATO Secretary General, he is tasked with facilitating ICT coherence across NATO’s 50+ civil and military bodies with 25,000 users. He also performs the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) function as the Single Point of Authority for cybersecurity.

From 2010 until 2021, Manfred directed all global computing and information technology systems for Sierra Wireless in Richmond, BC. The company provides Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that empower businesses to thrive in the interconnected global economy. Prior to assuming this role, he spent eight years at Hewlett-Packard (HP) IT in Business Intelligence and Strategy & Planning leadership roles. From 1993 to 2002, he oversaw Supply Chain systems at Compaq’s Latin America Division in Houston, Texas and São Paulo, Brazil. Prior to that, he supported material planning processes at Compaq’s European Headquarters in Munich, Germany and Gorinchem, The Netherlands.

Manfred has an MBA from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. He also holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Business and Management Research and a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Reading, UK.

Mary Carmichael is an Enterprise Risk Management Consultant, with a career spanning over 15 years. Specializing in technology risk management, her comprehensive expertise has benefitted a diverse array of sectors, including higher education, utilities, government, and energy. As a member of the ISACA Global Risk Advisory Committee and the ISACA Emerging Trends Working Group, as well as serving as Vice President for ISACA’s Vancouver Canada Chapter, Mary provides thought leadership in the evolving landscape of risk management. She is particularly invested in the Generative AI field, exploring its critical impact on the GRC function within organizations. Also, Mary has authored several global white papers, such as, “Using Risk Tolerance for Enterprise Strategy” and “Incorporating Risk Management in Agile Projects.” Her list of certifications include CRISC, CISA, CPA CMA, and COSO ERM demonstrating her commitment to professional development and adherence to industry standards.

Dr. Gregory Carpenter serves as the Chief Security Officer at KnowledgeBridge International and holds the title of Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in London and was named the National Security Agency’s Operations Officer of the Year. He is on the Board of Directors for ATNA Systems, a Senior Advisor for ARIC, Inc., and a member of the Special Operations Medical Association and the Military Cyber Professionals Association.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Carpenter held various senior military and civilian positions, including Vice President for Cyber Operations, Chief of Security Testing, Chief Operations Officer, Counterintelligence Division Chief, Chief of Special Space Operations, and Functional Team Lead for Electronic Warfare. Additionally, he has experience as an epidemiological primary investigator and research team leader.

With a 27-year career in the U.S. Army, Dr. Carpenter is a retired army officer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Science degree, and a Doctorate in Public Health. His professional certifications include Certified Information Security Manager, Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt, and ISO-9000 lead auditor.

Calvin has spent over three decades of his professional career engaging with the “human element” of threat actors and their networks. This includes previously within international law enforcement and now in the private sector. His work is focused on advising and supporting clients managing and mitigating the risks of the 21st Century threats directed at corporations and working with law firms and C Suites. From insider threats, espionage, economic subversion and coercion, cyber attacks, kidnaps, extortion, blackmail, asset tracing, financial crimes, law fare activities and counter mis / disinformation operations from foreign states, his work has consistently involved acute risks, severe threats and the interface with the threat actors. As a former RCMP Senior Operations Officer overseeing Transnational Organized Crime, Chinese, Iranian and cartel activities were his staple threat networks. He was also Canada’s Team Leader for the ING, a team of kidnap ransom specialists supporting the Canadian government engaging with terrorist and transnational networks.

Calvin now serves as a Senior Partner of the Critical Risk Team, a global and boutique risk advisory firm specializing in acute risk management advisors and threat mitigation professionals. His team consist of intelligence, military, cyber, law enforcement, information specialists with global reach and capabilities offering a host of services ranging from due diligence, vetting, office sweeps, physical security assessments, risk / threat assessments, cyber advice, crisis management support and strategic responses to mitigate and counter threats. Calvin is also a member of the Steering Committee for the Council on Countering Hybrid Warfare, a NGO working with the private sector, academia, etc,. in enhancing awareness and exploring innovative ways to counter foreign threats. He is an advocate of the importance of practitioners and the need for the inclusion of the school of hard knocks in countering foreign threats and high risks threat actors.

Calvin advocates in the 360 degree approach to threat mitigation and brings the “been out after dark factor” to board rooms, law offices and in support of risk management teams.

His consulting firm is https://criticalriskteam.com/. He can reached at calvin@criticalriskteam.com or 604-652-2004. He is based in Vancouver BC.

Passionate about information security, I apply over 20 years of experience to help organizations take security challenges and vulnerabilities and transform them into solutions. Ray has help build SOC and SIEM solutions around the world on numerous products and platforms.

William “Chip” Crane worked for a global retailer reporting directly to the acting CISO as well he has over 20 years of IT Security leadership and technical experience, including a CIO role at Parkseed. He now serves as the Security Technical Sales leader for IBM Americas where he meets with CISOs, CROs, CIO and boards from large and small organizations throughout the US, Canada and Latin America.

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.

Paul F Davis is the architect and visionary for Collaborative Solutions for Active Living Inc. (CS4) and its unique object-relational data model WhoKnozMe® V2.0 (wkMe!). WkMe! features designed privacy and security plus a “Master Application”, called LifeLine is preloaded into each individually managed MariaDB node. The node referred to as a Virtual Safety Deposit Box (vSDBox). LifeLine is a platform designed to organize an end-user’s personal and private information within an extensive Health and Wellness application framework. There are two primary applications: the LifeLine electronic Personal Heath Record (ePHR) and integrated Life and Treatment Plan.

Paul has over 45 years of experience in electrical engineering, technical solutions sales of CAD-CAM, GIS, and document management solutions. Paul co-created and architected the original relBuilder (2000) and relModeller (2012) data models functioning as an object-relational business, human intelligence, and social network platform, the precursor for WhoKnozMe® V1 and 2. Prior to CS4, he worked in business management, evaluations, and M&A plus served as a board of director on various public, private, and not-for-profit companies.

Privacy and data protection has been central to the evolution of WhoKnozMe® data model. Paul integrated the privacy and data protection policy into a highly secured data model. His privacy and security education and mentorship were provided by James R Marlon Lambert, a CS4 Co-Founder, who researched and authored CS4’s first Personal Information Privacy and (data) Protection Policy (PIP3v1). The Version 2.0 of both the WhoKnozMe® data model and PIP3 allowed CS4 to move from a single monolithic MariaDB to a single Master Enterprise and, on registration, add one of an unlimited number of individually managed data nodes created using MariaDB + Kubernetes. Each vSDBox is populated with the Master Application.

CS4’s software provides a simplified privacy and security model for end-users to classify and provide access to their private information. The PRV-ACUTE™ Algorithm (Privacy Role Validation – Access Create Update – Transaction Encryption) sets a default PRV-ACUTE™ setting for each of 13 user-role types. Access is granted (or revoked) from a “Contract Relationships (CRel).” The “Owner” creates the CRel between themselves and one or more parties and selects User-Role and its PRV-ACUTE™ Credentials. The Multi-Function Platform (wkMe!-MFP) can be used as an integrated privacy, security, and sovereignty governance and compliance framework.

Denham drives the IAF’s strategy and areas of research aligned to the IAF mission and provides thought leadership for the organization, including the approach to key engagements and events. She brings over 20 years of strategic policy and regulatory experience as the former UK Information Commissioner, Canadian Federal and Provincial Commissioner roles, while delivering global perspectives on data protection, accountability, digital regulation, and data ethics. Her work as an expert advisor to global companies and governments focuses on data for good. She is a sought-after public speaker, an independent ethics advisor and (board member) for charities, academic institutions and advocacy groups.

Michael Doucet brings more than 30 years of cyber security and information management leadership experience to his current role. As an executive director, executive advisory in the Office of the CISO at Optiv, Doucet uses his past and present experiences to assist public and private enterprises plan, create and execute security strategies. Doucet uses his vast information security expertise to lead organizations toward a proactive approach to threat intelligence, third party risk management, governance and compliance, and incident management.

As a subject matter expert in cyber security and information management, Doucet’s broad business, operational knowledge spans multiple disciplines including change management, IT service continuity management, capacity management, availability management, service-level management, service asset and configuration management, information security management, defense in depth, incident management, vulnerability management, and policy and standard development.

Prior to Optiv, Doucet built, managed and oversaw program, security, and technology initiatives in the Canadian Federal Government. As the executive director of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC), Doucet independently reviews the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on operations and complaints accountable to the Canadian Parliament in matters of Canadian national security. He previously was responsible as the chief technology officer (CTO) and then chief information officer (CIO) for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Prior to leading the RCMP in information management, Doucet was the CIO/director general of the Information Management Services Branch at Correctional Service Canada.

Doucet has also worked with the Communications Security Establishment of Canada (CSEC) where he represented Canada as CSEC’s senior cryptologic liaison officer to the National Security Agency (NSA).

A lawyer with a Physics background, Barb is the General Counsel of the University of Victoria, where she leads the legal and privacy/information access functions of the university. Barb has worked for decades in various in-house roles in the higher education sector, including leading Lakehead University’s Innovation Management Office for several years. She is also a director and Vice-Chair of Synergy North (a regional hydro distributer) and its related corporations, Olds Fibre Network (a small Alberta telecom), and a member of the Ontario Research Fund Advisory Board. Barb has been involved as a director of corporate boards for decades in both Canadian and USA jurisdictions, including serving as chair of the board of a charitable non-profit. She has also worked with others to found new for-profit technology-based start-up companies, including establishing their governance systems.

Mr. Richard B. Fadden was the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister from January 19, 2015 to March 31, 2016. Previously he was the Deputy Minister of National Defence starting in May 2013, he served as the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service from 2009 until 2013. He has also served as the Deputy Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Canada from 2006 to 2009, the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada from 2005 to 2006, President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from 2002 to 2005, and Deputy Clerk and Counsel in the Privy Council Office from 2000 to 2002. In early 2001, he took on the additional position of Security and Intelligence Coordinator.

In the course of his career, Mr. Fadden worked in a variety of different positions across the Government of Canada including in the Department of External Affairs, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, Natural Resources Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat.

Mr. Fadden holds a Graduate Diploma in Law from the University of Ottawa, a Bachelor of Laws from the Université de Montréal, and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from McGill University. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Currently, he serves on a number of boards, is an Honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Claire is an experienced privacy and cybersecurity lawyer practicing in the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada (CIPP/C) and has held various executive positions on the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations’ Privacy and Access to Information Law sections. Claire works with clients from all sectors to achieve business objectives through the innovative use of personal information, including in respect of strategic privacy and data governance matters, privacy risk assessments, and incident response planning. Working closely with Deloitte’s cybersecurity experts, Claire also helps organizations respond to a full range of data breach incidents and has acted on some of Canada’s most high-profile regulatory investigations.

Michelle Finneran Dennedy currently working as CEO and co-founder of PrivacyCode. She is considered one of the world’s leading visionaries in the field of privacy and the IT industry. Michelle is also co-author of the definitive book on Privacy Engineering- The Privacy Engineer’s Manifesto. Michelle has a JD from Fordham University School of Law and a BS degree with University honors from The Ohio State University. Michelle has held Chief Privacy Officer roles at Cisco, McAfee/Intel, and Sun Microsystems before serving as the CEO of Drumwave. She has also been honored with the IAPP Vanguard award for lifetime achievement and the Executive Women’s Forum (EWF) – CSO Magazine Woman of Influence award for work in the privacy and security fields. Michelle was also cited as an AlwaysOn Power Player in On-Demand Computing.

Dr. Robert Fraser is the President and CSO of Molecular You, a digital health company delivering molecular-level personalized health insights and action plans. Dr. Fraser has been at the forefront of developing the framework and technologies to bring personalized medicine into healthcare practice. He is the co-founder of The Personalized Medicine Initiative (PMI), GenXys Health Care Systems, Personalized Biomarkers Incorporated, Mesentech Corporation and Novobind. Dr. Fraser has led drug discovery and development projects at Sanofi, Xenon, Neuromed and CDRD and has been involved in raising of more than $37M in funding. He completed his Ph.D. in the molecular mechanisms of endocrinology at the University of Alberta and Harvard Medical School and Post-Doctoral Fellowships at Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto and IGBMC, Strasbourg France.

Dr. Benjamin Fung is a Canada Research Chair in Data Mining for Cybersecurity and a Full Professor at the School of Information Studies (SIS) at McGill University. He received a Ph.D. degree in computing science from Simon Fraser University in 2007. Collaborating closely with the national defence, law enforcement, transportation, and healthcare sectors, he has published over 150 refereed articles that span across the research forums of data mining, machine learning, privacy protection, and cybersecurity with over 15,000 citations. Dr. Fung is a licensed professional engineer in software engineering. See his research website http://dmas.lab.mcgill.ca/fung for more information.

Aarti Gadhia is a changemaker and has dedicated her entire career to breaking down barriers and boundaries to achieve equality for underrepresented groups in STEM and in leadership. She was honored for her contribution to the cybersecurity community by being named as one of the Top 20 Women in Cyber Security in Canada. Aarti founded Standout To Lead to empower women in cybersecurity to join boards and SHE (Sharing Her Empowerment), a resource group with a mission to be a collective voice and accelerate change within the organization.

She currently works at Microsoft and brings 25 years of sales and leadership experience. She has worked at cybersecurity organizations such as Sophos, Trend, VMWare Carbon Black, Bugcrowd and Tines. Aarti actively participates in the cyber security community as a speaker, a mentor and a judge for provincial scholarships. She volunteers her time on the OWASP Vancouver Board, WiCyS Western Canada Affiliate Board, Vigitrust Global advisory board and serves on the ObserveID board.

Aarti is one of the authors of the book “The Rise of the Cyber Women: Volume Two” and was quoted in Canadian Security Magazine as she shared her views on the importance of soft skills to break down barriers in traditional hiring. She is excited to share her involvement as the Sponsorship Chair for the first global herstory in the making “The Women In Security Documentary”.

Due to her international background, she loves to travel and learn different cultures. Her tagline: “Be Authentic, Be Yourself.”

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.

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.

Anthony Green is a highly motivated and accomplished security professional with a proven track record of success in managing security operations and compliance. As the Manager of Security Operations and Compliance at Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia, he leads a team responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive security program. With expertise in vendor management, Anthony has a talent for balancing the needs of security staff and security vendors to achieve optimal outcomes.

Anthony’s experience extends beyond his current role, having previously served as a Security Analyst at London Drugs, where he led PCI compliance efforts for one of Western Canada’s largest retailers.

Anthony also enjoys giving back through teaching and leading academic programs. As the Program Lead for Academic Cybersecurity Programs at UBC, he is currently building a comprehensive Professional Certification in Cyber Security Program Management.

His passion for sharing his knowledge and expertise is further demonstrated by his role as the instructor of the Cyber Security Strategy and Risk Management Micro-Credential at UBC. Moreover, his expertise in the field is recognized by his position the lead curriculum developer for a Governance, Risk and Compliance diploma upcoming at VCC, where he offers valuable insights and guidance to help advance the program and prepare students for successful careers in the field.

In addition to his professional pursuits, Anthony is committed to giving back to the community by volunteering his time and serving as the Immediate Past President for the ISACA Vancouver chapter while previously holding the roles of President, Vice-President and Communications Director. Lastly, Anthony has been very active in the mentorship community actively mentoring students and young graduates looking to help them land their first opportunity!

Alicia Hatt, a Canadian leader and CEO of DPOrganizer, is renowned for her expertise in data protection and privacy. Joining the company as Head of Finance in 2020, she rapidly progressed to CFO and then CEO by 2022. Alicia has significantly enhanced DPOrganizer’s stature in the industry through her innovative approaches and commitment to effective data management. Known for her proficiency in financial analysis, strategic planning, and fostering team creativity, she also actively contributes to the data protection community through speaking engagements and publications.

Additionally, Alicia mentors young professionals and champions workplace diversity and inclusion. An enthusiastic sportsperson, she participates in bandy at the world championship level and enjoys ice hockey. Keen to discuss anything from fin-tech to big data over coffee? Reach out to Alicia.

Anthony Hémond is a senior privacy counsel with Air Canada, advising on the protection and handling of personal information at the international level, supporting principally the compliance, procurement, and cyber security teams. He also advises on the development, and use of AI systems. He was counsel with Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG) in the Privacy and Protection of Personal Information team. He was senior legal counsel for one of Quebec’s leading telecommunications companies. He was responsible for the privacy management program participating in the meetings of the Executive Committee for privacy matters, also handling class action files with external firms. Anthony Hemond holds a LL.M in IT Law from University of Montréal, and a D.E.A in immaterial creations from Montpellier University in France.

Vanessa, cofounder of Henri & Wolf a law firm specializing in cybersecurity law and data governance. She earned her Master’s from McGill University, focusing on cyberespionage. A Certified Data Protection Officer and Senior Lead Implementor for ISO/IEC 27701:2019, her practice notably involves integrating legal frameworks into product engineering.

She recently has been nominated as Cybersecurity Law Woman of the Year and Cybersecurity Woman of the World. Other accolades include being named among Canada’s Top 20 Most Influential Women in Cybersecurity and receiving the Women Trailblazer in Cybersecurity award.

Vanessa is a published author and a sought-after speaker at global industry conferences. She serves on non-profit boards like Cybereco and OpenNorth, participates in the mentorship program at Next AI, and advises on BlackHat CISO Summit and Canadian Women in Cybersecurity panels.

Recognized as one of the 2022 Top 20 Women in Canada, Octavia Howell has spent her career protecting some of the world’s largest financial institutions from cyber-attacks. Today, she serves as Equifax Canada’s Chief Information Security Officer and is the Founder and CEO of Augustus Redefined, an organization focused on the advancement of Black Women in Cybersecurity. Octavia believes that a security leader should mentor, motivate trust, and lead their teams to act with integrity and openness. Octavia genuinely believes that we are placed on this earth to help each other achieve greatness (whatever that may be).

Octavia received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from
Spelman College and holds CISSP, GISP, GCWN and GSLC GIAC certifications. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the International Information Systems Security Consortium (ISC2), the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA), the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), serves on the Advisory Board for SiberX, is a member of and leads the CISO Forum for the Information Technology Senior Management Forum (ITSMF). In her spare time, Octavia enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, and nurturing leaders within the industry.

From 2013 to 2017, John served in the BC Public Service as Deputy Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services. With 1,300 employees and an annual budget of more than $1 billion, the ministry delivered a broad spectrum of government services and economic development programs.

The ministry was responsible for the government’s cyber security strategy and operations, as well as the privacy and freedom of information files. John continues to have a strong interest in the development of privacy and security practice and policy.

Prior to joining the public service, John held a series of senior executive roles in public and private technology companies. Two of his President and CEO roles were with publicly traded companies regulated by both Canadian and United States securities regulators.

Beyond his public service and corporate work, John has long been active in the not-for-profit sector. He was on the Board of the Digital Identity & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC) from 2013 to 2017 and as a senior board volunteer with a national health charity from 1994 to 2008.

Dr. Jorgenson brings over 25 years of experience as a technology entrepreneur in highly regulated sectors including IT, fintech, and medtech. His background in mathematics, visualization and algorithms, and machine learning commercialization grounds his use of data, while his experience in social impact and human-centered technology in healthcare defines his views on digital sovereignty. As the Senior Director overseeing technology projects under the non-profit accelerator Circle Innovation, he works across sectors with SMEs, government, investors, healthcare authorities struggling with issues around data raised by privacy, cybersecurity, AI adoption, and public benefit.

With a robust background in product development and cyber security across the high-tech industry, Antti is a seasoned Cloud Security Architect. His experience spans from securing small, embedded devices to architecting large-scale global systems. Antti thrives on fortifying technology against evolving threats while driving innovation at every turn.

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.

Victoria is an experienced and multidimensional technology leader, innovator and academic. She currently holds a position as Professor of Archival Science at the University of British Columbia’s School of Information. She is also founder and co-lead of Blockchain@UBC, the University of British Columbia’s multidisciplinary blockchain research cluster, ranked #1 by Coindesk for blockchain education in Canada. She has previously held senior positions as a professional archivist and records manager within the public sector, as a VP responsible for information governance and IT Security for a global investment bank, in higher education as a senior administrator and educator, at the World Bank as a Senior Public Sector Specialist and consultant, and as the Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer for a health intelligence company. She has consulted for the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and the Inter-American Development Bank and has collaborated on research projects with the US Treasury, Office of Financial Research. Her academic research focuses on risk to the availability of trustworthy records and how these risks impact upon transparency, financial stability, public accountability, and human rights. Victoria currently sits on the International Standards Organization’s Technical Committee 307 (blockchain and distribution ledgers). She holds a doctorate from University College London (Archival Studies, 2002) and, since 2005, has been a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). She is the winner of the 2015 Emmett Leahy Award for outstanding contributions to the field of records management, a 2015 World Bank Big Data Innovation Award and 2020 Blockchain Ecosystem Leadership Award. In 2020 she also was named one of Canada’s Top 20 women in IT Security. She is the author and editor of award-winning articles and books, including Financial Analysis and Risk Management: Data Governance, Analytics and Life Cycle Management (Springer, 2012); Building Trust in Information – Perspectives on the Frontiers of Provenance (Springer, 2016), Building Decentralized Trust – Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Design of Blockchains and Distributed Ledgers (Springer, 2020), and Searching for Trust: Blockchain Technology in an Age of Disinformation (Cambridge University Press, 2022).

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.

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.

Lawrence Lewis is a member of the We Wai Kai Nation from central Vancouver Island. He has dedicated his career to working with First Nation peoples throughout Western Canada as an educator, political activist, policy writer, environmentalist, Nation leader and innovator of technology that stands to change election practices for the country.

Sixteen Plus (16+) years’ experience in executive level Management.

OneFeather Mobile Technologies Ltd. – Founder (2002)

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Jay is the Privacy Officer at FortisBC, a British Columbia Canada based company that delivers renewable energy, natural gas, and electricity to 1.2 million customers in 135 BC communities, and 57 Indigenous communities. Prior to joining FortisBC, Jay was the principal at Rouleur Privacy Consulting, a Canadian based firm that provided privacy and information security advice to organizations in both public and private sectors. As well, Jay also has extensive experience in leading privacy programs in higher education and insurance industries.

Jay is a certified privacy professional (CIPP/C, CIPM, FIP designations) who has spoken at numerous privacy conferences and written on the topic. He is a member of the IAPP Education Advisory Board and past member of their Canadian Advisory Board, as well as a member of their training faculty. Additionally, Jay has co-chaired the Canadian Privacy Symposium (Toronto) several times and provided subject matter guidance to the development of the IAPP ‘s Canadian privacy training program. Locally he is a past chair of the British Columbia Privacy Professionals Network, a privacy and data security networking group.

Alex Loffler is a certified ethical hacker & licensed penetration tester. He has over 25 years of experience in architecting software and security solutions in the Telco & Security space, with 10 years focused on long-term research at British Telecom’s Adastral Park research facility, 12 years with TELUS’s Chief Security Office and is currently the Principal Security Architect for the Government of BC. He holds several patents in the U.S. and Europe and has been working on the application of machine learning techniques to petabyte-scale datasets in the security space for the last decade.

Penny Longman is the Director, Information Security and Data Stewardship at Fraser Health. She has experience in a variety of industries across Canada, in IT and Security and is especially passionate about real transformational change in security awareness and management within organisations.

After a four month sabbatical that included various adventures in Fiji, New York, and especially Europe, Mr. Malczewski has returned and recently taken on the role of Regional Sales Manager for Netskope, a global cybersecurity leader that is redefining cloud, data, and network security to help organizations apply Zero Trust principles to protect data. Prior to Netskope he served for nearly five years as Regional Sales Manager for CrowdStrike, one of the world’s leading providers of Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, Endpoint Protection, Detection, & Response Solutions.

Justin has been an active member of the Western Canada IT security community for more than a decade. He is keenly interested in working within and outside of the security and privacy communities to solve society’s most difficult cybersecurity challenges. To that end, he is a member of the Past President’s Advisory Council for ISACA Vancouver where he believes strongly that the team ISACA Vancouver has assembled is in the best position to direct cybersecurity resources and training where they are needed most.

As Canada Post’s General Manager, Compliance and Chief Privacy Officer, Amanda is responsible for organizational compliance in the areas of Privacy, Records Management, Official Languages, Anti-Money Laundering and Access to Information. In her role, Amanda oversees compliance to the Corporation’s Code of Business Conduct and establishes the direction and priorities for the compliance programs ensuring consistency with the corporation’s business goals and strategic direction. As Chief Privacy Officer, Amanda manages Canada Post’s activities related to employee and customer privacy, which includes the implementation of a coordinated approach to personal information protection and privacy compliance that will identify and mitigate risk, improve business performance and enhance trust in the Canada Post brand. Prior to joining Canada Post, Amanda spent twenty years in the field of public affairs and communications in the public and private sectors. She held several senior executive posts including Senior Vice-President, Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs and Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications at the Canadian Marketing Association, where she successfully lead the Association’s efforts in negotiating the federal private sector privacy law, PIPEDA. She also held the position of Director, Communications Strategy and Policy at the federal Department of Finance and Deputy Director, Corporate Communications at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Ottawa. Amanda is frequent commentator on privacy and information management issues and a lecturer with the Canadian Marketing Association. She is currently a member of the Advisory Committee for the Conference Board of Canada’s Council of Chief Privacy Officers and sits on the Digital Privacy Advisory Committee of the Canadian Marketing Association. She is a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa.

Derek Manky brings more than twenty years of experience to a strategic and visionary cyber security role,working with FortiGuard Labs at Fortinet. Manky leads FortiGuard Labs’ global threat intelligence team which consults with leading CSOs/CISOs of Fortune 500 companies worldwide across multiple industries.Manky provides thought leadership to industry and has presented research and strategy worldwide at many premier security conferences. As a cyber security expert, his work has included meetings with leading political figures and key policy stakeholders globally, including law enforcement, which helps define the future of cyber security. In 2019, he was selected as one of six nationwide delegates to represent Canadaas a Canadian leader from the field of cyber[1],through his leadership and expertise in Cyber Security. He is a contributing author to the World Economic Forum Partnership against Cybercrime Report[2]. Manky has been recipient of his technical University’s honorable 2019 BCIT Distinguished Alumni Award[3].

Manky orchestrates global threat intelligence initiatives with Fortinet, including the World Economic Forum Partnership against Cybercrime, Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA), NATO NICP, INTERPOL Expert Working Group, and the Forum for Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST). Manky has been with the Cyber Threat Alliance since it was founded in May 2014and sits on the steering committee, working with leading security executives and CEO direction in industry. His vision is applied to help shape the future of proactive cyber security, with the ultimate goal to make a positive impact towards the global war on cybercrime.

He works globally with the security industry and Computer Emergency Response Team(CERT) to connect the dots, streamlining mitigation advice and threat forecasts based on personal knowledge and a team of world class experts at Fortinet and FortiGuard Labs. This strategy is integrated into advanced technology frameworks to fight cyber-attacks, while keeping clients secure. Manky designed a zero-day vulnerability disclosure framework, which has been reliably used for years to responsibly fix security issues before black hat attackers get a chance to exploit victims.

Manky sits on a computing science advisory committee and meets with universities to provide security industry input that he hopes will help shape the bright young minds of tomorrow.In an effort to educate,he is regularly featured in top tier media and guest articles including, but not limited to,CNN, Bloomberg, NBC, MSNBC, Wired, CSO, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Dark Reading, and the Financial Times. Manky has also been the recipient of CRN’s ‘Security Superstar’ award. He continues to dedicate his career to security, research and education.

[1] https://www.gg.ca/en/media/news/2019/canadian-delegation-accompany-governor-general-visit-lithuania-and-estonia
[2]https://www.weforum.org/reports/partnership-against-cybercrime
[3] https://commons.bcit.ca/news/2019/09/2019-bcit-distinguished-awards-celebrating-these-six-outstanding-leaders-and-change-makers/

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.

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.

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.

Craig McLellan, Founder and CEO of Think On, Inc. has been at the forefront of technology innovation and data security in Canada and the U.S. for the past twenty-five years.

Under Craig’s leadership, ThinkOn continues to grow, both organically and through strategic acquisition, and has been ranked on both the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ and The Globe and Mail’s list of Canada’s Top Growing Companies. A pioneer in cloud services, ThinkOn was one of the first companies in the world to receive VMware Cloud Verified certification and was recently recognized as the VMware Sovereign Cloud Partner for Canada, and has been invited to be a Broadcom Pinnacle Partner.

Craig currently sits on advisory boards for several industry-leading organizations including Veeam, Hitachi, and VMware, where he helps to guide strategy. In his free time, Craig enjoys baseball, spending time outdoors and flying his drone.

Dr. Brenda McPhail is the Director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s Privacy, Surveillance, and Technology Program. She guides CCLA’s litigation and advocacy at the junction of privacy and emerging technology; recent examples include the Supreme Court of Canada cases R. v. Marakah and R v. Jones, which confirmed privacy rights in electronic communications, and R. v. Jarvis, which addressed video recording of individuals in public spaces. Brenda has often served as an expert witness before parliamentary, senate, and legislative committees on legal reforms related to privacy. Her research and public education activities currently concentrate on the social implications of technology, including, most recently, health information sharing, digital surveillance including facial recognition, AI and human rights, smart cities, and data trusts.

Paul Meyer is Adjunct Professor of International Studies and Fellow in International Security at Simon Fraser University. He is a Senior Advisor to ICT4Peace, an NGO dedicated to promoting a “peaceful environment” in cyberspace. Before taking up his appointments in 2011 Paul had a 35 year career with Canada’s Foreign Service. His diplomatic postings included serving as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN and the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva (2003-07). HQ assignments included being Director General of the International Security Bureau (1998-2001) and of the Security & Intelligence Bureau (2007-2010). In the latter capacity, Paul developed an initial cyber security policy capacity within the Foreign Ministry and acted as its representative to the inter-departmental group that prepared the Government’s first national cyber security strategy. In addition to teaching a course on diplomacy at SFU, Paul writes on issues of international cyber security policy, space security and non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament.

Harsh is a seasoned penetration tester with around seven years of experience and has successfully exploited flaws in Web, Mobile, APIs, Infrastructure, Cloud, Network and IoT devices. Harsh has worked with Fortune 500 and MNC companies and led offensive security divisions for Bell, Optiv, PwC, and many more. Harsh is a security researcher involved in offensive exploitation research such as Car Hacking, How not to use AI: Chatgpt and mobile hacking techniques for Android and iOS. Some were presented at conferences such as BSides, Null and Owasp. Harsh is also a bug bounty hunter and earned monetary values or bounties for successfully submitting vulns to various governments and on bug bounty platforms. Harsh has worked on some cool projects: hacking an ATM, finding an RCE on the ship, and taking complete control of a Bluetooth-based heart pacemaker. At present, Harsh is a director of a local Vancouver-based Enterprise called Cyber Ensure Consulting Inc., which provides offensive security consultation to various governments, health care, financial institutions and one of the largest telecoms in Canada.

As Vice-President, Enterprise Conduct, Data Ethics and Chief Privacy Officer, Suzanne is responsible for overall privacy leadership at Sun Life and its subsidiaries worldwide. Her mandate includes the company’s Code of Conduct program and evolving standards for ethical use of data. Suzanne’s prior roles include leading the legal team in Quebec and compliance for IT.

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 to the community, Suzanne is actively involved with many organizations including the Canadian Bar Association’s National Privacy and Access Law Section and MediaSmarts, a leader in media and digital literacy. Suzanne served as an appointed member of the Board of the Standards Council of Canada for over a decade.

Suzanne has appeared before parliamentary and legislative committees, speaks frequently at Canadian and international conferences, and is an Advisory Board Member and occasional contributor to the Internet and E-commerce Law in Canada and the Canadian Privacy Law Review.

Suzanne is always physically active, walking and working in the yard, loves jigsaw puzzles and coffee. She has a son and husband and divides her time between Ottawa and Montreal.

Florian has built a reputation as high-tech leader and practitioner, and advisor in innovation and future tech. He is in the Board of Trustees of the International Foundation of Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing, a special advisor to the Quantum Strategy Institute, on Board of Advisors of the KI Park, a co- author of Germany’s National Roadmap for Quantum Computing, on the Advisory Board of Quantum.Tech, and was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Future Council on Quantum Computing.

Before joining Terra Quantum AG in 2021, he worked at Volkswagen Group in various positions for 11 years, assuming responsibility as Director for the Group’s innovation labs in Munich and San Francisco. Preceding his career at Volkswagen, he held various management and research positions in industry, academia, and consulting. Florian studied computer science, physics, and information technology, holding Master’s degrees and diplomas in these fields as well as a Ph.D. in computer science focusing on the intersection of artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

He pursues academic research and teaching, working as assistant professor at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science teaching quantum computing. He has written books on artificial intelligence and energy, edited a book on quantum computing, and published more than 90 articles on quantum computing and various other topics ranging from materials science to self-driving vehicles.

Bill is an Executive Security Advisor within AWS’ World Wide Public Sector for Canada. Prior to AWS Bill has held a number of CISO and senior information security roles at organizations both large and small. Bill holds both a CCSP (Certified Cloud SecurityProfessional) and a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional).

René Ouellette is the Director General of Academic Outreach & Stakeholder Engagement for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. In this capacity, he manages the Service’s engagement with academic partners whose expertise and insight help provide CSIS with a broad understanding of trends to better inform the Service’s research and analytic capabilities. Through stakeholder engagement, Mr. Ouellette manages CSIS outreach with leaders in academia, civil society, the private sector, and various levels of government to help the Service learn from Canadians, and to raise public literacy on national security and intelligence matters.

Mr. Ouellette joined the Service in 2006 and has held a number of positions within the organization since then, including most recently as the Deputy Director General of Operational Support (Toronto Region) where he oversaw prioritization and planning of CSIS special operations in the Greater Toronto Area, Golden Horseshoe and south and southwestern Ontario. Prior to 2006, Mr. Ouellette served in a number of Government of Canada positions involved in public policy development and implementation, including as Director of Parliamentary Affairs for the Deputy Prime Minister, and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

Mr. Ouellette has a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from Brock University (1999), a Master of Arts (Political Studies – Theory) from the University of Saskatchewan (2001), and a Professional Military Education from the Canadian Forces College (2014).

Mr. Ouellette grew up a proud Acadian in northeastern New Brunswick, and is an avid baseball fan. He lives in Ottawa with his wife, two young children, and two ridiculous cats.

Principal Consultant of Carmel Info-Risk, Edward is a veteran of over 17 years in information risk, security, governance, compliance and privacy, and an additional 15+ years in auditing, retail systems and financial systems, and e-commerce development.

As Security Director at two public companies, Edward founded a cybersecurity function at each, and also led one to its first Level II PCI compliance certification.

As a trusted advisor, Edward has applied his information risk expertise in numerous industry sectors including retail, tourism, technology, transportation, education, health, government, mining, financial services, and e-commerce. Edward is conversant with various regulations, including PCI, and SOC 2.

Edward is a Past President and Board volunteer of ISACA Vancouver for the past 10 years, was co-founder of the award-winning BC AWARE CAMPAIGN, and founding member of the Government of British Columbia’s Provincial Security Advisory Council (BC-PSAC). Edward is also an advisor to the Vancouver International Privacy & Security Summit, and a member of the Cyber Security Collaborative Forum. Edward was also recently awarded the 2022 Distinguished Service Award by the CPA Association of British Columbia.

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.

Before joining Quantropi, Mike was Managing Director and co-founder of Accenture Ventures, where he grew a global portfolio of strategic partnerships and 38 equity investments in emerging technology startups. During his nearly 30 years with Accenture, he incubated and launched technology innovations for enterprises across multiple geographies and industries. Ever-passionate about bold ideas with game-changing results, he speaks frequently on the impact of emerging technology on large organizations. With a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton, and a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern, Mike is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Accenture Foundation and Board Observer for startups Maana and Splice Machine.

Sherry Rumbolt holds a position within Shared Services Canada, Infrastructure Security Operations, Enterprise IT Security Operations as a Senior Strategic Cybersecurity Advisor. Sherry is a 21 year Veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces/ Department of National Defence and served in the Army in IM/IT. With more than 25 years experience in IT and Cybersecurity, she previously held several senior level Cybersecurity positions within the Department of National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces and the Government of British Columbia.

Sherry is very passionate about educating future generations of Cybersecurity experts and spreading the word about the importance of Cybersecurity. Sherry regularly speaks at a variety of events and conferences regarding cyber security often focusing on employment equity and continuous education, training and awareness. In 2021, she was named as one of Canada’s Top 25 Women in Defence, and named as one of Canada’s Top 20 Women in Cybersecurity in 2020. She recently was awarded a lifetime achievement award for her work in advocating for women in Cybersecurity and furthering the profession in Canada. Sherry sits on a variety of Advisory Boards within Canada including Canadian Women in Cybersecurity Annual Conference and Cyber Catalyst Program for Veterans, she is a Mentor to many, and is very passionate about empowering employment equity groups to have equal opportunities for roles within Cybersecurity.

Sherry holds several certifications in Cybersecurity including Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).

Lia is an information security professional with more than 10 years of experience in governance, risk management and compliance, cloud security, Identity and access management, and security audits. In her current role as the Senior Information Security Architect at Fraser Health Authority, Lia leads a team of dedicated security experts focused on defining and building layers of security to protect sensitive patient information and integrate security standards into business processes across the organization.

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.

Parul Sharma is the Enterprise Solutions Engineer at Cloudflare, the Internet security and performance company running one of the world’s largest networks. In this role, she advises key customers on strategies to secure and optimize distributed workforces and computing architectures. Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better Internet and today its infrastructure spans more than 310 cities in over 120+ countries including locations in Mainland China. Since joining Cloudflare, Parul has been assisting customers in harnessing the power of cutting-edge technologies at Cloudflare to meet their business goals. She is working with businesses around the world to develop robust, agile, and secure computing architectures. Parul has worked with multinationals, national governments, and many enterprises from a range of industries to help them plan, build, and execute strategies to secure their infrastructures, accelerate their digital transformation, and propel their businesses forward.

Dr. May Siksik is the CEO of Innovation Network Global, an organization dedicated to transforming impactful technologies into scalable, commercialized solutions that deliver measurable value. Formerly the CTO at Deep Tech Canada and leading business development and commercialization at the Quantum Algorithms Institute, Dr. Siksik has been focused on advancing both Canada’s and the global quantum innovation ecosystem.

Her contributions include founding the Healthcare Without Borders initiative, which harness quantum-enabled technologies to develop a Personalized Health Information System, supporting Canada’s National Research Council’s Applied Quantum Computing Challenge Program, and delivering transformative solutions for Indigenous communities.

Dr. Siksik is Co-Lead of the United Nations IGF Dynamic Coalition on Emerging Tech Governance & Certification, shaping policies for the responsible adoption of quantum computing, AI, blockchain, and other emerging tech. She is widely recognized for her ability to unite diverse stakeholders – including industry, academia, communities, and policymakers – to accelerate the adoption of quantum technologies. Her results-driven and holistic approach to innovation ensures that these technologies create meaningful, measurable benefits for society, industry, and underserved communities alike.

Jeevan Singh is the Director of Security Engineering at Rippling, where he is embedding security into all aspects of the software development process. Jeevan enjoys building security culture within organizations and educating staff on security best practices. Jeevan is responsible for a wide variety of tasks including architecting security solutions, working with development teams to resolve security vulnerabilities and building out security features. Before life in the security space, Jeevan had a wide variety of development and leadership roles over the past 20 years.

Pamela Snively is the Chief Data & Trust Officer at TELUS. She leads the team responsible for privacy governance and data ethics, along with data management and a number of compliance functions, including the Anti-bribery & Corruption and Competition Law programs. Pam approaches overall data governance through the lens of customer trust, leveraging TELUS’ Customer First principle to drive the organization’s commitment to privacy and data ethics.

Pamela was the recipient of the 2017 Ontario Bar Association’s Karen Spector Memorial Award for Excellence in Privacy Law. She participates in a number of national and international think-tanks and governance bodies related to privacy and data governance, including serving as a Board member for the Information Accountability Foundation and on the Privacy and Data Advisory Committee for the Canadian Marketing Association. She is also a founding member and Chair of Canada’s Business Privacy Group, a working group made up of some of Canada’s leading privacy professionals and industry associations focused on building trust in Canada’s digital ecosystem and legislative regime.

Pamela is a frequent speaker on privacy and data ethics and she actively encourages other organizations to join her in her mission to earn and elevate consumer trust in our digital ecosystem.

Steven is a partner at INQ Law and a senior legal and privacy professional with a focus on data sharing frameworks and strategic data governance and stewardship.

He served as General Counsel & Chief Privacy Officer at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) for over 12 years. In this capacity, he led the development of the General Health Information Sharing Agreement (GHISA), a unified, overarching agreement signed in 2013 between the BC Ministry of Health and all BC health authorities. Today, the GHISA continues to be the foundational legal, policy and data governance framework that governs almost all sharing of health information across the province for provision of care, research, quality improvement and healthcare planning. He also played a key role in influencing recent changes to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that reformed its data residency provisions to better support health innovation and technology adoption.

Most recently, prior to joining INQ Law, he served as VCH’s Chief Data Governance Officer where he worked to transform how data is strategically governed and managed so that higher quality data is made accessible more quickly to clinicians, researchers and administrators to deliver better care and improve our healthcare system, while enhancing data security, privacy and ethical use of health data.

In addition to a Bachelor of Laws degree from UBC, Steven holds a Masters in E-Business law from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from UBC.

Oskar Trpisovsky has over a decade of experience in risk consulting in global and national environments addressing complex privacy, cybersecurity, compliance, and enterprise risk management challenges with a particular focus on Life Sciences and Healthcare. His expertise covers international program and project leadership, strategic advice as well as design and operationalization of target operating models. He has served over 35 different clients around the world and led multiple international programs.

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.

Sruthi veena Lakshmanan is an Information Security Architect at Fraser Health with 10+ years experience in IT, Informatics and Security. She has a Masters from Concordia University in Information Systems Security and she has worked in a variety of industries including healthcare, IT consulting, insurance, and the public sector.

Accomplished Chief Security Officer with extensive expertise in Information Security Management Systems, Cybersecurity, Physical Security, Privacy Law, CMM Maturity Assessments, Third-party Audits, Enterprise Risk Management, ISO 27001, Computer Forensics, and Technology Strategy.

Throughout my career, I have effectively navigated multi-stakeholder shared services partnership models. I have developed Information Security Management System (ISMS) Programs to guide security program development, established an Information Security Governance Committee across the partnership, and linked business outcomes to business resiliency.

In my current role as Chief Security Officer, my focus areas include Security Governance, Physical Security, Technology Security, Security Risk and Compliance, Incident Response, and Team Development.

Shari Wallace is Chief Information Officer at Greater Vancouver REALTORS (formerly the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver) and is responsible for all aspects of information technology including strategic planning, digital transformation, delivery, operations, risk management and cybersecurity.

She is a senior information technology executive with over 30 years of experience in the private and public sectors in Canada and Europe.

Before joining the REBGV, Shari served as the CIO at TRIUMF Canada’s particle accelerator centre, where her leadership helped modernize and streamline that organization’s IT infrastructure and applications. She has also served as CIO at the City of Burnaby and the City of Vancouver, and held a number of senior IT roles at Telus.

Shari is a part-time lecturer in managing information technology at the SFU Beedie School of Business.

Wesley Wineberg is a full time bug bounty hunter, and has 15 years experience working in information security. Prior to being a professional bounty hunter, Wes worked at several companies, including being a member of the Azure Red Team at Microsoft. Wes has had various security roles, covering everything from web apps to hardware security but primarily enjoys the offense side of security.

Kevin is a lawyer with a background in corporate tax and intellectual property law, but he is a very different one: whose driving tenet in all-things business are that he only starts companies/products/services if they 1) change the world in a way he thinks is for the better, 2) are fun to do, and 3) makes money. In that order.

He is also a serial tech and non-tech entrepreneur. Kevin started his commercial tech ventures while he was young. Very young. Creating his first commercial software and computer consultancy ventures, starting at age 13, Kevin saw a market need for bespoke PC-based accounting solutions for small-to-mid-sized local companies at the dawn of the PC revolution. The primary driver, however, was not technology-for-technology’s sake: these were not hobby businesses. Kevin did this to provide as much badly-needed support he could to his family at the time (it worked), and this drove him to all the companies and technologies he has been involved with since those days in the mid-80’s. By the time Kevin was 17, and for decades to come, he would spend far more hours on coding and his various contracts and business opportunities than he would on any other waking activity including high school, undergraduate studies, and eventually even law school.

Kevin is also an experienced software developer with almost 40 years (he needed his first 5 years of hard-core commercial tech/coding experience to come up with his first potentially global-game-changing idea) of software/systems design, architecture, and coding experience in almost every generally-available programming language over that time (such as Assembler (6502, 8088, 68k), BASIC, C/C++/C#/Objective-C, COBOL, Fortran, Java, Pascal/Object Pascal, Perl, PHP, Rexx, Smalltalk, xBase, and others including far too many scripting languages and derivatives of the above to remember), and almost every generally-available hardware architecture available (from a myriad of embedded systems, to mobile, to PC/server systems, to enterprise UNIX systems, AS/400 systems, and System 390 mainframes).

Kevin has in almost all his endeavours and many companies, combined his business, technical and legal skills: whether that was acting as in-house counsel for his first global breakthrough company for which he was also the primary technology inventor, CTO, Director, investor relations and enterprise sales co-lead, and also co-founder of (relBUILDER Worldwide) for a decade until it was lost in the Dot-Com meltdown of 2000; or whether that was conceiving, creating, and managing the world’s first R&D Tax-Credit focused law firm (Stonecracker Scientific Law) for 18 years until its dissolution in 2022, combining deep technical skills with a complex set of legal knowledge for which he was the first lawyer to ever circumscribe in practice; or whether that was conceiving and creating the DediKey technology to satisfy the growing global need for data security, data sovereignty, and data privacy in light of a groundswell of related legislation worldwide to govern such.

He has also spoken on many subjects, ranging from technology commercialization, to entrepreneurship, to IP law, to R&D Tax Credit law, to military/industrial policy in US-allied nations (i.e., industrial offsets), foreign direct investment attraction, and economic development – often, all in the same presentation. His greatest benchmark of success of any speaking engagement is, and has always been, whether the audience was both educated and engaged; because engaged people are much more likely to remember what they learned and sometimes they even remember who said it.