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

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

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

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

Arielle Andrews is the Senior Product Manager of Governance for the Cybersecurity and Digital Trust branch within Connected Services BC. Arielle has previously worked as Director of Digital Policy and Engagement within the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, as well as on a product team developing new software for the provincial government to manage its Freedom of Information requests. Arielle has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Gender Studies and is passionate about modernizing products and services for the digital age.

Bonnie Beyea, CCSP, CISSP, is a seasoned cybersecurity professional and the Governance Team Lead for the Cybersecurity and Digital Trust branch within Connected Services BC, where her team oversees the Province’s Information Security Policy and the cybersecurity related IM/IT standards. With more than 25 years of experience across multiple ministries – including senior roles in security governance, advisory services, and being a Ministry Information Security Officer – Bonnie has been instrumental in evolving provincial security practices including developing the new Cybersecurity Policy Framework.

Amy Kirtay is the Director of Information Security for the Government of British Columbia’s Cybersecurity and Digital Trust branch. She leads CyberBC, a provincial initiative that helps public sector organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture through shared tools, frameworks, and strategic guidance. Amy also oversees the development and implementation of B.C.’s cybersecurity policies and standards, ensuring consistency, resilience, and trust across government. With over 18 years in public service and a background in strategy, communications, and digital transformation, she specializes in inclusive, evidence‑based cybersecurity policy and cultivating digital leadership across government.

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.

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

Harry Baker is a Senior Management Consultant at Elevate Consulting who works at the crossroads of cybersecurity, service design, and public good. With a decade of experience working with public institutions, private sector, First Nations, and not-for-profit organizations, he has helped to develop systems and services to protect big and small organizations. With foundations in cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, and psychology, his work focuses on building services that are resilient, accessible , and shaped by the real-world needs of the communities they serve.

Shelly Bruce is the former Chief (deputy minister) of Canada’s national cryptologic agency, the Communications Security Establishment, including the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. She spent 33 years in foreign intelligence and cybersecurity roles at CSE before retiring as head of agency in 2022. She is now engaged in various projects promoting national cyber resilience, including as a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa and as a distinguished fellow at Canada’s Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

Don Costello is a seasoned expert in cybersecurity, with over 20 years of experience in the field. Currently serving as Manager, Cybersecurity at the City of Victoria Don has been instrumental in developing and implementing robust security protocols that safeguard sensitive information and ensure compliance with industry standards.

With a background in GRC, Don has a proven track record of leading successful projects and initiatives that enhance organizational security posture. is known for his pragmatic and business enabling approaches to ensure good security practices and measuring compliance enabling continuous improvement across the organisation.

Based out of the Lower Mainland, Earl Maynard is a Senior Strategic Advisor at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, where he serves as a key resource for critical infrastructure partners in British Columbia. With over a decade of experience in the federal government, Earl focuses on translating complex cyber security requirements into actionable solutions and advocating for effective and pragmatic outcomes. In his role, Earl works to better understand BC-based critical infrastructure partner challenges and priorities, seeking to ensure the Cyber Centre remains aligned with the evolving needs of the cyber security community.

Leveraging the unique tools, threat intelligence, and expert advice and guidance from the Cyber Centre, he works with partners across all sectors to advance greater cyber resilience in BC. His ability to bring people together, translate needs into solutions, and drive meaningful outcomes makes him a trusted advisor in the field.

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

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

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

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

Brad Edwards is a Domain Consultant at Palo Alto Networks, specializing in security operations. He has 15 years of law enforcement experience as an RCMP constable, including digital forensics and economic crime. After leaving the RCMP, Brad worked as an enterprise software developer, then led the British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s Security Operations program. He researches autonomous cybersecurity operations, focusing on street-level threats most likely to impact organizations.

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.

Amy Kirtay is the Director of Information Security for the Government of British Columbia’s Cybersecurity and Digital Trust branch. She leads CyberBC, a provincial initiative that helps public sector organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture through shared tools, frameworks, and strategic guidance. Amy also oversees the development and implementation of B.C.’s cybersecurity policies and standards, ensuring consistency, resilience, and trust across government. With over 18 years in public service and a background in strategy, communications, and digital transformation, she specializes in inclusive, evidence‑based cybersecurity policy and cultivating digital leadership across government.

Nick Maltchev is the President of the ISACA Vancouver Chapter, where he leads the chapter’s mission to advance the practices of IT governance, risk management, and information security across the Greater Vancouver community. In this role, he supports the development of local professionals through education, industry collaboration, and thought leadership, continuing ISACA Vancouver’s long‑standing commitment to elevating governance and cybersecurity maturity within the region.

Professionally, Nick serves as Managing Director at Mirai Security, bringing more than two decades of global experience in cybersecurity, cloud transformation, and executive technology leadership. His work spans building security programs, modernizing cloud environments, and guiding organizations through practical, business‑aligned approaches to security architecture and governance.

With combined leadership experience across industry, consulting, and community governance, Nick brings a uniquely pragmatic perspective to today’s security challenges.

Sunny is an accomplished technology executive with more than 20 years of experience leading secure digital transformation initiatives. As the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Sunny is recognized for bridging the gap between business and technology, translating strategic objectives into practical, innovative solutions that safeguard critical assets while supporting organizational growth. A trusted advisor to executives and boards, Sunny applies deep expertise in cybersecurity and corporate governance to champion a strong, enterprise-wide “security by design” culture. His background includes leading high‑performing technical teams across multiple industries. Sunny also serves as Vice-President and elected board member of ISACA Vancouver, one of North America’s largest cybersecurity communities, where he provides strategic leadership and guides key programs and initiatives.

Richard Larose is a Cyber Principal at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), reporting to the DG Cyber Partnership. He provides strategic technical and operational cybersecurity advice, with a focus on Canada’s legislative framework under Bill C-8, An Act Respecting Cyber Security. Richard holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Université Laval. He brings deep operational experience from the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), where he held key roles in SIGINT operations and led a major transformation initiative as Acting Director.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nick Maltchev is the President of the ISACA Vancouver Chapter, where he leads the chapter’s mission to advance the practices of IT governance, risk management, and information security across the Greater Vancouver community. In this role, he supports the development of local professionals through education, industry collaboration, and thought leadership, continuing ISACA Vancouver’s long‑standing commitment to elevating governance and cybersecurity maturity within the region.

Professionally, Nick serves as Managing Director at Mirai Security, bringing more than two decades of global experience in cybersecurity, cloud transformation, and executive technology leadership. His work spans building security programs, modernizing cloud environments, and guiding organizations through practical, business‑aligned approaches to security architecture and governance.

With combined leadership experience across industry, consulting, and community governance, Nick brings a uniquely pragmatic perspective to today’s security challenges.

Maleena Singh brings more than 15 years of hands‑on experience in cybersecurity operations, investigations, and incident response across both the public and private sectors. As Director of Incident Response at Mirai Security, she helps organizations prepare for, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents, while providing strategic guidance to strengthen long‑term resilience.

Her career spans over two decades, including 23 years with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), where she concluded her service as leader of the Provincial Cybercrime Team. Following the RCMP, Maleena led cyber incident response practices at PwC in Vancouver and served as Director of Cybersecurity at BCIT. She is a recognized industry expert and frequent speaker on incident response and cyber resilience.

Sonik Surelia is an Incident Response Consultant at Mirai Security, specializing in incident investigations, security architecture, and the operational use of Microsoft 365 security and audit data. He works with organizations to translate security frameworks into practical, defensible controls and effective detection and response capabilities.

Sonik’s work focuses on hands‑on investigation, forensic readiness, and tenant‑level security fundamentals, helping teams move from basic configuration to actionable security outcomes. With a strong background in cloud security and defensible architecture, he brings a practitioner’s perspective to building incident response programs that work under real‑world conditions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He maintains a daily blog at Pluralistic.net.

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

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

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

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

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

Recognized as one of Canada’s sharpest policy minds, she is known for cutting through corporate jargon and bureaucratic inertia to ask the questions others won’t. With a career spanning think tanks, government, academia, and media, Vass has built a reputation as a fearless and independent voice on the policies that shape our daily lives. In 2020, she co-founded the Master of Public Policy in Digital Society program at McMaster University, where she also taught courses on policy design. Vass is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, a Fellow at the Public Policy Forum, and an advisor to both the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project and Social Capital Partners. She is the co-author of The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians and writes for The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business where she focuses on the policies, technologies, and corporate forces that shape our everyday lives and economic futures.

Matthew Gray is the Director of Public Policy and Partnerships at Torstar Corporation, a progressive written news company that owns the Toronto Star. He has spent over a decade advancing public policy and reforms aimed at strengthening public institutions and creating a more fair, healthy, and just digital society. He is a co-founder of Canadians for Digital Sovereignty, a new coalition to promote democratic control and agency over digital technologies. He served two Ministers of Canadian Heritage, leading efforts to pass the Online Streaming Act and to revitalize public service media, as well as the Minister of National Revenue, helping to deliver pandemic relief and promote a more fair and inclusive tax and benefits system. He co-founded Ontario’s digital government initiative, promoting digital inclusion and open government in the Ontario Digital Service. He loves cycling, photography, physical media, and exploring Canada’s natural beauty.

Jennifer Irish is Principal, Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory Group and leads its information integrity practice. She is also an Associate at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership, serving as Program Director of its security and intelligence leadership programming. She is the founding director of the University’s Information Integrity Lab, created to advance the understanding of information distortion activities, including disinformation. She brings to these positions 35 years of prior leadership experience as an accomplished diplomat and senior executive in the Canadian government in national security, geostrategic analysis, trade policy and international affairs.

Penny is an award-winning security leader with experience in mining, manufacturing, environmental sciences, data analytics, consulting, academia and most recently, as a senior leader in healthcare. She has a broad technical and business background and brings that unique perspective to her work. Penny is passionate about generating real organisational change around cyber security and safety, and focuses on moving people forward into new ways of interacting securely with technology.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daria Batkin is a trusted authority at the intersection of AI, privacy, and enterprise business strategy. With two decades of legal practice, she combines deep legal expertise with hands-on operational experience to help organizations responsibly procure, deploy, and govern AI – while maintaining strict compliance in the handling of protected personal information. A Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada and Certified AI Governance Professional, Daria is trusted by senior leaders to convert privacy, regulatory, and AI governance challenges into decision-ready strategies that support informed leadership at the highest levels.

Wendy is an independent consultant with over 25 years experience managing, governing, and protecting data. Wendy’s passion lies in combining her extensive background in data governance with her expertise in information privacy to design and implement programs that maximize data value while protecting individual rights. She is deeply committed to advancing ethical and effective data practices in our increasingly complex digital world. Wendy has been recognized as a Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) with the IAPP (CIPP/C, CIPT, AIGP) and volunteers on the CIPP/C Exam Development Board.

Oskar is passionate about shaping the digital frontiers of innovation and is known for his analytical mindset and diplomatic tact in multicultural environments, uniting diverse stakeholders around the shared purpose of secure and ethical operations. He specializes in leading large, complex privacy and data protection programs, AI and emerging technology risk strategy, global compliance, and enterprise risk management across industries.

Pamela Snively is the Chief Data & Trust Officer at TELUS. She leads the teams responsible for AI governance, privacy, data ethics and data governance.

Pam actively participates in a number of national and international think-tanks and governance bodies related to AI, privacy and data governance. She is a sought-after global speaker, known for challenging other organizations to raise the bar on data ethics, AI literacy and governance. She has served as a Canadian delegate to the G7 Business Forum (B7), supporting the development of AI standards, and was a featured speaker at the United Nations’ ITU AI for Good Summit in Geneva. Pam serves 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.

Pam’s leadership has been recognized with prestigious awards including Women in AI’s 2025 Executive of the Year, 2025 CDAO AI Leader of the Year, the 2024 WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, and the 2017 Ontario Bar Association’s Karen Spector Memorial Award for Excellence in Privacy Law.

Under Pam’s leadership, TELUS has emerged as a trailblazer and award-winner in the responsible and ethical use of AI and data. Recognizing that trust is essential for AI adoption, TELUS was the first telecom in Canada to sign the voluntary AI code of conduct introduced by the federal government in September 2023 and received the outstanding organization award from the Responsible AI Institute for the integration of responsible AI practices to foster trust and benefit society. TELUS made history in May 2024 by introducing the first chatbot in the world to be internationally certified in Privacy by Design (ISO 31700-1), substantiating the organization’s commitment to safeguarding privacy and advancing trustworthy data practices – a demonstration of leadership on a global scale.

Brad Edwards is a Domain Consultant at Palo Alto Networks, specializing in security operations. He has 15 years of law enforcement experience as an RCMP constable, including digital forensics and economic crime. After leaving the RCMP, Brad worked as an enterprise software developer, then led the British Columbia Lottery Corporation’s Security Operations program. He researches autonomous cybersecurity operations, focusing on street-level threats most likely to impact organizations.

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

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

Aaron Parecki is a security architect and industry-leading expert in OAuth and online identity. With over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, he currently serves as the Director of Identity Standards at Okta. He is a prominent contributor to the development of global internet standards, serving as the editor of the OAuth 2.1 specification and a co-chair of the SCIM working group at the IETF.

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

As the Enterprise Territory Manager for Western Canada at Tenable, Andy Cheng focuses on Exposure Management, helping organizations improve their visibility and security posture across various digital environments, including IT, operational technology (OT), cloud infrastructure, and identity systems. He has over 10 years of sales and account management experience in the cybersecurity industry and more than 20 years of general territory management experience. Prior to joining Tenable, his notable roles included positions at RSA Security, Trustwave, Softchoice, Lenovo, Bell Canada, and AT&T Canada. A Vancouver native, his career includes sales and support roles involving a wide range of security solutions such as endpoint security, firewalls, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) solutions, and services like PCI audit and incident response.

With nearly 20 years in IT and over 6 years in Cybersecurity, Venkat Chintaluri is a member of the Vulnerability Management Program Team at iON. As a dedicated Vulnerability Management Evangelist, he specializes in improving program efficiencies, enhancing reporting, and driving security outcomes.

Across the Oil and Gas, Healthcare, Insurance, and Telecommunications sectors, he focuses on the intersection of asset management and risk reduction. Based in Calgary, he advocates for proactive, intelligence-driven postures that prioritize operational excellence and systemic resilience.

Jeff Owen is a seasoned IT professional with over 25 years of experience including over 12 years at VMware. Currently, Jeff serves as a Senior Systems Engineer at Arctic Wolf, where he helps organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture and reduce cyber risk. With deep expertise in security operations and cloud infrastructure, Jeff partners with businesses to design and implement practical strategies that safeguard data and empower teams to operate with confidence.

A highly motivated systems engineer with over 25+yrs of IT experience. Working as a Sr. Solutions Engineer with Cloudflare. Past roles as a senior systems engineer working for Extrahop, Palo Alto Networks, Turbonomic, Nutanix, and Cisco Systems.

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

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

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

Dr. Mitchell holds a Canada CIFAR AI Chair and the Alberta Health Services Chair in AI in Health. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor in Computer Science at the University of Alberta, and a Fellow at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute. Previously, he was the inaugural AI Officer at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida (2019-2021), and a Professor of Radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona (2011-2019), where he founded the Division of Medical Imaging Informatics. From 2000 to 2011, he served as a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, and Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Calgary. Dr. Mitchell earned his PhD from Western University in Ontario and has dedicated three decades to advancing biomedical imaging, AI, and machine learning in healthcare.

John Wunderlich is a data protection professional and expert witness who has worked and consulted about privacy, data protection, and security for over 25 years in multiple jurisdictions. He has provided advice and consulting services to multiple public and private sector organizations in Canada, the United States and abroad.

John is a participant and leader in international privacy standards including the ISO, IEEE, and the Kantara Initiative. He serves as the Chief Privacy Officer for JLINC Labs, a Bay Area company that has developed protocols and software for data governance and accountability that addresses multiple privacy standards and regulations. Before launching his consulting practice, he designed and implemented six sigma process improvement, security & privacy programs and was a senior policy advisor to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Mr. Wunderlich is the vice-chair of the IEEE P7002 Data Privacy Process Working Group that has created the “P7002-2022 Data Privacy Process” standard for software engineers.  In the Kantara Initiative, he has contributed to several efforts, most recently leading the Privacy Enhancing Mobile Credentials Work Group. He is member of the Standards Council of Canada ISO working group for the development of security and privacy standards. He is also a member of the CIO Strategy Council group that is developing a National Technical Specification for digital credentials and digital trust services. Mr. Wunderlich is a privacy member for the Toronto SickKids Hospital Research Ethics Board. He teaches privacy and security related courses at the University of Guelph. He has authored or contributed to several books and is a frequent speaker at privacy and security conferences as well as a sought-after commentator on privacy issues in the print and broadcast media.

He is a member and Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP) of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), holding both a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada (CIPP/C) and a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) certification. Mr. Wunderlich has an B.A. (Hon. History) from the University of Manitoba and an M.B.A. from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.

Jason Woywada is the Executive Director with the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association. His credentials include a Journalism Diploma and a Master of Business Administration, dual certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) in Canadian Privacy and Privacy Management, and PROSCI certification in change management. Jason’s first career was as a full-service broadcast journalist in Manitoba before he moved to supporting elected officials in that province’s legislative assembly. While working in government in BC, Jason was one of the primary drafters of the BC Government’s 2017/18 and 2018/19 Report on the Administration of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. In 2020, a month before the pandemic, he became the Executive Director of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don is the Director General for Review, Transparency and Information Sharing within the Authorities, Compliance and Transparency branch of Canada’s Communications Security Establishment.

Don brings a diverse range of experience in leadership roles across the Government of Canada, with a significant focus on the Security and Intelligence community. Prior to his current appointment in July 2024, he held the position of Chief Information Officer at the Privy Council Office. Previously, he had served in various leadership roles within CSE in policy, strategic planning and foreign intelligence operations. Before joining CSE, Don worked in varied policy positions with the Department of National Defence, including defence relations, Cabinet Liaison, and Arms Control and Counter Proliferation. He also represented Canada internationally as Defence Counsellor within the Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, and advised senior leadership as a Special Advisor to the Deputy Minister of National Defence. Don commenced his public service career through the Policy Officer Recruitment Programme.

Don holds a Master of Arts from the University of Toronto and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from Trent University.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nick Maltchev is the President of the ISACA Vancouver Chapter, where he leads the chapter’s mission to advance the practices of IT governance, risk management, and information security across the Greater Vancouver community. In this role, he supports the development of local professionals through education, industry collaboration, and thought leadership, continuing ISACA Vancouver’s long‑standing commitment to elevating governance and cybersecurity maturity within the region.

Professionally, Nick serves as Managing Director at Mirai Security, bringing more than two decades of global experience in cybersecurity, cloud transformation, and executive technology leadership. His work spans building security programs, modernizing cloud environments, and guiding organizations through practical, business‑aligned approaches to security architecture and governance.

With combined leadership experience across industry, consulting, and community governance, Nick brings a uniquely pragmatic perspective to today’s security challenges.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter is a Professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. He is Director of the Gena Lab where they research the role of critical communication and culture in the adoption and evolution of the fields of clinical genomics, privacy, blockchain, AI, and social media. He is also a member of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. 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 innovation ecosystem.

Her contributions include founding the Healthcare Without Borders initiative, which harness AI and 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.

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

Chris Burchell is a Senior Sales Engineer for Enterprise and Public Sector at Zscaler, supporting customers across Western Canada. With over 25 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity, Chris brings deep expertise in Zero Trust architecture, risk management, and security program maturity.

A trusted advisor to public and private sector organizations, Chris combines strong technical depth with business acumen to help organizations reduce cyber risk, align security with business outcomes, and modernize legacy security models. His background spans security operations, CISO advisory services, professional services leadership, and complex solution architecture, making him a valued voice in enterprise and government cybersecurity discussions.

Michael Cavallin is a cybersecurity leader and Advisory Board member with deep expertise in Zero Trust, AI-driven security, and post-quantum resilience. He currently serves as Senior Manager, Cyber Security and Risk at BCI, where he leads enterprise security strategy, incident response, and risk management in highly regulated environments.

A frequent keynote speaker and Technical Advisory Board Member at CrowdStrike, Michael is a recognized voice in the Canadian cyber community, known for advancing modern security architectures that help organizations stay resilient as threats evolve.

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.

Walter Anderson is a Strategic Advisor for the Age of AI and Founder of PORTSECURE. He serves as Chief Information Security Officer for the Nanaimo Port Authority and President of ISACA Victoria.

With more than 20 years of experience across critical infrastructure, public sector, and private enterprise, Walter advises executive teams and boards on AI governance, cyber resilience, and strategic risk. His work spans transportation, energy, supply chain, financial services, and emerging digital ecosystems.

Walter is known for helping leaders move beyond technical noise and fear-based narratives, translating complex cybersecurity and AI realities into clear executive decisions aligned with business outcomes. He has led national cyber-physical resilience initiatives engaging over 150 organizations and continues to champion responsible AI adoption grounded in confidence, clarity, integrity, and trust.

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

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

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

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

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

Marie-Eve Bedard is an experienced leader in the field of data science and privacy, currently serving for more than 5 years as a Chief of AI research and Privacy Enhancing Technologies in the Centre for AI Research and Excellence at Statistics Canada. In her role, she manages a team of experts working on complex strategic AI research and implementation ready projects such as Homomorphic Encryption in Federated Learning, Synthetic Data generation, modern data attacks, and AI privacy.

Marie-Eve is a Ph.D. candidate with a focus on dataset reconstruction attacks, synthetic data, and quantitative methodologies. Her background combines technical knowledge with high-level strategic oversight.

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

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

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

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

Harsh is a seasoned penetration tester 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amanda Maltby is the Chief Privacy Officer at Environics Analytics where she leads the organization’s privacy-first approach in the design, development and delivery of its data products and services and a culture of mindful privacy across the enterprise.

Before joining Environics Analytics, Amanda was Chief Privacy Officer at Canada Post Corporation where she led the team responsible for enterprise privacy and corporate compliance. Under Amanda’s leadership, Canada Post established a dynamic and modern privacy program and AI governance framework across the organization.

Previously, Amanda was Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs at Ipsos Reid, where she worked with leading Canadian organizations to build market research solutions and public affairs strategies. She was Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs at the Canadian Marketing Association, where she represented the Association in national and global forums on issues related to data privacy, digital marketing and consumer protection and led the development of Canadian self-regulatory codes on marketing to children and ethical marketing practices. She was a member of Canada’s Task Force on Spam and the federal government committee that established the CSA Model Code and Canada’s first private sector privacy law (PIPEDA).

Amanda serves as a member of the privacy and data advisory committees at the Retail Council of Canada, Canadian Marketing Association, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada. She is a founding member and current Chair of the Business Privacy Group that includes some of Canada’s leading privacy professionals and industry association executives focused on building trust in Canada’s digital economy and statutory regimes. Amanda is active in the International Association of Privacy Professionals and has served as a member of the IAPP’s Canadian Advisory Board.

Amanda is a frequent speaker on issues impacting marketing and a sought-after voice in privacy forums and conferences across North America. She believes that responsible and transparent use of data, and digital technologies such as AI is necessary to gain consumer trust and foundational for effective privacy.

Elie Nasrallah is Principal Sales Engineer with SentinelOne with 28 years of IT Security experience having worked for companies such as RSA, FireEye and Trend Micro.

Elie holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) designation and has been a speaker at security conferences such as Sector, ATLSECCON, RSA, HITRUST, EPIC, Data Connectors and CSI.

Cornelius Temple is a Sales Director at Microserve. He has over 30 years of experience in technical, sales, and leadership roles, having worked for companies such as HP, Telus, and VMware before joining Microserve in 2018. Currently, Cornelius leads a team of Account Executives, ensuring excellence in the quality of service provided by Microserve’s client-facing Account Team Members. He is responsible for growing and diversifying Microserve’s business across multiple industries and markets in British Columbia. An import to BC, Cornelius spent his formative leadership training in the US Marines, having moved to Vancouver in 1994.

Sinisha Erceg is currently a Senior Sales Engineer at Mimecast, a cybersecurity company that specializes in email and data security. Erceg has been with Mimecast since September 2022 and has over 15 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. He has held various roles in sales, engineering, and consulting. Erceg is a subject matter expert in email security, data security, and threat intelligence. He is also a frequent speaker at industry events.

In addition to his work at Mimecast, Erceg is also involved in the cybersecurity community. He is a member of the Canadian Cyber Forum, a non-profit organization that promotes cybersecurity awareness and education

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

Omid Hamed is a founding member and the current President of the CISO Division of the CIO Association of Canada (CIOCAN). A member for more than 15 years, he also serves on the Board of the CIOCAN Vancouver Chapter.

With over 35 years of IT and cybersecurity leadership experience across both the private and public sectors, Omid has held senior roles in utilities, energy trading, telecommunications, retail, and consulting. He is the Co‑founder and CISO of C3Plan, where he leads work in cybersecurity governance and risk management, supporting clients across industries including energy, financial services, education, government, healthcare, and not‑for‑profit organizations. Previously, he held leadership roles at major utility, energy trading, and retail organizations.

Gerry Akkerman CISM, is a senior technology and transformation leader with over 37 years of experience driving business change through innovative use of technology. He currently serves as the Chief Information Officer for Legal Aid British Columbia.

He is a National Board Member of the CIO Association of Canada and the President of its Vancouver Chapter.

Gerry has extensive experience navigating complex organizational challenges and has been called upon numerous times to support high stakes crisis situations. Notably, he served as Incident Command Chief during the recovery from one of British Columbia’s most significant ransomware attacks.

With a strong technical foundation and more than 25 years in leadership roles, Gerry is passionate about developing future leaders and fostering high-performing teams.

Outside of work, he enjoys mountain biking, woodworking, and exploring the outdoors in his travel trailer.

Jories is an IT executive with 35+ years of experience. He has had CISO roles across North America and Europe in the manufacturing, airline and currently in the energy trading industry. He is on the board of the CIO Association of Canada and is VP of its CISO division. He is active in the local community by being on the advisory board of local and national conferences and post secondary institutions. He is also the chair of his son’s local Air Cadet squadron.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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