Owen Davidas joined City of White Rock in 2017 as the Network Administrator. I am responsible for maintenance, operation of the city’s IT infrastructure including cloud apps and SCADA networks. Before White Rock, I was security Analyst at Family Insurance and Network administrator Samsung Canada. I led projects involving improvement of security controls, financial audits, PCI compliance and security testing. I look forward to meeting and having discussion with other technology professionals to share experiences and work collaboratively to solve challenges we face today on IT security. When I am not on my laptop, I venture outdoors on the trails or appreciating the waters around our beautiful province.

Leo de Sousa is the Director, Enterprise Technology in the Technology Services department at the City of Vancouver reporting to the Chief Technology Officer. Leo holds a Master of Science in Information Management from Syracuse University and has over 30 years’ experience in the Information Technology field and has worked throughout North America and the United Arab Emirates. He leads a team of over 50 IT professionals.

Leo leads the Enterprise Technology portfolio which encompasses all IT infrastructure from the desktop to the data centre.  He also led the creation of the Enterprise Architecture and Cybersecurity practices for the City and is a faculty member at the British Columbia Institute of Technology teaching risk management and cybersecurity.

Renata Hale is the Director of Technology & Strategy with the Municipal Finance Authority of BC (MFA), where she leverages external opportunities and internal resources to achieve the MFA’s mission to support the financial success of all BC Local Governments. As a proponent of life-long learning, she is pleased to also manage the MFA’s ‘third-pillar’ of championing, funding, and delivering financial and other relevant education and events for MFA Stakeholders. She is a CPA, CGA, holds a Bachelor of Accounting Science, and has worked on the boards of several animal welfare organizations for which she has a passion.

David Morrish is the founder and CEO of MBS Techservices Inc. (MBS Tech). His career in the information security industry started over two decades ago, and his innovative style of leadership has earned him recognition in the industry.

MBS Tech is an established cyber security consultancy providing organisations in public and private sectors with security risk assessment and compliance, penetration testing, architecture, cybercrime investigation, industrial espionage defence, and cyber security software. David has built a very successful team of highly experienced and motivated experts from different paths of IT, network, cyber security, intelligence, police, and business consultancy. Such a combination of skills and experience, combined with the highest levels of security clearance, allows our team to solve, mitigate and prevent the recurrence of any challenge that cyber criminals pose to our clients.

Currently, David sits on major aviation committees for the Aerospace Association of Canada and is also a special representative to the Cybercom advisory committee at the International Organisation for Aerospace Industry Associations.

David has an education from BCIT and MIT. He also served in the Military. David is an avid skier, tennis player and pilot.

Jason is a lifelong technologist, with interests varying from software development, data and security to emerging technologies such as distributed ledger and artificial intelligence. Jason has specialized in the Identity Management domain for more than a decade. As the Director of Client Relationship Management in the Province of BC’s Provincial Identity Management Program, Jason leads the team responsible for Onboarding and Integration with the province’s identity management solutions – our legacy BCeID username and password, and the BC Services Card multi-factor authentication solution.

Mike Palmer is the Chief information Officer at City of Victoria. Mike has over 20 years of experience in local government delivering technology solutions across a broad set of lines of business and key stakeholders. Mike is passionate about leading technology innovation in local government to improve citizen services and make a difference in the local community. Local government has the biggest impact on the daily lives of people in the community and now more than ever, technology plays a key role in delivering essential municipal services.

David Polano is a seasoned IT security professional with more than 20 years of cybersecurity experience in the public and private sectors. As the Cybersecurity Manager for the City of Vancouver, David Polano leads a team of passionate cybersecurity professionals keen on improving the City’s cyber defense and response capabilities. Outside of work, David is dedicated husband and father to three boys. He enjoys spending time outdoors with the family, coaching soccer and tinkering in the garage.