Nicole Giles is the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister and Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Her portfolio includes strategic policy, public and foreign relations, external review and compliance, litigation and disclosure, employee communication and engagement, and academic outreach and stakeholder engagement.

Dr. Giles is a seasoned executive, joining CSIS in October 2022, from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). There she was the Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations Sector leading the coordination of major initiatives, such as the government’s immigration response to the invasion of Ukraine and Taliban take-over of Afghanistan. Prior to this, Dr. Giles was the Director General, International Finance and Development at the Department of Finance, since 2017. During this time, she served as Canada’s Deputy to the World Bank’s International Development Association and as Canada’s Sherpa for the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action.

Previously, Dr. Giles was the Director General for International Assistance Management, and Evaluation and Results, at Global Affairs Canada.

She served as Canada’s High Commissioner to Guyana, Ambassador to Suriname and as Representative Plenipotentiary to CARICOM 2013‒2015. Dr. Giles has worked as Director for Nuclear Security, Submarines and Policy, and served as Director for the Counter-Terrorism and Anti-Crime Capacity Building Programs Division at Global Affairs Canada.

Born and raised in Kamloops, B.C., Dr. Giles holds a Doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford, and has published on subjects such as missile defence and nuclear strategy. She is married with a son and daughter.

Larisa Galadza is the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister of the International Security and Political Affairs Branch at Global Affairs Canada, where she also serves as Senior Official for Cyber, Digital and Emerging Technology.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Galadza was Director General of the Cyber, Critical Technology and Democratic Resilience Bureau (2024-2025), Head of the Canada-US Engagement Taskforce (2024), Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine (2019-2023), and Director General of the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (2016-2019).

Earlier positions include Director General of Admissibility at Citizenship and Immigration Canada (2014-2016), Director of Operations for the Social Affairs Committee of Cabinet at the Privy Council Office (2012-2014), and Director of Strategic Policy and Research, and Senior Director for National Security Policy at Public Safety Canada (2006-2012).

She has also worked at the Treasury Board Secretariat (2003-2006), Privy Council Office (2001-2003), and in policy-related positions at the Department of National Defence.

Ms. Galadza holds a BA Hons in Political Science and Ethics from Trinity College at the University of Toronto and a MA in International Affairs from Carleton University.

Nitin Natarajan is the owner of NN Global, LLC, an advisory firm that focuses on issues such as critical infrastructure resilience, cybersecurity, healthcare, and emergency management. He advises public and private sector entities on actions that they can take to strengthen their resilience against cyber and physical threats.

Prior to this role, he was appointed to serve as the Deputy Director for the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in February 2021 and served in that role until January 2025. At CISA he led and managed programmatic and business operations for a 3,400+ employee/$3B federal agency. He represented the agency in key domestic and international policy forums and led efforts to shape US defensive cybersecurity and critical infrastructure resilience policies and programs. He’s been called upon frequently to keynote conferences around the world on cybersecurity, critical infrastructure resilience, and healthcare topics.

Prior to CISA he served as an executive with consulting firms in the US, providing subject matter expertise on a variety of topics, including cybersecurity, homeland and national security, critical infrastructure protection, environmental emergency management, continuity of operations, and health security matters.

Natarajan also held a number of federal government roles to include Deputy Assistant Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of Critical Infrastructure Policy at the White House/National Security Council, and as a Director at the U.S. Health and Human Services overseeing various healthcare and public health programs.

Prior to serving in the federal government, Natarajan served in positions at the state/local government level and served as a hospital administrator in New York.

At the beginning of his career, Natarajan spent 13 years as a first responder in New York, which included service as a flight paramedic. He was the Commander of a federal medical response team, based in New York, and has extensive experience deploying to natural and man-made disasters throughout the nation.

He holds an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York and a graduate degree from the United States Naval Postgraduate School.

As CEO of Digital, Sue leads a portfolio of digital innovation and capacity-building initiatives destined to deliver over $3.7 billion in revenue for Canadian companies. By accelerating digital transformation in the health, natural resources and skilling sectors, Digital is supporting the development and delivery of world-leading technologies that advance human health, improve environmental health, and create a skilled workforce for the digital world. Prior to leading Digital, Sue held leadership roles in major Canadian organizations including CEO of LifeLabs, Canada’s largest diagnostic lab where she led major growth and technological advancements across Canada’s diagnostic sector. As CEO of Pharmasave, Sue led the delivery of some of the first online access tools for medication information for patients and as Managing Partner of Fasken Vancouver, Sue drove the merger of three leading Canadian law firms into a Canadian national legal leading firm.

Sue serves on the Boards of TELUS International, CORIX and Own the Podium. She has received numerous recognitions for her community contributions including a King’s Counsel, an honorary Doctorate of Technology, Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award and the Peter Lougheed Award for Public Policy. Sue’s greatest joy is spending time in Canada’s wilderness with her husband, daughters and granddaughters.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Linda Weissgold was the CIA’s Deputy Director for Analysis from March 2020 until April 2023. In that role, she provided US policymakers and military leaders a decision advantage by identifying global risks, emerging trends, and actionable opportunities. She ensured the quality of CIA’s analysis and the professional development of the officers who produce it. A skilled leader and communicator experienced in the coverage of urgent and controversial issues under pressure, she served as President George W. Bush’s intelligence briefer for more than two years.

Linda was part of the creation and delivery of intelligence analysis on complex national security issues for close to four decades. Before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, she was an analyst and leader of analytic programs focused on the Middle East. Immediately afterward, she established and led a large, integrated staff of analysts and operations officers responsible for warning of terrorist organizations’ plans and intentions, as well as creating operations to detect and disrupt global terrorism threats. The units she guided informed US policy and operations across multiple Administrations and helped to identify Usama Bin Laden’s location and the rise of ISIS.

Linda served in C-suite roles at CIA for almost a decade and is recognized as a driver of innovation, including development of new tools and the use of artificial intelligence to produce and disseminate analytic products. Widely recognized for her dedication to the CIA’s national security mission and its officers, Linda is honored to be a member of the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation Board of Directors. She is currently a Visiting Professor of the Practice at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service in Washington, DC, where she is inspiring a new generation to take up the mantle of public service. She is also an active advisory board member for multiple companies.

Alex Dalziel is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, an Ottawa-based public policy think tank, where he leads the National Security Project. He has over 20 years of experience in Canada’s national security community advising decision-makers across government and Canada’s allies. Previously, he held positions with the Privy Council Office, Department of National Defence and Canada Border Services Agency, and did assignments in law enforcement and the diplomatic service. During that time, he worked across multiple operational and strategic domains. He writes extensively on geopolitics and geoeconomics, with a concentration on the Arctic and national security. Alex has published in the Globe and Mail, Policy Options, the Hub and the National Post.

He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in history from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as certificates in Russia and Baltic Area Studies from the University of Eastern Finland and in European Studies from the University of Bonn. His foreign language skills include Russian, French and Finnish.

Will Greaves is Associate Professor of International Relations (on leave) at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, where his primary research examines climate change, security, and Arctic geopolitics. He has written more than 30 refereed articles and book chapters and has three books: Canadian Ecopolitics (2025), Breaking Through: Understanding Sovereignty and Security in the Circumpolar Arctic (2021), and One Arctic: The Arctic Council and Circumpolar Governance (2017). In April 2025, he was elected Member of Parliament for Victoria.

Kash Heed began his public service 45 years ago with the Vancouver Police Department, where he ascended through the ranks by transitioning law enforcement in the Vancouver area from traditional responses to contemporary approaches. He pioneered initiatives aimed at crime reduction and prevention as well as greater community and police engagement. He held high profile commands in the fields of drug and gang enforcement, arising to the rank of Superintendent before leaving to become the Chief Constable of the West Vancouver Police Department, creating history by becoming the first South Asian head of a police force in North America. Currently he is a city councillor in Richmond and previously was a Member of the Legislative Assembly where he served for a period as the Solicitor General. He is a published author and has taught at universities and colleges. Kash holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree in the field of Leadership in Public Safety from Simon Fraser University.

As Canada’s Fentanyl Czar, Mr. Brosseau is focused on working closely with U.S. counterparts and law enforcement agencies to drive Canada’s ongoing work to detect, disrupt, and dismantle the fentanyl trade.

Mr. Brosseau brings extensive law enforcement experience to this role, having served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for over 20 years, including as Deputy Commissioner and top cop in Manitoba. Recently, as Deputy National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brosseau navigated Canada’s most sensitive security challenges.

He has demonstrated expertise tackling drug trafficking, organized crime networks, and other national security threats working with domestic and international partners.

A Harvard Law graduate, Mr. Brosseau also practiced law in both Canada and the United States. He is originally from Bonnyville, Alberta.

Lisa Ducharme is an Associate with the University of Ottawa’s Telfer Executive Programs. She also teaches intelligence tradecraft through uOttawa’s Professional Development Institute and provides consultation services for national security and intelligence professionals through Human Potential Consultants, Inc.

Previously, Lisa spent nearly 37 years with the federal government in a career that spanned the defence, intelligence, public safety, law enforcement, and national security domains. She served in the military before joining the public service, accepting senior leadership and executive positions with the Communications Security Establishment, the Department of National Defence, Public Safety Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Her most recent government roles were as Acting Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet and Director of Operations for the Privy Council Office’s Intelligence Assessment Secretariat. There, she led teams responsible for providing strategic intelligence assessments to the most senior levels of government, which included the Prime Minister, the Clerk of the Privy Council, the National Security and Intelligence Advisor, and the National Security Council.

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.

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. Carrie Gates is the Innovation Director at FS-ISAC where she is responsible for driving discussion around how the financial industry can best leverage emerging technologies in a safe and responsible manner. Her current portfolio includes broad investigations into audio deepfakes, generative AI, and post-quantum cryptography with the goal of helping financial organizations improve their security postures.

Prior to joining FS-ISAC, Carrie worked at Bank of America as a Principal Engineer, for both Dell and CA Technologies as a Distinguished Engineer, and at a technology start-up as a co-founder. She wrote her Master’s thesis on neural networks and received her PhD in computer security from Dalhousie University in 2006. She has over 50 peer-reviewed publications and over 20 awarded patents, with nearly 20 years of experience operating at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity to improve product offerings and operational security.

Outside of work, Carrie enjoys riding horses and competing in the hunter/jumper divisions. She also enjoys traveling, particularly internationally, and photography.

Conor Sherman is a proven CISO with over 15 years of experience building and transforming security programs for high-consequence sectors, including finance, biometrics, and government technology. As an operating CISO, Conor has led multiple successful turnarounds—protecting millions of identities at CLEAR, enabling secure AI adoption for startups, and guiding organizations through complex compliance and technology migrations.

His expertise centers on building trust in the AI economy, leading company migrations from traditional SaaS to AI platforms, and orchestrating threat detection and breach response. Conor’s signature talks, “Security Strategy for AI Security” and “The Need for Trust and the Evolving Role of the CISO”, are known for their actionable insights and engaging delivery.

Key Highlights:

• Led security programs for high-consequence companies, including CLEAR, Updater, and Apollo Global Management.
• Deep experience operationalizing AI securely and credibly at scale.
• Recognized for practical, engaging presentations that leave audiences with clear next steps for their roles and careers.
• Unique perspective as an active CISO who has driven multiple security transformations across industries.

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

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

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

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

James Turgal, specializes in Executive Advisor, Cyber Risk and Board Relations and Education. Provides cyber threat actor subject matter expertise and advice / recommendations / education to C-Suite executives, audit committees and boards of directors. He has significant C-Suite and Board level executive experience in advising / translating complex cyber / information technology concepts and building strategies to address cyber-attack influenced business risk, cyber crisis management resilience and
response and other strategy efforts for the public and private sector.

Prior to joining Optiv, James spent three years in the cyber risk practice at Deloitte after retiring from a distinguished 22-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). During his FBI career, James served as a Special Agent, Attorney and Pilot in numerous FBI Field Offices. His cyber experience began in 2003 working cyber investigations and designing a Cyber Crime Taskforce in the Cincinnati Field Office. James served in executive roles as the Special Agent in Charge (CEO Role) of the Arizona Field Office where he was responsible for all critical infrastructure, including the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Station and other energy sector assets transiting Arizona. He went onto C-Level leadership roles as the Chief Human Capitol Officer (CHCO) and culminated his career as the Executive Assistant Director of Global Information Technology and the FBI’s Chief Information Officer (CIO).

Andrew Amaro bridges the gap between national security threats and economic resilience, helping organizations defend against state-sponsored risks while maintaining operational agility. As a former TECHOPS operative with Canada’s national security community (CSIS – Canadian Security Intelligence Service), he spent years on the front lines of counter-terrorism, proliferation threats, and technical intelligence operations. His military background and red team experience gave him first hand insight into how foreign adversaries target critical infrastructure, steal intellectual property, and exploit vulnerabilities in both cyber and physical domains. Today, as founder of Klavan Security, Andrew translates these hard-won operational lessons into practical defense strategies for startups and scaleups. His Mission Ready SOC 2 Success Path™ isn’t just about compliance—it’s about building resilient security frameworks that can withstand sophisticated threats while enabling business growth. His team helps companies implement security controls that actually defend against the tactics he’s seen adversaries use in the field. Andrew’s unique perspective combines intelligence tradecraft with business pragmatism. He understands how foreign threat actors think and operate, but also knows that security measures must support—not hinder—economic competitiveness. This dual expertise helps organizations build defenses that are both operationally sound and business-viable. He has shared these insights as a keynote speaker at Security Canada Central, BSides, Hacker Halted, and other forums where the intersection of national security and private sector resilience matters most. Andrew also mentors emerging cybersecurity leaders through TMU’s ELCI and the Canadian Cybersecurity Network. For C-suite executives navigating today’s threat landscape, he delivers keynotes that translate classified-level threat intelligence into actionable security strategies that protect both national interests and shareholder value.

Dennis Murphy is an Executive Vice President for Strider. Dennis works with corporate and government clients to deliver transformational technology that helps clients visualize, manage, and respond to economic statecraft risks across their organization.

Before retiring from the Government of Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) in 2018, Dennis spent 27 years conducting and leading operational activities across the national security spectrum. In his final role with CSE, Dennis served as Director of Partnerships where he oversaw the creation and subsequent leadership of a new CSE directorate charged with managing critical domestic and foreign partnerships with intelligence, law enforcement, and defense related organizations.

Previously, Murphy served as CSE’s senior liaison in the U.K. from 2013 to 2017 where he was responsible for managing strategic relationships with the U.K.’s intelligence community focused on intelligence and cyber operations. Earlier in his career, Murphy served as Chairman of an international executive board which established intelligence cooperation amongst its members on counter terrorism, cyber defense, and the management of a common technical infrastructure.

Most recently, Mr. Murphy has provided threat consultancy services to organizations across the energy, insurance, and legal sectors in the U.K. and United States.

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.

Daniel Blanc is a recently retired senior military Officer with over 38 years of service. He has served various positions in all three Battalions of his Regiment, the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and has been deployed on operations to Croatia, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Middle East, Africa, South-East Asia and Europe.

After having served as an Infantry Company Commander in Afghanistan in 2004, he spent the next eight years in Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM).

After successful unit Command in the Army, he returned to Ottawa in the Strategic Joint Staff in 2015 and was appointed as the first Director of the newly established Directorate of National Security. He was responsible for Counterterrorism, Counter-WMD, diplomatic security support, and cyber operations in support of the Chief of Defence Staff and the Joint Force.

From June 2021 until April 2025, Colonel Blanc served as the Chief of Staff Operations of the Canadian Cyber Force (now Cyber Command) responsible for both domestic and international cyber operations of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Daniel is now the CEO of Wisdom Global Security (WGS), a full spectrum cyber and national security firm delivering discreet, precision advice and support to public and private industry clients around the world.

He is a strategic advisor with the MindShield Institute and a member of the scientific and ecosystem advisory committee at the National Cybersecurity Consortium.

Most recently Daniel has become the Director-General and Ambassador-at-Large for the INCYBER Forum Canada, the nation’s largest Pan-Canadian and International cybersecurity conference.

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.

Dom Spiers is a seasoned enterprise technology executive and speaker with deep
expertise in cybersecurity, AI, and cloud transformation. Currently at Wiz, Dom helps Public Sector organization secure innovation at scale by aligning cutting-edge cloud security strategies with business outcomes. Prior to this, he held roles at Dataminr, a world-leading AI company, where he supported mission-critical operations through real-time event detection powered by artificial intelligence. With a track record of advising C-level leaders, Dom brings a unique perspective on how technology, security, and AI intersect to drive enterprise resilience and agility.

Justin has been in the IT industry for over 25 years. Attending the University of Arizona he earned a BS degree in Management Information Systems. He went on to work as a Microsoft SQL Server Database Admin, Developer and Architect for Touchscape.com, Doctors Community Healthcare, and then GoDaddy.com as well as working as a private contractor in the Phoenix area.

Joining NetApp in 2003, Justin worked in Professional Services architecting and deploying all things Microsoft on NetApp storage. Combining a deep understanding of both storage and SQL, he then moved over to pre-sales in the role of Solution Architect specializing in SQL Server and SharePoint.

In 2017 Justin achieved a CISSP certification and took on the Security Solution Architect role. He has helped hundreds of customer harden their NetApp environments against breaches and malware attacks architecting Cyber Resilient solutions that help protect against both internal and external threats. He is currently a NetApp Principal Architect.

Living in the Phoenix area, Justin enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 kids and volunteering time at his church.  He can be found on free weekends camping, fishing or shooting in local competitions.

Goldy Hyder is a seasoned strategic leader with more than 25 years’ experience advising business leaders, boards of directors, government officials and a broad spectrum of community stakeholder groups.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada (BCC), he represents Canadian business leaders across the country and around the world. The BCC is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose membership is comprised of more than 170 chief executives and entrepreneurs of Canada’s leading and largest companies. Mr. Hyder works directly with these leaders to develop and promote sensible public policy solutions in support of economic growth, including in the areas of the energy transition, innovation and industrial policy, cybersecurity, supply chain resilience, workforce development, and trade diversification. He led the BCC through the COVID-19 pandemic, helping coordinate the Canadian business community’s response to the crisis.

Mr. Hyder is a member of the Board of Directors of Open Text Corporation. In addition, he has a long track record of service on behalf of several charities and non-profit organizations, including the Coalition for a Better Future, the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, and Canada’s World Trade Organization Business Advisory Council. He sits on the advisory boards of two leading organizations promoting advancement of women leaders: Catalyst Canada and the 30% Club (Canada) and is a member of the selection board for A Seat At The Table, an initiative to encourage greater representation of people with disabilities on corporate boards.

Prior to the BCC, Mr. Hyder was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hill+Knowlton Strategies in Canada. In a series of increasingly senior roles, he provided clients with strategic counsel on public policy reform and regulatory approvals for corporate transactions.

Mr. Hyder is a regular commentator in Canadian media on business, politics and leadership. He is also the host of the “Speaking of Business” podcast, which features interviews with Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders. He holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Calgary.

Caroline Xavier was appointed to the position of Chief, of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) effective 31 August, 2022.

Prior to this, Caroline held the position of Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, where she was appointed February 2020. From 2017 to 2020 Caroline was the Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Security and Intelligence at the Privy Council Office. Prior to that she occupied numerous key positions within the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), including Vice-President and Associate Vice-President of the Operations Branch.

Before joining the CBSA, she held executive positions with CSE, Industry Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency. Caroline has been with the public service for over 30 years.

Caroline is a graduate of the University of Ottawa (Bachelor’s degree in Administration, concentration in Marketing and Informatics) and of Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia (Executive Master’s degree in Electronic Commerce).

Rob Antonishen joined BC Hydro in 2021 as the Director of Cybersecurity and Compliance. He is accountable for ensuring BC Hydro’s cyber resilience across the enterprise including its critical infrastructure, as well as compliance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation cybersecurity standards to protect the Bulk Electric System.

Having over 35 years of electricity utility experience, Rob has held numerous leadership roles in engineering, security and reliability compliance with a specific focus on working to integrate cybersecurity functions across the Information Technology and Operational Technology domains.

Rob has a Bachelor of Applied Science in electrical engineering from Queen’s University and is a registered Professional Engineer with Engineers and Geoscientists BC.

Martin Dinel is a trusted information technology and cybersecurity professional with over 35 years of leadership experience. As Chief Information Security Officer for the Government of Alberta (GoA), Martin is defining the organization’s cybersecurity vision and strategy to counter cyber threats and ensure the protection of Alberta’s digital assets. His recent key achievements include:

• 2024 Featured in the Public Sector Network’s top 40 Global Innovators Publication
• 2024 Alberta Premier’s Award – Service Delivery Innovation for Albertans, CyberAlberta Program
• 2023 Alberta Premier’s Award – Service Delivery Innovation for the APS, Cybersecurity Toolset Modernization
• 2022 Featured in the Public Sector Network’s top 40 Global Innovators Publication
• 2021 Founder of the CyberAlberta Community of Interest
• 2015 to present, Member of the National CISO Committee on Information Protection (NCCIP)
• Cybersecurity Champion and Speaker at various Cybersecurity and Privacy related events

Throughout his career, Martin worked in leadership positions in information technology and cybersecurity with various public and private sector organizations. In 2015, he joined the GoA as Chief Information Security Officer, taking on a mentorship role to develop a new cybersecurity centre of excellence, ensuring that Albertans can benefit from a strong, safe and secure Alberta cyberspace.

Dr. Bernd Althusmann has been heading the KAS office in Canada since November 2024. From 2013 to 2016, he served as the head of the KAS office in Namibia and Angola, based in Windhoek, where he supervised three EU projects as part of the country program and relaunched the Windhoek Dialogue for young African politicians from various Sub-Saharan countries in 2015. Before joining the foundation, he served as Minister of Education and State Secretary in Lower Saxony from 2009 to 2013.

Following his return to Lower Saxony state politics in 2016 as state chairman of the CDU in Lower Saxony, Bernd Althusmann served as Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor, Transport, and Digitalization, as well as Deputy Minister President of Lower Saxony. Until mid-2024, he was a member of the CDU Germany’s presidium for six years and a long-standing member of the state parliament.

Dr. Bernd Althusmann earned his doctoral degree at the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Potsdam while working part-time. He also successfully studied business administration and pedagogy. His professional career began in 1986 as an officer in the German Armed Forces.

Norman specializes in conducting investigations, due diligence, and compliance projects worldwide. His professional career spans more than 35 years, including 25 years when he was based in Brazil. He holds degrees from the Universidade Federal do Paraná and the University of British Columbia, and was formerly Compliance and Operational Risk Manager for two investment firms in Canada. Norman is also a Director of the Anti-Corruption Law Program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, and is a frequent speaker on combating corruption and financial crime.

Dr. Gregory Carpenter is the Principal Partner of CW PENSEC, holds the title of Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts in London, and was named the National Security Agency’s Operations Officer of the Year. He is coauthor of Reverse Deception and an advisor for RedSeer Security, a Senior Advisor for ARIC, Inc., and a Special Operations Medical Association member. Dr. Carpenter has also served on the International Board of Advisors for the Mackenzie Institute and as an advisor for EC-Council University.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Carpenter held various senior military and civilian positions including Chief Security Officer, Vice President for Cyber Operations, Chief of Security Testing, Chief Operations Officer, Counterintelligence Division Chief, Chief of Special Space Operations, and Functional Team Lead for Electronic Warfare.

Gregory is a retired officer who served 27 years in the U.S. Army. He holds a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Science, and a Doctorate in Public Health. His professional certifications include Certified Information Security Manager, Lean Six-Sigma Black Belt, and ISO-9000 lead auditor.

Jennifer Irish is Director of the Information Integrity Lab at the University of Ottawa, advancing understanding, analysis and mitigation of disinformation and misinformation. She is also an Associate at uOttawa’s Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership, serving as Program Director of its Executive Security and Intelligence Leadership Certificate, and provides professional training and consulting services to a range of security and other clients.

Ms. Irish has extensive previous leadership experience developed over the course of a 36-year career in the Canadian foreign service and government, including in 5 postings abroad spanning national and international security, geostrategic trends and threat assessment, climate change, humanitarian crises, and foreign affairs. In Canada’s Security and Intelligence Community she served as Director General at the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre, which assesses threats to Canada related to terrorism and extremism. She also served as the Director of Operations (2IC) at the Intelligence Assessment Secretariat of Canada’ Privy Council Office, which provides strategic global intelligence assessments for high-level government decision-makers.

Mr. Shaikh is a former supporter of extremism who changed his ways after the 9/11 attacks. After spending two years of studying Arabic and Islamic Studies in Syria, he self-deradicalized and returned to Canada where he was recruited to be an undercover operative with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. He worked multiple CLASSIFIED investigations and then traversed to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (Toronto) in the so-called “Toronto 18” terrorism investigation and its subsequent 4-year, 5-hearing public prosecution. He was also extensively involved in counter-ISIS activities for the U.S. military (CENTCOM, SOCCENT, AFSOS, USASOC, DIA, and others) and Coalition forces between 2012 and 2023, directly engaging with numerous ISIS supporters and members, and supporting deployed elements involved in the fight against ISIS. He currently sits on the Joint Staff – Strategic Multilayer Assessment team as an expert on the topic.

Mr. Shaikh is an internationally known specialist and practitioner and has addressed the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, U.S. State Department, the U.S. Senate, the Canadian Parliament, the European Parliament, and many others on the topics. He is currently a counter extremism specialist with the renowned NGO, “Parents4Peace” where he conducts interventions in extremism cases and appears before the U.S. Courts as an expert.

Holding a Master of Policing, Intelligence, and Counter Terrorism, Mubin also happens to be featured in a permanent exhibit at the New International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. under the section, “Preventing Terror.”

Brett Ashcroft is a Senior Cloud Security Engineer at Tenable who specializes in helping customers design and secure their modern cloud infrastructure. Brett has nearly 20 years of cybersecurity experience and an extensive knowledge of the Tenable product portfolio. Prior to joining Tenable, Brett was a Solutions Consultant, Systems Engineer, Solutions Architect, and Software Sales Engineer. He has been employed by some of the largest cyber security vendors in the world, helping both private and public sector organizations secure their on-prem and cloud environments.

As CEO of Digital, Sue leads a portfolio of digital innovation and capacity-building initiatives destined to deliver over $3.7 billion in revenue for Canadian companies. By accelerating digital transformation in the health, natural resources and skilling sectors, Digital is supporting the development and delivery of world-leading technologies that advance human health, improve environmental health, and create a skilled workforce for the digital world. Prior to leading Digital, Sue held leadership roles in major Canadian organizations including CEO of LifeLabs, Canada’s largest diagnostic lab where she led major growth and technological advancements across Canada’s diagnostic sector. As CEO of Pharmasave, Sue led the delivery of some of the first online access tools for medication information for patients and as Managing Partner of Fasken Vancouver, Sue drove the merger of three leading Canadian law firms into a Canadian national legal leading firm.

Sue serves on the Boards of TELUS International, CORIX and Own the Podium. She has received numerous recognitions for her community contributions including a King’s Counsel, an honorary Doctorate of Technology, Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award and the Peter Lougheed Award for Public Policy. Sue’s greatest joy is spending time in Canada’s wilderness with her husband, daughters and granddaughters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

David Vigneault is the Managing Director of the Global Intelligence Unit for Strider Technologies. David supports engagement with private and public sector organizations as well as advance R&D efforts within the intelligence team.

Prior to joining Strider, David was the ninth Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world.

During his 7-year tenure, David was the leading voice in Canada highlighting the growing threat of Chinese and Russian espionage campaigns including efforts to target the nation’s biopharmaceutical, health, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, ocean technology, and aerospace sectors.

Previously, David served as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Security and Intelligence, Privy Council Office; Associate Vice-President of Program Operations for the Canada Border Services Agency; Director of Transnational Security at the Communications Security Establishment; and the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister at the Department of National Defence.