Rhonda Bunn is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), at the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. As the CISO, Rhonda is responsible for leading the delivery of a comprehensive cyber risk management program to predict, identify and address threats to information security and enable the Ontario government to meet its digital service delivery comm

Rhonda has over thirty years of IT industry experience, particularly at the intersection of technology, HR and transformational projects. Prior to joining the Ontario Public Services in April 2022, Rhonda worked in the local government sector as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in the Township of Adjala- Tosorontio where she worked collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to deliver on program, organizational and culture change. Before her role as CAO, Rhonda served as Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of Innovate Barrie at the City of Barrie.

Rhonda is known as an engaged and collaborative leader with the ability to identify and deliver innovative and technological solutions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, and is Certified in Emergency Management, Six Sigma- Black Belt, ITIL and as a Network Engineer.

Noemi Chanda, a Partner in Deloitte's Data Protection and Privacy practice, is a licensed lawyer and certified privacy professional specializing in issues at the intersection of privacy, technology, and health. She provides advisory services for organizations seeking to deliver new and better services for their clients and the community, in the areas of regulatory compliance, data protection, information privacy, cyber security strategy, and risk management.

Noemi brings a unique perspective – with a deep understanding of legislation, policy, governance, and risk management – on how privacy and cyber security strategies, frameworks, principles, and operating models can support the future of our connected ecosystems in managing emerging risks while fostering impactful innovation across the broader public sector.

Dinah Davis is VP of R&D Operations at Arctic Wolf Networks. The work she has done over the last seven years has helped the company become the leader in Security Operations and reach unicorn status (Nov 2020). Dinah is a big believer in helping connect people to build a better community. For the last four years, she has been running the KW Cybersecurity Meetup, in 2019 she co-founded and ran the CyberCity Conference, and she is also an active mentor for the Waterloo and Western Canada chapters of the Founders Institute. She is also the founder of Code Like a Girl, a publication whose goal is to change society's perception of how women are viewed in technology.

Oleh Derevianko is a visionary business and social entrepreneur. He is the Co-founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Vision Officer of ISSP — Information Systems Security Partners — a private international cybersecurity company founded in 2008 in Ukraine and currently operating globally. ISSP acted as the first responder to and investigator of many of the most sophisticated cyberattacks in history and was named by WIRED as ‘the go-to firm for victims of Ukraine’s cyberwar’. 

Before founding ISSP, Oleh worked as CEO and Board Member in Ukrainian and international companies concentrating on new venture building, organizational development, and change management among other strategic tasks, and is passionate about lifelong learning, leadership, emotional intelligence, and creativity. Oleh is an internationally recognized expert and opinion leader in cybersecurity strategy and practice. He has presented at MIT, Stanford, Texas A&M, The Atlantic Council, The Aspen Cyber Summit, Berlin Cybersecurity Forum, Web Summit, Collision, CYBERSEC European Cybersecurity Forum, many other international cybersecurity and information security conferences and events, and has been referenced in WSJ, CNN, CNBC, Politico, WIRED, Le Monde, Reuters, BBC Future, VICE News, NYT, and two bestselling books on cybersecurity.

Charles founded the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst in 2018 with a vision to build Canada’s leading centre for cybersecurity innovation and collaboration. Charles oversees all aspects of the Catalyst’s program delivery and strategic growth. Charles has been instrumental in developing nationally unique programming in cybersecurity training, commercialization, public education and policy development. Prior to founding the Catalyst, Charles served as chief of staff and director of policy to the Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Growth. Charles worked closely with private sector and government leaders to develop and implement the province’s strategy to make Ontario a global leader in technology innovation and commercialization. Before joining government, Charles practiced law at BMO Capital Markets and Torys LLP, worked as a technology researcher at Forrester Research, and was a freelance business journalist for The Globe and Mail and Canadian Business Magazine.

Melissa Hathaway is president of Hathaway Global Strategies LLC, where she brings a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional perspective to strategic consulting and strategy formulation for public and private sector clients. She served in two US presidential administrations, leading the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative for President George W. Bush and spearheading the Cyberspace Policy Review for President Barack Obama.

Melissa has served on the boards of directors for three public companies and three non-profit organizations and is a strategic adviser to a number of public and private companies. She brings a unique combination of policy and technical expertise, as well as boardroom experience, to help others better understand the intersection of government policy, developing technological and industry trends, and the economic drivers that impact acquisition and business development strategy in this field. She publishes regularly on cybersecurity matters affecting companies and countries.

Melissa has a B.A. from American University in Washington, DC, and is a graduate of the US Armed Forces Staff College, with a special certificate in information operations.

Rushmi Hasham is a strong advocate for identifying and implementing unique training and employment opportunities to increase the representation of women in Cybersecurity and other technology-related careers.

In her endeavour to increase diversity in cybersecurity, Rushmi recently joined Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, as Director of Training and Certification. The Catalyst is a not-for-profit owned by Ryerson University. The Catalyst, launched September 2018, will empower Canadians and Canadian businesses to take the opportunities and tackle the challenges of cybersecurity by driving collaboration and excellence in training and certification; commercial incubation and acceleration; applied R&D; and public education and policy development in cybersecurity. Rushmi is also a serial social-entrepreneur, founding 2 businesses in the technology services industry. She firmly follows the doctrine that business has a responsibility in lifting communities, she has weaved that doctrine into her own companies and into her work at the Catalyst. One of Rushmi's ventures has been selected as Canada’s Top 50 Growth Businesses.

Rushmi lives in Mississauga with her husband Jeff and their two daughters, Natalie and Nicole.

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

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

Kathy Knight joined the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology as Executive Director, CyberWave, on April 20, 2021. After more than a decade at the helm of Tech Manitoba, she brings with her a remarkable blend of subject matter expertise, leadership skills, and relationship-building ability.

Under Kathy’s leadership, Tech Manitoba grew into the leading voice of the ICT industry in this province. As CEO, she was one of the founding partners the MITT/Pembina Trails School Division/Tech Manitoba collaboration on an innovative early college/high school program that reinvents technology education as we know it. She also advocated for greater representation of women in technology, showcased how vital ICT is to Manitoba’s economy. She created signature events such as Innovators and DisruptED, which bring educators and employers together to create a vision for the future of work and learning.

Now with CyberWave@MITT, Kathy is positioning Manitoba as a nexus for cybersecurity innovation, applied research and talent acceleration. Those in the business community who have met or worked with Kathy know she is adept at combining learning with employment opportunities, and creating a community of thinkers and doers united by the common purpose of making Manitoba the kind of place where big ideas link with technology to create exciting new opportunities.

Renu has over 32 years of Ontario Public Service experience in diverse policy, regulatory, licensing, enforcement and program delivery environments across several ministries, including Education, Labour, Training and Skills Development, and Cabinet Office. She was the Associate Deputy Minister, ServiceOntario, at the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS).

Prior to joining MGCS, Renu was the Assistant Deputy Minister, Community Services, at the Ministry of the Solicitor General where she championed community reintegration planning, modernizing frontline staff training and investing in technological solutions. Renu was also responsible for leading Ontario’s response to the federal government’s legalization of recreational cannabis. This work at the Ministry of the Attorney General involved leading collaboration across government, First Nations communities, municipalities, police services, public health and education stakeholders, along with extensive engagement with Health Canada and Justice Canada. She also led the delivery of consumer and business services, regulatory compliance, and enforcement programs as Assistant Deputy Minister of Consumer Service Operations in MGCS.

Renu is a collaborative operational and policy leader and has demonstrated success in diverse regulatory and operational environments. She is politically astute and has a strong record in leading transformation. As a leader, Renu continuously strives to embed diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism into organizational practices, including as Executive Sponsor of Tamils in Public Service.

David Langille is currently the Head of Cyber Security, Strategy, Risk Management, and Architecture Branch managing four Cyber Security units within the Cyber Security Division. Cyber security provides a comprehensive cyber risk management program to predict, identify, and address threats to information security and enable the Ontario government to operate securely and meet its digital service delivery commitments. He is a passionate and experience professional with more than 15 years of IT security-related experience. He has held a variety of progressive roles in areas such as: cyber security, digital forensics, law enforcement and online authentication services.

Nancy Lavoie is the Ontario Chief Risk Officer (CRO)/Assistant Deputy Minister within the Office of the Comptroller General, Treasury Board Secretariat.

As a CRO, she leads Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) processes, providing corporate leadership and direction to implement modern risk management practices. The Office of the CRO works horizontally with ministries to build capacity, provide advice, monitor implementation of the ERM framework, streamline risk reporting, and provide a challenge function to ministries and provincial agencies.

Nancy joined the OPS within the Ontario Internal Audit Division (OIAD) where she has progressed in increasingly responsible positions. Within her client-ministries and working with TBS colleagues, she has helped to bring risk management, IT audit services, and forensics, and advisory services to a more mature state.

Julia Le is the Senior Manager of the Education and Centre of Excellence Unit at the Government of Ontario within the Cyber Security Division. Her responsibilities include leading Ontario’s Cyber Security Centre of Excellence, providing advice and information sharing to improve Ontario’s cyber security posture to meet the digital service expectations of Ontarians. Julia holds a Bachelor of Law and Criminology from the Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master of Public Policy at the University of Waterloo. With a professional career spanning all levels of government, she has held progressive roles in areas such as; cyber security, innovation & economic development and immigration.

Brian Lesser is Toronto Metropolitan University's (TMU) Chief Information Officer (CIO). Since 1995, he has held several positions at TMU including Director of computing and communications services, manager, academic computing and assistant director, application development and support. Brian was a pivotal leader of TMU’s move towards Google Apps for Education and the renewal of the university's online learning tools. Brian also played a key role in the development of TMU’s first identity management system, establishing the universities e-learning support team, and is a founding member of Toronto Metropolitan’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ) steering committee. The DMZ is a startup incubator and accelerator. Brian is also a board member of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst.

Before working at TMU, Brian worked at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada and the National Archives of Canada.

Adam has been leading and motivating the teams behind key transformation projects within the Government of Ontario since 2011. In his current role as Director within the Information Privacy and Archives division, Adam is helping to develop and execute on the vision of how policy and data standards when combined with modern technology platforms can enable new, smart, data-centric business models while ensuring public confidence in privacy protection. Previously, Adam served as the Head of Solutions for the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Head of Enterprise HR Systems.

Adam is a passionate advocate for enterprise information management, with over 25 years of experience in bringing business, data, enterprise governance and technology together reimagine service delivery by placing the needs of people and data at the centre of everything we do.

Marlene is a Manager within the Information, Privacy and Archives Division in the Ontario Public Service. For over fourteen years, she has provided leadership for multiple enterprise wide projects and initiatives in various ministries in policy and operational branches. She currently leads the Access and Privacy Strategy and Policy team which provides policy research, development and strategic advice and guidance to ministries, municipalities and the broader public sector regarding the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. As a Privacy Federal, Provincial and Territorial Subcommittee member, she represents Ontario to share best practices that support access and privacy regimes.

Kashif is the CISO for the University Health Network (UHN), and is also a member for the CISO Forum Canada Advisory Board. Kashif is a seasoned cyber security expert with over 15 years experience managing security programs for large private and public sector organizations. In his career, Mr. Parvaiz has overseen the implementation of successful enterprise wide security awareness, vulnerability management, and incident response programs. In addition, Mr. Parvaiz has developed and managed long-term Cyber roadmaps to raise Cyber maturity levels.

Jason Persaud is currently the Interim Head of Cyber Security Operations Branch managing three Cyber Security units within the Cyber Security Division. He is responsible for testing and conducting vulnerability assessments of OPS IT systems, developing and deploying secure solutions and monitoring the OPS network for cyber threats. His primary focus is to oversee the mission critical Cyber Security Operations Centre which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, and is responsible for monitoring and protecting the OPS users, systems and application hosting environments . He has 15 years of experience in the I&IT and cyber security field and has held a number of roles including Senior Manager of Cyber Security - Secure Solution Design.

The Honourable Kaleed Rasheed is Ontario’s first associate minister for digital government and is hard at work helping the province become a world-leading digital jurisdiction. As a long-time champion of Canada’s technology industry, he brings extensive private sector experience, spanning banking, services and telecommunications, to this new role. A community advocate and a father of five, Minister Rasheed is dedicated to ensuring a future-proof, safe and prosperous Ontario. His first private member’s bill, the Stop Cyberbullying in Ontario Day Act, 2019, passed with unanimous consent of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Minister Rasheed holds a bachelor of business administration from the University of Guelph-Humber and a master of business administration from the University of Bradford.

Mahdi’s influence continues to inspire his phenomenal executive leadership team at SiberX. His focus on developing opportunities to fulfill unique pathways and potential for his team is one of the most rewarding aspects of his personal mission as CEO. Mahdi’s diverse experience enables him to propel a growth-driven mindset that is sustainable throughout the ever-changing economic climate.

Mahdi’s long standing passion in Cyber Security lead him to the question; “why doesn’t everyone know this and how can I change that?” Since that initial thought, Mahdi has been dedicated to creating awareness in cybersecurity and educating both public and private sectors, enterprises, educational institutions, etc. on the importance of cybersecurity.

When he is not doing what he loves professionally, you can find him entertaining his family and friends through is crafty culinary skills with his signature recipes of course, exploring nature through biking or hiking, or immersed in the rich cultures somewhere around the world.

Heather is Global Leader of IBM Security’s Academic Outreach Program, striving to address the skills gap through education.

She is leader of IBM’s Women in Security Excelling (WISE) Business Resource Group. With 1000 members, WISE aims to bring awareness and change to the cybersecurity gender gap through education, events, industry outreach and youth outreach. Heather is particularly passionate about inspiring our youth to aspire to careers in STEM, and about driving awareness around the cybersecurity skills and gender gaps. She is a proud Founder of IBMCyberDay4Girls, a program designed to build cybersecurity awareness amongst pre-teen and teenage girls around the world. The IBMCyberDay4Girls program has touched the lives of 5400 girls across 6 continents since its launch in October 2016.

Heather strives to inspire others by sharing her passion for leadership and learning. She believes that if we are not learning, we are not growing. Her passions include workforce diversity, the advancement of women, volunteering, continuous learning, travelling, and spending time with her family.

As Vice President, Cyber Security at Rogers Communications, Sundeep leads the organization’s cyber security risk and vulnerability practice with over 20 years of extensive leadership experience in information and technology risk, cyber security transformation and governance, security operations and cloud technologies.

Over the course of nine years at Rogers, Sundeep has held various leadership roles and is now responsible for the cyber security risk program, threat & vulnerability management, cloud security and cyber security board reporting. She is a strong advocate for building leaders that drive a culture of security and establish capabilities that shape Rogers’ diverse product offerings to its customers and Canadians.

Prior to joining Rogers, Sundeep spent 13 years in professional services where she managed global teams conducting IT risk advisory and audit services across various industries. Sundeep is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, and she holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and a Master's degree in International Business & Information Systems. Sundeep is passionate about empowering leaders that reflect the communities they serve, promoting a culture of innovative thinking and building diverse & inclusive high-performing teams.

She is a Co-Chair for the Rogers Technology Inclusion & Diversity Committee where she is responsible for strategic initiatives to increase representation of current and future talent pipelines.

A high profile, dynamic individual who has earned respect from colleagues and the public with a consistent record of achievement. Shelley has enjoyed careers in nursing, social work, Minister of the Crown in Ontario, Vice President of business development, and started her own company in 2012, as a Consultant for people and organizations that wanted to grow and create change.

Shelley is presently enjoying a career in Business & People Development with companies in the United States and Canada. Shelley has spent the past 25 years in Business Development, Training and strategically building strong organizations.  Workforce planning, retention, skill measurement and development have been an integral part of her role.

Shelley has been with the SANS Institute in the role of Community Cybersecurity development, Ambassador and recently overseeing federal contractors. Shelley was a key player in having SANS be the major training partner for Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst.

Robert Wong is currently the Chair of the Broader Public Sector (BPS) Cyber Security Expert Panel, reporting to the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery for the Province of Ontario, to provide advice and recommendations to strengthen the digital resilience and enhance the cyber security posture of BPS partners.

Robert retired as the former Executive Vice-President, Chief Information Officer at Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited. He held that senior IT role from 2010 to 2020 and was responsible for the overall delivery of information technology services for the organization, including operational technology, cyber security, and telecommunications. He was also the Chief Risk Officer, having developed and implemented Toronto Hydro’s Enterprise Risk Management system, and had responsibility for strategic planning, corporate governance, performance measurement, and business continuity.

Robert also sits on the Board and Audit Committee of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) which operates the power systems of Ontario in real time; oversees the province’s electricity market; and plans for Ontario’s future needs.

Mohammad Qureshi is the Corporate Chief Information Officer and Associate Deputy Minister for the Government Information Technology Ontario (GovTechON) organization, leading more than 4000 I+IT technologists powering the Government of Ontario as a leading digital jurisdiction. With over 20 years in public service, his mission has remained the same: enable the public sector to harness the benefits of transformative technology and deliver better outcomes for people.

Prior to becoming CCIO, he was named Ontario’s first Chief Information Security Officer before becoming Chief Information Officer of the Infrastructure Technology Services division. In May of 2022, Mohammad was recognized as the CIO of the Year within the public sector category, by IT World Canada.

Ira is an authority on cybersecurity solution development for enterprise clients and vendors; he advises on business growth, risk and cybersecurity to public and private sector leaders. Ira has led complex security programs and technical projects across a wide range of sectors with companies around the world. Previously, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Herjavec Group, a global cybersecurity provider recently acquired by Apax Partners. He has held executive roles in Technology Operations, Corporate Development, and Managed Security Services. Ira is a published thought leader specializing in emerging business trends in cybersecurity, privacy and identity. He is an active member on both corporate and not-for-profit Boards of Directors.