Head, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre)

Raj iv Gupta is the Head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre), a part of the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE). As Head, Rajiv leads the Cyber Centre in providing expert advice, guidance and services to the Canadian government, the private sector including Canada's critical infrastructure sectors and the Canadian public.

Prior to this role, Raj iv served as the Associate Head of the Cyber Centre for three years, where he was responsible for achieving national level cyber security outcomes for Canada through collaborative efforts with industry partners. Previously a software engineer in the telecommunications sector, Rajiv joined CSE in 2007 and has held a number of leadership roles in the cyber security domain, including Director General of Cyber Defence Capabilities where he oversaw the development and operation of sensors, threat discovery analytics, and autonomous defence technologies used to protect Government of Canada networks. Previous to that role, he was the Director of Security Architecture and Risk Mitigation, responsible for security architecture guidance, supply chain and cloud risk assessments for the Government of Canada, and the implementation of a cyber security risk mitigation framework for Canada's telecommunications sector.

Rajiv holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in engineering and is a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

Chief Information Security Officer, TD Bank

Steve Sparkes joined TD Bank in 2025 as Chief Information Security Officer and has more than 35 years of experience in leadership roles in technology infrastructure, application development, IT Operational Risk, and Cybersecurity.

Previously, Steve joined Scotiabank in 2021 as Chief Information Security Officer and SVP Information Security and Control. In November 2023 he added responsibility for Enterprise Infrastructure, as well as IT and Cyber Risk strategies, systems and procedures.

Prior to Scotiabank, he spent 6 years at Bank of America as a Managing Director, being COO for Cybersecurity and then Head of Cybersecurity Technology. Other prior roles include 13 years as Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, where his career included periods as CTO for Investment Banking, CIO of Technology and Information Risk, and Head of the Technology and Data Philanthropy Committee. His early career included extensive software development for financial systems.

Steve is a strong advocate of the necessity of cybersecurity and resilience across the industry and has delivered numerous presentations on topics such as ethical AI and emerging technological threats.

He serves on the executive board and chairs the Finance Committee of FS-ISAC, a member-driven, not-for-profit organization that advances cybersecurity and resilience in the global financial system, as well as being active in the Canadian cyber community.

Vice-President (Research), Office of the Vice-President (Research), University of New Brunswick

Dr. David MaGee is the vice-president research at UNB. In his role, he provides leadership and vision in shaping UNB's strategic research direction and agenda, overseeing research-related policies and programs, and developing a higher profile for the full spectrum of research and scholarly activities in all UNB's academic units.

Currently in his second term, Dr. MaGee was first appointed vice-president research in 2017. Prior to his appointment, Dr. MaGee served as dean of science (2008-2017) and as chair of the department of chemistry (1999-2007).

In his capacity as vice-president (research), Dr. MaGee serves on the boards of several regional and national organizations, including the new Digital Research Alliance of Canada, Springboard Atlantic, the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, Research New Brunswick (as well as both of its pre-merger organizations, the New Brunswick Health Research Foundation and BioNB), the Canadian Consortium of Ocean Research Universities, Huntsman Marine Centre and AceNet.

A proud New Brunswicker, Dr. MaGee completed his PHD in synthetic organic chemistry at UNB in 1987. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Rochester, he returned to UNB as a faculty member in chemistry. His primary area of research inquiry has focused on new and/or simpler ways to make biologically-interesting and structurally-challenging natural products.

He has published 49 peer-reviewed articles on his research, presented at more than 80 conferences and holds five patents for significant discoveries made in the course of his research.

SVP, Cyber Security, Privacy and Networks, Loblaw Corporation Limited

As an active leader in the Canadian cybersecurity community, he is dedicated to fostering collaboration, resilience, and innovation across sectors. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC), supporting Canada's national cybersecurity strategy through federal research funding and academic partnerships.

His advisory roles at the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity and as a founding member of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst underscore his commitment to advancing workforce development and inclusion, having helped train over 1,200 cybersecurity professionals from underrepresented backgrounds.

At Loblaw, he prioritizes engagement with RH-ISAC, championing intelligence sharing, threat briefings, and operational collaboration as core elements of the collective defense strategy. He actively promotes RH-ISAC's value among cybersecurity, risk, and operational teams and, with his Loblaw onboarding complete, he looks forward to deepening relationships with RH-ISAC leadership and members.

His board experience extends to governance education as Technology & Cybersecurity Director-in-Residence for the Rotman School's ICD Directors Education Program, where he has helped train more than 3,500 board members in governance and cyber risk alignment.

He holds the ICD.D designation for formal board governance training and is committed to driving RH-ISAC's mission with trust, transparency, and operational impact, bringing a Canadian and international perspective to the organization's evolution.

Professor, University of Calgary

Reihaneh (Rei) Safavi-Naini is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Calgary, Canada. She held the NSERC/TELUS Industrial Research Chair, the Alberta Innovates Strategic Chair, and the iCORE Chair in Information Security from 2007 to 2022.

She co-founded the Institute for Security, Privacy, and Information Assurance at the University of Calgary and served as its Director until 2019.

She has served as Program Chair of top-tier conferences including CRYPTO, ASIACRYPT, ACM ASIACCS, and Financial Cryptography, and has served on the program committees of all major conferences in cryptography and information security.

She has also served on the editorial boards of IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, ACM TISSEC, and ACM Computing Surveys, as well as several other peer-reviewed journals.

Her research interests lie at the intersection of the theory and practice of cryptography. She has published over 450 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences and has co-edited more than 20 books. Her current research focuses on information-theoretic cryptography, quantum-safe cryptography, the security of decentralized systems and blockchains, and IoT security.

She was elected a Fellow of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) in 2023.

Director, Cybersecurity Partnerships, Scotiabank

Elaine Hum is a distinguished leader with over two decades of expertise in strategy, partnerships, and cross-sector collaboration. Her extensive career encompasses the realms of finance, government, academia, and the non-profit sector, where she has partnered with fellow leaders to deliver strategic guidance and shape impactful cybersecurity policies.

As Director, Cybersecurity Partnerships at Scotiabank, Elaine develops and leads innovative collaborations with academic and non-academic institutions to advance talent and drive innovation.

She is the chief architect of the Bank’s Cybersecurity Partnership Program, a strategic initiative designed to attract diverse talent from equity-deserving groups and foster breakthrough research and development. In 2023, Elaine’s achievements were honoured by IT World Canada, naming her one of the Top Women in Cybersecurity.

Elaine, known as Cyber Girl, is a prominent figure in the cybersecurity community. She serves on advisory boards, regularly speaks at IT security forums, and contributes her expertise through panel discussions and insightful industry articles.

Her commitment to mentorship is evident in her volunteer work as a coach, where she empowers and inspires future leaders in cybersecurity and technology.

Elaine is passionate about giving back, advocating for increased representation of women in technology, and promoting opportunities for marginalized communities.

Over her 25 years in the financial sector, Elaine spent the majority of her career at the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA), where she provided analysis and advice on operational resilience, cybersecurity, and business continuity.

As a federal lobbyist, she advocated on behalf of cybersecurity issues and managed the annual Canadian Financial Institutions – Computer Incident Response Team (CFI-CIRT) conference for 13 years, bringing together more than 600 IT security professionals from the banking industry each year.

Elaine’s experience at the CBA encompassed IT security, business continuity, domestic banking operations, payments, and government retail debt. She also led fundraising initiatives for charitable organizations, including the Canadian Red Cross, the Terry Fox Foundation, and UNICEF.

In 2013, she was appointed Chairperson of the Canadian Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) for a three-year term, acting as ambassador for the Canadian User Group Committee and SWIFT, a member-owned cooperative for secure global financial messaging. Additionally, Elaine served as Secretary for the SWIFT Canadian User and Member Group for more than a decade.

Executive Director, Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX)

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.

Jennifer has 30 years of experience creating value in emerging businesses, in Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Director, Public Safety Canada’s Cyber Protection Policy Division

Kelly-Anne Gibson is Director of Public Safety Canada's Cyber Protection Policy Division. There she leads national-level efforts to strengthen Canada's cyber security and resilience, empowering a high-performing team to shape Canada's strategic response to evolving cyber threats, including ransomware.

As the federal lead for Bill C-8, An Act Respecting Cyber Security, Kelly-Anne is spearheading Canada's first legislative framework for cyber security in federally-regulated critical infrastructure.

She also leads the team driving Canada's leadership in the international Counter Ransomware Initiative, launching the CRl's first public-private advisory panel and delivering projects such as trend analysis using combined government and industry data, a tabletop exercise focused on aligning public and private response strategies, and a case study on improving public private collaboration during major cyber security incidents.

Building on this global experience, Kelly-Anne leads the development of Canada's Cyber Crime Action Plan, which seeks to reduce cybercrime by introducing measures to improve information sharing, transparency, and accountability in organizational responses to cyber threats and extortion risks.

Kelly-Anne holds an undergraduate degree from Mount Allison University and a Master's from Carleton University's Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Her career reflects a commitment to collaboration, innovation, and safeguarding Canadians in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

Beyond her professional work, Kelly-Anne is a wife, mother of two young boys, and volunteer soccer and hockey coach, roles that underscore her dedication to teamwork and mentorship both inside and outside the workplace.

Senior Vice President, Cyber, Rogers Communication and CISO, Rogers Bank

Paul Hanley is the Senior Vice President for Cyber at Rogers Communication and CISO for Rogers Bank. He is a recognized global expert in Cyber Security, with over 25 years experience in the field, during which time he has successfully played both CISO and ex-Big-4 Senior Partner roles.

While strongly versed in all areas of Cyber Risk and Security, he has particular experience in aligning security functions to the needs of the business and providing Cyber Security direction for Board level Executives. Paul's key subject matter expertise includes forming and running global security functions, business transformation, and leading large-scale Cyber Security programs.

Paul also has expert knowledge in driving effective Cyber Security improvement (including compliance to OSFI or Government Cyber security requirements), Cyber Security Risk Management, Technical Security Architecture Design, IT Risk Management, Cryptography, and resilience. Paul regularly provides input into and comments on, draft Security Standards and legislation, as well as more specific Government Standards.

Paul has been profiled by SC Magazine, the guest presenter at a number of high-profile security events, and Paul’s expertise is regularly sought out for his insights in the Media, both on live television, in the broadsheets as well as in specialist information security press.

Director, Defence and Climate Security

Dan Doran is Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at ADGA Group, where he is responsible for driving market growth, brand visibility, and innovation across the company. He oversees all business development and marketing functions, and leads ADGA’s Research and Development team, focused on advancing next-generation solutions for clients and partners.

With more than 25 years of experience, Dan has built his career across the Canadian Armed Forces, academia, consulting, and private industry. A Regular Force officer with the Royal Canadian Engineers, and now an active Reservist, he has also held leadership roles with McGill University, WSP Canada, KPMG Canada, and His Majesty’s Sustainable Markets Initiative.

He is recognized for his expertise in real property, business development, strategy, management consulting, and climate security. Notably, he led the development of WSP’s Future Ready Canada approach, embedding sustainable design and climate risk considerations across national programs and services.

Dan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, a Master’s degree in Human Security and Peacebuilding, and an MBA. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Certified Management Consultant (CMC). His military education includes the Joint Reserve Command and Staff Programme and training through the United Nations Peace Operations Institute.

Beyond ADGA, Dan contributes his expertise through service on nonprofit boards including the Vimy Foundation, Saint John Ambulance Brigade (Federal District), and the Canadian Military Engineers Association.

Outside of work and volunteer commitments, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their two children, including shuffling them around to their various hockey pursuits.

University of New Brunswick Dean, Faculty of Computer Science

Dr. Luigi Benedicenti is a full professor and dean in the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of New Brunswick. Luigi received his Laurea in Electrical Engineering and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Genoa, Italy.

He is a Professional Engineer licensed in New Brunswick and a licensed Italian Engineer. His collaborative network extends beyond New Brunswick and Canada through collaborative work with colleagues in Europe, South East Asia and North America.

Luigi’s current research is in three areas: Software Agents, Software Process and New Media Technology. He envisions the unification of platform, tools and optimizations for the provision of persistent distributed digital services, regardless of people’s location and delivery device.