AI x Cloud Security Summit

Global Cyber Lead

DECIEM

Pearl Almeida serves as the Global Cyber Lead at DECIEM where she is dedicated to building a robust security program, from governance to operations. Pearl is a dynamic information security professional that brings a risk-based approach to problem solving. With a deep interest in the psychology of cybersecurity, she brings a holistic understanding of the people, process, and technology of an organization when building resilient security cultures and systems.

Pearl has experience leading cybersecurity strategies and policy at the national security and provincial levels, and experience in consulting for cyber risk management and offensive security. Through her master's focused on technology policy and cyber warfare, she consulted on the ethical AI governance and regulation.

Co-Founder, SecTor

Bruce Cowper is a founding member of the Security Education Conference Toronto (SecTor), the Toronto Area Security Klatch (TASK), the Ottawa Area Security Klatch (OASK) and an active member of numerous organizations across North America. Until recently Bruce worked for Microsoft managing security and compliance programs. Cowper joined Microsoft in 2004 and held several positions at Microsoft Canada before moving to the United States, most recently focusing on global Security Policy and Standards, and managing the Microsoft’s Government Security Program. Today he spends his time consulting on various topics from cyber security to wine and beer making.

CIO

Vector Institute

Ben is the current CIO and CISO at the Vector Institute and is responsible for overseeing Vector’s scientific and business computing environments. He leads Vector’s participation in building a national AI research compute environment as part of the national Pan-Canadian AI Strategy and sits on the OECD.AI Expert Group on Compute and Climate. Ben has a broad background in technology management with prior experience including a CIO role at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and over twenty-five years of experience in strategic planning, IT operations management, cybersecurity, and technology consulting with organizations in North America, Europe and Asia. He has held progressive IT management positions in multiple sectors including pharmaceutical, software manufacturing, transportation, travel, and consulting. He was co-founder and president of a managed services company, has been involved in several start-ups, and has been a member of several non-profit boards.

Director of AI Governance and Data Analytics

Telus

Jesslyn Dymond, Director, AI Governance & Data Ethics, leads TELUS’ internationally-awarded approach to responsible, data-driven innovation. A leader in data enablement and advocate for creative solutions, her privacy and data governance expertise build customer trust with emerging technology, like AI. Jesslyn has a Master of Information from the University of Toronto’s iSchool, is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Canada, and Data Ethics Professional from the Open Data Institute.

Director, Cyber Advisory

City of Toronto

Mohsin Khan is the Director of Cyber Advisory at the City of Toronto, where he leads enterprise-wide cyber security strategy, governance, and transformation initiatives. With over 10 years of global experience spanning North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, Mohsin has delivered high-impact initiatives at the intersection of cyber security, process Improvement, and digital innovation in the Public Service, Telecom, Agriculture and Logistics sectors.

Beyond his professional achievements, Mohsin is committed to giving back to his community and has been recognized for his work by the Mayor of Toronto, the Lieutenant Governor, the Governor General, the Prime Minster of Canada, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. He currently sits on the advisory boards for ACCES Employment and The Chang School of Continuing Education, Toronto Metropolitan University (Lean Six Sigma Curriculum Committee).

Mohsin holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering from Toronto Metropolitan University, and advanced certifications in Lean Six Sigma, Project Management, Agile Methodology, Cyber Security and Privacy.

CSO, Quick Intelligence

Dave Millier is a serial entrepreneur, off-road motorcycle rider and food lover. Dave has been involved in cybersecurity for almost 25 years. He founded the InfoSec company Sentry Metrics, one of Canada’s most successful MSSPs. After the sale of Sentry Metrics, Dave’s lifelong passion for reading led him to finally sit down and write his first book, Breached! In late 2014, Dave launched Uzado, a cloud-based InfoSec company focused on helping companies simplify cybersecurity by answering the questions “what now?” or “what next?” Dave sold Uzado in 2019. Dave is currently the CSO of Quick Intelligence, a boutique VAR and cybersecurity consulting company.

Security Practice Manager, AWS Canada; President, WiCyS Ontario Affiliatex

Karen Nemani (she/her) is a Cybersecurity Leader with expertise in cloud security, risk and strategy along with 25 years of cybersecurity experience across multiple domains, Karen is a thought leader in cybersecurity as well as a contributing author and mentor. She launched the first International Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) Ontario Affiliate that has since received the Women in Cybersecurity 2022 Affiliate Leadership Award and ITWC honoured Karen as one of Canada’s Top 20 Women in Cybersecurity in 2022. As WiCyS Ontario President, Karen works with her leadership team to build community and open doors to cybersecurity opportunities for Canadian women both in Canada and globally. Karen is part of the 2023 WiCyS Conference Program Committee and co-developed the 2023 WiCyS Mentorship Program content and in 2023 WiCyS honoured Karen with a Special Appreciation award for her many community-building contributions.

AI, Machine Learning and Data Product Leader | Canada's Top 25 Women in AI

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Sharon Shahrokhi Tehrani is a distinguished product leader renowned for her expertise in leveraging big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to drive product innovation and enhance business capabilities. As a Product Manager at CBC, she spearheads the development of an advanced data, ML, and AI platform that empowers content teams to make data-driven decisions, ensuring the delivery of relevant, diverse, and personalized content to audiences. Recognized among Canada's Top 25 Women of Influence, Sharon is a key advocate for bridging academia and industry to foster innovative solutions.

Chief Identity Architect, Semperis

Throughout his 24-year career in the IT field, Eric has sought out and held a diverse range of roles, including technical manager in the public sector, Sr. Premier Field Engineer at Microsoft, and Security and Identity Architect in the Microsoft partner ecosystem. Currently he is a Senior Security Researcher working as part of the Security Research team at Semperis. Eric is a Microsoft MVP for security, recognized for his expertise in the Microsoft identity ecosystem. Outside of work, Eric supports the professional community, providing his insights and expertise at conferences, participating on the IDPro Body of Knowledge committee, and blogging about Entra and related cloud security topics.