Adam has 25 years international experience in managing IT and Information Security mainly in Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Consumer Goods, Telecommunication and Financial Services industries. Founding member of ClubCISO, Consumer Goods Security Forum in the UK and Information Security Forum in Malaysia – peer groups of CISOs and Heads of Information Security formed to exchange good practices and experience within specific focus groups. Adam has significant experience consulting and advising boards of directors of FTSE100/Fortune500 companies on Information Security, Privacy, Risk Management and Resilience. The current role is Chief Information Security Officer at Monument Re Group.

Alan was formerly Group CISO at Babcock International, UK CSO at CSC and T-Systems, an Associate Partner at IBM Security, and served in the Royal Air Force for 21 years.

Alexandra Mercz is a cybersecurity and technology expert with extensive experience in multinational financial institutions and startups. She led her career in major financial institutions, excelling as Chief of Staff, managing complex operations and enhancing organizational efficiency. This experience helped her later guide startups in building strong, scalable operations.

Now, Alexandra works as an advisor and independent consultant to both large companies and startups. She uses her vast knowledge to support early growth and establish robust management practices. Her hands-on approach and dedication make her a trusted advisor, helping new businesses thrive. She has worked with notable organizations such as Standard Chartered Bank, BNP Paribas, Siemens, Vodafone, and Carlsberg, making her well-versed in both technology and business.

Alexandra holds several prestigious certifications, including ISO/IEC 27001:2022 ISMS Lead Auditor, Accredited Trainer for ISACA CRISC, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and Accredited Board Director. Additionally, she is certified three times by Google Cloud Platform, including as a Professional Cloud Security Engineer, and she is also a certified NIST Cybersecurity Framework Lead Implementer.

She is actively involved in various industry professional bodies and technology networks. Alexandra is a member of the European Women on Boards and serves on the Senior Executive Committee of the Cybersecurity Chapter of the Singapore Computer Society. She founded and led the (ISC)² Singapore Mentorship Program, significantly increasing women’s participation in cybersecurity.

Alexandra is passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI&B). She is committed to breaking down barriers and challenging unconscious biases within the cybersecurity sector. She actively mentors and coaches women, helping them achieve career progression and sharing her experiences. By championing alternative career paths and showcasing female role models, she aims to normalize women’s presence in both leadership and technical roles, contributing to a healthier, more diverse industry culture.

Joining us from Brazil, Carlos leads the Cyber Threat Intelligence and Threat Hunting team at the Banco do Brasil. Responsible for defining strategies for security assessments, cyber defense, security automation and threat intelligence, he acts as a technical specialist with the red, blue, automation and threat intelligence teams. Carlos holds an MBS from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroPontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro.

Dr. Chantal Spleiss is an AI expert and Senior Consultant at DHC AG in Switzerland, specializing in Computer System Validation (CSV) in Pharma/MedTech with a strong focus on cybersecurity. With an impressive portfolio of accomplishments and a wealth of knowledge, she is a notable voice in various realms.
In 2024 alone, Dr. Spleiss has made significant contributions to AI and cybersecurity with a strong dedication to advancing the field. She is the lead author of the white paper “AI Resilience: A Revolutionary Benchmarking Model for AI Safety,” published by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). Her expertise is further recognized through her role as a Co-Chair of the AI Governance & Compliance Workgroup at the CSA, and as a panelist at Cloud Expo Europe in Frankfurt, where she shared “Insights into AI”.
Her ability to navigate complex landscapes is unparalleled, blending rigorous technical knowledge with a passion for practical, timely results. Dr. Spleiss’s unique approach stems from her diverse experience across life sciences, technical sciences, and finance & MedTech industries, allowing her to connect the dots in innovative ways. She was recently featured in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in the article “Männer und Frauen passen doch”, highlighting her role in promoting diversity in tech and her forward-thinking approach to industry challenges. Dr. Spleiss enjoys engaging in wide-ranging discussions about “life, the universe and everything”.
Contact: www.linkedin.com/in/chantal-spleiss

Charles McAlpin is a Director, Technical Account Management, Post-Sales with Qualys, the leading provider of Information Security and Compliance assessment solutions. Charlie’s passion and 15 years of experience in the sector allows him to help businesses to identify critical issues within their security operations and to assist in delivering a strengthened security posture. He has a genuine belief that he is helping his clients to avoid the next cyber attack.

Colette is CISO for Checkout.com, a cloud-based payments platform. Before joining Checkout.com she held leadership roles at Skype, Microsoft and Nokia. Specialising in pragmatic and creative solutions for complex and evolving compliance requirements, she is passionate about embedding security and privacy in operations, products and services from design to delivery. Her focus is comprehensive reduction of technology-related risk for the business and for the customer. Colette holds an MSc. in Information Security from Royal Holloway and is CISSP, CISM, CIPP, CDPSE.

George Eapen is currently the Group CIO for Petrofac, an international provider of energy services, with around 11,500 employees supporting international and national oil, gas and renewable energy companies to unlock more value in key geographies including, Malaysia, India, Middle East, Russia and the CIS, the UK and the Americas. In his current role, George and his team manages IT & Digital strategy for the Company. George also serves on the Global Board of Advisors for IBM Security.

George was previously Chief Information Security Officer for GE Global Regions/ GE International. In that role, George was responsible for defining Cyber Security strategy for Enterprise IT & OT for all the GE regions outside of US which accounted for B revenue for the Company. George has 15 years of global experience (USA, India, Singapore, Italy, China & Middle East) with multiple businesses (Healthcare, Aviation, Oil & Gas,) in diverse IT domains (Software development, Quality, Auditing, Infrastructure, Operations & Cyber Security).

George is a well-known thought leader in the field of Cyber having presented extensively on the topic at over 30 conferences worldwide, including key notes at Microsoft Ignite 2019, IBM Think 2020 and GISEC. George also serves as a Non-Executive Board member for many Cyber Organisations and committees. George is a recipient of multiple awards globally and was also featured in Intelligent CIO, Security Middle East and Cyber Sentinels magazine.

George holds an Electrical Engineering degree from MG University, an MBA from Symbiosis, India and an Executive MBA from MIT Sloan.

Respected and leading CISO, awarded the CISO of the year for 2019 in Luxembourg, Sentinel CISO Global 2020, EU CISO 2020, and recently Ambassador of the year 2021 in Luxembourg. Versatile and innovative Cybersecurity professional with emphasis on cyber security risk management, policies and procedures creation, IT/IS security, IT Operations, audit, risk mitigation, business process improvement, IT governance. Passionate about participation and encouragement of women in cybersecurity and in STEM programs.

Prior to current role, served as the Senior Operational Risk and ISO manager for another EU Institution. Earlier in career, managed IT Audit and Compliance for Sobey’s, one of the two national grocery retailers in Canada and Audit, Corporate Development, M&A and growth strategies and IT Audit for George Weston, one of the Canada’s largest publicly traded food processing and distribution companies.

Jorge Fernandes is the CISO, DPO and Director of the Internal Control Office at CMVM, the Portuguese securities supervisor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and several certifications in information security and data protection.

Jorge has more than 20 years of professional experience in Information Security in the financial services sector. His experience as CISO includes the European Securities and Markets Authority and the Council of Europe Development Bank. He is currently a member of several European regulatory groups regarding cybersecurity, operational resilience, and the digitalisation of the financial sector.

Julian Meyrick helps clients develop their security strategy in the context of the cyber business risks that they face; he has a particular focus on advising boards on the potential business impact of cybersecurity, and on quantifying cybersecurity risk in financial terms. From 2019 to 2023 Julian was the Managing Partner & Vice President for IBM Security’s worldwide Security Strategy Risk & Compliance practice. In 2020 he launched a new offering focused on quantifying cyber security risk in financial terms using the FAIR Institute Open Standard which grew rapidly delivering client projects globally across all industries. In 2021 he was invited to join the FAIR Institute Industry Advisory Board.

In 2012 Julian was selected to lead the integration of IBM’s new IT Security Services organisation in Europe, bringing together security consulting, security implementation services and managed security services into a single team to deliver an end to end service for clients and was promoted to Vice President in 2014. Julian is passionate about attracting talent into the cybersecurity profession and is an Ambassador for the UK National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst programme. In the past he sponsored IBM’s partnership with Salute My Job which has trained over 500 military veterans in cybersecurity. Julian was also IBM’s executive sponsor for the Charter of Trust, a unique initiative by leading global companies to secure the digital world. Julian has lectured both at Oxford University’s Said Business School and Centre for Doctoral Training on Cybersecurity, and also at Warwick University’s MSc Course on CyberSecurity and Management.

Having more than 20 years of experience in the information security industry and the GCC region, Lorna is a Security Executive Partner and CISO Advisor with Gartner, having advised over 45 Cybersecurity Executives/CISOs across different industries in the GCC region. As a sought-after speaker, she has presented at numerous conferences, sharing insights and strategies that help CISOs achieve their objectives.

In addition to her technical expertise, Lorna is also a skilled communicator who excels at distilling complex security concepts into clear, actionable advice for non-technical stakeholders.

One of Lorna’s key responsibilities is running security awareness sessions for Boards of Directors, non-security Executives, VPs and GMs in various organizations.

Experienced CSO/CISO with than 20 years experience in financial services, Michael has a strong side-interest in computer forensics and in the management of digital evidence. Graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1987 where he studied Mathematics and Computer Science. He has since lived in three continents and has lectured globally on security technology issues. Since 1996 has been working in Security and Technology in Financial Services primarily in London.

Owanate is the founder of Bestman Solutions, a firm dedicated to helping leaders hire cyber security professionals. He advises CISOs and Executives on market factors that impact their growth plans and designs bespoke solutions to address this. Firmly embedded in the cyber security space, he possesses a global core network of well-respected and proven security specialists. Owanate has spent almost a decade recruiting in the Cyber Security field. Before this, he recruited Technology and Operational Risk specialists and successfully staffed a number of high profile banking regulatory programmes. He is also a keen industry speaker and writer for security associations and international publications. Outside of Security and staffing, Owanate is interested in all things Martial Arts.

Having worked within the operational resilience and critical event management space for more than 20 years, Owen is a driving force in the evolution of operational resilience practices. During his extensive career at Everbridge, Owen has played a pivotal role in the delivery of the Everbridge Critical Event Management platform, collaborating with, and supporting, over 800 customers across a diverse range of sectors. Known for his deep industry insights, Owen frequently takes the stage as a key speaker at industry events.

Dr Leivesley, sally@newrisk.com works on generic solutions to catastrophic risks to critical infrastructure across all disciplines and contributes practical applications to government policy and business. She has been a Panel adviser to for the British IET and CPNI supported publication for Cyber Security in the Built Environment.
As an Advisor to companies and governments on protection of people and infrastructure and strategies for security and business Dr Leivesley has worked across industry sectors gas and petrochemicals; power distribution; hazardous goods transportation by rail; underground and aboveground rail; underground mines; bulk shipping and banks.
As an international media commentator she has commentated for BBC World Service and other news outlets on extreme threats – Chinese spy balloon over USA nuclear missile site, uranium package at London Heathrow airport, cyber; terrorism; aviation losses; nuclear reactor explosions; Kabul 2021 evacuation; South China Sea; Polonium-210 and Novichok poisonings, Beslan siege; Iran; DPRK; USA Presidential security abroad; Covid-19, unexplained incidents such as MH370 and chemical incidents.

Dr Leivesley has held international scientific meetings on issues of catastrophic risk including risks of emerging nuclear weapons, infrastructure resilience including cyber, Covid-19 solutions and hazardous near-earth objects.
She was director of two disaster recovery units in Australia (weather and chemical incidents) and trained by British Home Office as Scientific Advisor holding a Cold War appointment as on all aspects of nuclear war.
PhD London University; Member of the Register of Security Engineers and Specialists RSES; International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigator; Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, and the British Information Assurance Advisory Council Community.

Sandip  is a highly accomplished Senior Technology Risk Executive with 23 years of extensive experience in Cyber Security, Operational Risk, IT Risk, Internal Controls, and Compliance.

Since September 2017, he is serving as the Managing Director and Global Head of Emerging Technology Risks at BNP Paribas, where he is  focused  governance and oversight of emerging technology domains such as Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Assets, Threat Intelligence, and External Engagements.

Sandip has been instrumental in driving collaboration in European Financial Services community as a member of Financial Services Advisory Group at European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) and as a co-chair of European Financial Roundtable Cyber Experts Group.

Sybil has worked in global consulting, banking, insurance, and telecoms during the last 25 years, in both New York and in Germany. As a DQS senior lead auditor, she specialized during the last 15 years in Cybersecurity by auditing information security management systems in global companies from banks to data centers. As a Cyber consultant she implemented several types of ISO management systems and coached board members to optimize business processes by building on core business strengths. As a Business Continuity Manager and Head of Security Audit at a global telecoms company, she built operational Cyber processes and managed the global audit management program. In her last role as Group CISO at a fortune 100 bank in Frankfurt, she implemented Cyber Security, Governance and Risk Management including regulatory reporting on critical cyber incidents.

Sybil joined Hays because Hays puts people in jobs every few seconds, in 33 countries. Hays is the market leader for people placement in Germany and together with Michael Beaupre and Neil Khatod are building the Hays Cyber Channel. Their aim is to become the leading Cyber recruiter with Cyber Advisory Services, to help CISOs spend more time with their families. She feels she can do this with her wealth of experience as an banking CISO, auditor and mentor.

Valerie is a cybersecurity leader with expertise in digital transformation, risk and governance, information security, cloud services and business resilience with significant exposure in multiple industries. A highly motivated problem solver that excellently communicates technical issues and resolution to project teams, customers, stakeholders, and all levels of management.

At Loreal, Valerie is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Company’s security strategy, providing assurance to the business, stakeholders, and customers covering UK & Ireland. She manages the overall Risk Management/Security in Projects, Compliance Management, Cybersecurity Awareness/Education, Resiliency, Technical & Professional competencies.

Valerie has contributed to the mentorship of young adults in Information Technology, a strong supporter of Women in Technology and has provided advice in areas of Governance, Risk and Compliance, digital transformation and Information Security Management System Implementation and Audit.

More than two decades of professional experience in information management and governance, with particular focus on information security, risk management and assurance for large multilateral public sector organizations with global presence. Actively contributing to inter-organizational working groups for establishing policies, standards, and guidelines in the area of information security, personal data protection, awareness programs, risk analysis and metrics. Conducting research in cryptography, data protection regulation, and risk management. I’ve started professional career in information technology in the year of the release of Mosaic Web browser, Intel Pentium CPU, Microsoft Windows NT, Debian Linux, Doom computer game… Since the Internet bubble, teaching computer science and telecommunications courses as adjunct faculty at Computer Science Department of Webster University in Geneva. Actively contributing to academic program advancement as a member of the Scientific Committee for Advanced Studies in Information Security at the Department of Management Studies of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Geneva. Advocating advancement in information security as an author in journals and as a speaker at professional conferences.