Jeff is the Director of Customer Protection (Authentication) and Cryptographic Services within the information security department of a major financial institution with over 20 years’ experience in 24/7 operations environments. Prior to venturing into information security, his focus was as a director of architecture in the contact centre and application development space, leading technical teams of up to 100 members. He primarily served financial services, telecommunications, and professional services organizations.

His experience in architecture, data centre, program management, application development and strategy has led him to experience every one of the 8 domains prescribed within the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge.

Jeff wrote his Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification exam in 2013. He first trained as an aircraft engineer and continues to carry learnings from that industry into technical operations.

Jeff teaches the Cyber Security Operations Management course within the Certificate in Advanced Cyber Security and he is also the Academic Coordinator for the Post-Graduate Certificate in Cyber Security Operations.

Dilara currently works at the City of Toronto as a Senior Cyber Analytics Specialist, where she leads various dashboard projects, performs risk assessments, and establishes KRI/KPI metrics. She previously worked in the banking and finance industry as a Senior Information Security Analyst within global identity and access Management teams to lead global manager and role certifications. Dilara is a data-oriented person who enjoys learning new facts and acquiring new knowledge. Her passion is exploring as many different ways to connect ideas as possible while continuously learning and growing. She holds a CISSP certification and has received degrees in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from York University.

Over the past 28 years, Ed Dubrovsky’s name has been synonymous with information security, Cyber breach response, risk management, cyber education and entrepreneurship. As a practitioner and management executive, Mr. Dubrovsky built and led cyber consulting practices in a number of organizations including successfully concluding an acquisition by one of the largest publicly traded global insurance services conglomerate.

Mr. Dubrovsky is responsible for helping thousands of victims across North America recover from some of the most devastating cyber-attacks including ransomware, business email compromises, extortion attacks, malicious insiders and advanced persistent threats. Mr. Dubrovsky’s passion is in developing organizational cybersecurity programs that fundamentally are structured to rapidly adapt to new threat actor tools, techniques, and processes through the use of effective controls coupled with relevant intelligence. When Mr. Dubrovsky is not busy helping clients, he can be found teaching at the York University’s cyber security program where he sits on the advisory board and acts as both a course developer and an instructor. Mr. Dubrovsky holds a number of academic and industry certifications including BSc, MSc, MBA, OSCP and the CISSP designation (2002).

Mr. Dubrovsky is a well-known leader in the Cyber field and has authored numerous articles in the areas of offensive security, practical measures to protect organizations, contributed to many media articles and is frequently sought after to present at numerous media and industry conferences across the globe.

Victoria holds the CISSP, CISA and CPA designations and has an MBA from Queen’s University. She is currently a Senior Information Security Consultant at a “Big 5″ bank specializing in red team remediation and support. Victoria is passionate about education and contributes to the community as an Assistant Instructor in the Certificate in Cyber Security Fundamentals at York University. She also supports the cybersecurity community as President of the (ISC)² Toronto Chapter board, where she works to create professional education opportunities, encourages increased diversity in the field, and connects the numerous and diverse information security groups across the GTA in order to advance the industry together. Victoria is also researching new insights into the “human element” through marrying the fields of psychology and cybersecurity, and is a frequent speaker at cybersecurity conferences and events.

Having been brought up in over three continents as part of his childhood, Ali Khan, CCISO, CISM, CISSP, CDPSE, CISA also known as #thecyberAli, is an executive cybersecurity professional, father, author, thought leader, mentor, angel investor, and a humanitarian.

Ali serves the cybersecurity industry globally with his innovative approach to executing and delivering on cybersecurity initiatives. As a mentor and educator, Ali continues to work closely with educational institutions to develop the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and also provides mentorship, guidance and career coaching to upcoming and aspiring cyber professionals and startups. Ali also volunteers his time and efforts at not-for-profit organizations providing his subject matter expertise.

Ali has an Executive Management Certificate in Leading Organizations in Disruptive Times from INSEAD School of Business, France, an Honors Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Information Technology Management from York University, Canada and is a Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). Ali also has NATO and Level II (Secret) Clearance from the Government of Canada.

He’s also the co-author of Because You Can: Your Cybersecurity Career, a simple and practical handbook with actionable insights for success.

To learn more about Ali, visit: www.thecyberAli.com

Gaurav Kumar is a security and risk management leader with one of the world’s largest management consulting companies. In his current role, Gaurav is responsible for helping client executives develop suitable security and risk management strategies that meet business needs, seeking to balance defensive and responsive strategic elements.

For over 15 years, Gaurav has been helping businesses understand and proactively manage information technology risks by effectively acting as both a technical subject matter expert and a trusted business information security adviser. Gaurav has worked in all verticals of information security and risk management including access management, threat analysis, security monitoring and response, risk management, security assurance and governance, security consulting, and enterprise security program management.

Gaurav holds a MSc in information security and assurance (majoring in vulnerability management) from Norwich University in Vermont, USA. Gaurav also holds the CISSP, CISM, CRISC, CCSK, and SABSA security architect designations.

Gaurav teaches the Information Security Risk Management and Governance course.

Claude Sam-Foh is the former Chief Enterprise Architect and Chief Cyber Security Officer with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario. He has extensive business and IT knowledge, gained through more than 30 years’ practical experience in both fields. His area of expertise encompasses enterprise architecture, information management, information security, privacy leadership, cloud computing, service management, portfolio, program and project management, business systems analysis and agile management.

Claude has recently joined the School of Continuing Studies at York University as a curriculum developer and Instructor. Claude makes business and IT learning fun and adapts his delivery to the level of his students. He challenges them to think strategically and emphasizes on applying the knowledge they have learned in the workplace. His motto is “Knowledge Secured and Wisdom Applied.” He leads by example, teaches with passion, and creates a learning environment where students are motivated to excel.

Arlene Worsley is well versed in both business and IT environments where she uniquely brings expertise in cyber risk plus 14 years of crisis management, project management, communications and reputation management. She holds the CISM, ISO 22301 and cloud security certifications as well as a BA in Communications and Media Studies education from the University of Calgary and University of Oregon. Arlene has spent countless hours as a crisis management lead in incident command centers through workplace fatalities, natural disasters and evacuations, environmental incidents, anti-industry campaigns, physical protests, provincial regulatory hearings and sophisticated cyberattacks resulting in data breaches and online brand abuse.

Today, Arlene is an award-winning cyber risk and crisis management practitioner for a global consulting firm, an Assistant Instructor in the Certificate in Cyber Security Fundamentals at York University, a guest speaker, mentor and co-author of “Because You Can: Your Cybersecurity Career.”

Over the past 28 years, Ed Dubrovsky’s name has been synonymous with information security, Cyber breach response, risk management, cyber education and entrepreneurship. As a practitioner and management executive, Mr. Dubrovsky built and led cyber consulting practices in a number of organizations including successfully concluding an acquisition by one of the largest publicly traded global insurance services conglomerate.

Mr. Dubrovsky is responsible for helping thousands of victims across North America recover from some of the most devastating cyber-attacks including ransomware, business email compromises, extortion attacks, malicious insiders and advanced persistent threats. Mr. Dubrovsky’s passion is in developing organizational cybersecurity programs that fundamentally are structured to rapidly adapt to new threat actor tools, techniques, and processes through the use of effective controls coupled with relevant intelligence. When Mr. Dubrovsky is not busy helping clients, he can be found teaching at the York University’s cyber security program where he sits on the advisory board and acts as both a course developer and an instructor. Mr. Dubrovsky holds a number of academic and industry certifications including BSc, MSc, MBA, OSCP and the CISSP designation (2002).

Mr. Dubrovsky is a well-known leader in the Cyber field and has authored numerous articles in the areas of offensive security, practical measures to protect organizations, contributed to many media articles and is frequently sought after to present at numerous media and industry conferences across the globe.

Manish Khera is currently the lead of application security, data protection, and security consulting in the office of the CISO for the Royal Bank of Canada. Mr. Khera is a seasoned technical security leader with nearly 20 years of experience in the fields of IT security and privacy consulting, data protection, forensic investigations, fraud detection, and IT auditing. He was formerly the Canadian Chief Information Risk Officer, Head of Global Merchant Cyber Security Investigations and PCI Compliance for JP Morgan Chase. His responsibilities included management of the IT risk posture in Canada for the firm, global head of merchant breach investigations, merchant PCI compliance, and merchant service provider registration. Prior to joining JPMC, Mr. Khera was the head of the IT security function for TJX Companies responsible for IT risk assessments, policy administration, security project management, identity management, and security administration, operations, and engineering.

Michael Lin is a seasoned executive with more than 25 years of experience leading information technology and cyber security functions for large enterprise organizations. He is currently the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and a member of the Senior Leadership Team at Travelers Canada, a property & casualty insurance provider. As CIO, Michael leads the Technology function and works with business and international partners to develop and deliver technology strategies and security programs that support corporate long-term objective, with a focus on deepening technology and innovation capabilities across the organization.

Previously, Michael was Senior Vice President and CIO for LifeWorks, a human resources technology company that provided consulting, outsourcing and wellness services. He was accountable for software engineering, infrastructure and technology strategy globally. His mandate encompassed product research and development, cyber security, digital innovation, including an AI center of excellence

Prior to joining LifeWorks, Michael held several senior leadership positions within the financial, insurance and technology sectors. He holds his BsC in Computer Science from the University of Toronto.

Gary Perkins is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Government of British Columbia. As the Executive Director of the Information Security Branch, he is responsible for providing cyber security services in support of the province. He has over 19 years of experience in information technology, risk management, and cyber security. Prior to joining the BC Government, he worked in the private sector as chief of staff for security at Telus and, earlier in his career, led teams responsible for incident response, operations, delivery, and architecture for both corporate and managed security services customers. A certified information systems security professional (CISSP) since 2004, Perkins also holds an MBA from Simon Fraser University’s Management of Technology program.

Dr. Hamzeh Roumani is an award winning professor and a recipient of the 3M Fellowship, the highest and most prestigious recognition of teaching excellence in Canada. His teaching philosophy is founded on the clear separation of abstraction levels, and his pedagogy is based on learning by doing. He embraces the experiential approach in his books and courses and has recently implemented it to help design a new computing curriculum for the newly founded Lassonde School of Engineering at York University. The new courses are themed around sensors and actuators, web technologies, mobile computing, and cyber-physical systems. Dr. Roumani’s main areas of interest are computer security and quantum computing and cryptography.

Zoriica Stojcevski is Audit Management Executive at Wells Fargo internal Audit Group. She is responsible for Cybersecurity Audit Portfolio.

Zorica has over 20 years of experience in information and cyber security, technology, and audit leadership roles. She worked for global financial institutions in South Africa, the UK, and Canada. She joined Wells Fargo in November 2022, from Manulife Financial, where most recently she held the role of Global Head of Cybersecurity Services. In this role, she helped develop an enterprise-wide cybersecurity strategy and program, and significantly strengthened processes for access management, cloud security strategy, and enterprise security architecture, among others. Her past roles at Manulife were in the Audit Services department and include Global Head of Technology, Projects & Program Management, and Functions Audit, as well as Audit Data Analytics. Prior to Manulife, Zorica held leadership positions with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), TD Bank, Barclays Bank, ABSA Group Limited, and Y3K Group (PTY) Ltd. She holds an MBA from the Australian Institute for Business, is a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA), and is a Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE).

As the National Technology Officer for Microsoft Canada, John Weigelt is responsible for driving Microsoft Canada’s strategic technology efforts. In this role, Mr. Weigelt helps business and governments innovate with technology while avoiding the unintended consequences that might arise. He leads Canadian outreach for technology policy issues across a wide range of subjects including: economic development, digital economy, open government, environmental sustainability, accessibility, privacy, security, critical infrastructure protection, government 3.0, spectrum and intellectual property. Mr. Weigelt’s 25 plus years of experience in cyber security, and his pioneering work in protocols, practices, policies, programs and partnerships to increase cyber assurance, provides him with a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities associated with overcoming the inertia often associated with initiatives to increase trust and confidence in the digital world.

Our Cyber Security Advisory Council includes a representative from the Canadian Centre on Cyber Security.