With over 25 years of experience in entire IT Domains and specialized in Information security, Cybersecurity, Governance, Risk , Compliance, Project / Change Management and Business Continuity, I have developed strong capabilities in designing and executing advanced cybersecurity strategies. As a Cybersecurity Leader, I have provided strategic leadership to organizations in UAE and Qatar, helping them enhance their security postures, reduce risks, reduce cost, improve performance and ensure regulatory compliance.
As Head of Information Security and GRC at GulfNews, a leading English daily in the gulf, I have established and led the Cybersecurity Department, creating comprehensive programs and standards, instrumental in developing a Cybersecurity Strategy following a major cyber incident and managed Incident Response teams to address and mitigate threats. My expertise in managing security compliance and due diligence during mergers and acquisitions, Business and digital Transformations, and Strategic Programs has been key in achieving organizational objectives Some of my key achievements include:
• implementing robust security frameworks to protect company assets
• conducting thorough risk assessments to enhance overall security
• Strengthening cloud security to ensure a secure and scalable infrastructure
• leading cybersecurity awareness programs that significantly reduced phishing incidents
• Ensuring business resilience by design, develop, deploy and deliver business continuity program
• Design, develop, deploy deliver GRC by design model pipeline to ensure cyber governance is incorporated in corporate governance to achieve adequate compliance

Senior level cybersecurity expert with over 20 years of proven experience in Cybersecurity, Information Security, Information Technology, and IT Management. Passion for helping customers understand complex technology solutions in order to protect High-Value Assets. He leads efforts to help customers combat third-party risk management challenges and drives product delivery methods across the Mastercard Cybersecurity solution set.

Bharat is a highly accomplished Cybersecurist & Fraud Management leader with over 28 years of experience, having held leadership roles in multinational ventures in the Technology and BFSI sectors. As a strategic advisor and CxO, he has deep expertise in deploying business cybersecurity, risk, fraud and compliance frameworks.

Bharat has a proven track record of managing large-scale missions to monitor threats, incidents, and responses on digital frameworks. He has developed technical, management, and administrative solutions to mitigate risks and ensure business continuity. He is also an expert in governance, audit, and assurance, having designed, implemented, and monitored control frameworks to ensure compliance with various regulations.

In addition to his professional expertise, Bharat has led procurement, vendor and contract management, M&A, and third-party assurance services. He is also an SME in fraud management ESG Compliance and business resilience management as well have associated with developing the Start-up echo system and M&A

Bharat holds several industry certifications, including CRISC, CGEIT, CFE, CISM, CISA, CICA, CFAP, CIA, COBIT, ITIL, and ISO 2×000, and is a BCM Practitioner.

In his spare time, Bharat enjoys listening to retro tunes and classic melodies, plays cricket & golf and embraces the one-with-nature mindset.

Björn W. Schuller received his diploma in 1999, his doctoral degree in 2006, and his habilitation and was entitled Adjunct Teaching Professor in the subject area of Signal Processing and Machine Intelligence for his work on Intelligent Audio Analysis in 2012 all in electrical engineering and information technology from TUM (Munich University of Technology). At present, he is Full Professor and head of the Chair of Embedded Intelligence for Health Care and Wellbeing at the University of Augsburg/Germany. At the same time he is Professor of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London/UK (since 2018 – Reader in Machine Learning since 2015 – Senior Lecturer since 2013). Further, he is the co-founding CEO of audEERING GmbH – a TUM scale-up on intelligent audio engineering. Before, he was Full Professor and head of the Chair of Complex & Intelligent Systems at the University of Passau/Germany, where he previously headed the Chair of Sensor Systems in 2013. Previously, he headed the Machine Intelligence and Signal Processing Group at TUM from 2006 to 2014. In 2013 he was also invited as a permanent Visiting Professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin/P.R. China and a Visiting Professor at the Université de Genève in Geneva/Switzerland in the Centre Interfacultaire en Sciences Affectives and remains an appointed associate of the institute. In 2012 he was with Joanneum Research in Graz/Austria. In 2011 he was guest lecturer at the Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM) in Ancona/Italy and visiting researcher in the Machine Learning Research Group of NICTA in Sydney/Australia. From 2009 to 2010 he lived in Paris/France and was with the CNRS-LIMSI. He is Fellow of the IEEE, Fellow of the ISCA, and consults companies such as Barclays, GN, Huawei, and Samsung.

Chuks is a certified high-impact leader (Cambridge institute of sustainability and leadership (CISL), a Certified digital risk expert (Harvard University),  an enterprise risk management expert (University of Cape town), from Data to decision expert (Imperial College, London), Digital Supply chain and logistic expert  (IMD), a Digital investigation and forensic computing expert, (University College, Dublin), a telecommunication and internet engineering expert (University of Applied Sciences, Project Management profession (PMP – PMI Institute, USA), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH – EC-Council).  His Leadership Roles include USA Today Bestselling author – Game on Leadership that lasts, Judge of the top 100 global CISO, 2021 top 100 global CISO , Global Chief Information Security and compliance officer,  Brenntag Se, Non-Exec Board Member CyberVolt, Co-Chair DACH-CISO,  Evanta, a Gartner Company, Co-founder: Conscience Matters. Over 20 years of experience in balancing agility with governance while building innovation, people, processes, and a technology-focused digital security ecosystem. Engaged in providing transformation and strategic leadership in managing information security risks with regard to adaptive and proactive threat intelligence insights, risk appetite/tolerance adaption,  technical and organizational countermeasures, etc. as the enterprise’s digital boundaries become blurred

Dr. Giuseppe Matone is a cardiology resident based in Padua, where he works and contributes to the University of Padua’s renowned medical faculty. His clinical experience spans echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance, intensive care, and the catheterization laboratory.

Dr. Matone’s professional interests bridge cardiology with technological innovation. He is particularly focused on the application of artificial intelligence in clinical practice to enhance diagnostic precision, speed, and patient outcomes, with a strong interest in early and non-invasive diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. He is especially interested in how AI can support the diagnosis and clinical management of cardiomyopathies by integrating clinical data and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging—an approach that has shown potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and guide clinical decision-making.

With a foundation rooted in both hands-on clinical practice and cutting-edge research, Dr. Matone is dedicated to advancing cardiovascular medicine by integrating modern imaging, AI, data-driven approaches, and patient-centered care.

Prior to his current role, Ibraheem was Head Chair of National Cyber Security Centre and Senior Information Security Officer / Deputy CISO at Channel 4.

Jason Lau is currently the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Crypto.com where he drives the global cybersecurity and information privacy strategy. Jason led his team to become the first cryptocurrency company in the world to have company-wide certifications in ISO 27001:2013, ISO 27701:2019, ISO 22301:2019, PCI:DSS 4.0, SOC2 Type 2 and meeting the highest “Adaptive” tier of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and NIST Privacy Framework. Prior to this, Jason was a regional Cybersecurity Advisor at Microsoft, leading Microsoft’s cybersecurity initiatives in Asia Pacific. Jason holds the title of Adjunct Professor of cybersecurity and data privacy at one of Asia’s leading business schools, a member of the global ISACA Board of Directors, Advisory Board for BlackHat and former Asia Advisory Board, Co-Chair and faculty member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Jason also sits on the advisory board of Tencent’s Finance Academy, advising on FinTech and cybersecurity ecosystem development in the region. Jason has over 24 years in consulting experience for Fortune 500 companies in the fields of management consulting, cybersecurity, IT governance, privacy and risk management, and holds certifications such as CISSP, CDPSE, CGEIT, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, CEH, CNDA, CSM, HCISPP and more. Jason has won multiple awards including the “Cybersecurity Professional Award”, and “Outstanding Financial Technologist of the Year (Data Privacy)”, and voted a “Top 50 global thought leader and influencer on cybersecurity”, selected by industry peers into the “Global CISO 100” and most recently, Business Magazine Executive of the Year for Cybersecurity and multiple CSO Online “CISO 30” winner. Jason also sits on industry advisory groups and participates on various global security and privacy think tanks like the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network, Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL). Jason has over a decade in the Healthcare industry across 5 continents safeguarding highly sensitive Protected Health Information (PHI) for hospitals and healthcare providers, and is a certified HealthCare Information Security and Privacy Professional (HCISPP). Jason also sits on various industry committees on the cybersecurity risks and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence. Jason holds a bachelor degree in engineering (Honors) and bachelor degree in commerce, and completed executive programs at Stanford and Harvard.

Jake Bernardes is a seasoned CISO with extensive experience spanning technical consultancy, advisory roles, and executive leadership. Throughout his career, Jake has worked and lived across the globe, amassing deep insights into building and scaling security programs for growth-stage and enterprise organizations alike. A proven expert in developing robust security and IT functions, Jake equally specializes in driving go-to-market strategies for security-focused products, particularly for international companies expanding into the U.S. market. His holistic approach to cybersecurity enables businesses to align their security posture with operational and strategic goals, ensuring resilience in today’s evolving threat landscape. Jake’s dedication to innovation and his practical understanding of security challenges make him a trusted partner to companies navigating complex regulatory environments and seeking scalable security solutions. He was an early adopter of many GRC solutions and have served in multiple customer advisory boards prior to joining Anecdotes, where he continues to lead with a vision of empowering organizations through smarter, data-driven compliance

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.

– Kiran is a visionary security leader with a focus on building a strong security culture in the organization.
– Strategic cybersecurity and risk executive with close to 20 years of Cyber experience
– Demonstrated leadership in building information risk management and governance programs, integrating AIdriven threat intelligence, Zero Trust, and cloud-native security controls.
– He strongly supports the business drivers and enables the organization to ‘Go to market’ strategy.
– He manages security posture across the organization by implementing various enterprise technologies
– He is the speaker in 25+ global cybersecurity conferences, to name few GISEC, HITB (Hack In The Box), COCOON, Tawaultech, GRC Summit. SCADA summit, Financial cyber security summits, IQPC, e-crime, and ISACA ISAFE conference
– He has multiple awards like MESA (Middle East Security Award) twice, and CISO award for implementing best enterprise security program in the region
– He has worked in Technology, Retail & Supply Chain, Financial, Consulting, Manufacturing, Oil & gas, Federal, Telecom

Manny Khan serves as Director of Cybersecurity at BitGo, the 2nd largest crypto custodian in the world operating across 60+ countries with over $100B+ in assets under custody. He is an internationally recognized cybersecurity executive across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East with over 16+ years of global experience protecting critical infrastructure, leading technical security, regulatory assurance, and compliance-driven innovation across the financial services and digital asset sectors. Manny leads global cybersecurity strategy spanning product security, infrastructure protection, and regulatory assurance. His leadership focuses on taking a shift left approach to security by design into decentralized financial systems while aligning with evolving requirements from regulators including the SEC, BaFin, MAS, NYDFS, and VARA. He specializes in global strategy and architecting technical and operational control frameworks for digital custody, tokenization, real-world assets (RWA), and Web3 transaction workflows. A former cybersecurity leader at Elsevier, Sony, A+E Networks, and KPMG, Manny has built and led global 24/7/365 distributed security departments, commanded cross-jurisdiction security incident response, and deployed enterprise-wide vulnerability remediation and threat detection programs. He serves on the Global Technical Advisory Board at Cyberhaven, advises industry partners on insider threat prevention, and contributes to regulatory engagement efforts around crypto risk governance. He is a certified CISM, CISA, CBSP, PMP, and ITIL practitioner, and holds an Executive MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management. His credentials also include ISO 27001 implementation and Governance, Risk, and Compliance program modernization in highly regulated environments. Manny is an internationally recognized expert and speaker on Security. He is also a frequent speaker and member of InfraGard, ISSA-LA, ISACA, the Cloud Security Alliance, and the FBI’s CyberHood Watch. He is known for bridging board-level risk priorities with execution, driving trust in digital assets through secure design and compliance maturity.

Matthias Muhlert exemplifies Information Security leadership with over 25 years of transformative contributions. His career is marked by a commitment to empowering teams, optimizing processes, and leveraging cutting-edge technology to ensure operational excellence and strategic alignment with business goals. Currently, as the “Cyber Chef for Pies, Pints, Pastries, Parties, and Pizza” at Dr. August Oetker KG and serving as ECSO CISO Ambassador for Germany as well as DACH Chapter lead, Matthias is dedicated to fortifying digital landscapes against evolving threats.

His journey includes leading global security initiatives, fostering resilient and agile security frameworks, and building robust relationships across organizational levels. Matthias’s expertise is validated by certifications such as ISO 27001 ISMS Manager, CISM, CISSP, and Certified Ethical Hacker. His roles have ranged from automotive CISO to spearheading IT security in banking, showcasing his ability to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity in diverse settings.

At Oetker-Group, Matthias is responsible for developing and setting security standards across all companies, orchestrating a group-wide security community, and devising comprehensive strategies for information and OT security. His tenure at HARIBO GmbH & Co. KG involved heading the information security management system, establishing a dynamic ISMS, and pioneering an AI decision model in collaboration with other companies. As CISO at Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG, he led local and global teams, introduced an information risk management methodology, and contributed significantly to international security standards.

Matthias’s earlier roles include leadership positions at HELLA Corporate Center GmbH (CISO), UniCredit Bank AG (VP Information Security), and Kabel Deutschland GmbH (Main Information Security Manager), where he developed and implemented robust IT and data management strategies, led significant security development projects, and facilitated compliance with international standards. His career also spans roles as a Senior IT Security Consultant and CERT Manager (European Space Agency) whilst working for Verizon Business EMEA and as the Head of Penetration Testing Department.

Matthias is also the author of Navigating the Cyber Maze: Insights and Humor on the Digital Frontier, further showcasing his ability to articulate complex topics and share his expertise with a broader audience.

Book Pages

https://www.routledge.com/Navigating-the-Cyber-Maze-Insights-and-Humor-on-the-Digital-Frontier/Muhlert/p/book/9781032912554

https://www.amazon.com/-/de/dp/B0CY2Y6G13

LinkedIn Page

https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhlert/

YouTube Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqFdn_fGCbw

From Chaos to Control: The Easy AI Governance Blueprint by Matthias Muhlert

Cyberfantastic

https://live.handelsblatt.com/kostenfreies-whitepaper-cybersicherheit-neu-gedacht-einfuehrung-des-cyberfantastic-frameworks/

The Evolution of Cybersecurity: A Conversation with Matthias Muhlert on the Shift from Predictability to Adaptability – Instytut Kościuszki

Michael is a technology leader with 28+ years of experience guiding international organizations, businesses, and mid-sized firms. He is a thought leader in cybersecurity, risk management, and IT compliance with over a decade of experience as a CISO.

Michael is focused on advising businesses worldwide, ranging from 20 to 220,000 employees and has led diverse organizations in 14 industries saving over 100 million in costs.

Passionate about mentorship, he’s from the USA, based in Germany, and committed to helping CISOs see their families more by building strong coalitions of international partners.

Head of CERT of Poste Italiane, Nicola works in information security and networks and has gained over twenty years of experience in international environments. He was involved in encryption design and network security in the security area, working in complex infrastructures like mobile and 3G networks. He has collaborated with several magazines in the computer industry as a journalist, contributing to disseminating security and legal and technical aspects. He has been teaching security since 2005 at the Master in Network Security of Sapienza University and LUISS.

Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) since 2004 and promoter of technological innovation, collaborates with several start-ups in Italy and abroad. Member of the board of start-up companies where he participated in developing and designing services in the mobile sector;  General Manager of the Global Cyber Security Foundation GCSEC since 2016.

Robert has over 35 years of audit, risk and cybersecurity experience and has held a number of senior leadership positions, including CISO for the NHS and health & care system, GSK, National Grid, and Merrill Lynch and Head of InfoSec at Royal Bank of Scotland, and he was a partner at KPMG. Robert is a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Assurance Research and Engineering at George Mason University, Washington DC. He is also an Honorary Professor at UCL. He was awarded a PhD in psychology by the University of Leeds for his work on the perceptions of information and IT risk and has published and presented on this and other topics. He continues to undertake research in these areas. He was also awarded an MBA from Manchester Business School. Robert also holds a number of commercial board positions including Chair of the Crossword Consulting Ltd Board, Non-Executive Director of Crossword Cybersecurity PLC, and Chair of the Board at Think Cyber Ltd and advisor to the Government of Singapore Ministry of Health. He is also a Governor/Trustee and Audit Committee Member of the University of Brighton.

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.

Steve is a cybersecurity and risk adviser to several leading enterprises, as well as a security contributor to ABC News and an honorary professor at King’s College, London. He was previously Group CISO at Credit Suisse and, before that, their global head of technology, cyber and third party risk management. He retired from the UK government in 2017, where he had served as Deputy Director responsible for cyber in the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office and in various national security roles for over 30 years (including in the British Embassy, Dubai). He graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge.

Sudha is the founding member of Post quantum working group at FSISAC and specialises in financial sector Cryptography focused architectures such as digital assets, confidential compute and post quantum cryptography. Experienced visionary with a demonstrated history of building high performing teams that deliver mission-critical results for financial industry risk reduction. A people focused leader with ultimate focus on results in production through inspirational approaches. Ability to leverage strong understanding on complex business, technical and risk baselines and apply quantitative techniques to collaboratively create solutions to business problems. Deep expertise in building measurable and scalable ROI focused risk remediation strategies, operating models in financial space to prepare the industry and my current enterprise towards the next digital readiness.

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

Qasim Raza is an accomplished Technology & Innovation Programme Director, with over 15 years of experience in Professional Services and Consulting. His expertise lies in leading complex technology programmes, driving Digital Transformation, and implementing Strategic Technology Solutions within highly regulated environments.

Qasim began his career in engineering as a Database Consultant at Capgemini, later progressing to lead Deloitte’s Microsoft Technical Support team for external audits. His journey in Financial Services has seen him evolve from Technology Risk to a Senior Leadership role, he now leads the delivery of major Technology & Innovation initiatives.

A seasoned technology leader with deep expertise in Cloud Migration Strategy, Cybersecurity Remediation, IT Audit & Compliance, and Regulatory Transformation. Over the course of his career, he has successfully led and delivered high-value, multi-million-pound technology programmes for global organisations, navigating complex regulatory landscapes and driving large-scale digital transformation.

Recognised for his ability to inspire and manage diverse, cross-border teams, Qasim builds trusted partnerships with Senior Executives to achieve strategic objectives. His leadership is characterised by a relentless focus on delivery, a commitment to operational excellence, and the ability to produce impactful results in high-pressure, high-stakes environments.

Beyond his professional commitments, Qasim served on the Advisory Committee for AI 2030, contributing to conversations around responsible and innovative technology adoption. He is driven by a passion for helping people and championing technical innovation. Outside of work, he is an avid hiker and runner, having recently completed the UK’s Three Peaks Challenge within 24 hours.