2nd CSO 360 Americas

Ben Hiorns

Americas Analyst, Dragonfly from Dow Jones (USA)

Ben Hiorns is an Americas Intelligence Analyst at Dragonfly, a geopolitical and security intelligence company. He leads Dragonfly’s coverage of Venezuela. Ben also covers Central America, the Andean region and parts of the Southern Cone for Dragonfly, particularly focused on the impact of organised criminal activity, drug trafficking and great power competition on business operations in the region. Prior to joining the company, Ben studied an undergraduate degree in American and Canadian Studies at the University of Birmingham and a postgraduate degree in Intelligence and International Security from King’s College London.

Charles Page

Director, Global Safety and Security, Palladium (UK)

Charles is Palladium’s Director of Global Safety and Security, having worked with the company in both project and corporate roles for the past eight years. Palladium provides project management support to clients across the globe specialising in international development. Prior to Palladium, Charles served as a Brigadier in the British Army operating in multiple countries and across a range of disciplines, including a year attached to the United States Marine Corps. He holds a Masters’ Degree in Defence Studies and an MBA. At the Conference he will talk through Palladium’s approach to Crisis Management, illustrating his talk with case studies.

David Priess

Global Head of Training and Education, Emergent Risk International; Senior Fellow, Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security - George Mason University

Dr. David Priess is Global Head of Training and Education at Emergent Risk International and a senior fellow at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy, and International Security at George Mason University. A former CIA intelligence officer, manager, and presidential daily briefer who also served at the State Department, he writes and speaks widely on intelligence and national security. He is the author of The President’s Book of Secrets, the definitive book about the President’s Daily Brief, and his analysis has appeared in outlets including the Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Politico, and Lawfare.

Dorothea Gioe

Strategic Intelligence and Geopolitical Risk Advisor

Dorothea Gioe is the founder of GioeIntelligence Solutions, specializing in building strategic intelligence programs and geopolitical risk capabilities, with a particular focus on training and professional development. With more than two decades of experience across the U.S. intelligence community and the private sector, including service in the CIA, U.S. Africa Command and senior roles in corporate risk advisory, her insights help business leaders navigate geopolitics, security, and hybrid risk. A visiting fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, she frequently writes, teaches, and speaks on strategic intelligence, security risk, and the evolving professionalization of corporate security and intelligence.

Jacob Meeks

Security Manager - Assistance, International SOS

Jacob Meeks is the Security Manager, Assistance at International SOS. Prior to joining International SOS, Jake worked for 15 years with INGOs [International Non-Governmental Organizations], to include managing his own consultancy for three of those years. Before that Jake served as an infantryman for four years in the 82nd Airborne, US Army.

Jake has extensive international experience from INGOs and the military, working in various parts of Africa, the Middle East, North & Central America, Eastern Europe and more, for over a decade. During his time with INGOs, Jake has responded to multiple man-made and natural disasters, ran security operations in remote & complex environments, designed and implemented dozens of continuity and contingency plans, and trained hundreds of personnel in security awareness and crisis management, among other things.

He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, Supply & Logistics from Portland State University, and a master’s in Public Administration. He is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Board Certified specialist in Security Management.

James Brasil

Head of Security LATAM - Corporate Security, GSK (Brazil)

James Brasil is a seasoned security executive a former Operation Specialist with the US Navy, with over 20 years of Corporate experience across Brazil and Latin America, specializing in complex organizational environments and diverse industries. Currently serving as the Head of Corporate Security for LATAM at GSK, James is responsible for establishing corporate security governance, aligning security resources with business objectives, and ensuring robust crisis and continuity planning across the region.

James holds a bachelor degree in marketing and certifications in Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection from Michigan State University, Leadership in Ethics and Compliance from the Ethics & Compliance Institute, Crisis Management from Northwestern University. He is also a certified Green Belt in Lean/Six Sigma methodology and has completed advanced training in incident and kidnap management.

Kevin Uniacke

Director of Intelligence Programs, Seerist

Kevin Uniacke is Seerist’s Director of Intelligence Programs and brings more than 15 years of experience in intelligence tradecraft, geopolitical risk analysis, and operational planning. At Seerist, he leads a team of 20 researchers responsible for the daily production of security-focused analytic work supporting global decision-makers across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining Seerist, Kevin spent ten years on Active Duty as a U.S. Air Force officer and continues to serve today as an intelligence officer in the New York Air National Guard. Kevin holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University, and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Kirsty Graham

Chief Executive Officer, Edelman U.S.

Kirsty Graham is a seasoned leader with a 30-year career in policy, communications, and public relations, spanning senior roles in government, Corporate America, and the agency world. Kirsty began her career in international diplomacy, serving 16 years in the New Zealand Foreign Service where she worked on a range of economic, trade, and political issues. Her diplomatic assignments included a secondment to support Foreign Minister Sir Don McKinnon (1994–1996), a five-year posting to Washington, D.C. (1996–2000), a secondment as Deputy Spokesperson at the British Embassy in Washington (2001), and five years as New Zealand’s Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations (2006–2010). Following her government service, Kirsty spent a decade at Pfizer Inc. in a series of senior leadership roles. Most notably, she served as Head of Global Policy and later as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for the Biopharmaceuticals Group, where she directed global public affairs, communications, and policy across more than 125 markets. In March 2020, Kirsty joined Edelman and has since held four leadership roles, including Global Chair of the Health sector and Global President of Practices and Sectors. In these positions, she led strategy for the firm’s largest practice areas, spearheaded award-winning global client work, and guided the development of Edelman’s corporate and brand communications, ESG, and industry sector strategies. Today, as CEO of Edelman U.S., Kirsty continues to serve on Edelman’s Executive Leadership Team, bringing together her deep expertise in diplomacy, corporate affairs, and communications to help clients navigate the intersection of business, policy, and society.

Kyle Elliott

Vice President, RightCrowd

Kyle Elliott is the Vice President for RightCrowd – the leader in enterprise-class, worker and visitor physical access automation. Kyle held similar, executive roles previously at Vector Flow, HID Global, Quantum Secure and VidSys – all software companies delivering physical security-centric solutions. Kyle has in-depth industry, security integrators, and partner network knowledge of PACs (physical access control), Biometrics, Facial recognition/authentication, SOC Operations and Video Analytics/PSIM. Kyle has led sales organizations delivering value-added solutions to Global 2K customers worldwide.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-elliott-94788930/

Liz Lauzon

Global Intelligence Manager, Discord

Liz is currently the Global Intelligence Manager at Discord, leading an intelligence and crisis response program uniquely housed within Trust & Safety. After building the team as a Sibylline consultant, Liz joined Discord full-time in 2024 to drive strategic development, embed intelligence in company decision-making, and mature crisis response capabilities addressing both physical and reputational risks.

Prior to Discord, Liz spent a decade cultivating her Latin America (LATAM) regional expertise working at the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Southern Pulse, conducting LATAM security-focused investigative projects. Liz honed her security intelligence skills while at Meta, where she transitioned from a Senior LATAM Analyst to the Americas Intelligence Team Lead.

Liz holds a Master of Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelors in both International Studies and Spanish from the University of Richmond. She is a member of DCAR and OSAC and held a board seat on OSAC’s Latin America Regional Committee in 2022.

Meredith Wilson

Founder and CEO, Emergent Risk International (USA)

Meredith Wilson is the Founder and CEO of Emergent Risk International, LLC, which empowers companies to understand and address the impact of geopolitical events on their business. The company specializes in addressing risks and opportunities in emerging markets, political and security risk, and building strategic risk intelligence programs for multi-national companies and organizations. ERI provides consulting, training and advice to some of the largest multi-national companies in the US. Ms. Wilson serves as a political risk and intelligence advisor to executive management and government and has more than 20 years experience in international environments, the energy sector, major corporations and the US intelligence community. Before founding Emergent Risk International, Ms. Wilson worked at the Pentagon for the US Defense Intelligence Agency. In 2007 she moved to the private sector to build a strategic intelligence program at ConocoPhillips. Subsequently she worked in regulatory affairs before moving on to Kosmos Energy to develop a political risk program. She served as a business intelligence advisor to the National Intelligence Officer for Science and Technology and provides briefings to executives and members of the USG and US military. She is a cofounder of the Private Sector Intelligence Council (PSIC), a member of the Board of Directors for the Association for International Risk and Intelligence Professionals (AIRIP), and an Advisory Board member for the Southeastern Analysts’ Roundtable. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and a Masters Degree in History. Ms. Wilson has lived and worked in Australia, the UK, Ireland, Vietnam and Malaysia. She also has extensive experience working in the Middle East and Africa. She is available for speaking engagements related to geopolitical events and utilizing intelligence to build better business strategy.

Michael Colao

CISO/CSO. Former Chief Underwriter - Direct and Indirect Risks, AXA XL

Experienced CSO/CISO and Cyber Underwriter with than 25 years experience in financial services. 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.

Dr. Michael Bender

Manager Intelligence-Global Security, Macquarie Group (USA)

Michael is a Senior Intelligence Analyst for Macquarie USA. He possesses a PhD in International Relations and Politics from Florida International University with a background in global security issues, the geopolitics of the Middle East and South Asia, and emerging (political, security) threats to O&G markets. Michael is a member of the OSAC: Energy Sector Committee (ESC) steering committee member and has 10+ years of experience in the analysing, writing, and educating on issues related to geopolitics and international security. Prior to working for Macquarie, Michael held positions in academia, political risk analysis and as a researcher at a DC-based, policy think-tank.

Mike Verden

Founder and CEO, The Lake Forest Group (USA)

Founder and CEO of The Lake Forest Group, a strategic security consulting firm, G. Michael Verden understands how to apply security best practices to each unique setting to safeguard people, property, assets, and brand. Mike has led engagements with a varied list of Fortune 100 companies and organizations from industries including financial services, insurance, higher education, and healthcare.

Mike was a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service for 21 years. He protected the President and First Lady as part of the Presidential Protective Division, was a member of the elite Counter Assault Team, and finished his career as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Dignitary Protective Division at USSS Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He was an event coordinator for the 2002 Winter Olympics and created security plans for major events including the Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, Indianapolis 500, Breeders’ Cup, and the Women’s Soccer World Cup.

As a Senior Vice President/Managing Director at Hillard Heintze, Mike provided strategic thought leadership, trusted counsel, and end-to-end services to HH clients. In his role as Senior Director of Security for the NBA, Mike managed and coordinated global security throughout the league, including for the NBA All-Star Game, NBA Finals, and the FIBA World Championships.

Mike earned a degree in Law Enforcement Administration from Western Illinois University and an M.S. in Criminology from Indiana State University. He began his professional career with the Skokie, Illinois Police Department and then became a Secret Service agent in the Chicago Field Office.

Ned Farmer

Senior Strategic Intelligence Analyst, Emergent Risk International (USA)

Ned currently manages a globally dispersed strategic intelligence team, embedded with a major technology company. Before joining ERI, Ned led global intelligence for Transocean, a world leader in offshore drilling. Prior to that, as Geopolitical Risk Manager at American Airlines, he designed and implemented the geopolitical risk and security intelligence program; Ned has also served in a variety of leadership positions within the US State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).

Ned has previously worked at Royal Dutch Shell, the Inter-American Development Bank, the US Congress, and Morgan Stanley. Ned received his B.A. in Political Science from McGill University in Montreal and his M.A. in International Affairs from American University in Washington, DC. He also studied at the Universidad de Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. He is fluent in Spanish, proficient in French, and has travelled to over 100 countries.

Lady Olga Maitland

President, Defence and Security Forum (UK)

Lady Olga Maitland has wide experience in all major Governance, risk Management and Compliance issues in general and global Fraud and Corruption problems in particular. She is a special adviser to a number of dignitaries and a widely sought after speaker at all Major Conferences on several Corporate Governance issues. Lady Olga is a former British MP for the Conservative party. Prior to her political career she was a reporter for the Fleet Street News Agency, a columnist in the London.

Patrick Kane

Senior Director Security, Atlas Air (USA)

Patrick Kane is Senior Director Security for Atlas Air, a US airline conducting cargo and public/private passenger operations worldwide. Patrick is heavily focused on developing and implementing mitigation measures to support a highly mobile global workforce and multiple travelers, to include pre-travel risk assessments, coordinating secure transportation and journey management, assessing hotel and transportation options.

Patrick currently serves as the Chair of the ASIS International Santa Barbara Ventura Chapter #21 and is the President of the Corporate Executive Protection Leadership Council (CEPLC). He recently spearheaded the creation of a Travel Risk Working Group within ASIS International. Patrick is also the past Chair and Chair Emeritus of the OSAC Aviation Security Working Group. He has over 20 years of experience working in private sector corporate security; most of that time focused on international operations and has personal experience on the ground in more than 70 countries.

Since 1996 Patrick has been a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) in good standing under the auspices of ASIS International. He received an International Executive MBA from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain in 2004. Prior to entering the private sector, Patrick served as an infantry officer in the US Marine Corps. He welcomes questions, comments and suggestions and he can be reached at patrick.kane@atlasair.com or patrick.kane.cpp@gmail.com .

Sounil Yu

Co-Founder and Chief AI Officer, Knostic. Book Author, The Cyber Defense Matrix

Sounil Yu is the author and creator of the Cyber Defense Matrix and the DIE Triad, which are reshaping approaches to cybersecurity. He’s a Board Member of the FAIR Institute; fellow at GMU Scalia Law School’s National Security Institute; guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon; and advisor to many startups. Sounil is the co-founder and Chief AI Safety Officer at Knostic and previously served as the CISO at JupiterOne, CISO-in-Residence at YL Ventures, and Chief Security Scientist at Bank of America. Before BofA, he helped improve information security at several Fortune 100 companies and Federal Government agencies. Sounil has over 20 granted patents and was recognized as one of the most influential people in security by Security Magazine, Influencer of the Year by SC Awards, and a Top 10 CISO by Black Unicorn Awards. He is a recipient of the SANS Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Cybersecurity Hall of Fame. He has an MS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and a BS in Electrical Engineering and a BA in Economics from Duke University.

Rachael Sherman

Global Lead for Regulated Industry - Office of the CISO, Microsoft

Rachael Sherman is the Global Lead for Regulated Industry within Microsoft’s Office of the CISO. She works with highly regulated organizations to strengthen cybersecurity, build trust, and share best practices for securing enterprise environments. Rachael brings over 25 years of experience across engineering, operations, and security leadership roles, helping organizations advance secure digital transformation.

Regina Lombardo

Chief Security Officer, Metropolitan Museum of Art (US)

Regina Lombardo currently serves as the Chief Security Officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, known to many as simply “The MET.” Its Fifth avenue address places it within the renowned Museum Mile.

Born in New York City and raised by Italian immigrant family, Lombardo often visited the MET during her childhood, taking in the Great Hall and visiting the galleries filled with arts and artifacts representing world civilization. Her favorite “thinking spot” was the famous MET steps where she often sat contemplating her future, though she never imagined her journey would swing her back full-circle to NYC and the beloved MET!”

Lombardo is not only responsible for the safety and security of the iconic buildings along Fifth Avenue, but also The MET Cloisters. Her team of 550 security professionals ensures the security and safety of The MET’s devoted staff, its collections and its 7 million visitors a year. Her incredibly challenging mission is the safe execution of major events hosted at the MET, to include the most famous “MET Gala,” co-hosted by Vogue Magazine and the White House Presidential event hosting all the world leaders attending the UN General Assembly. Her passion is establishing more effective policies and efficient operational protocols for security operations. Her vision for the MET Security team is to become “the global leader” in museum security and protective services.

Lombardo is the former Acting Director and Chief Operating Officer for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). She began her career as a Special Agent in the Miami Field Office and held positions in at the US Consulate in Toronto, Canada, the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New York City Office, and the Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa, Florida Field Office before taking the helm in Washington , DC . In 2018, she became the first women to lead the premiere federal law enforcement agency when United States Attorney General William Barr of the U.S. Department of Justice nominated her for the top leadership role, the greatest honor of her life.

Skilled in organizational discipline, oversight and accountability, and risk mitigation, her goal was to lead the women and men of ATF, despite the challenges and adversity she faced with a mission as critical as enforcing the federal firearms, explosives, and arson laws, as well as regulating the firearms industry.

It wasn’t long before she was truly tested. During the 2020 civil unrest, while navigating the agency through the Covid-19 global pandemic, she led the largest operational deployment in ATF’s history. Lombardo attributes her “Heart and Sword” leadership philosophy for her success during this time of extreme crisis, a style of leading with compassion and capability and authenticity.

Lombardo earned a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice and criminal law with a minor in education and teaching from the University of South Florida. She is a member of numerous professional organizations to include: Women in Federal Law Enforcement, the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, the ATF Retired Foundation, The International Associations of Chiefs of Police, Major City Chiefs, and the Smithsonian Executive Board for Cultural Properties.

Robert Ream

VP, Global Security & Crisis Management | Chief Security Officer, Helmerich & Payne (US)

Robert Ream is Helmerich and Payne Inc.’s Vice President of Global Security and Administration. He is a 1992 graduate of Baylor University with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science, completing a Master of Science Degree from the University of Houston in 2004. Robert has also attended Post Graduate study programs at the US National Defense University at Ft. McNair in Washington DC, the Wharton School of Business, the Kellogg School of Management and the FBI Security Executive Academy in Quantico VA.

Before joining H&P, Robert held global security leadership roles with several international oil and gas and mining companies, focusing on complex and high risk security and crisis management operations in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Prior to and throughout his civilian career, Robert served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Coast Guard’s Specialized Maritime Forces and the Deployable Operations Group. He has deployed domestically and internationally in both the Active and Reserve components. Following the attacks on 9-11, Robert was activated to Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom and Neptune Shield.

Robert is a past Chairman of the American Petroleum Institute’s Security Committee, Former Vice Chair of the DHS/DOE Oil & Natural Gas Sector Coordination Council in Washington DC, and is also a past Chairman of the Energy Security Council where he continues to serve on the Executive Committee. Robert has also served as the Vice Chair for the IOGP Security Committee in London.

Outside of Helmerich and Payne, Robert serves on several industry advisory and governance boards as well as the Finance Chair for NewView Oklahoma, a non-profit focused on persons with low vision. Robert also serves on the Risk Management Committee of DVIS (Domestic Violence Intervention Services) a Tulsa based non-profit focused on serving victims of domestic/sexual violence.

Robert is married to the former Letitia Ann Smith of San Antonio, TX. They have two grown children with Nicholas (18) a Senior at Jenks High School and Tulsa Tech. Robert and his family reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but are lifelong Baylor Bears!

Dr Sally Leivesley

Managing Director Newrisk Limited UK, Member of the Register of Security Engineers and Specialists, international media commentator on cyber, catastrophic risks, terrorism and nuclear war (UK)

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.

Walied Shater

Global Security, Mastercard (USA)

Walied’s security experience and training started while working for the United States Secret Service. He moved into corporate, global security in 2007. Since then, he has been investigating and solving security issues; advising on best practices and modern security methodologies; and helping companies, strategic partners, foreign countries, US military/government, stakeholders, and other governments to move forward operationally with minimized risk, fewer threats, and improved opportunities to reach business objectives in a world riddled with security, pandemic, and crisis situations.

Recently Walied was Security Risk Director Security Risk Director with McKinsey. Previous roles have also included Regional Security Advisor of Shell UAE, in Dubai, where he advised a broad group of executives, leaders, partners, and employees across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. He develops, plans, implements, and directs global strategy and programs for the protection, safeguarding, and security of employees, intellectual property, integrity, reputation, physical assets, and more with corporate company’s best interests in mind too.

George F. Siegle

Vice President, Resilience Solutions, Americas, Restrata

George F. Siegle, is Vice President, Resilience Solutions, Americas for Restrata. He has 15 years of experience with enterprise safety and security software. George launched Visual Command Center in 2011, and has led product management, marketing, and other functional teams at IDV Solutions and Everbridge. At Restrata, George’s responsibilities include ensuring that Restrata’s resilience OS-based solutions create successful outcomes for their customers. He has worked with numerous Chief Security Officers, C-Suite teams, and their direct reports on product requirements, journey maps, supply chain resilience initiatives, and travel risk management programs to help organizations protect what matters. George is a member of the Mid-Michigan Chapter of ASIS International and a member of the Risk Committee and Michigan Chapter of the Global Business Travel Association.

Robert F. Ream III

Vice President of Global Security, CSO and Administration, Helmerich and Payne’s

Robert Ream is Helmerich and Payne’s Vice President of Global Security, CSO, and Administration based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is a 1992 graduate of Baylor University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, and a MS from the University of Houston. Robert has also attended Post Graduate studies at the National Defense University in Washington DC, the Wharton School of Business, the Kellogg School of Business and the FBI Academy.
Before joining H&P, Robert held security leadership roles with several oil, gas and mining companies, focusing on operations in LATAM, MENA, and APAC.
Prior to joining the private sector, Robert served as a Commissioned Officer in the United States Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve serving globally in several different operational capacities.
Robert is a past Chairman of the American Petroleum Institute’s Security Committee, Former Vice Chair of the DHS/DOE Oil & Natural Gas Sector Coordination Council in Washington DC, and is also a past Chairman of the Energy Security Council. Robert has also served as the Vice Chair for the IOGP Security Committee based in London.
Robert has been married to the former Letitia Ann Smith of San Antonio, TX for 32 years and has three grown children residing in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Despite living north of the Red River, TeamReam are all lifelong Baylor Bears!