
Toronto CISO Community
Executive Summit
December 11, 2024 | Chelsea Hotel
December 11, 2024
Chelsea Hotel
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Toronto's top CISOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CISOs today:
Increasing sophistication of cyber threats and the critical need to protect sensitive data
Reducing the risk of security breaches and enhancing overall organizational security
Providing clear, actionable insights to stakeholders to ensure informed, secure decision-making
Toronto CISO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CISOs, For CISOs®.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

Sandra Liepkalns
Choice Properties REIT
VP, Information Security & Data Governance
What to Expect
Agenda
7:45am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
Supply Chain Risk — The Weakest Link
Hosted by Snyk

Rod Hynes
Director, Information Security
Bell Canada
Recent events have CEOs and boards focused on the potential threats and vulnerabilities in their enterprise supply chain. With organizational reputation at stake, CISOs must be able to build and control a supply chain focused on resiliency and recoverability.
Join this session with Bell Canada's Rod Hynes, who will discuss:
- Challenges and complexities with supply chain risk
- Regulatory and government concerns with critical infrastructures
- Collaboration and coordination to de-risk technologies
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
AI Data Readiness — Strategic Considerations for Security
Hosted by Google Cloud

David Porter
Head of Customer Value & Transformation Advisory
Google Cloud
Achieving AI data readiness is essential for enhancing cybersecurity measures within organizations. By prioritizing high-quality, well-structured data, security executives can significantly improve the accuracy and efficiency of AI-driven security systems. Implementing robust data management practices, including collection, preprocessing, and validation, supports scalable and reliable cybersecurity applications, ultimately fortifying defenses and maintaining a strong security posture in the tech industry.
Join this session to discuss:
- Prioritizing high-quality, well-structured data to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of AI-driven security systems
- Implementing robust data management practices to support reliable cybersecurity applications
- Focusing on scalable AI solutions to drive innovation and fortify organizational defenses
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Risk to the Nth-Party Degree
Hosted by RiskRecon, a Mastercard Company

Peter Ling
VP, Global Cybersecurity Partnerships
RiskRecon - A MasterCard Company

Nicole Galang
Director Information Security (CISO)
BGIS

Iain Paterson
CISO
WELL Health
Third party relationships are closest and may prove to be the most tangible risks to your business, yet the whole supply chain of your business partners still pose a substantial threat. Most organizations’ vendor relationships extend to the 8th party. CISOs need to understand this web of connectedness in order to better manage and communicate enterprise risk.
Join this session to discuss:
- Gaining visibility into risk across the whole supply chain
- Strategies for effective risk management and monitoring business partners
- Overcoming resource challenges to prioritize third-party and extended supply chain risk
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Utilizing Hybrid Cloud to Maximize on Data
Hosted by Lenovo and Intel®

Nadeem Hussain
Director, Information Security (CISO)
Doane Grant Thornton

Juan Valbuena
Director Cybersecurity
Allied Gold

Alan McDermott
AVP, Information Security
Securian Financial
The challenge security leaders face? Storing, analyzing, and managing data through its lifecycle. To address this challenge, leaders are seeking a consistent strategy that works from edge to core to cloud and keeps data secure and accessible. Many are turning to a hybrid cloud solution that helps organizations unleash the power of their data.
Join this session to discuss:
- Harnessing the value of your data, no matter where it lives
- How security leaders are using hybrid cloud to product actionable insights
- Simplified management via a unified interface along with consistent processes for both on-prem and cloud
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
The Silent Spread of AI — And Why You’re Losing Control Over It
Hosted by Grip Security and Abnormal Security

Lior Yaari
CEO and Co-Founder
Grip Security

Nilesh Shastri
CISO
Canadian Institute for Health Information

Mick Leach
Field CISO
Abnormal Security
AI risk is quietly creeping into every corner of your enterprise, and you don’t even realize it. As more employees adopt AI-powered tools, applications, and processes, it is becoming deeply embedded in your tech stack — but it’s not just your employees using AI. Attackers are also leveraging AI to enhance their own tactics and sharpen their attacks. The real question for CISOs is: Do you have visibility into the countless ways AI is spreading, and what’s the best way to use AI to protect against AI?
Join this session to discuss:
- The hidden ways AI is entering your enterprise—from third-party tools to shadow AI projects—and why it’s slipping under the radar
- How attackers are using AI to improve their attacks and making them harder to detect by both legacy security tools and humans themselves
- Actionable steps for CISOs to gain visibility and control over AI use across the organization
10:25am - 11:05am Networking Break
10:30am - 10:55am Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.
11:05am - 11:50am Breakout Session
Using The Cloud to Drive Business Objectives
Hosted by Wiz

Agnelo Dias
VP, Information Security & IT Risk
IGM Financial
Divesting from a shared data center to the cloud is no small task. It's a journey to ensure the foundations are in place to support the migration and that frameworks are established to minimize breaches, ultimately improving enterprise functionality.
Four years into the process, this case study with IGM Financial will discuss:
- Maturing processes to adopt a proactive defense posture
- Establishing a culture of technology adoption
- Improving business operations and driving revenue opportunities
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
From Regulations to Resilience ― CISO Strategies for Cybersecurity Readiness
Hosted by Kyndryl

Denis Villeneuve
Cybersecurity & Resilience Practice Leader
Kyndryl Canada

Shakeel Sagarwala
AVP, CISO
Canadian Tire Bank

Brent Thomas
AVP, Security Architecture and Consulting
Co-operators Insurance and Financial Services
As cybersecurity regulations rapidly evolve, organizations must be ready to maintain their competitive edge and ensure compliance. For CISOs, this means implementing a cybersecurity framework that encompass risk management (third-party/cyber/operational resilience), policy development, and continuous compliance monitoring.
Join us to discuss how to:
- Effectively identify, evaluate, and mitigate compliance risks
- Implement robust cyber resilience practices that reinforce regulatory standards
- Incorporate ongoing vigilance and adaptive strategies to align with emerging regulations
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
Strengthening Business Continuity Through Rapid IT Recovery
Hosted by Dynatrace

David Jones
Vice President, North America Solutions Engineering
Dynatrace

Mark Pryce
Manager Cybersecurity
Toromont

Linda Barratt
Director, Enterprise Architecture
Toronto Community Housing
Recovering quickly from system disruptions is crucial for business resilience and the bottom line. Recent incidents have further highlighted the need for robust recovery strategies. CISOs can leverage best practices, advanced technologies and communication across the organization to maintain stability during crises.
Join this session to discuss:
- Implementing capabilities for immediate situational awareness
- Building resilient IT infrastructure to withstand future challenges
- Safeguarding operations through application reliability and early issue detection
11:05am - 11:50am Executive Boardroom
A CISO’s Guide to Unified Identity Security
Hosted by Okta

Ian Hassard
VP, Product Management
Okta

Assaf Afek-Levy
CISO
GFL Environmental

Keith Benedict
Director IT Security, Audit and Compliance
Postmedia Network Inc
SSO and MFA are no longer enough to solve identity security challenges. Today, security leaders need to look beyond authentication to uncover gaps in their security posture and be able to detect identity threats before they become a breach.
Join this session to learn how to:
- Develop a unified identity security posture
- Prevent identity-based attacks
- Identify potential threats faster and automate responses
11:50am - 12:35pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Toronto CISO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
Chelsea HotelParking:
Underground parking garage - Rates below
- $39 per night plus taxes, unlimited in and out privileges
- Non-Guest Overnight Parking: $44 per night plus taxes
- Non-Guest Rate/Hour: $3 per hour plus taxes
- Daily Parking Rate: $15 (6am - 6pm)
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Chelsea Hotel at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 1-800-243-5732. Please mention Evanta CISO Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $189 CAD (plus tax) is November 18, 2024.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.