Michael Spaling has built his career around cybersecurity in the post-secondary industry. He leads the Information Security team at one of the best research-intensive Universities in Canada and a top 100 in the world. Michael is a recipient of the Queens Platinum Jubilee Medal for his notable contributions to the cybersecurity industry and was recognized as a Top 10 Under 40 by Canadian Security Magazine. He has a handful of published CVEs to his credit, braved the world of startups as the Chief Security Officer for an organization that was first to market offering digitized legal services, and, a little-known fact, is a co-inventor on a pending patent currently working its way through the US Patent and Trademark Office. When he's not working, Michael enjoys time with his wife, kids, and the family dog while making countless trips to the LEGO store or waiting patiently for LEGO deliveries to arrive at his house.

Jason has been architecting, designing, and deploying security technologies that secure the most complex computing environments for almost 2 decades. His understanding of operational and informational technologies, people, and processes enable him to deliver effective, comprehensive security solutions that align to an organization's security goals and strategic imperatives. Jason is adept at addressing a range of risk profiles across multiple industry verticals; skills he has cultivated as an end-user security practitioner, partner/integrator, and now manufacturer as the FIELD CTO, focused on Cybersecurity for Cisco Systems. Jason is also active in the direct community speaking at BC Aware, Privacy and Security Conference, Cisco Live, and has delivered multiple sessions at BSides. Jason also holds over 75+ designations across a variety of products and technologies including the CCIE designation.

Andrew Campbell's experience include over five years as a professional instructor, over two years of developing and producing Cybersecurity content for YouTube channel, sole proprietor of CyberSecurity business "RedBlue Labs" conducting security assessments and corporate education seminars.

Derran Guinan is an IT Security Specialist who collaborates with clients across Canada, educating and advising on various data protection and security solutions. With over twenty-five years in the IT industry managing networks, architecting solutions, and advising clients, Derran believes in a collaborative, customer-oriented approach to educating and helping clients solve security related situations and challenges.

At Veeam, Derran brings his education and experience to clients, helping them design data protection solutions, with a security first focus, across the enterprise. Derran has worked at some of the most trusted security companies in the world such as Palo Alto Networks and Crowdstrike, where he advised clients daily on both security incidents and proactive security solutions. 

Derran started his career at NAIT in the Telecommunications Engineering program, and has continued his education through SANS, ISC2, ISACA and PMP training and certifications. 

Having worked on macOS internals for a number of years, Mykola has gained a deep knowledge of the inner workings of Apple's platforms. He co-founded Dortania, an open-sourced organization dedicated to the research and documentation of running macOS on unsupported hardware. 

Currently, he leads the OpenCore Legacy Patcher project, which aims to get the latest versions of macOS running on long unsupported hardware to gain features, and security updates while prolonging the useable life of people's machines.

Director Information Security, Manulife

Parul Khanna is a seasoned cyber security professional with specialization in risk management, incident response, cloud security and software engineering. She has a Masters degree in Information System Security Management from Canadian University and holds CISSP, CCSP, CSSLP, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CDPSE and CCSK designations. Previously, Parul has worked as a core team member of Cybersecurity Operations Centre at one of Canada’s Big 5 bank. She is a subject matter expert on risk assessments, security control improvements and security solutions. In addition to her professional career, Parul has published a research paper on Doxing at an International Conference on Information Security, Privacy and Forensics held in Montreal. She has also served as a board member for the ISC2 Toronto Chapter. Parul enjoys mentoring aspiring professionals and is a course instructor for cybersecurity courses at University based in Toronto. She also loves to volunteer her time for the WiCyS (Women in Cybersecurity) community and is a passionate public speaker at cybersecurity conferences.

Nick is a seasoned Information Technology (IT) professional with over 25 years of experience in the IT security field. In addition to ten years of experience gained from managing a SOC for a critical infrastructure/energy concern, Nick brings outstanding knowledge in endpoint protection and network security: he has helped design, implement, and support endpoint security solutions for some of Canada’s largest healthcare and retail organizations. 

Sourabh Aggarwal, Senior Consultant of iTED Consultant Inc., is a visionary leader who harnesses technology and innovation to drive sustainable business strategies. He is pursuing a PhD in management from IAE Business School, focusing on technology and entrepreneurship.

With an extensive background in academia, consulting, and cybersecurity education, Sourabh's impact is truly multi-dimensional. He has been actively teaching cybersecurity and developing curricula for over five years, leaving a lasting impression on learners in Canada and the USA. His students have excelled in renowned companies such as Meta, Google, Amazon, GeoComply, and even the US Army.

Sourabh's holistic portfolio showcases his commitment to fostering innovation, nurturing collaboration, and championing forward-looking approaches. His deep-rooted comprehension of technology and his unwavering dedication to empowering individuals and organizations with essential cybersecurity knowledge positions him as a prominent influencer in navigating the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Vishakha is a cybersecurity professional with 6 years of industry experience, specializing in IT security, incident response, consulting, and security operations with expertise in SIEMs. Currently, she serves as a Product Manager at Microsoft, focusing on Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) security. Her passion lies in improving the security posture of the interconnected world and promoting security awareness through meaningful conversations.

Dennis is a cybersecurity executive with over 17 years of Industry and Mgmt. Consulting experience; currently working as vCISO and Cybersec-expert-for-hire for Big-4 consulting firms. Most commonly, Dennis leads and delivers complex projects that assist organizations manage their risks across several domains including Technology & Cybersecurity, Cyber Strategy, Governance, Risk & Control Assessments, Risk Reporting, Operational Risk Management, Vendor Management, and others. Dennis holds CISSP, CRISC, and CTPRP certifications.

Rodolfo is a cybersecurity leader with over 15 years of experience, including IT/OT Offensive Security Operations, SOC, Infosec Mgmt Systems and Frameworks implementations, Security Architecture, Risk, Assurance, Compliance, and Governance. Rodolfo holds OSCP, CISSP, CISA, CRISC, and CISM certifications. Demonstrated technical expertise by leading and delivering several successful engagements for complex organizations among the Fortune 500.

Kyle is a Cyber Security professional with over a decade of experience in a variety of domains including application and network security, identity and access management and security architecture. He resides in Calgary, AB, Canada but his experience spans across the globe, where he has worked with many organizations across every vertical with presence on nearly every continent.  He has experience in the public sector, private sector and beginning in 2014, on the vendor side.

A firm believer in simplifying complex topics, Kyle strives to continually improve his ability to communicate, explain and distill information into its simplest form (or analogy). When not in front of a customer or his computer, you can find him playing ball hockey, reading a book, spending time with his family or binging a new show.

Kevin Chen is a security researcher. He mainly focuses on vulnerability research in wireless and embedded systems. Kevin has spoken at various conferences including BSides, DEFCON and CANSECWEST.

Meet Sam Ezebunandu, a security analyst who's newish and diving headfirst into information security. Sam likes to think about challenges at the intersection of cloud infrastructure protection and application security, and brings a fresh perspective from previous career stints in project management and data analytics.

Sam’s journey so far includes an MBA, which allows him to keep focus on security as an enabler for business. Sam holds a number of certifications in technology, including GIAC Certified Incident Handler and the GIAC Public Cloud Security certifications. He is also an AWS Certified Security Specialist, a recipient of the 2023 Pycon US diversity scholarship and the 2023 fwd cloudsec scholarship grants. He continues to be involved with the cloud security community, particularly at the SANS technology institute as part of his ongoing learning adventures.

Sam currently works as a security Analyst at PayByPhone, as a dad to a three-year old daughter and a husband to an amazing wife. When not learning about and hacking the Cloud, he enjoys listening to podcasts about technology and history and the occasional hike at Kananaskis. He was a volunteer at BSides Calgary 2022 and loves the Bsides community.

Kai is a Senior Security Consultant at EY's Cyber Threat Management team and manages Security Engineering and Machine Learning. He holds multiple certifications and has extensive knowledge in various domains, including Web-App Development, Data Science, Incident Response, DevSecOps and Purple Teaming. He is also an advocate for open source software and data privacy. He dreams of a world where no one clicks on phishing e-mails.

Brechin was a Signals Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces for 15 years, before returning to school to complete a Masters in Information Systems Security Management. While in the army, Brechin led teams from 3-90 people and gained experience in a wide variety of areas such as: networks and NOCs, helpdesks, project and change management, physical line infrastructure, telephony, cryptography, satellite communications and high capacity line of sight systems, and how to do all of the above while camping. 

As the Manager of Systems Engineering at Veeam Software Canada, Rick leads a team of talented and passionate engineers who help customers protect their data and ensure business continuity. He has over two decades of experience in the information technology industry, with a focus on data center solutions, cloud strategies, storage, and virtualization. He holds multiple certifications from VMware, Veeam, and Microsoft, demonstrating his technical expertise and commitment to continuous learning.

He is passionate about data protection, disaster recovery, and his family and personal growth. He enjoys working with organizations from different sectors and regions, learning from their challenges and successes, and sharing my knowledge and insights. Rick also values coaching and mentoring as a leader and learner. Every interaction allows me to expand my horizons, discover new perspectives, and challenge my assumptions. He welcomes any conversation about technology, business, or life, and looks forward to connecting with you soon.

Alexandra Tenney is a Cyber Threat Intelligence and Red Team Analyst at Air Canada. She recently graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. During her tenure at the university, she founded the Information Security Club and has been an active member of the cybersecurity community. She also is currently active in the CTF community and has previously played with her university team, the national Canadian team, and her current team: Script Kitties. In her free time, Alex enjoys bouldering, rock climbing, hiking, cross-country skiing, and reading. 

Isaac graduated from SAIT in 2023 in Information Systems Security. A Burp Suite Certified Practitioner, he is currently working as a penetration tester for Packetlabs.

George is a 2000 graduate from Youngstown State University with a Bachelor of Science in computer science. He started in the information technology field in 1995 while working at a local Internet service provider and has been specializing in computer security for the past 20+ years.

After graduating, he has supported a customer base covering the US Government, US Department of Defense, Intel Community, Enterprise, and small to medium size business in the security sector. This has given him a very diverse view of security and the ability to customize a solution that fits the organization. He has worked for various companies ranging from small startups to fortune 100 including IronPort, Cisco Systems, FireEye and is currently a regional sales engineer for CrowdStrike covering Western Canada.

In his free time, George likes to give back to the open-source community with projects like NTP Pool, weather underground, varies coding projects and mentoring up and coming security experts.