SiberXchange 1.0: A Nexus for Canadian Cybersecurity Leadership
siberXchange 1.0 served as a major gathering for cybersecurity leaders, executives, and experts, focusing on the future challenges and strategic requirements of digital defense within the Canadian landscape. The event provided a platform for high-level discussion, innovation showcase, and crucial networking, hosted at the Ven venue.
Core Highlights and Themes
The event’s primary focus was on diversity in cybersecurity leadership, the role of GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance), and advanced technologies like AI and Cloud security. A notable highlight was the strong representation of female leaders in the sector, with speakers from major Canadian banks and global tech firms like Rola Dagher (Cisco Canada) and Diana Kelley (Microsoft), emphasizing the push for inclusive security practices and thought leadership. Discussions likely spanned:
Financial Sector Security:
Given the heavy participation from institutions like Scotiabank, TD Bank, CIBC, RBC, and BMO, a major theme was enterprise resilience, authentication governance, and managing complex identity and access management (IAM) systems.
Privacy by Design:
Insights from experts like Dr. Ann Cavoukian and Cat Coode drove conversations on embedding privacy and data strategy directly into system architecture.
Government & Resilience:
The presence of government officials like David Piccini (MPP) and Sherry Rumbolt (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat) underscored the strategic importance of national cyber resilience and public-private sector coordination.
Speakers and Sponsors
Speakers: siberXchange 1.0 featured an enormous and diverse speaker roster, bringing together strategic thinkers from various industries. Prominent speakers included Abby Daniell (AWS) on cloud strategy, Joe LoBianco (CIBC) on information security, and Olivera Zatezalo (OPG) contributing to critical infrastructure security dialogue. The depth of expertise included legal strategy (Jasmine Daya), academic research (Dr. Eman Hammad), and product security architecture (Helen Oakley of SAP), ensuring a holistic view of the threat landscape.
Sponsors:
The forum was heavily supported by a comprehensive list of technology and regional partners, highlighting a strong ecosystem approach to security. Key sponsors included global technology leaders such as AWS, BELL, IBM, JUNIPER NETWORKS, and VEEAM. Specialized security companies like GUARDICORE, PROOFPOINT, TENABLE, and ZSCALER provided solution expertise. Importantly, the support from municipal and regional partners, including the Durham REGION and the Town of Ajax, emphasized the community and regional commitment to fostering cyber education and defense.
YouTube Playlist
While the recap article is provided here, attendees and interested parties can find related video content, event highlights, and session recordings by checking the official YouTube channel playlists provided by the organizer, siberX, at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaP6IVs_Sv0&list=PLmPGnrZ2SYxZ0pBiyvzhF2qXZDWfpXnhF
