The Speakers

Brent J. Arnold is a seasoned litigator with over 20 years of experience specializing in cybersecurity, privacy, and commercial litigation. He has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and has been recognized in Best Lawyers™ in Canada and the Lexpert Directory. Brent is a respected thought leader and speaker, serving as Chair of the Canadian Internet Society and holding leadership roles in multiple legal and technology organizations. His expertise lies at the intersection of law and technology, where he provides practical guidance on managing complex litigation, cyber risk and data breach response.

Brent is a sought-after public speaker and has been quoted in leading national newspapers, appeared several times on CBC television and radio, and hosts the Net Positive podcast.

Brent has held leadership positions in the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the Advocates’ Society, the International Association of Defense Counsel, and the Defense Research Institute. He currently serves as the Chair of the Canadian Internet Society, a thinktank that advocates for open, accessible, affordable and secure internet access for Canadians. 

Rabia Bajwa is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 12 years of experience spanning cybersecurity, governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), and data privacy. Her expertise centers on GRC, data privacy, and AI security, with a proven track record of partnering with organizations across Dubai and the broader Middle East to strengthen their cybersecurity posture, achieve regulatory compliance, and design pragmatic, effective security frameworks. Based in Ontario's Greater Toronto Area, she continues to deliver strategic consulting services to clients throughout the UAE region.

Rabia holds a Master's degree in Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence (MCTI) from the University of Guelph, conferred in 2024, in addition to a Master's in Project Management and a Bachelor's in Telecommunication Engineering. Her professional credentials include a comprehensive portfolio of globally recognized certifications: CISSP, CISM, CEH, ISO 27001 Lead Implementer, ISO 42001 Lead Implementer, and ITIL.

Her current practice is dedicated to helping consulting firms and their clients harness AI-driven solutions to strengthen risk management and streamline compliance operations. She is particularly committed to enabling organizations to adopt AI-powered tools that drive greater efficiency and resilience across their risk and compliance functions.

28 years in Information Technology, with the last 15 years directly practicing Information Security in the Financial Services and Defense Manufacturing sectors. 

Andrea Illés has over eight years of experience in Technology Risk Management, Technology Controls, GRC, Risk Assessments, IT Audit Support, Information Security, and Issue Management, and continues to learn every day. Andrea brings both expertise and curiosity to everything she does, with a clear focus on strengthening risk posture, driving due diligence, and building meaningful collaboration across teams.

Andrea serves as Co‑Chair for Women in Technology at Canada Life, where she is passionate about creating space for growth, leadership, and inclusion within the technology community.

Outside of work, Andrea enjoys long walks with her partner and their two amazing dogs. She loves nature in all its forms (including people), and has a deep appreciation for music as an amateur musician. She approaches life with optimism—the glass is always half full. 

Nawab Kabir has been in the cybersecurity trenches for over 30 years. He founded Bangladesh's second Internet Service Provider back in the '90s before moving to Canada, where he spent almost two decades helping a global internet domain name registry company get their security house in order.

These days, Nawab runs DigiRisq Consulting in London, Ontario, helping growing tech companies navigate the wonderful world of ISO 27001 and compliance without losing their minds.

He also started the monthly Cyber Hive YXU meetup because he believes the best security insights happen over pizza and conversation.

He holds several security certifications — CISSP, CISM, CCISO, and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor, but he's most proud of making complex security stuff make sense to regular humans. 

Steph LaPierre (she/her) is a DIrector of IT Service Relationship Management at Canada Life, where she leads the transformation from traditional service models to experience-driven technology management. Her work focuses on intentionally designing, measuring, and improving end-user experiences that balance productivity, trust, and security.

With a background spanning service management, experience measurement, and enterprise technology strategy, Steph bridges the gap between technical controls and human behaviour. She is passionate about making security practical, useable, and aligned to real business outcomes.

Steph is also an active advocate for Women in Technology, regularly mentoring and creating spaces for inclusive leadership and shared learning across the industry.

Dan McConomy is Director of Cybersecurity Advisory Services at LevelBlue, with experience across cybersecurity advisory, risk and compliance, resilience, incident response, and recovery planning. His background includes hands-on technical roles as well as security leadership and consulting, which gives him a grounded view of how security, operations, and business priorities come together during disruptive events. He is especially interested in helping organizations turn complex security and resilience challenges into practical plans and actions. 

Tyson Rauch has over 18 years of progressive experience in security roles including leadership in security operations, offensive security, and executive consulting. His experience includes internal and external penetration testing, red and purple team engagements, phishing and telephone social engineering, networking, Windows system administration, Active Directory, SIEM administration and tuning, endpoint antivirus management, incident response and forensics, vulnerability management, privileged access management, PCI compliance, PKI administration, identity and access management, and developing and delivering information security awareness programs.

Previously, as a virtual CISO, Tyson developed and delivered engagements such as security program maturity assessments, vendor risk management programs, information security policies, incident response plans, incident response tabletop exercises, security architecture reviews, and threat risk assessments.

In his capacity as Principal Consultant, Tyson conducts external penetration tests, internal penetration tests, phishing simulations, social engineering engagements, security maturity assessments, SaaS/cloud security assessments, incident response planning, and incident response tabletop exercises. Tyson also provides guidance and mentorship on the penetration testing team and continuously enhances iON’s methodology and practices.

David Redekop, Founder and CEO of ADAMnetworks®, is a cybersecurity visionary with a lifelong focus on risk assessment. After studying at the University of Waterloo, David spent over a decade as the founder of a multinational MSP, implementing cutting-edge security technologies. Convinced that traditional approaches were insufficient, he pioneered the ZeroTrust connectivity model, introducing the Don't Talk to Strangers (DTTS)® framework to address TCP/IP security flaws.

David’s career began in risk management, collaborating with the chief actuary of a global life insurance company, where he optimized algorithms, automated data ingestion, and developed early AI systems for finance and insurance. His passion for protecting people and their systems drives ADAMnetworks’ innovative philosophy. Leading a dedicated team, David continues to redefine cybersecurity, safeguarding critical systems with groundbreaking solutions.

Based in London, Ontario, Canada, David balances his professional mission with family life, alongside his wife and children. His work at ADAMnetworks reflects a commitment to creating a safer digital world through relentless innovation and a people-first approach.