Olu has over twenty years’ experience in Information technology and Security and has spent most of those years in the public sector. He is currently the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT). Before joining NYC DOT, he worked as Senior Director, Security and Risk Management at the New York City Health + Hospitals. Olu holds numerous certifications that include Certification Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), GIAC Critical Controls Certification (GCCC), Project Management Professional (PMP), and Proofpoint Certified Ransomware Specialist.

Robyn Ready is the Sr. Vice-President, CISO, Infrastructure and Operations at the KnitWell Group. With over 17 years’ experience in the cyber security field and over 20 years’ experience in IT, Robyn has led five organizations in their transformation from no security program or a minimal security program to mature security organizations. Starting with an organization that needed to achieve NIST compliance to survive, moving to a Fortune 100 financial firm that required a SOC, and then into the retail industry Robyn has been instrumental in achieving continuous risk reduction for all these organizations. These risk reductions allowed her to move to her next challenge while leaving teams that were set up to succeed and continue their maturity journey. At the KnitWell Group Robyn has led her teams through three acquisitions in four years which required the integration and consolidation of teams, tools, and processes. As a firm believer in ensuring you take care of the basics before anything else she has adopted the philosophy that, “if you don’t have secure, stable systems, you don’t get to do fun things.

Ron Ongley is the Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Technology Officer at Russell Reynolds Associates. Based in New York, he oversees the firm’s security program, network, voice/video, distributed infrastructure, and all core systems, along with a global Client Services team. Ron established and leads the RRA cybersecurity program, guided the firm through ISO security and data privacy certifications, and modernized the global network and voice services delivery model. Currently, he is spearheading a digital ERP transformation and modernizing legal operations.

Ron has been with Russell Reynolds Associates for 23 years, progressively advancing in seniority. He has driven operational and technological efficiencies, including creating a flexible workforce foundation and redesigning infrastructure for the firm’s first automated fault-tolerant network. Key initiatives include migrating to modern IP technology phone systems and introducing global video and collaboration programs, significantly enhancing daily business operations. Before joining RRA in December 2001, Ron was Director of Enterprise Systems at Rare Medium and held roles in technology management and engineering at a small educational firm and Quaker State Corporation.

Ron earned a BS in Business Administration from Ambassador University in Texas and holds CISO Certification from Carnegie Mellon University.

Patricia Voight is the CISO and Head of 1st Line Technology Risk Management at Webster Bank. Previously, she was a Managing Director at Ernst & Young LLP in the Financial Services (FS) Risk Consulting sector, and the FS Technology Risk Integrated Cybersecurity Leader for the Americas. Patricia has extensive experience serving large global, medium-size regional, and startup clients with a focus on financial, operational, and technology risk management; cybersecurity and digital transformation; organizational and technology strategies; risk remediation; process, risk, and control (PRC) frameworks; and meeting regulatory expectations. She works directly with board members and C-Suite leaders to help each organization accelerate its company’s mission and protect its purpose. She has held numerous strategic executive roles in the industry across all Three Lines of Defense.

Amit Basu is Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at International Seaways (INSW). INSW, headquartered in New York city, is one of the largest tanker companies providing energy transportation services for crude oil and petroleum products worldwide. Amit has over 30 years of proven IT track record and almost 25 years of experience in maritime IT leadership roles. Prior to INSW, he worked with Overseas Shipholding Group from 1995 and was their CIO between 2013 and 2016. Amit pioneered maritime industry process automation efforts and lately optimized the IT services at INSW utilizing cloud computing and SaaS.

Amit holds an MBA as well as a Master of Science degree in Information Management from the Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey. Amit is also a Certified Information Security Manager from ISACA and a current Governing Body member of New York CIO Executive Summit.

Amit is instrumental in designing a cybersecurity risk management framework at INSW for protecting information assets against potential cyber risks; monitoring the emergence of new threats and vulnerabilities; timely detection and efficient response to any cyber incidents. He is currently focusing on leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to enhance cyber security defense efforts, especially to mitigate the security risks of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Over the course of her career, Nashira Spencer has earned a formidable reputation as a transformational executive who leverages transparency, authenticity, and accountability to serve as a “change agent for good”. Nashira has nearly 25 years experience developing and implementing business driving technology solutions for Fortune 500 organizations in the Media, Financial Services, and Real Estate industries. She’s held executive level roles in Technology, Risk Management, Cyber Security, and Data Privacy, delivering high impact revenue growth, expense reduction, and operational efficiency. Nashira currently serves as CISO and Head of Enterprise IT at Stitch Fix.

Atti Riazi is a leading authority in cyber technology and artificial intelligence, with a distinguished career that spans both the public and private sectors. Currently, she serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Hearst Corporation, where she spearheads transformative technology initiatives and drives innovation within the company.

Prior to her role at Hearst, Atti held dual positions as Senior Vice President and CIO, as well as Interim Chief Digital Officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. There, she played a key role in advancing healthcare technology, from tech adoption to research and patient care. She also served for seven years as Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Information Technology Officer at the United Nations, where she redefined the organization’s technology infrastructure to enhance global effectiveness.

Atti is deeply committed to using technology for social good. As Executive Director of CIOs Without Borders, she applies her expertise to drive positive societal impact. Her extensive career also includes leadership roles such as Executive Vice President and CIO at the New York City Housing Authority, Global CIO at Ogilvy & Mather, and Vice President and CIO at MTA New York City Transit, where she pioneered the iconic MetroCard system.

In addition to her executive roles, Atti is a respected thought leader in technology. She regularly contributes to publications and speaks at industry events, focusing on critical topics like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and ethical tech practices. Through these efforts, she advocates for responsible innovation and works to ensure a secure and ethical tech landscape.

Kevin Walsh is a results-driven cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience in technology and security, including 15 years of leadership in managing cyber teams. As the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at PCHI, Kevin has a proven track record of delivering business-enabling security programs across a diverse range of industries, including media, manufacturing, finance, SaaS startups, defense, retail, and consumer products.

A strategic and people-focused leader, Kevin excels in creating collaborative, consensus-driven cultures that empower teams and foster ownership and autonomy. His expertise spans a wide array of security programs, including enterprise security, application and product security, identity and access management, data privacy, threat intelligence, incident response, and vulnerability management.

Kevin is also active in the security venture capital community, advising security and privacy startups and enterprises. His deep knowledge of security frameworks such as NIST CSF, ISO27001, and SOC2, combined with his experience in compliance areas like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI, enables him to guide organizations through complex security and privacy challenges.

With a strong focus on emerging technologies like generative AI and cloud-native security, Kevin is committed to driving innovation and ensuring robust cybersecurity in today’s ever-evolving digital landscape.

Karl spent 7 years working for PWC and has been in the IT Security space for over 30 years. He has been successful at designing, building and enhancing a risk based, cost effective security and privacy program during his 21 years at the Knights of Columbus. He has used his MBA from Cornell University to give him insight on how to educate the Board Audit Committee and Senior Management regarding regulatory requirements. He has worked with internal and external auditors to pass regulatory examinations with no material errors. He is also a member of the ISACA, IIA and IAPP. His life journey includes his wonderful bride, Candace and their eight children.

Ahmed Pasha is the US Head of IT Security and CISO at Nomura, responsible for driving the cybersecurity strategy and safeguarding the Nomura Americas franchise. In addition to his CISO role, Ahmed leads Nomura’s Global Threat Management program, enhancing security across the firm and ensuring the protection of its clients.

With Nomura’s integrated network spanning over 30 countries and regions, Ahmed plays a key role in securing the firm’s global operations, which include services in retail, investment management, global markets, and investment banking. His leadership is integral to Nomura’s mission of “Delivering a better tomorrow” by fostering a secure environment for both the firm and its clients.

Srini Gudipati is a visionary technology executive with a legacy of leading and aligning cross-functional teams to drive complex end-to-end enterprise initiatives and deliver impactful digital solutions that scale business, drive operational excellence, and revolutionize the customer experience.

With 25+ years of experience in the supply chain and logistics industry, Srini has been recognized as a technical thought leader in innovative software development, digital transformation, and IT portfolio and program management, with expertise in consumer-packaged goods (CPG), manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, logistics, and transportation.

In his current role as CIO at Reworld, Srini directs an operating budget of $32M and $15M of capital budget, providing leadership for 100+ direct and indirect reports.

As a forward-thinking change agent, Srini delivers transformational results by building bridges across functions, revitalizing IT organization performance, and empowering teams to “up their game” to exceed performance expectations. Srini aligns cross-functional teams around a unified vision to develop and deploy digital products that create competitive advantage, increase business agility, and enable organizations to generate multimillion dollars in revenue and deliver excellent customer service.

He is also focused on increasing application scalability, reliability, and performance while minimizing corporate cybersecurity risks and costs by championing the latest trends in digital technology and data-driven processes, modernizing outdated network infrastructure, building autonomous cloud-based data warehouse/data lake platforms, and accelerating migrations of legacy systems to the cloud. As a testament to his leadership and digital transformation achievements, Srini was recognized with a CIO100 Award (Business Intelligence).

As a caring and inspiring people leader, Srini raises the performance bar and coaches for success to meet challenging corporate goals while providing career growth and advancement opportunities. He is proud of the leaders he has developed, creating diverse and inclusive cultures that foster innovation and collaboration to deliver unmistakable value for the company and its customers.

Srini’s academic credentials include a Master of Science in Computer Science from Villanova University, a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgy from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, a PMP certification, and several professional development courses in leadership, communication, operational excellence, warehouse & distribution, and logistics.

Sharon Dhall is Chief Information Officer at Kroll, based in New York. Sharon has more than 25 years of experience and a proven track record of success in technology, operations, business and process transformation and finance leadership roles. Throughout her career, she has led many successful enterprise-wide initiatives, including transformation efforts, enterprise robotics programs and process re-engineering. In her role at the firm, she has global responsibility for shaping and supporting Kroll’s growth through the strategic use of technology, data and people resources to deliver an improved customer and employee experience. 

Prior to being appointed Chief Information Officer at Kroll, Sharon led Enterprise Technology for the Human Resources, Legal and Compliance functions as well as Enterprise Business Process Automation at TIAA. She was instrumental in the continued progress of the organization’s Robotics Center of Excellence and developed a community to share learnings across the enterprise. Sharon’s leadership made an enduring impact in the Women in IT initiative and the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the firm. She was the co-sponsor for Women in Technology along with Ally programs to help develop, shape and retain technology talent. She also drove human resource transformation efforts globally, including a long-term initiative that transformed how TIAA delivered HR services. 

Sharon joined TIAA in 2017 from JPMorgan Chase, where she was Technology CFO/COO for the corporate investment bank, responsible for $3.6 billion in annual technology spend and the delivery of a $200 million (mn) multi-year efficiency program. She also held technology and process leadership roles of increasing responsibility at JPMorgan Chase, including managing transformational initiatives across the banking technology portfolio, driving process re-engineering efforts in the wholesale business and being the auto and student lending CIO. She also spent more than 12 years with General Electric in the GE Capital and Finance divisions in roles that ranged from project management to chief information officer, where she managed a $25 mn technology budget and more than 400 resources globally. 

Sharon serves on the boards of the Emma Willard All Girls High School, Syracuse University’s iSchool and the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management, a non-profit open education organization. She has also authored a book on information technology in higher education. 

Sharon holds a bachelor’s degree in information sciences and technology from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in organization psychology from Teachers College at Columbia University. She also received an Executive MBA from the University of Connecticut. She is actively involved in her community supporting Operation Walk Maryland and participates in several Asian and women’s diversity networks. 

Caitlin brings over 15 years of experience to the Brand Marketing, Corporate and Technology groups at FleishmanHillard, working with both B2B and consumer household brands to leverage cultural moments and generate creative concepts that lead to bold programming and headlines in top-tier earned media coverage. In addition to her client leadership roles, she oversees FleishmanHillard’s New York Technology Practice and Global Generative AI Center of Excellence. She brings experience from a variety of industries including CPG, emerging technology and travel, and has launched everything from rebrands and partnerships to products and major news moments for clients like Amazon, Anheuser-Busch, Axios, Chase, NetEase Games, Salesforce, Samsung, Workday and more. In the past, Caitlin has launched and led Chase Sapphire’s most successful year at the Sundance Film Festival, the global United Arab Emirates space probe launch, the open-sourcing of a startup organization’s algae bioreactor — which now calls the Smithsonian home — and Amazon’s Fire TV Cube release, to name a few.

She is the recipient of a variety of industry awards including a SABRE and Big Apple award for her team’s integrated GODIVA campaigns; a SABRE and Bronze Anvil for her team’s Lowe’s campaign; the PRNews’ 2022 Top Women in PR, Changemaker category; and most recently, PRovoke’s Innovator 25 for 2024.

At The Corcoran Group, my tenure as Vice President of Product & Tech Support is marked by a steadfast commitment to enhancing customer experience through innovative technology solutions. Our team’s efforts have fortified the tech foundation initiated by Barbara Corcoran, ensuring that agents and clients benefit from seamless digital interactions.

With expertise in Product and customer service management, we’ve developed robust websites and productivity tools supporting over 5000 global agents. Our work embodies the pioneering spirit of The Corcoran Group, fostering a culture of excellence in technical support and services that continue to set industry benchmarks.

Dr. Dilip Nath is a distinguished Technology leader in higher education and healthcare, known for his advocacy in Technology Justice, author of several books including a book on “Delivering Equitable Healthcare through Technology”, & Technology Justice, currently serving as an AVP and Deputy CIO for the Downstate Health Sciences University.

With 30+ years of strategic planning expertise, Dilip focuses on using technology to bridge equity gaps in healthcare and education.
At 16, Dilip emigrated from Bangladesh to the US, becoming the first in his family to attend college. He lived in Queens for 35 years, earning the trust of his community as a dedicated leader and activist.

Dilip is known for his visionary, team-oriented, and compassionate leadership. He is a respected advocate for various community issues, including healthcare, immigrant rights, and education. He founded NAVA and co-founded ABHF to further his endeavors.He holds a D.B.A. in Business Administration, and a M.B.A. Technology Management. Dilip was awarded the Executive Certificate in Public Policy Credential, from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University

German has over 15 years of experience in IT leadership, helping fast-growing companies structure their IT teams to support sustainable growth and global scaling, leading IT strategy for companies ranging from small private firms to large public organizations with up to 15,000 employees.

Currently, German serves as Head of IT Operations at Moelis & Company, a leading global investment bank, where he is focused on standardizing global IT processes, improving efficiency, and spearheading a digital transformation to prepare the company for the AI-driven future.

German worked 6 years at WeWork, holding multiple strategic roles in the IT leadership team, leading IT strategies and delivering employee-centric portfolio solutions across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia. Before joining WeWork, German worked as IT Director at JAS Forwarding Worldwide, scaling the LATAM region to grow from ~150 employees in 4 countries to ~2000 employees in 43 cities in 17 countries in less than 8 years.

Milagros Talabucon has over 20 years of global experience in IT management, strategy, transformation, and innovation. As Vice President of Technology for North America at Pernod Ricard, she leads a dynamic team of IT professionals and drives the definition and delivery of technology capabilities across the region.

Milagros has a proven track record of building high-performing teams, crafting customer-centric solutions, and spearheading digital transformation initiatives. Her career includes pivotal roles in luxury, retail, e-commerce, and CPG sectors. At Chanel, she led IT solutions in AI, Customer Experience, Digital Innovation, and Enterprise Architecture, contributing to the brand’s creativity and disruption. She has also led impactful IT projects in omni-channel, e-commerce, and CRM for Redcats, Coach, and New York and Company.

Passionate about the future of luxury, Milagros holds a master’s degree in cosmetics and fragrance marketing and management from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she conducted in-depth studies in various markets. She is committed to delivering business-centric technology solutions that drive growth, efficiency, sustainability, and brand equity.

Dan Meers is the data and analytics leader for CohnReznick’s Digital practice. He focuses on delivering data driven solutions for the firm’s clients in commercial and public sectors across financial services, energy, real estate, and other industries.

Dan has progressive experience over more than 30 years as a trusted client advisor, program leader, and solution architect. He has led and supported numerous transformational and solution programs for Fortune 500 businesses, including solution design, planning, and execution support. Additionally, he has strong leadership skills overseeing large and complex data programs that deliver innovative solutions to improve performance and mitigate risk.

Dan is also a recognized thought leader in the industry and has co-authored three books – Data Warehousing for e-Business (2001), Supply Chain Plus (2004), and The Data & Analytics Playbook (2016), which comprises 20 years of Industry presentations and publications in data and analytics. His latest book includes methods and examples used in firms managing over $5T in assets.

Before joining CohnReznick, Dan served as Finance Data Officer and Vice President for a $1T asset management company, where he supported and then led the financial transformation and management accounting and reporting functions. He has also served as Chief Enterprise Architect at Freddie Mac, where he and his team architected the financial transformation.

Dan has published and presented on topics including demand management, strategy execution management, risk-based controls, data governance for regulatory and business requirements, and cloud-based data solutions.

Warby Warburton is an accomplished cybersecurity leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation and product strategy in the technology and security sectors. Currently serving as the Vice President of Product Management at Exabeam, Warby specializes in Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), overseeing the development and enhancement of advanced security platforms designed to protect organizations from evolving cyber threats.

Jamie Knobles champions Cyber Resilience and Readiness at Immersive, empowering organizations to proactively anticipate, prepare for, and mitigate cyber threats. He guides businesses to translate complex technical challenges into actionable strategies, including facilitating engaging cyber crisis exercises, fostering strong security cultures, and leveraging the Immersive platform to upskill workforces and build muscle memory. Jamie specializes in designing high-impact drills that test both technical skills and leadership decision-making under pressure. He is dedicated to staying at the forefront of the cybersecurity landscape, seeking innovative solutions that enable organizations to continuously prove and improve their cyber resilience.

Brian Gumbel is a seasoned business and cybersecurity leader with a proven track record of driving transformative revenue growth. Recently appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Dataminr, a revolutionary real-time AI platform that delivers the earliest warnings on high impact events and critical information to cyber and physical security teams, Brian oversees the company’s next growth phase by spearheading their global enterprise strategy – across public and private sales, operations, customer success, marketing, and partnerships. He brings over 25 years of success in building high-performance teams, optimizing operations, and fueling go-to-market strategies.
Most recently, Brian served as President and Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Armis, transforming it from an early-stage cybersecurity startup into the #1 cyber asset management company. During this time, Armis achieved Unicorn status and a run-rate approaching $200M in revenue. Additionally, Brian was instrumental in driving cross-functional programs, establishing valuable customer and partner relationships, and led a 350-person team to success. Prior to joining Armis, Brian managed world-class sales functions at Forescout Technologies and helped take the company public, as well as held prior commercial and government sales leadership roles at Tanium, McAfee, and Cisco.
Extending beyond direct leadership roles, Brian has served on various boards, lending his strategic acumen to guide multiple companies both in the private and public sector. His contributions have demonstrably led to significant achievements, including navigating companies through strategic acquisitions and exits. Most notably, Brian is a recognized champion for diversity and inclusion. A passionate advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and a staunch supporter of women in business and technology, he brings a commitment to fostering a more equitable industry to all his endeavors.

Eddie Daghelian is a versatile technology leader with 20+ years of global experience driving business transformation. From his start at IBM Toronto Lab to expertise in cloud, AI, data, and modernization, he works to deliver secure, cutting-edge solutions that accelerate innovation. Eddie thrives on collaboration, shaping strategies that boost growth and efficiency while engaging top IT leaders in dynamic, forward-thinking discussions.

Loren Russon has managed product development and marketing activities for security and identity management product lines for 20+ years. At Ping Identity since 2011, Loren serves as Senior Vice President of Product and Technology, overseeing the development of a diverse portfolio of cloud and data-center products focused on identity and access management. Prior to joining Ping Identity, Loren was Director of Product Management at Novell, Inc., where he
played an instrumental role in the growth of the company’s identity and security product lines.

Susan DiFranco is a Senior Solutions Engineer for Perforce Delphix supporting customers along the East Coast. Based in Boston, MA, Susan has over 25 years of experience in database technologies, leading transformational projects for a variety of industries. Before joining Perforce Delphix, Susan spent several years working alongside customers in implementing graph databases to support their data science initiatives and solve complex problems. Prior to that Susan both worked as and managed DBAs for various financial institutions.

Jesse Whaley is an accomplished thought and action leader across multiple disciplines encompassing technology, security, intelligence, and criminal investigations. He has consistently delivered award-winning cybersecurity performance and groundbreaking improvements for the U.S. Department of Defense, international governmental alliances, and private companies. 2024 Orbie Capital CISO of the Year. 2023 Global Leadership Institute Award. 2017 Pentagon Senior IT Civilian of the Year.

As Amtrak’s current Chief Information Security Officer, Jesse leads the management of cyber risk and information security matters. He manages everything from traditional enterprise technology risks to unique challenges with operational technology that securely moves trains and safely delivers passengers to their destinations. Jesse authored and is executing a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy to strengthen the company’s security posture while supporting the digital transformation of the business.

In 2023, Jesse founded SLICC-Cyber, providing exclusive clients with expert consultancy and advisory services.

Previously, Jesse transformed cybersecurity operations at the Pentagon. He designed and built major programs to protect the nation’s military headquarters from cyber threats including cyber intelligence fusion, cyber hunt, and user activity monitoring in support of the DoD Insider Threat Program. Jesse held many other leadership positions throughout DoD including leading defensive cyberspace operations at a regional cyber center. He delivered unique critical technology capabilities as a director within the military intelligence community (CTO equivalent) and served as an IT director (CIO equivalent) overseas.

Jesse is especially known for leading revolutionary global initiatives. His accomplishments include successfully leading teams through the resolution of over 10,000 cybersecurity incidents and over 500 criminal investigations.

Jesse also served 10 years in the U.S. Army as a CID Special Agent and a Digital Forensic Examiner. Jesse has lived and worked across the globe, developing trusted partnerships with his counterparts in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

James (Jim) is a veteran in the information security and risk space. He previously served as partner at Ernst & Young, where he helped build the company’s cybersecurity practice during his 27-year tenure. Most recently, Jim worked as CISO and head of US operations at Panaseer. He has also held positions as CTRO at AIG, CSO and CTRO at Kaiser Permanente, and managing director at JP Morgan Chase, where he was global leader of Information Risk and Resiliency, Treasury and Security Services.