Mircea Geoană became NATO Deputy Secretary General in October 2019, after a distinguished domestic and international career. He is a strong advocate of transatlantic integration and has held a number of international positions, including OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in 2001 and personal representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Georgia in 2005. Mr Geoană also served in various capacities as a diplomat and politician, including Ambassador to Washington, Minister of Foreign Affairs, President of Romanian Senate, and, in 2009, his party’s candidate to be President of Romania. He is also the founder of the Aspen Institute Romania and has published extensively on domestic and international affairs.
Mr Geoană is the first Deputy Secretary General from Romania, and the first from any of the countries that joined the Alliance after the end of the Cold War.
Lorena Boix Alonso is Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity in the Directorate General for Communications Networks Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), at the European Commission. Formerly, she was Acting Director for Policy Strategy and Outreach and Head of Unit for Policy Implementation and Planning, also in DG CONNECT. Previously, she was Deputy Head of Cabinet of Vice President Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for the Digital Agenda and also during Ms Kroes' mandate as Commissioner for Competition.
She joined the European Commission Directorate-General for Competition in 2003. Prior to that, she worked for Judge Rafael García Valdecasas, at the European Court of Justice, as well as Deputy Director and Legal Coordinator of the IPR-Helpdesk Project and in private practice in Brussels. She holds a Master of Laws from the Harvard Law School and a Licence Spéciale en Droit Européen from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. She graduated in Law from the University of Valencia.
Craig Jones is the Director of Cybercrime at INTERPOL, leading its Global Cybercrime Programme. It’s objective is to reduce the global impact of cybercrime and protect communities around the world. In his role, Mr Jones focuses on cyber threat response and operational delivery in 194 INTERPOL member countries.
Mr Jones brings over 27 years of law enforcement experience and is an expert in cyber/digital crime investigations. Prior to this, Mr Jones held several senior management positions in UK law enforcement, including at the UK’s National Crime Agency. In this role, he coordinated the country’s law enforcement response to the National Cyber Security Programme and UK National Cyber Security Strategy. Originally from New Zealand, he has represented the UK and INTERPOL at a number of working groups and forums, and has successfully delivered multi-million euro cyber security projects at regional, national and international level.
Nitin Natarajan serves as the Deputy Director for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as of February 16, 2021. In this role, he supports the CISA Director overseeing the Cybersecurity Division, the Infrastructure Security Division, the National Risk Management Center, and the Emergency Communications Division. His operational support responsibilities are to ensure a holistic approach to critical infrastructure protection across physical and cyber risks activities.
Prior to joining CISA in February 2021, Natarajan served as an executive at a consulting firm providing subject matter expertise on a variety of topics, including IT, cybersecurity, homeland and national security, critical infrastructure protection, environmental emergency management, continuity of operations, and health security matters. Natarajan also held a number federal government roles including serving as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of Critical Infrastructure Policy at the White House/National Security Council, and as the Director at U.S. Health and Human Services overseeing their critical infrastructure, continuity of operations (COOP), and medical logistics programs. He also has experience working at the state and local government levels.
Natarajan started his career spending 13 years as a first responder in New York including service as a flight paramedic. He was the Commander of a federal medical response team, based in New York, and has extensive experience deploying to natural and man-made disasters throughout the nation.
He holds an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York and a graduate degree from the United States Naval Postgraduate School.
Robert Booker is the Chief Information Security Officer Emeritus for UnitedHealth Group (UHG). In this role, Robert supports the new UHG CISO, her leadership team, the UHG Board and the Executive Management Team. Robert collaborates actively with other health industry leaders, regulators, risk underwriters, health provider partners and customers. Robert previously served as CISO of UHG and joined the company in that role in 2008. His focus throughout his tenure has been the application of security to UHG’s worldwide focus on clinical care resources, information, and technology to serve the health care environment and industry and the protection of information entrusted to UHG. Robert works on continuously measuring and improving our system capabilities given the evolving risk landscape and focus on cyber defense.
Robert presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) and has been instrumental in establishing a common security framework for the health industry and in supporting the adoption of security principles by companies across the health ecosystem. He is an alumnus of the first FBI CISO Academy.
Despina Spanou is the Head of the Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission overseeing the European Union’s policies on security, migration and asylum, health, skills, education, culture and sports. Her work on security includes counter-terrorism, cybercrime, cybersecurity and hybrid threats, and is also tasked with the implementation of the EU Security Union Strategy 2020-2025.
Previously, Ms Spanou was Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity at the Directorate-General for Communications Network, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT), where was responsible for the European Union’s cybersecurity policy and law, and was responsible for the implementation of the EU legislation on security of network and information systems (NIS Directive), for the negotiations of the EU Cybersecurity Act as well as cyber dialogues with the EU’s international partners.
Ms Spanou has also served as a member of the management board of ENISA, the EU agency for cybersecurity, and of the Steering Board of the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU Institutions, bodies and agencies (CERT-EU). She is a founding member of the Women4Cyber initiative and an advocate for the need for more cybersecurity experts in Europe. Despina Spanou is a member of the Athens Bar Association and holds a Ph.D. in European law from the University of Cambridge.
Ossian Smyth TD is Minister of State with special responsibility for Communications and Circular Economy at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Ossian Smyth TD is also Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
He has been a TD for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since the 2020 general election. Following the 2014 Irish local elections, Smyth was elected to Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council for the Dún Laoghaire local electoral area. He served as Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council from 2018 to 2019.
Minister Smyth holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Trinity College Dublin.
Born in 1978 in Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania, Cristian Busoi has a PhD in Public Health and Health Management. He graduated in medicine at the “Carol Davila” University in Bucharest, in law at the Titu Maiorescu University in Bucharest, and in diplomacy at the Romanian Diplomatic Institute in Bucharest. His political career started in 1996 when, as a young student, he became a member of the National Liberal Party. Eight years later, he entered the Romanian Parliament as Member of the Committee for Health and Family and in 2013 became President of the National Health Insurance.
He was first elected to the European Parliament in 2007 and is a Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the Delegation to the EU-Ukraine, and the Euronest Delegation. He is also a substitute Member on the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection, the Delegation to the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee and the Delegation for Relations with India.
Sami Khoury is the Head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre). The Cyber Centre is the single unified source of expert advice, guidance, services and support on cyber security for government, critical infrastructure owners and operations, the private sector and the Canadian public. Sami began his career at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) in 1992 as a research engineer exploring the impact of emerging multimedia communications technologies.
He held various management positions and leadership roles at CSE, including Director General Capabilities Development and more recently as Deputy Chief (ADM) for Enterprise Technologies and Solutions. In this role, he was CSE’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and responsible for IT and Information Security, as well as leading CSE’s overall Research program and 24/7 Operations Centre.
Sami holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering (1988) and a Masters of Applied Science (1991) from Concordia University in Montreal. He completed a certificate program in Public Sector Leadership at the University of Ottawa in 2016. Sami received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and the APEX Award of Excellence for Innovation in 2020.
As one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, Brampton is on the verge of a significant and deliberate transformation. The City is prioritizing innovation and entrepreneurship to foster jobs and technological breakthroughs, offering a unique cybersecurity asset as a one of a kind innovation asset in all of Canada – the CyberSecure Catalyst. In her role, Clare brings a unique perspective having both private and public sectors experience in: international business development and marketing, economic development, attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), communications, place branding and marketing. She has deep business development and marketing expertise cultivated through more than fifteen years with the provincial government focused on Ontario’s economic competitiveness, in addition to prior private sector experience in the technology space. Clare served as Ontario’s representative in the United Kingdom with a mandate to further Ontario’s trade, investment and broader economic interests. She also established Ontario first Investment Office, leading an international sales team and place branding initiatives.
Prior to joining the Province of Ontario, Clare held marketing and business development roles in IT focussed businesses of all sizes, including leading international expansion plans for an internet development firm led by a female serial entrepreneur. Clare is looking forward to engaging the markets of UK and Ireland in November and December, exploring opportunities from a newly created FDI attraction plan and a Business Retention Expansion program for the City of Brampton – a city that is enthusiastic about its growth and the economic potential that brings.
Richard was Director of the NCSC from 2014 to 2020, and has returned to the organisation on a temporary basis pending the appointment of a new Director.
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A native of Ronanstown in Dublin West, Paul Cleary has 28 years of policing experience. Starting off in the north inner-city, he spent three years in the North Central Divisional Drugs Unit, two years in the Special Detective Unit and another five years as a district detective in Store Street Station. Cleary then spent several years as a detective sergeant in the Operational Intelligence Section as a CHIS handler, three years as detective inspector in Kevin Street Station, investigating serious and organised crime, including gangland murders. He then worked as the Dublin Regional Detective Superintendent in charge of CHIS and as a detective superintendent for west Dublin, based in Blanchardstown.
After promotion to Chief Superintendent, he spent a year-and-a-half in the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau at Garda Headquarters. Since July 2021, Cleary has been assigned Head of Bureau as Detective Chief Superintendent in charge of the GNCCB. He also has additional responsibility of two other OSC bureaus, they are the Garda National Technical Bureau, and the Garda Operational Support Services.
Paul de Souza is one of the leading experts on Cybersecurity in the United States. He is the founder of the Cyber Security Forum Initiative (CSFI), and he serves as an advisor for the MCPA (Military Cyber Professionals Association) on the Institute of World Politics BOA for the Cyber Intelligence Initiative (Ci2). He is also faculty at George Washington University.
Mr. de Souza has over 20 years of cybersecurity experience and worked as the Chief Security Engineer for AT&T. Mr. de Souza has a Master’s degree in National Security Studies (MA) with a concentration in Terrorism from American Military University, West Virginia, and the Harvard Senior Executive Program Certificate in Cybersecurity, Boston, MA.
Merle Maigre is the Senior Cyber Security Expert at Estonia’s e-Governance Academy. Previously she was Executive Vice President for Government Relations at CybExer Technologies, an Estonian firm that provides cyber training. 2017- 2018 Merle Maigre served as the Director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn. Prior to that, she served as Security Policy Adviser to Estonian Presidents Kersti Kaljulaid and Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Merle has also served in the Policy Planning Unit of the Private Office of NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and is a member of the Executive Board of the Cyber Peace Institute in Geneva and at the International Advisory Board of NATO CCDCOE.
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Kathleen Moriarty, Chief Technology Officer, Center for Internet Security has over two decades of experience. Formerly as the Security Innovations Principal in Dell Technologies Office of the CTO, Kathleen worked on ecosystems, standards, and strategy. During her tenure in the Dell EMC Office of the CTO, Kathleen had the honor of being appointed and serving two terms as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Security Area Director and as a member of the Internet Engineering Steering Group from March 2014-2018. Named in CyberSecurity Ventures, Top 100 Women Fighting Cybercrime. She is a 2020 Tropaia Award Winner, Outstanding Faculty, Georgetown SCS.
Kathleen achieved over twenty years of experience driving positive outcomes across Information Technology Leadership, IT Strategy and Vision, Information Security, Risk Management, Incident Handling, Project Management, Large Teams, Process Improvement, and Operations Management in multiple roles with MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Hudson Williams, FactSet Research Systems, and PSINet. Kathleen holds a Master of Science Degree in Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, as well as, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics from Siena College. Kathleen authored "Transforming Information Security: Optimizing Five Concurrent Trends to Reduce Resource Drain", published July 2020.
Fran Thompson is interim Chief Information Officer of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and CEO of eHealth Ireland enabling the digital transformation of Ireland’s health service. Fran Thompson has over 25 years health ICT leadership experience and has a comprehensive understanding and practical application of transformation and change management within the health sector.
Before his appointment as interim Chief Information Officer Fran was the Programme Director for the Strategic e-Health Programme for the Office of the CIO. Fran has been involved with all aspects of ICT and has played a leading role in delivering various projects and programmes including Hospital Administration and Hospital Clinical systems, Primary Care messaging solutions and Health Finance solutions. Fran led the creation and set up of the ICT Project Management Office within the HSE and has responsibility for delivering a number of key strategic e-Health programmes including the electronic health record for the country and the Individual Health Identifier.
Ciaran Martin was the first CEO of Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Having been appointed as head of cyber security at GCHQ in December 2013, he recommended the establishment of a NCSC within the intelligence and security agency. This was agreed by the Government and announced by then Chancellor George Osborne in November 2015. Ciaran was announced as the first CEO in February 2016, and it became operational that October.
Prior to joining GCHQ, Ciaran was Constitution Director at the Cabinet Office, Downing Street from 2011, helping to agree the framework for the Scottish independence referendum. From 2008-11 he was Director of Security and Intelligence at the Cabinet Office. His public service career included a series of roles elsewhere in the Cabinet Office and in HM Treasury and the National Audit Office. He has also served as a member of the GCHQ Board. A graduate of Hertford College, University of Oxford. Ciaran was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to international and global cybersecurity.
Dan accumulated over 20 years of experience in cyber security, risk management in Brussels, Bucharest and internationally. He led professional teams supporting European Institutions, National Cyber Competent Authorities, and large corporates in defining and implementing cyber security policies, strategies, operational and technical measures. Dan is acting Director of the brand-new Romanian National Cyber Security Directorate member of the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), member of the Governing Board of the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre (ECCC). He is also Chairman of the Governance Board of the EU CEF Telecom Cybersecurity programme.
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EJ is an is an internationally recognized cyber law expert, with 27 years legal experience in Australian Federal and State Governments, as well as in private practice and academia. She is also currently: Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, Deakin University; Founding Chair, Australasian Cyber Security Institute; and, Founding Director, National Institute of Strategic Resilience. During her 21 years of service in uniform as a Legal Officer with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), EJ was deployment twice into armed conflict in the Middle East, the RAAF’s cyber and information operations squadron, and on exchange with the United States Air Force’s JAG Corps in the Pentagon.
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Rois Ni Thuama PhD is Head of Cyber Governance, Red Sift Limited. She is a doctor of law and subject matter expert in cyber governance and risk mitigation and Head of Cyber Governance for Red Sift - one of Europe’s fastest-growing cybersecurity companies. Rois works with key clients across a wide market spectrum, including legal, finance, banking, and oil and gas, and writes and presents on significant cyber threats, trends, and risk treatments.
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