Speakers
Shilpi Handa
Event Sessions
One Day Event 10:05 am
Group Innovation Challenge: Crisis Command- The CISO Resilience Challenge
An interactive, fast-paced crisis simulation where each table acts as the leadership team of a major organization responding to escalating regional instability, cyber threats, misinformation, operational disruption, and executive pressure. Teams must make rapid strategic decisions under uncertainty, balance business and security priorities, and adapt to evolving crisis scenarios in real time. Designed to be engaging, competitive, and highly realistic, the experience focuses on leadership, resilience, communication, and decision-making during chaos.
One Day Event 9:05 am
IDC Keynote: Orchestrating Resilience Amid Transformation, Regulation, and Emerging Threats
META’s cybersecurity agenda is shaped by unprecedented digital acceleration, regulatory dynamism, and the proliferation of advanced threats across IT, OT, and cloud. As organizations embrace AI, platform-centric architectures, and hybrid environments, the attack surface expands and adversaries become more sophisticated—leveraging GenAI, identity compromise, and cyber-physical exploits. At the same time, regulatory mandates around data sovereignty and trust are intensifying. CISOs are challenged to orchestrate holistic defense strategies that unify technology, process, and people: integrating real-time detection, adaptive controls, and continuous compliance, while investing in workforce upskilling and AI augmentation. Achieving resilience in this environment demands a proactive, inclusive approach—balancing innovation, operational continuity, and regulatory alignment across the region’s diverse digital landscape.
One Day Event 9:00 am
IDC Welcome Address
Shahin Hashim
Tarek Kuzbari
Tarek Kuzbari is a seasoned leader with 20+ years of experience in the Technology Media and Telecommunications (TMT) sector, specializing in international market expansion, revenue growth, and P&L management. He has held senior roles at HUMAN, Cybereason, Bitdefender, Group-IB, SABA Software, and Kaspersky, managing $58m ARR across regions including MEA, APAC, and Eastern Europe. Tarek, an acknowledged industry influencer, has been listed among the top “30 under 30” by Gulf businesses and ACN’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Executives in the Middle East”. He also earned a spot in Network Middle East’s “Top Executives in the Security Industry in the Middle East”. He holds an MBA from London Business School and actively supports NGOs like Agastya International Foundation and the Grow Movement.
Event Sessions
One Day Event 9:45 am
Unlocking Your Unfair Advantage Against AI Adversaries
Attackers use AI to strike in minutes. To adapt, we must shift our perspective from manual reaction to automated mobilization. This session demonstrates how to utilize a ‘virtual crew’ of AI agents to ingest intelligence, build attack playbooks, simulate threats to find gaps, and mobilize fixes.
Notis Iliopoulos
Notis Iliopoulos is EVP for MRC, bringing over 25 years of global experience in the cybersecurity domain in critical positions. Notis has held demanding positions in large corporates under risk management across SE Europe and the Middle East driving businesses to successful development. He was involved in the Initial establishment & operation of six business units, providing information security consulting services, and two corporate information security departments. His research interests include Information & Cyber Resilience and Risk Assessment Methods and Techniques, focusing lately on the Convergence of Digital & Physical Security and a holistic approach to Security Risk Management. He holds an MSc in Information Security (Royal Holloway, University of London), MSc in Business Innovation Management (AIT) and BSc in Computer Science (Royal Holloway, University of London). He is also certified by CISA, CISM & ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.
Event Sessions
One Day Event 11:25 am
Operationalizing Cybersecurity Through Outcome-Based Delivery, Quantified Risk, and Resilience-First Prioritization
Cybersecurity leaders are increasingly challenged to demonstrate how security investment translates into measurable business outcomes. This session explores how organizations can operationalize cybersecurity through outcome-based delivery, quantified cyber risk, and resilience-first prioritization. Moving beyond fragmented tools and isolated initiatives, the discussion will focus on building security models aligned with operational continuity, faster recovery, and measurable risk reduction. Attendees will gain practical perspectives on prioritizing investments based on business impact and strengthening resilience through repeatable, outcome-driven cyber operations.
Phil Lea
Phil Lea is a senior cybersecurity and privacy leader with more than three decades of experience in IT and over 24 years specialising in cybersecurity, operating across government, financial services, telecommunications, and enterprise sectors. At Landmark Group, one of the Middle East and India’s largest retail and hospitality conglomerates, he leads the organisation’s global cybersecurity and privacy strategy, overseeing large, cross-regional teams and driving transformation at scale.
Since joining Landmark Group in 2023, Phil has led substantial modernisation efforts across the organisation’s cybersecurity and privacy functions. These include deploying AI-driven security capabilities, preventing US$1 million in attempted vendor email compromise losses within 12 months, blocking approximately 12,000 advanced email attacks per week, and saving more than 1,320 SOC analyst hours annually.
Phil was featured in the Khaleej Times’ inaugural ‘UAE’s Most Influential Cybersecurity Leaders’ list in 2025. He has also been acknowledged for leading Computacenter’s award-winning #BeReady cyber-awareness programme.
Event Sessions
One Day Event 12:15 pm
End User Panel Discussion: Secure AI in Action: Lessons from CISOs
End users share real-world experiences implementing secure AI frameworks, focusing on compliance, identity, and network segmentation. Panelists will highlight the practical steps taken to align AI initiatives with organizational risk management and regulatory requirements. They will discuss the importance of cross-functional collaboration between security, IT, and business teams to ensure AI deployments are both secure and scalable. The session will also explore how organizations are adapting their security postures to address emerging AI threats and vulnerabilities. Attendees will gain insights into lessons learned and best practices for operationalizing secure AI.