The first-ever Gulf News Cybersecurity Forum 2023 takes place today at Anantara, Business Bay.
Experts and industry leaders will gather to address various challenges, breakthroughs and achievements in the world of cybersecurity. The event is set to ignite critical discussions, deliver invaluable insights and outline important steps being taken to secure a more digital future for businesses and individuals alike.
The Gulf News Cybersecurity Forum 2023 has attracted cybersecurity professionals from the UAE and beyond. Two keynote speeches will begin today’s agenda followed by seven panel discussions, which will promote innovation, best practices and collaboration in the fight against cyberthreats.
The opening keynote address by Dr Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity at the UAE government, will set the tone for today’s event by shedding light on the evolving digital landscape and the growing need for robust digital security measures.
Experts from leading organisations in the UAE will be a part of seven separate panel discussions that will explore various elements of cybersecurity, while delving into critical topics covering artificial intelligence, the future of cybersecurity, cloud security, end-to-end security and more.
Throughout Gulf News Cybersecurity Forum 2023, attendees will have the opportunity to network with industry peers while gathering invaluable insight from the expert panels. The event is a testament to the growing need for cybersecurity awareness as the UAE transitions into a more digital era, and is held under the patronage of the UAE Cybersecurity Council. It is also endorsed by Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) and Digital Dubai Authority.
This morning’s second keynote speech will be delivered by Dr Bushra Al Blooshi, Head of Research and Innovation, Dubai Electronic Security Center, Digital Dubai Authority, followed by the day’s first panel discussion, which focuses on why a strong CIO-CFO relationship is critical to business success and will cover increasing regulatory requirements, risk management and using data for better decision making.
Stephen Kruger, Chief Technology Officer, Careem; Jacob Mathew, Head of Information Technology, Government of Abu Dhabi Entity; and Rakesh Narang, Vice President Technology, Aldar Properties take to the stage for the second panel discussion on the future of cybersecurity, followed by a networking break and a sponsor session focused on the impact of generative AI such as ChatGPT from Recorded Future.
Cloud security for the digital age: Best practices will be the third panel discussion followed by Vijay Babber, Channel Manager Middle East & Africa, Skyhigh Security, taking to the stage to discuss data privacy in a sponsor session by Cyberknight.
Following lunch, panellists will discuss how to design and implement a secure network architecture on the day’s fourth panel discussion, which will lead straight into panel discussion five, focused on the importance of security assessment.
Geetha Lakshmi, Managing Counsel, ABA Legal Consultants will then talk about UAE cyber laws with special emphasis on VASPs under VARA, during the final sponsor session, before today’s last networking break. The final two panel discussions at today’s Gulf News Cybersecurity Forum 2023 will discuss end-to-end security and artificial intelligence, respectively.
Leading technology companies including Huawei, Recorded Future, Inshield Technologies, XM Cyber, Cyberknight, Skyhigh Security, Plus 971 Cybersecurity, EMT Distribution, Progress, Flexera, Mindfire Technologies, Infinidat, Finesse, Honeywell, Cloud Networks, SAF, Avanade and ABA Legal Consultants are sponsoring the Gulf News Cybersecurity Forum 2023.
AT A GLANCE
What: Gulf News Cybersecurity Forum 2023
When: June 15, Thursday
Where: Anantara Downtown Dubai Hotel
Website: https://gulfnewstec.com
Speakers for Gulf News Cybersecurity Forum 2023
● Dr Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity, UAE Government
● Dr Bushra Al Blooshi, Head of Research and Innovation, Dubai Electronic Security Center, Digital Dubai Authority
● Ahmad Al Mulla, Former Chairman and Board Member, CIO Majlis
● Ameena Raheem, Head of Information Technology, Engineering Office, The private office of HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
● Richard Jackson, COO, TASC Outsourcing
● Ramesh Subramanian, Chief Financial Officer, RAKEZ
● Stephen Kruger, Chief Technology Officer, Careem
● Jacob Mathew, Head of Information Technology at a Government of Abu Dhabi Entity
● Rakesh Narang, Vice President Technology, Aldar Properties
● Mohammed Noufel, Cluster Manager, IT Infrastructure and Operations, Royal Continental Hotels & Suites
● Nour Fateen, Director, Sales Engineering EMEA, Recorded Future
● Dhiraj Sasidharan, Vice President, Threat and Compliance Management, Emirates NBD
● Vishal Vijaykumar Bhawnani, Head of Cybersecurity, Virgin Mobile UAE
● Adel Alhosani, Chief Information Security Officer, Dubai Customs
● Ashraf Esmat Khalil, Senior Solution Architect, Huawei Middle East and Central Asia
● Vijay Babber, Channel Manager Middle East and Africa, Skyhigh Security
● Biju Hameed, Head of Technology Infrastructure Operations, Dubai Airports
● Dr Hamad Khalifa, Head of Telecommunications Division, Abu Dhabi Police
● Sunil Paul, Co-founder and Managing Director of Finesse Global
● Lars van der Zande, Senior Solution Architect, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Middle East & Central Asia
● Prabhat Pathak, IT Consultant
● Shafiullah Ismail, Vice President, Cyber Security Architecture and Risk, Mubadala Capital
● Hussain AlKhalsan, Chief Information Security Officer, Zand Bank
● Hariprasad Chede, Chief Information Security Officer, National Bank of Fujairah
● Waqas Haider, Chief Information Security Officer, HBL Microfinance Bank
● Craig Boyle, Head Offensive Cyber Consulting, XM Cyber
● Geetha Lakshmi, Managing Counsel, ABA Legal Consultants
● Shahab Siddiqui, Global Head of Cybersecurity, Petrofac
● Dr Hossam Elshenraki, Associate Professor of Criminal Investigation, Dubai Police Academy
● Mario Foster, Chief Information Officer, Al Ghurair Group
● Pranav Bhopatkar, MEA Cybersecurity Director, Honeywell
● Ellis Wang, Chairman and Partner, AI-enabled Business Development Hub
● Goutam Pudota, Group Head Information Security, IFFCO
● Ahmed Al Kindi, Chief Information Security Officer, Mohammed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence
● Rejeesh Kumar, CTO, Mindfire Technologies
The event will be moderated by
● Bharat Raigangar, Board Strategic Advisor and CyberSecurist, CSA
● Jeevan Badigari, Director, Information Security, Damac Properties
● Aus Alzubaidi, Director IT, MBC Group
● Vidya V, Head of Cyber Strategy and GRC at Careem
● Anoop Paduval, Information Security Manager, Gulf News
● Dr Mohamed Khalid, Member of Advisory Board, Headline Bulletin
● Lachlan Kitchen, Gulf News
