Brendan Kwolek
Chief Information & Digital Officer, Halton Healthcare
Brendan Kwolek is the Chief Information Officer at Halton Healthcare, where he has led several strategic initiatives related to cybersecurity, virtual care and improving the customer and client experience. Through more than twenty years of experience in healthcare information technology, he has consistently demonstrated a desire to elevate technology performance above the status quo.
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Known for his ability to “see the big picture”, Brendan has significant experience with planning and implementation with Hospital Information Systems (HIS) and has recently championed the development of Halton Healthcare’s new Digital Health & Technology roadmap. Passionate about the intersection of technology and healthcare, Brendan is a past-Chair of the ‘Health Information Management Systems Society’ (HIMSS) Cybersecurity, Privacy & Security committee. Brendan holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from York University, and is a Project Management Professional (PMP).
Kashif Parvaiz
Chief Information Security Officer, University Health Network
Kashif Parvaiz is a seasoned Cyber Security executive with over 15 years experience managing security programs for large private and public sector organizations in the Energy, Education and Healthcare sectors. Mr. Parvaiz is currently the Regional Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Toronto Regional Security Operations Centre (RSOC). In his career, Mr. Parvaiz has overseen the implementation of successful enterprise wide security awareness, vulnerability management, security operations and incident response programs.
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In addition, Mr. Parvaiz has developed, managed and maintained long term Cyber roadmaps to raise organizational Cyber maturity levels in provincial public sector organizations including at eHealth Ontario (now Ontario Health).
As a CISO, Mr. Parvaiz reports to senior executives and board members on a regular basis and has the ability to represent security posture and risk in business terms. Mr. Parvaiz is active in the Cyber community and has lead thought leadership roundtable discussions for Gartner, Palo Alto, Crowdstrike and Proofpoint customer groups.
Finally, Mr. Parvaiz holds many industry certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CCISO and CRISC as well as an MBA.
Nimira Dhalwani
Chief Technology Officer, The Hospital for Sick Children
Nimira Dhalwani is the Chief Technology Officer and the Director of the Electronic Child Health Network (eCHN) at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, one of the top paediatric hospitals in the world. As the CTO, her focus is on hospital IT operations for today and for the future.
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Nimira is a health system leader focused on delivering technical and digital solutions that provide a connected care experience for clinicians and patients. Nimira has held progressive IT leadership roles in several healthcare organizations over the past 15 years and brings expertise in IT strategy and delivery, clinical and patient user experience design, privacy and security best practices, and IT incident management.
Nimira holds a Master of Business Administration from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from Queen’s University.
Nitin Bedi
Offering Leader, GRC and Assurance, ISA Cybersecurity
Nitin is a seasoned IT executive with over 25 years of experience in the cybersecurity, IT audit, IT risk management, IT governance, project management and management consulting fields. Nitin has global experience, working for large consulting firms in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. Nitin has extensive experience in legal and contractual compliance requirements (PCI-DSS, Privacy, SOX and NI 52-109); information security frameworks and standards (COBIT, COSO, ITIL, ISO 17799/27001-2, PMBOK, NERC, NIST, PIPEDA, PHIPA and BS 25999); cybersecurity program coordination; and threat, risk, and privacy assessments.
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Nitin’s proven team leader and management skills extend across successful engagements in manufacturing, utilities, pharmaceutical, retail, entertainment, public services, managed services, and financial services.
Jeff Curtis
Chief Privacy Officer, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
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Biography coming soon…
Kajeevan Rajanayagam
Cyber Security Manager, University Health Network (UHN)
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Biography coming soon…
Adam Kohler
Director, Systems Engineering, Forescout
Adam Kohler is currently serving as Director, Systems Engineering for strategic accounts at Forescout leading a dozen engineers across the US and Canada. Adam has been with Forescout for over 9 years in various roles supporting product marketing, product management, sales leadership and engineering teams. Adam is a global subject matter expert speaking frequently at industry events on network security, risk and exposure management, zero trust and extended detection and response.
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He works closely with Forescout customers to better understand their business objectives and map them back to solving them with the Forescout platform. Prior to Forescout Adam held several roles as a cyber security practitioner working the front line. His passion for cyber security started as a kid tinkering with programs and later solidified in university with BackTrack Linux.
Lee Gardner
Healthcare Industry Architect, Palo Alto Networks
Lee Gardner is a Healthcare Industry Architect at Palo Alto Networks. Lee has more than 20 years of experience designing, planning, and leading forward-thinking Information Technology efforts, through a blending of technology and leadership skills, to achieve organizational success. He is a passionate and effective leader, and problem solver, who is always willing to listen and foster collaboration to drive projects to completion. Lee has worked in manufacturing, retail, and most recently spent 10 years in the healthcare industry, with responsibilities in network infrastructure, virtualization, public cloud, network security, and domain architecture.
Lyndon Dubeau
VP, Innovations, Connected Health, Ontario Health
Lyndon Dubeau is Vice President, Innovations for Connected Health within Ontario Health’s Digital Excellence in Health portfolio. He has over 22 years of information technology, digital, and information security experience within privacy sensitive environments. At Ontario Health, Lyndon provides thought leadership and direction for teams supporting IT audit, information security, risk management, compliance, architecture and digital health standards.
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A long-standing contributor to advancing the betterment of security and privacy within health care, Lyndon is the executive lead for the execution of the Ontario Provincial Cyber Security Operating Model, a provincial effort to align a collective cyber defence of Ontario’s health care sector.
Lyndon holds a Masters of Science in Information Security from Royal Holloway, University of London and has a Digital Forensics post graduate diploma from Toronto Metropolitan University. In 2015, Lyndon was awarded the Information Security Leadership Award for North America from (ISC)² for his work with Cancer Care Ontario and secure physician access to cancer screening reports.
Dennis Young
Director IT, CISO, North York General Hospital
Dennis Young is the Information Services Director and Chief Information Security Officer at North York General Hospital (NYGH). Dennis has over two decades of experience working in Ontario Healthcare organizations.
Dennis has witnessed cybersecurity being an afterthought in Information Technology projects to becoming a major consideration. Cybersecurity has been a part of Dennis’ responsibilities and he was managed and overseen the implementation of many cyber initiatives, including the North York General Hospital’s Information Security Program which recently achieved ISO 27001 certification.
Sam Fielding
Chief Information Officer, Southlake Regional Health Centre
Sam Fielding is the Chief Information Officer at Southlake Regional Health Centre. His scope of responsibilities includes Information Technology, Patient Registration and Scheduling, Health Information Services, Telecommunications, and Centralized Switchboard services.
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Prior to joining Southlake, Sam was the Chief Technology Officer at Horizon Health Network in New Brunswick. He has also held a number of other roles in both the public and private sectors including Business Transformation, Project Management and Consulting.
Sam endorses the cyber security concept that we are stronger together. As an extension of this, he has been an advocate for advancing an integrated approach to cyber security in the Ontario healthcare sector.
Penny Longman
Director, Information Security & Data Stewardship, Fraser Health
Penny is a security leader with experience in healthcare, M&A, mining, manufacturing, environmental sciences, data analytics, consulting and academia. She has a broad technical and business background and brings that unique perspective to her work. Penny is passionate about generating real organisational change around cyber security and safety, and focuses on moving people forward into new ways of interacting securely with technology. Pronouns: she/her.
Mark Watmough
Director of Digital Operations, VHA Home HealthCare
Mark Watmough is an accomplished professional with a strong background in IT and digital operations. With over a decade of experience in various leadership roles, Mark has demonstrated exceptional skills in project management, analytics, and IT service delivery. He is currently serving as the Director of Digital Operations at VHA Home HealthCare (VHA) in Toronto, Canada, a position he has held since February 2023.
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Prior to his current role, Mark served as the Senior Manager of IT Digital Services and Analytics at VHA from December 2020 to February 2023. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in optimizing applications, IT security, analytics, servers, end-point devices, networks, and IT support. Mark successfully led a streamlined team in delivering several key organizational projects and accomplishments, including the implementation of a new client portal that empowered clients and families to take charge of their healthcare journey. He also oversaw a full systems migration, vastly improved analytic capabilities, and the implementation of a SaaS-based call center solution, among other initiatives.
Before joining VHA, Mark served as the Manager of Data Analytics, Data Warehouse & Epic Reporting at The Hospital for Sick Children, where he managed a team and played a pivotal role in rolling out Microsoft Power BI throughout the hospital. His expertise in architecting the Microsoft Azure SQL Data Warehouse and implementing effective data governance initiatives greatly contributed to improved data accessibility and decision-making processes.
Mark’s career also includes notable positions such as Project Manager – IS at a The Hospital for Sick Children, where he successfully led the implementation of an Emergency Mass Notification System and played a key role in developing an Azure-based Enterprise Data Warehouse. Additionally, he served as a Team Lead at the University Health Network, where he led a team providing support to multiple hospitals and facilitated significant improvements in usability and referral processing times.
With a track record of accomplishments in driving operational efficiency, enhancing collaboration, and delivering successful IT projects, Mark has consistently demonstrated strong leadership, analytical prowess, and a commitment to achieving organizational goals. He holds a strong skill set in areas such as leadership, analytics, IT project and program management, IT service management, IT service delivery, and security.
Mark is a highly motivated and results-oriented professional who thrives on overcoming challenges and delivering impactful solutions. With his extensive experience and expertise, he continues to make significant contributions to the Canadian healthcare IT space.
Darryl Kingston
Executive Director, Digital Governance Standards Institute, Digital Governance Council
Darryl Kingston is the Executive Director of the Digital Governance Standards Institute (DGSI), formerly the CIO Strategy Council. He joined the CIO Strategy Council as Senior Director of Standards and Technology on July 4th, 2022. In this role, he leads a broad portfolio of projects creating the conditions for the development of responsible, trustworthy, and sustainable digital technology standards in Canada.
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Prior to joining the CIO Strategy Council, Darryl was with the Health Standards Organization (HSO) as Director of Standards and Evidence Development. In his role he had oversight of standards development, including strategic oversight, quality management, risk management and production. While at HSO the team led the development of a number of pivotal standards which will change the way care is received for patients and families, among these include palliative care, integrated health systems, long term care services, and governance and leadership of health care and social service organizations. A key achievement was the development of a cultural safety and humility standard for the province of British Columbia that was developed using an indigenous methodology (two eye seeing) which was established by HSO in partnership with the First Nations Health Authority of British Columbia.
Prior to joining HSO Darryl was with the Standards Council of Canada where he held a number of different positions beginning in 1998. The last position held at SCC was Director of Global Standards where Darryl was responsible for the strategic oversight of the Canadian Standards Development Program, the International Standards Development Program and the SCC Member Program.
Darryl has participated in ISO meetings as a Canadian delegate since 2004 and has spoken at various international workshops and conferences on promoting stakeholder participation in the standards development process. Darryl is a graduate of the University of Ottawa and was the recipient of the 2010 Joe McMahon Memorial Dedicated Service Award for outstanding service and contribution to the Canadian standards system.
Jonathan Mitchell
Vice-President, Research and Policy, HealthCareCAN
Jonathan Mitchell, B.Sc., M.Sc., CHE, FISQua is Vice-President, Research and Policy, at HealthCareCAN in Ottawa. In this role since 2018, Jonathan leads research, advocacy and policy development for member academic health sciences centres, hospitals, and healthcare organizations across Canada. With 20 years experience in healthcare, Jonathan previously worked for the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, Accreditation Canada, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
Anthony James
Vice President, Product Marketing, Infloblox
Anthony James is a seasoned technology and marketing executive bringing in 20+ years of marketing and product experience in the cybersecurity industry, Anthony leads as Infoblox’s VP of Product Marketing. He has held multiple executive leadership roles in Marketing and Product Management across a variety of security startups and well-known organizations, including FireEye, Fortinet, Cyphort, and TrapX to name a few. With his unique ability to dive deep into technology, he is able to develop messaging and marketing strategies with high value and differentiation and has a proven track record of increasing market share for companies of all sizes.
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Anthony holds an associate’s degree in Computer Science from the Sydney Institute of Technology in Australia, where he began his career before migrating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1999 to drive innovation within the Silicon Valley scene.
Jennifer J. Quaid
Executive Director, Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX)
Jennifer is the Executive Director of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX), Canada’s preeminent private sector organization for cross-sector collaboration, enabling cyber resilience and preparedness in its members. She is responsible for advancing the mission and purpose of the CCTX and delivering value to the membership. With extensive experience in the tech sector and with membership-based organizations, Jennifer excels at creating an environment that fosters customer focus and service delivery.
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Most recently, Jennifer was the Chief Operating Officer at the CCTX where she oversaw the development and maturity of collaboration opportunities for member companies, defining and enhancing the value for members. Prior to that, Jennifer served as the Director of People, Resources and Operations for Gryphon Secure, a global company that provides enterprise level security in a mobile environment.
Jennifer has worked extensively in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan, and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Studies from Queen’s University in Kingston, ON.
Raheel Qureshi
Partner, Cyber Consulting, Calian
With over 15 years of experience helping organizations excel in the areas of cybersecurity, risk and vulnerability management and IT architecture, Raheel is a dynamic leader with deep technology acumen. His experience includes leading security and technical vulnerability assessments, establishing Security Operations Centers (SOCs), managing high-profile cybersecurity incidents, and implementing security technologies. Raheel provides Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) services to many Tier 1 and Tier 2 organizations, helping them build effective Data Protection Programs.
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His cybersecurity thought leadership has afforded him the opportunity to serve as an industry spokesperson, reflected through interviews with media including the Canadian Press, CBC News and IT World.
Kees Pouw
Partner, Cyber Consulting, Calian
Kees Pouw has over 15 years of experience helping organizations excel in the areas of information security, risk management and architecture. He has successfully created iSecurity (purchased by Calian Group in 2022), a management consulting practices for developing IT strategic plans and enterprise-wide programs including risk management frameworks, policies, and compliance using industry standards such as ISO 27001 / 27002 / 27005, COBIT, AS/NZS 4360 and NIST.
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Kees has demonstrated experience in enterprise architecture and technical solutions for large initiatives both in health care (e.g., eHealth Ontario client and provider registries, ALC-RMR reference model) and financial sectors (TECP cheque capture and archival). Specialities include information security, risk management and privacy program development, solutions and enterprise architecture, incident response frameworks and compliance, security information event management (SIEM), intrusion detection systems (IDS) implementations, and technical project management and delivery.
Joshua Linkenhoker
Enterprise Security Advisor, Proofpoint
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Biography coming soon…
Mohammad Waqas
Principal Solutions Architect, Global Healthcare, Armis
Mohammad Waqas is an information security professional with over a decade of experience in the cybersecurity industry. Currently the Principal Solutions Architect of Healthcare at Armis, Mohammad helps healthcare organizations across the globe secure unmanaged, IoT and medical devices. He not only looks at the security threats of cyberattacks on healthcare delivery organizations but also has a passion for protecting patient privacy and the implications of the two on clinical risk management.
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His passion for securing healthcare environments stems from his previous work at one of Canada’s largest hospitals where he was a Senior Advisor of Information Security, helping establish the Information Security program from the group up.
Mohammad has also authored two major research papers – the first “A Security Analysis of Internet of Vehicles and VANETs” which focused on assessing cyber-attacks on autonomous vehicles and proposed cyber attack models,, and the second “Public Safety Broadband Network – A Case Study To Guide Canada’s Implementation” on increasing first responder safety through secure adoption of 5G and IoT technologies. Mohammad holds multiple (ISC)2 designations and an MBA-MTI from Ryerson University.
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