SecureWorld AI Virtual Conference 2025

Guiding senior leaders in AI adoption and building innovative solutions.

Leveraging 8+ years of experience in Machine Learning to design and deploy cutting-edge AI solutions for businesses across Canada and the U.S. Rihana is known for being:
• AI Strategist & Implementer: Proven track record of implementing successful ML solutions for 100+ customers.
• Trusted Advisor: Strategic guidance for Senior Leaders on AI adoption and navigation of complex AI landscapes.
• Technical Communicator: 10 years of experience effectively communicating complex concepts through technical speaking engagements, and recently a Google speaker at 10+ Google branded events.

Her diverse background, spanning studies and work across five countries and three continents, has instilled in her a deep appreciation for different perspectives and cultures. Her empathy allows her to connect with colleagues and clients on a human level, fostering inclusive and collaborative work environments. Holding two technical degrees and one business degree, she helps senior leaders navigate the complex world of AI by clearly articulating potential benefits and aligning them with strategic goals. She also enjoys facilitating informed decision-making and successful AI adoption.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Rihana is passionate about enriching the community. Her collaboration with the government of Quebec on an AI curriculum now implemented in all high schools across the province is a testament to her commitment to creating positive social impact.

Mike Muscatell is a seasoned IT veteran with more than 21 years in the Information Security field. He is a certified ethical hacker (CEH). Was honored as top 100 professionals in the Information Security field by Strathmore's for 2014. Member of a number of security organizations, including InfraGard and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Cyber Committee.

Experienced data and security professional with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Skilled in architecture design, data patterns, data services to achieve desired business outcomes, information management, data governance, and data security practices. Strong research professional with a Doctor of Philosophy - PhD focused in Information Assurance and Security.

Ms. Haywood brings a highly diverse skill set to businesses. For more than 17 years, prior to moving into Security, she specialized in Human Resources, Business Development, Risk Strategy, Contracts Management, and Program Audit. Combined with her eight years in Security Governance, Risk & Compliance, she is considered a multi-talented leader, supporting Fortune 500 companies and government organizations in an array of industries (e.g., Healthcare, Education, Financial, Federal, Technology). Ms. Haywood's knowledge and experience of security frameworks, governance standards (such as NIST 800-53, SOC1/2 Type 2, ISO 27001:2013, HIPPA-HITECH, PCI), and risk methodologies have led to her success in program development, management, and audits for companies. This applied skillset has resulted in a savings of more than $1.1 million in potential contract losses. Additionally, she’s designed and developed a Medical Device Cybersecurity program for one of the largest Healthcare organizations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth region of Texas. Ms. Haywood holds a certificate as a Cyber Security Practitioner.

As a Senior Manager at Amazon, Sahil is experienced in ensuring regulatory compliance and cybersecurity through comprehensive product and process evaluations and have proactively managed risks in deploying generative AI systems. He is passionate about technology and building great products.

Sahil's core competencies include cybersecurity strategy, identity and access management, governance, risk and compliance, cloud security, vulnerability management, data security, and cybersecurity frameworks. He has successfully built and launched GRC products at Amazon, where he also led the design and implementation of analytics, and tooling integration for GRC. He is passionate about empowering organizations and individuals to protect their data, privacy, and assets from cyber threats, and enjoys coaching and mentoring others in this field.

Craig Rees is an experienced Security and Network Solutions Architect with a strong background in Information Technology, specializing in Cybersecurity. His expertise spans SASE solution development, Zero Trust Architecture, DevSecOps, and IT services. He has deep knowledge of Cisco Security, Palo Alto Networks, Meraki, and Fortinet, as well as Governance, Risk & Compliance, Data Center networking, and Enterprise networking, including routing and switching.

Cameron Malin, JD, CISSP, is the founder of Modus Cyberandi, a bespoke Cyber Behavioral Profiling consultancy specializing in the assessment of cyber threat actor decision making, adversary tradecraft, cyber deception, and cognitive vulnerabilities. As a retired Behavioral Profiler with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), he has more than 22 years of experience investigating, analyzing, and profiling cyber adversaries across the spectrum of criminal to national security attacks.

During his tenure in the FBI, he was the founder of both the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit's (BAU) Cyber Behavioral Analysis Center (CBAC), the FBI BAU's methodology and application of science-based behavioral profiling and assessment to national security and criminal cyber offenders—and the BAU’s Deception and Influence Group (DIG), a uniquely trained and experienced cadre of Behavioral Profilers specialized in analyses and countermeasures to adversary cyber deception campaigns and influence operations.

He is a co-author of the authoritative cyber deception book, "Deception in the Digital Age: Exploiting and Defending Human Targets Through Computer-Mediated Communications" (published by Academic Press, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc.), and co-author of the Malware Forensics book series: "Malware Forensics: Investigating and Analyzing Malicious Code," "Malware Forensics Field Guide for Windows Systems," and "Malware
Forensics Field Guide for Linux Systems" (all published by Syngress, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc.).

Ankit Gupta is a cybersecurity leader with over 15 years of experience in cloud security, identity protection, and threat detection. He currently leads enterprise security initiatives at Exeter Finance, focusing on building resilient, future-ready architectures. Ankit holds multiple industry certifications, including CISSP and CCSP, and is a contributing author and speaker at IEEE. His work emphasizes secure design, AI governance, and preparing organizations for post-quantum threats.

Shilpi Mittal is a Lead IT Security Engineer at Tyson Foods, where she leads strategic initiatives in secrets management, application security, cloud governance, and DevSecOps automation. She specializes in designing secure, scalable systems and enhancing the security posture of enterprise environments through streamlined processes and modern architecture.

Her current areas of focus include applied cryptography and research on emerging quantum threats, particularly in the context of secure key management and the resilience of cryptographic protocols in a post-quantum world.

Shilpi actively contributes to both internal security strategy and external cybersecurity forums. She combines deep technical knowledge with a forward-thinking approach, emphasizing automation, identity modernization, and risk-based decision-making.

Stephen Dougherty has over a decade of investigative experience. His career as a Financial Fraud Investigator in support of the federal government has played a pivotal role in criminal investigations, surrounding cyber-enabled financial crime, money laundering, human trafficking, identity theft, healthcare fraud, embezzlement, tax/government program fraud, dark web crimes, among others. Stephen’s main area of expertise is combatting money laundering in all its forms. Aside from this, Stephen has been proactive in identifying new and future trends in the world of financial crime. Such trends include the cyber security nexus of financial crimes and its ever-growing relationship in major financial crimes such as Business Email Compromise and the rise of the dark web and the use of virtual currency as a vehicle for facilitation of financial crimes. Stephen has been a leader and a mentor to other investigators teaching them how to uncover fraud internally and externally. Stephen served as an investigator contracted to the U.S. Secret Service’s Global Investigative Operations Center (GIOC) in Washington, D.C.

Tim Gallo is the Head of Global Solutions Architects at Google, he specializes in Cyber Threat Intelligence and Risk everything from Intelligence Operations and Cyber Threat Profile development to risk based analytic approaches to Security Operations. He Joined Google Cloud through the acquisition of Mandiant by Google in 2022, he had spent 5 years at Mandiant prior to the acquisition in a variety of field facing roles covering the aforementioned topics. Before joining Mandiant, Tim leveraged his over 20 years’ experience in information security and intelligence operations to aid in the development and deployment of a number of solutions. Including building client and organizational expertise in Intelligence Led Security and Business Operations. This included the development and product management of some of the first cyber intelligence solutions ever brought to market. These solutions have included threat and vulnerability management tools, IOC prediction algorithms, intelligence services, and strategic intelligence consulting. Today he spends his days helping clients understand the importance of Intelligence as a guiding principle for building out effective security processes and operations and helping clients and vendors find ways to leverage technologies responsibly to build their cyber defense centers and security operations practices. Every once in a while he can be found out in the desert, sometimes on his Harley with a flamethrower, sometimes with just a flamethrower

Erik comes to Tanium from AppDynamics (part of Cisco), where he spent almost five years in field sales. For the past two years, he was the CTO for the East Sales Team, which is responsible for generating more than half of the company's revenue with a focus on large financial firms in the region. Prior to that he built out and headed the Business Value Consulting team for that region. He got his start in technology at Deutsche Bank years back where he helped lead the AM Platform and Data Services Global Organization serving as COO. From there he went to a SaaS SW company called INTTRA (large global trade / shipping logistics platform). At INTTRA, he started by leading the transformation of the company into becoming product and voice of customer led. After that, he became CTO heading all global technology. Following INTTRA, he went back to Financial Services spending time running Target State Architecture as the Global Head of Enterprise Infrastructure CTO Product Management at Morgan Stanley.

Erich Kron is a veteran information security professional with over 20 years’ experience in the medical, aerospace manufacturing and defense fields. He is the former security manager for the 2nd Regional Cyber Center-Western Hemisphere and holds CISSP, CISSP-ISSAP, MCITP and ITIL v3 certifications, among others. He has managed the technical integration and functional testing of multi-million-dollar enterprise level technology projects within the Department of Defense, as well as large military security programs. Erich has worked with information security professionals around the world to provide the tools, training and educational opportunities to succeed in the InfoSec industry.

Hemanth Tadepalli serves as the Senior Cybersecurity & Compliance Subject Matter Expert (SME) at May Mobility, a company revolutionizing mobility through advanced autonomous vehicle technology. His career spans notable roles at prestigious organizations, including management consulting firm AlixPartners, cybersecurity leader Mandiant, tech giant Google, and Michigan-based cybersecurity startup SensCy.

Hemanth’s research focuses on advancing cybersecurity in critical areas such as autonomous vehicle security, Internet of Things (IoT) security, threat intelligence, risk management, security operations, API security, and election security. He was appointed by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to the Advisory Task Force overseeing statewide election security and integrity. Throughout his career, Hemanth has consistently demonstrated expertise in implementing and maintaining security measures to safeguard systems, networks, and data from cyber threats.

In addition to his technical contributions, Hemanth has published numerous articles on cybersecurity and emerging technologies, showcasing his thought leadership. He is a sought-after speaker, invited to present at prominent cybersecurity conferences, serve as a distinguished panelist, and share insights on technology-focused podcasts. His impactful work has earned him accolades, including the 40 Under 40 recognition from Oakland County, Michigan, and the Governor’s Service Award for his philanthropic efforts and community service in cybersecurity.

Hemanth holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Kettering University, with a concentration in cybersecurity and minors in Pre-Law, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. He also earned his Master’s in Cybersecurity and Information from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, Hemanth serves in public office for the City of Troy and sits on the Board of Directors for Kettering University. In addition to his professional and civic work, he is a violist with the Troy Metro Symphony Orchestra. Hemanth is also a Ph.D. candidate at Dakota State University, where his research focuses on Cyber Defense.

Cedric Leighton is a CNN Military Analyst and a retired United States Air Force Colonel. On CNN, he has provided incisive commentaries on the Israel-Hamas War, the War in Ukraine, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and numerous other conflicts around the world. His analysis has been seen by millions of viewers around the world and provided much needed context to some of the most pressing national security issues of our time. As a U.S. Air Force officer, Colonel Leighton served at U.S. Special Operations Command, the Joint Staff, and the National Security Agency, where he helped train the nation's cyber warriors. A Middle East combat veteran, he is the recipient of numerous military awards, including the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star. After serving 26 years as a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer, Col. Leighton founded a strategic risk consultancy and became the co-founder of CYFORIX, where he advises multinational businesses on developing better cyber strategies designed to reduce risk and unpredictability.

With more than 25 years at the forefront of AI, cloud, enterprise technologies, cybersecurity, privacy, and risk management, VJ is a proven leader, trusted advisor, and strategic investor. He has a demonstrated history of building and scaling successful programs for global enterprises and transforming innovative concepts into impactful products.

As a trusted Board advisor and subject matter expert, VJ guides organizations through intricate digital landscapes, fostering both innovation and strategic foresight. He brings particular value to Audit & Risk Management committees, where he rigorously evaluates and audits technology and cybersecurity organizations and programs, ensuring their veracity, efficiency, resilience, and strategic effectiveness.

A sought-after advisor across expert, incubator, and accelerator networks, VJ empowers VC and PE firms with incisive market analysis, competitive intelligence, and opportunity mapping.

VJ currently applies his diverse skills as the Founding Partner of CYFORIX, a strategic defense and technology risk advisory group, and as CEO of TORQE, a specialized firm focused on solution engineering and transformation.

Ifeoluwa Wada is a data and AI strategist with over a decade of experience driving enterprise-scale intelligence and security initiatives. As an Application Analyst at Washburn University, she manages enterprise systems vital to institutional operations. She is a recognized thought leader and has spoken at different conferences sharing her expertise in AI, data and emerging technologies including the Check Conference 2025 and AI summits. She has co-authored 10 peer-reviewed journals with over 300 citations worldwide. She is an active member of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, Women in Data, and Society of Women Engineers. She combines academic rigor with hands-on implementation to help organizations adopt AI responsibly.

Derek Van Natta brings a diverse and comprehensive background to the penetration testing team, having initially served as a network engineer and systems administrator in the Marine Corps before advancing into cybersecurity roles as a SOC analyst and incident responder. His expertise spans a range of environments, including external and internal network penetration testing, web application assessments, wireless network testing, and mobile application security. As the team’s senior penetration tester, Derek leads engagements and ensures rigorous, detailed testing to identify and assess vulnerabilities, supporting clients in strengthening their security posture.

Derek holds an OSCP and is actively pursuing certification for the CRTO to enhance the depth of experience as a red team operator. He takes pride in delivering clear, actionable insights through meticulous reporting, grounded in a strong foundation of security principles and hands-on technical skill. Clients can expect a high level of professionalism and attention to detail, as well as a commitment to fostering secure and resilient systems through each engagement.

Sudhir Patamsetti is a seasoned product executive with over a decade of experience in cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure. He has held leadership roles at companies such as Harness, F5, Fastly, Citrix, and Akamai, where he consistently drove innovation in application security and cloud-native technologies. At F5, he led the Distributed Cloud WAAP product line, earning significant industry recognition. Now at Traceable by Harness, Sudhir is advancing Application and API security and embedding security into modern development pipelines through automated, DevSecOps-aligned practices.

Perry Carpenter is a multi-award-winning author, podcaster, and speaker, with more than two decades in cybersecurity focusing on how cybercriminals exploit human behavior. As the Chief Human Risk Management Strategist at KnowBe4, Perry helps build robust human-centric defenses against social engineering-based threats. His latest book, "FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions" (Wiley: Oct 2024), explores AI's role in deception. Perry also hosts the award-winning podcasts 8th Layer Insights and Digital Folklore.