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.

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.).

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.

Hemanth Tadepalli is a Cybersecurity Compliance Engineer at May Mobility, excelling in the realm of autonomous transportation services. With a rich professional background spanning roles at AlixPartners, Mandiant, Google, and SensCy, he specializes in ensuring compliance with stringent standards like ISO 27001, SOC 2, ISO/SAE 21434, and others. Hemanth co-founded MYCAP (Michigan Young Cybersecurity Analysts and Professionals), fostering budding talents in the cybersecurity domain. Appointed by the Michigan Department of State in 2022, he served on the Collegiate Advisory Task Force, determined and implemented recommendations to improve voter education and engagement among universities across the state of Michigan. The task force played an important role in election security, integrity, and combatting the result of misinformation being spread.

Hemanth has presented at the Detroit Automotive Cybersecurity Conference and various other prominent industry events, showcasing his expertise and thought leadership. He holds a Computer Science degree with a cybersecurity concentration and minors in Pre-Law, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship from Kettering University. Currently pursuing a Master's in Cybersecurity at the University of California, Berkeley, he continues to drive innovation and excellence in the cybersecurity landscape.

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.

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.

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.