Speakers

H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security, UAE

H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti was appointed by the Cabinet as the Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government since 2020. As the Head of Cyber Security, his mandate includes responsibilities as the Chairman of the UAE Cyber Security Council, Managing Director of the National Data Center under the Supreme Council for National Security. As the Head of Cyber Security... for the UAE Government by investiture, Dr. Al Kuwaiti has legal authority over all aspects pertaining to securing the cyberspace for the entire Nation. In his current role, Dr. Al Kuwaiti is tasked with the responsibility of charting the cyber security strategy for the Nation that not only equips the UAE to enter the digital era with capabilities to deal with the new threat landscape exacerbated by the pandemic, but also ensures UAE’s leadership in cyber security globally; towards establishing the UAE as the world’s leading trusted digital hub and supporting the Nation’s digital transformation agenda and the digital future of all residents who made UAE their home. Towards that end, he leads the Council to outline an implementation plan to protect the UAE cyberspace through emerging technologies such as Cloud, Big Data, and AI in a whole-of-government approach, coordinating and orchestrating efforts between Emirates and government entities via a unified platform built and managed by the Council. Under Dr. Al Kuwaiti’s leadership, the United Arab Emirates ranked #1 in the Global Cybersecurity Index 2024. He has also led UAE to many firsts, including Guinness World Records for having the most users in a cyber capture-the-flag (CTF) competition, the largest bug bounty competition, and the largest cyber drill; all initiatives that aim at capacity building in cyber security and improving the technical competencies of cyber security professionals and enthusiasts. More importantly, he has been instrumental in advocating for realizing the value of cyber security by demonstrating cyber security as a critical business enabler.Since 2021, Dr. Al Kuwaiti has played the role of an ambassador for collaboration between the government and cyber agencies, helping to bridge the discussion between the two major stakeholders in the digital economy. Under his chaperone, key public-private partnerships were established between the UAE Cyber Security Council and leading local and international cyber security organizations with the goal of making a positive contribution to the UAE cyber agenda and being a major force that will benefit the global cyber security industry. Additionally, bilateral agreements established with countries both within the region and across the world contributed towards mutual information sharing, capacity development, and legal assistance aid treaties, all key outcomes as a result of the National Cyber Security Strategy that he has put in place to realize the vision of the UAE for the next 50 years.Underscoring the UAE’s leadership in cyber security on a global stage under Dr. Al Kuwaiti’s tutelage, UAE plays a pivotal role in the Arab Regional Cybersecurity Centre with UAE being elected as the Vice Chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Computer Emergency Response Team and cochairs the Information Sharing Committee in the White House Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI), a coalition of 37 international partners. His contributions to accelerate the cyber security maturity of the Nation and foster a vibrant cyber security ecosystem in the UAE have been recognized in multiple forums, including the (ISC)² Government Professional Award for EMEA, Cyber Security Excellence Awards 2024, Gold Globee Awards for Cyber Security 2024, Silver Globee Awards for Cyber Security 2024, and the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council awarding H.E. Dr. Mohamed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cyber Security Council, the GCC Medal for Civil Service and Administrative Development. Dr. Al Kuwaiti also sits on the Boards of several prestigious entities, including the UAE Council for Digital Wellbeing, Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), UAE Federal Geographic Information Center, UAEU College of Information Technology Advisory Committee, and EBTIC Khalifa University Committee. Additionally, he is an Assistant Professor (Adjunct) of the Homeland Security Program at Rabdan Academy and a member of MBZ AIU, contributing his academic expertise to various institutions. Prior to his current appointments, Dr. Al Kuwaiti was with the National Electronic Security Authority in various appointments and capacities since 2013, where he was most recently the Executive Director of Government Operations managing National and International government relations. He had served as the Chief Technical Analyst at the Ministry of Interior where he held other positions, such as Operations Director and CTO of the Counter Terrorism Center. Dr. Al Kuwaiti started his 20-year-long career as a Defense, Air, and Naval Military Attaché with the Embassy of The United Arab Emirates based in Washington, D.C. Dr. Al Kuwaiti has published numerous papers and keynoted at many conferences such as IEEE, RSA, Cyber Warfare Europe, Tele Strategies, ISS World MEA, IDEX, International Anti-Cyber Crimes Conference, and Future War Summit. He is a highly sought-after speaker internationally and has provided the main keynote address for more than 50 international, regional, and national cybersecurity events such as GITEX, GISEC, and the World Government Summit, and has presented the UAE Cyber Security Framework at INTERPOL Global Cyberspace and Cybercrime Complex located in Singapore. Dr. Al Kuwaiti holds a Doctorate in Computer Engineering and Network Security from George Washington University in the U.S. and a master’s degree in Telecommunications and Computer Networks. He also holds a M.A. degree in International and Civil Security. Dr. Al Kuwaiti is an honorable member of the Society of Engineers, IEEE Society, Golden Key National Honor Society, and Computer Society. His research interests include detecting, monitoring, and responding to cyber warfare, network forensics, corporate governance & processes, and national cyber policy.more

Philip Intallura, Group Head of Quantum Technologies, HSBC

Philip is the Group Head of Quantum Technologies at HSBC. Part of the Emerging Technologies team, Phil is supporting the bank leverage new and emerging technologies to serve customers better, develop competitive advantage and enhance cyber resilience. Phil has a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cambridge, and showed the world’s first demonstration of telecom... fibre-based quantum key distribution using single photons from a quantum dot.
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Hussein Bahgat, Group CISO, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

Hussein has managed Information security in Multinational and regional financial organisations where he has assisted to develop Information security improvement programs around information security standards such as PCI-DSS, ISO27001, NIST, SWIFT, NESA IA and COBIT. Hussein is a member of various financial industry collaboration groups, Cyber Security committees and... associations around the region that are focused on cyber security intelligence, regulatory development that contributed to the Cyber security maturity of the banking sector in UAE and the region.
A passionate cybercrime fighter who believes in fighting cybercrime through transparency and collaboration within the banking industry and the Chairman of the Information Security Advisory committee of the UBF.more

Manit Sahib, Ethical Hacker & Former Head of Penetration Testing & Red Teaming, Bank of England

Manit is an experienced offensive security expert who is certified by UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as well as His Majesty’s CESG Check scheme (HMG CHECK). He has over ten years professional experience in both UK Government and private offensive security operations. Formerly, Manit was the Head of Penetration Testing & Red Teaming at the... Bank of England. He is contracted to Global Fund.more

Rajesh Yadla, Head of Information Security, Leading Digital Bank

Rajesh has almost 15 years of experience in information security and technology risk management. He heads the information security function at Al Hilal bank and is responsible for protecting information assets in on-premises and cloud from external and internal threats. Before joining Al Hilal, he worked in Group42 to establish the information security function... in the organisation. Prior to this, he worked as Head of International Information Security at First Abu Dhabi Bank and was responsible for managing information security for FAB’s 12 international branches. He holds a dual EMBA degree from the University of California Los Angeles & the National University of Singapore, and carries several industry-recognised certifications on cyber and information security like CISSP, CISA, ISO27001(LA) and CDPSE. Outside work, he enjoys travel, playing cricket and chess. "Cyber Security is like the brakes in the car. It slows you down, but it also makes it possible for you to go lot faster" – Dr. Gary Hinson more

Olivier Busolini, Group CISO, Mashreq Bank

Olivier Busolini has over 25 years of experience in IT security, working in different industries and countries, both in the private and public sectors, in France, the UK, Switzerland and the UAE. He has gained leadership skills in IT and Information Security risk, (cyber)security, privacy and resilience management, as part of operational risks, data governance and... digital business activities, and has adapted to various business environments. Olivier began his career as an Officer in the French Ministry of Defence for 15 years, where he founded the first Red Team of the French National Information Security Agency in 2001. He then worked as an information security consultant for several years, including in a Big4 firm, and served as CISO for traditional and innovative Swiss banks for over 13 years. He is currently continuing his journey in the United Arab Emirates as Group CISO for Mashreq Bank. His main focus is to enable the business to take the necessary risks to grow the bank, within the risk tolerance of the management and in a cost effective manner.
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Bader Zyoud, Head of Information Security Governance and Risk Management, Abu Dhabi Media (ADM)

Bader Zyoud is a forward-thinking information security manager and researcher at the forefront of integrating artificial intelligence with robust cybersecurity strategies. As Head of Information Security Governance and Risk Management, he leverages over 14 years of hands-on experience in areas like threat intelligence, SOC management, and incident management automation... to build resilient digital landscapes. His extensive publications and cross-industry experience (spanning government, finance, and more) demonstrate a unique ability to anticipate and mitigate evolving threats, driving security transformation, and delivering measurable improvements in efficiency and security posture.more

Ben Kite, Defence, Security and Cyber Adviser, Kearney

Ben Kite was commissioned into the British Army’s Intelligence Corps in 1990, retiring in April 2022 as a Major General in April 2022. During his thirty-two year career he conducted intelligence and Security operations both in the UK as well on deployments to Germany, Belize, Bosnia, Kosovo, South Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan. He also worked on Defensive Cyber issues,... most noticeably as an embedded officer within US Cyber Command from 2014-16 where he drafted strategies dealing with cyber training and the defence of US critical national infrastructure. Ben is currently working as a Defence, Security and Cyber adviser for the strategic consultancy firm Kearney which is based in Abu Dhabi. He studies military history in his spare time and has published three books on the Second World War, as well as being elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.more

Vijay Antony Velayutham, Principal Information Security Officer, UAE Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure

A strategic cybersecurity executive with 25 years of technology experience including 18 years of specialised expertise in cybersecurity, governance, risk management and compliance. Currently serving as the Principal Information Security Officer for the UAE Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, with a proven track record of establishing comprehensive security programs,... securing digital transformation initiatives, and building cyber resilience across Fortune 100 enterprises and government departments. Demonstrates exceptional ability to align cybersecurity strategy with business objectives, lead cross-functional security teams, and influence C-suite stakeholders to champion enterprise-wide security transformation. A distinguished member of the cyber security leadership community and featured in dozens of engagements including keynote speeches, expert panel discussions and advisory boards.more

Omar Samhouri, Senior Sales Engineer, Delinea

Omar Samhouri is a seasoned Senior Sales Engineer with over five years of specialized experience in the field of cybersecurity. He combines a strong technical foundation—rooted in a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering—with deep, hands-on expertise in identity security, data security, and email security. Omar is committed to helping organizations build... resilient defences and streamline secure architectures that align with both business objectives and compliance requirements.more