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Harit Talwar

Board Member , Mastercard

Harit Talwar is currently Chairman of the Board of Better.com, a leading digital mortgage company, a Board Member of Mastercard (MA) and a Board Member of Apexon, a digital engineering company. Harit was most recently a Goldman Sachs Partner and Founder/Head/Chairman of the firm’s global Consumer business, Marcus by Goldman Sachs, including its partnerships with Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Walmart (WMT), JetBlue (JBLU) and General Motors (GM).

As a senior executive, Harit has worked in Asia, Europe and America, and has a proven track record of creating and running successful, profitable businesses in financial services, including consumer banking and payments. His diverse experiences include running large businesses, building and scaling startups, overseeing transformational M&A, and forging strategic partnerships with leading organizations across industries. He has delivered industry-leading, risk-adjusted returns by focusing on key elements for success, including customer-centricity, a fusion of engineering / data / AI / design, and hiring diverse and talented teams. Harit has extensive experience interacting with boards of Fortune 500 companies, regulators and legislative stakeholders, and engaging in constructive dialogue with investors and shareholders.

Harit previously served on the boards of Morgan Stanley Bank International Ltd. and Morgan Stanley International Ltd. in London. Passionate about philanthropy and addressing inequalities, he serves as the Co-Chairman of the board of the American India Foundation, a member of the Asia Society Global Board of Trustees, and one of the founders of Ashoka University in India. He previously held leadership positions with the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago; the Chicago CMO Summit; the American School of Warsaw, Poland; the College of Lake County, Illinois; Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago; and Pratham UK.

Harit has previously served on the boards of Morgan Stanley Bank International Ltd. and Morgan Stanley International Ltd. in London. Passionate about philanthropy and addressing inequalities, he serves as the Co-Chairman of the board of the American India Foundation, a member of the Asia Society Global Board of Trustees, and one of the founders of Ashoka University in India. He previously held leadership positions with the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago; the Chicago CMO Summit; the American School of Warsaw, Poland; the College of Lake County, Illinois; Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago; and Pratham UK.

Harit previously served on the boards of Morgan Stanley Bank International Ltd. and Morgan Stanley International Ltd. in London. Passionate about philanthropy and addressing inequalities, he serves as the Co-Chairman of the board of the American India Foundation, a member of the Asia Society Global Board of Trustees, and one of the founders of Ashoka University in India. He previously held leadership positions with the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago; the Chicago CMO Summit; the American School of Warsaw, Poland; the College of Lake County, Illinois; Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago; and Pratham UK.

Harit has been named one of American Banker’s 10 to Watch, an Outstanding Asian American in Business, and an Outstanding Alumni of Shri Ram College of Commerce at Delhi University. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, CNBC and Yahoo! Finance and has spoken at various industry forums and leading business schools.

Harit earned a BA (Hons) in Economics from Delhi University in India and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Managing Director, Group Head of Operational Risk , Barclays

George Smirnoff is Managing Director, Group Head of Operational Risk at Barclays. As its senior-most operational risk executive globally, George is delivering the future of operational risk management that is forward-looking and manages the complex interconnected risks across business, technology, functions, and legal entities.

George has been CISO at Comerica and Synchrony, a global executive in security and data at Morgan Stanley and EY, and served in multiple board/advisory roles with The Clearing House, Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council, and the Department of Homeland Security. Notably, he contributed significantly to the development of the Financial Services Cybersecurity Profile and is a recognized thought leader in cyber frameworks, regulatory harmonization, and privacy. George has extensive Board and Regulatory experience and holds a JD, MBA, and CISSP.

Chief Information Officer , National Credit Union Administration

Robert Foster is the NCUA’s Chief Information Officer. In this role, he is responsible for leading the IT workforce, establishing the organization’s IT strategy and roadmap, and safeguarding, operating, and maintaining its technology resources.

Prior to being named CIO, Mr. Foster served as the NCUA’s Deputy Chief Information Officer. Prior to coming to the NCUA, he served as Chief Information Officer with the Department of the Navy, acting as the senior official and advisor on a variety of matters relating to information management, resources, and technology. Mr. Foster previously served as Deputy Chief Information Officer at the Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 2007, after a 21-year career.

Mr. Foster holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in information technology management from the Naval Postgraduate School. He also holds professional certificates from the Department of Defense, the National Defense University, and George Washington University.

Eileen Fahey

Chief Risk Officer , Fitch Group

Eileen Fahey is Chief Risk Officer for Fitch Group. Appointed in June 2017, Ms. Fahey oversees Fitch Group's risk management function, which includes reviewing, monitoring and addressing the multitude of risks that can impact the group's performance and reputation.

Ms. Fahey and her team form the 2nd Line of defense for Fitch Group’s risks including credit, operational and compliance risks. The Chief Credit, Criteria and Compliance officers report to Ms Fahey.

Ms. Fahey joined Fitch Ratings in 1998, most recently serving as Chief Credit Officer, a role she held since 2015. In that capacity she managed a team of regional and group credit officers who oversaw ratings, quality assurance, credit market commentary and macro research. Prior to that, as Regional Credit Officer for the Americas, she played an important role in helping evolve Fitch’s credit policy in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Her nearly-20 year tenure at Fitch has included a variety of other roles including credit officer for the Insurance, Fund and Asset Manager, and REITs group, where she oversaw the development and application of credit rating criteria and participated in ratings committees. She joined Fitch as a credit analyst for the financial institutions group and subsequently managed the teams focused on investment and money center banks, and asset management firms.

Prior to joining Fitch, Ms. Fahey was a National Bank Examiner with the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), where she was a member of the multinational banking group, examining capital markets and trading operations of U.S. money center banks.

Ms. Fahey received a BA in business and economics from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, and has been a chartered financial analyst (CFA) charter holder since 1994.

David Anthony Storey

Vice President Health, Safety, Security & Environment , dnata

David is responsible for the development and implementation of dnata's global HSE strategy as part of the global executive management team. With over 20 years of experience in airline, ground operations and safety, David has worked for 20 years in the middle east region for large international airlines. David holds an MSc in Aviation Safety and is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS). David is married, and a keen aviation and sports enthusiast

Executive Chairman , MetricStream

Gunjan Sinha is a visionary, entrepreneur, and business leader. He currently serves as the founder and executive chairman of MetricStream. He is probably still best known as the founder of WhoWhere?- an internet search engine which he sold to Lycos in 1998. He is also the co-founder and board member of the customer engagement software company, eGain (NASDAQ: EGAN). Throughout his career, he has been an active investor and board member in numerous successful Silicon Valley start-ups and venture funds.

Gunjan is a strong believer in social entrepreneurship, having helped create Child Family Health International, a United Nations recognized public non-profit, to transform global health education. From 2010 to 2017, Gunjan became the founding board member of the US India Endowment Board - started by the US State Department along with the Office of Science and Technology at the White House – an endowment fund that supports innovation and commercialisation of science and technology for social good in the US and India.

Gunjan is passionate about social innovation, diversity, inclusiveness, and global risk management. He envisions a world that brings the power of socially conscious innovations to better disrupt its risks, and create opportunities for all.

CEO and Co-Founder , MetricStream

Gaurav Kapoor serves as the CEO and Co-Founder, MetricStream Solutions & Services. Gaurav has been involved with the company since its inception and is responsible for strategy, marketing, solutions, and customer engagement. He also served as the CFO of MetricStream until 2010.

Previously, Gaurav held executive positions at OpenGrowth and ArcadiaOne. Prior, he spent several years in business, marketing and operations roles at Citibank in Asia and in the US.

He also serves on the board of Regalix, a digital innovation and marketing company. Gaurav has a bachelor's degree in Technology (with Honors) from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), a degree in Business from FMS, Delhi, and an MBA from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar.

Co-CEO , MetricStream

Prasad Sabbineni is a dynamic and visionary technology executive with an exemplary track record of delivering strategic and innovative technology solutions for global financial institutions. An industry subject matter expert in the risk, finance, and treasury areas, Prasad creates trust based, collaborative partnerships with business partners, senior management, and employees, to consistently deliver large and complex commitments, on time and within budget.

Prasad Sabbineni most recently served as the Chief Technology Officer and Head of Products at MetricStream driving its SaaS journey and responsible for development of products and platform, architecture, technology infrastructure and cloud automation.

Sabbineni joined MetricStream after a career spanning 25+ years in Wall Street financial services industry. Prior to joining MetricStream, Prasad was a senior technology executive at Citigroup for 13 years. He oversaw technology for enterprise functions of Risk Management, Compliance Risk, Finance, Liquidity, HR, Data, Information Security, Internal Audit, Enterprise Supply Chain and Third-Party Management across the entire bank globally at Citi. Prasad also served as a member of the Citi’s CIO Council representing the enterprise functions technology. Prior to Citi, Prasad headed up Enterprise Risk technology at Lehman and as a member of the Derivates group at Bear Stearns, built and delivered risk management solutions for the derivates trading desk. Earlier in his career, Prasad led technology for market risk, credit risk, prime services risk, portfolio risk margin, and operational risk functions at Lehman Brothers. Preceding Lehman, Prasad rolled out derivative trading systems globally and as a Risk Manager, he was also responsible for managing market risk of fixed income and equity derivatives at Bear Stearns.

Carlos Pereira

Head of Governance & Policy , Meta

As Head of Governance and Policy@ Meta (Facebook), Carlos Pereira brings an unprecedented understanding and knowledge of Governance, Risk Management, Oversight Management, Enterprise Risk Management, Operational Risk, Vendor Risk, and IT Risk. He has over 25 years of industry and risk consulting experience working with Fortune 100 companies. Carlos continues to lead by example in the development of the governance and risk management industries through practitioner excellence. He has diverse ERM experience in conducting detailed risk and control assessments; Enterprise Risk Management implementation; leading expert on the 2017 COSO Framework; DOL Fiduciary Rule; Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) testing and validation; Control Self Assessments (CSA); implementing Enhanced Prudential Standards (EPS) for foreign banks owned in the U.S.; Internal Controls definition and testing; Risk metrics and measures; Operational Improvements and Excellence, Audit & Compliance integration. Carlos has been invited as an honorary speaker at several industry Risk Management Conferences. He has several risk management certifications, an MBA degree and is multilingual.

Principal, Regulatory Compliance & Business Strategy , FedEx Logistics

In Jerry’s role with FedEx Logistics, he is responsible for developing programs to foster & measure compliance with the laws and regulations governing the company's activities worldwide.

Jerry’s position is global in scope including all modes of transportation, global customs brokerage, global export regulations & rules, airfreight security (TSA & C-TPAT), ocean freight regulations, international sanctions programs, and rapidly changing e-commerce rules and regulations.

Jerry also represents FedEx Logistics interests before multiple governmental agencies and participates in select trade associations. These include Air Forwarders Association, Express Association of America, and the National Industrial Transportation League.

Jerry has worked for multiple major freight forwarders including Expeditors Int’l, Danzas, and DHL Global Forwarding. He has also worked for several of the top 100 importers into the USA such as Woolworth/Foot Locker and Fonterra LTD (One of the largest dairy firms on earth).

Vice President of Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk , Lockheed Martin

Christopher Geiger is Vice President of Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk for Lockheed Martin, a Fortune 100 aerospace & defense company with a presence in over 50 countries. He has been with Lockheed Martin for over 20 years including executive roles in engineering and sustainability. Christopher is also on the Board of Directors of Midflorida Credit Union, a $6B+ assets full-service financial institution, and the IEEE Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of technology and education. He frequently publishes and speaks on topics at the intersection of risk, sustainability, and resilience.

Christopher is a Professional Engineer (PE), Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He received a master's in business administration and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and chemistry from the University of Florida.

Vice President - Head of Integrated Security Risk Management , Aon

Michelle Melendez is Vice-President at Aon, providing leadership across all security risk management areas for the company.

Prior to joining Aon, Michelle was an Executive Director at JP Morgan Chase Bank, where she held a few roles over a 10-year period, including leading the global network security, global security product management and innovation teams as well as a stretch role in technology leading the bank’s 400+ retail branch expansion into 20 new markets. During her tenure, she was responsible for leading large global teams both directly and indirectly.

Michelle is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) who has held many leadership roles in information security throughout her career. She has 25 years of experience, starting with active duty in the United States Air Force. Prior to her role at JP Morgan Chase, she held roles at BT (dedicated to Procter & Gamble), LexisNexis/Reed Elsevier and various contracting companies with the US Air Force. With experience in both multiple verticals as well as many domains, she holds a breadth of knowledge and perspectives that provides her with an ability to drive transformative journeys for organizations.

Michelle is passionate about helping others grow their careers through local security and veteran’s organizations, as well as spending time with her family.

Director , Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Michael is a Director within the Office of the General Auditor and Corporate Compliance division at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Michael and his team are responsible for designing and implementing technology solutions to support regulatory compliance and risk management efforts across the enterprise. Prior to joining BCBSM, Michael was at Ernst & Young within their IT Risk and Assurance practice. While at E&Y he focused on enterprise application implementations, business process redesign and mergers and acquisitions. He earned his Master of Business Administration from Wayne State University, his Bachelor of Science in Finance as well as an Information Technology Specialization from Michigan State University. Michael is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor.

Global Head of Information Security, Technology Infrastructure & Emerging Technology Audit , Meta

Global Director, Strategic Risk Advisory , Aon

Ladd is a global risk management consultant specializing in operational, reputation, strategic, and enterprise risk management. Ladd consults for some of the largest global institutions including specializing in financial services companies. He advises institutions to develop, implement, communicate, and sustain their risk management programs. He also has been responsible for reputation risk at a global diversified financial services company and led the operational risk function for a global trillion-dollar bank and a SIFI North American Bank.

Ladd has over 20 years of diversified risk management experience. His risk management philosophy is to have risk taking and risk management be a value-add behavior rather than a check-the-box exercise. Ladd focuses on the delivery of the development, leadership, innovation, governance, and management required to sustainably identify, assess, analyze, mitigate, monitor, and report on risk.

He takes pride in utilizing risk management leading practices to provide insight to decision making, increasing revenue and reducing cost. Indoctrinated as an actuary, Ladd applies quantitative approaches to measure how risk may affect profit and loss, insurance people, resources, capital, products, and processes. He has had frequent interactions with regulatory agencies, consumer protection advocates (e.g., CFPB, FCA), boards, audit departments, advocacy groups, and rating agencies on the topics of risk which has given unique insights into the subject.

Associate Vice President, Global Compliance & Ethics , Royal Caribbean Group

Nick is the Associate Vice President, Global Compliance & Ethics for Royal Caribbean Group, which consists of three global cruise brands, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises, as well as TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, of which it is a 50% owner in a joint venture. The company’s 64 ships carry millions of guests a year to more than 1000 ports on all seven continents. Nick started his career as an attorney with Arnold & Porter in Washington, DC, where he specialized in complex litigation, product liability law and corporate governance. He then worked abroad for 15 years as regulatory compliance, ethics, and governance counsel for Fortune 100 companies, including in Switzerland (5 years), and in Hong Kong (10 years). Nick received his BA from Brown University, MA from Harvard University and JD from Columbia Law School. Nick is an Authorized House Counsel in Florida. He is also admitted to the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island Bars.    

SVP, Head of Risk Management & Internal Controls , Itaύ U.S. and Caribbean

Patricia has over 25 years of Corporate Level experience in the Legal, Auditing, Risk and Compliance departments.  Patricia began her career working as a Lawyer and Auditor for Serv Cadastro e Cobranca Ltda responsible for legal coordination and implementing internal auditing in its departments in Brazil.  She joined Itaύ Unibanco in 2000 starting in Audit and moving to areas such as Compliance and Internal Controls.  Patricia has led teams and implemented new methodologies to mitigate risk and increase innovation and efficiency.  In 2014, Patricia began her international experience with Itaύworking with Itaύ Caribbean and Miami responsible for the Internal Controls department.  In 2017, Patricia became the Head of Risk and Internal Controls for Itaύ U.S overseeing Financial & Operational Risk and Internal Controls, working with several jurisdictions at USA, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Chile and Mexico.   In 2021, Fiduciary Risk in Asset Management was included in her activities, as well as oversight of Client Risk. In 2023, she was nominated Chief Compliance Officer for Nassau Branch.

Following her graduation with a Law Degree from the Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Patricia obtained a Corporate and Economic Law Post graduation Degree from Fundacao Getulio Vargas in SP.  In addition, Patricia attained an LLM in Financial and Capital Markets Law from IBMEC/Insper, and an LLM in Corporate Law.  Patricia is also a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and a Certified Control Self Assessment (CCSA). 

Security GRC Lead , Autodesk

Clyde Tsai is currently Security GRC Lead at Autodesk.  He is in charge of driving the GRC program under the Security department at Autodesk and transforming it into a truly enterprise-wide program.  Clyde has 15 years of experience in the GRC field and has helped 50+ organizations mature their GRC programs while working as a consultant for KPMG LLP.  

Manager , Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Nick Cannon is a manager on the Technology and Operations team within the Office of the General Auditor and Corporate Compliance division at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Nick has held various roles across the compliance and privacy functions throughout his nearly 10 years with BCBSM. In his current role, Nick is responsible for supporting the division’s technology strategy. This includes overseeing MetricStream implementations across BCBSM and its subsidiaries.

Nick holds two bachelor’s degrees, a Juris Doctor, and a Master’s in Business Administration. He also maintains compliance, ethics, and privacy certifications and is a certified HITRUST CSF practitioner

Martin Froelick

Senior Vice President - Risk Manager , First Citizens Bank

Martin Froelick is a Senior Vice President for Risk Management at the First Citizens Bank, previously CIT Bank . He works in the first line and is also responsible for expanding the 3 lines of defense risk framework. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

Prior to this role, he was the Chief Risk Officer of the Mutual of the Omaha Bank and developed the Operational Risk program critical for enhanced regulation and new acquisitions. Martin also worked for many years at GE Capital and Wells Fargo and has extensive experience in developing and implementing Operational Risk programs.

Rodney Campbell

Senior Vice President and Head of Third-Party Risk Management , Valley National Bank

Rodney Campbell is a recognized industry leader in Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM), Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), Global Strategy & Business Operations. Rodney is a business champion, dedicated to empowering organizations and business leaders with industry insights and best practices to ensure both regulatory compliance and operational success. Experienced in developing global programs, processes, cross-functional teams from the ground up and leading projects spanning Asia-Pacific, Latin America, United Kingdom and North America regions, Rodney creates a high-impact, collaborative environment that eliminates silos and cross borders.

Sr. Vice President - Corporate Audit Services , Fiserv

Mr. Cisneros currently is responsible for the Cyber and Tech audit portfolio in Fiserv Globally, he joined the Corporate Audit Services group in July of 2020 to lead the Audit Program for Business Operations, Finance and Shared Services. Previously he was the head of the Revenue Assurance, Billing and Reconciliation group at First Data, focused on designing and managing processes to ensure billing accuracy and profitability assurance at the client level. Prior to this he was the Control Officer for Shared Services supporting Compliance, Third Party Risk Management, Credit Risk, Finance, HR, the General Counsel’s Office and the Strategy Group. Additionally, Mr. Cisneros is the founder and chair for the Juntos (Hispanic and Latino Leadership) an Employee resource group focused on enhancing the participation First data within the Hispanic communities the company has presence in, developing and increasing the Hispanic base within the organization, and developing strategies to partner with Hispanic customers to enhance FDCs presence.

Before joining First Data, he was a Managing Director in Compliance at JP Morgan Chase Asset and held various positions including Head of Controls for Borrowers Assistance overseeing all controls for loan modifications within the Mortgage Bank. Also he worked in different projects and initiatives related to process optimization.

From 2006 – 2010 he spent four years at Fannie Mae as VP and Head of Operational Accounting for Single Family overseeing transactions for 18 million loans and balance sheet of 2.7 trillion USD and as a Director in the Controls PMO office.

Additional experience includes Navigant Consulting and MCI WorldCom, where he held positions working in Financial Controls and Process Analysis.

Mr. Cisneros was born and raised in Chihuahua Mexico and attended College in Monterrey graduating with Honors as a Bachelor in Accounting. Early in his career he held positions at KPMG, Procter and Gamble and Terra Networks. He was also the founder of an accounting firm dedicated to serve the Financial Institutions supporting fraud and bankruptcy audits, acting as an expert witness in court for several relevant cases.

He and his wife arrived to the US for his Graduate Degree (MBA) at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (2004).

Guillermo, his wife and three kids live in the DC Suburbs in Northern Virginia.

VP, Global Ethics & Compliance , Live Nation Entertainment

Emily Wall is the Vice President – Global Ethics and Compliance, GRC Operations & Technology for Live Nation Entertainment. Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world's leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Media & Sponsorship.

Emily started her 24-year career with LNE on the Ticketmaster side, working in various roles and locations and even as a Box Office Coordinator at the Beijing Olympics. Her current role includes Regulatory & Legal Compliance and Governance, Risk, Compliance Operations and Technology across LNE and its subsidiaries globally. She manages multiple teams across the US & abroad with responsibilities including: Mergers & Acquisitions Onboarding & Integration. Corporate Training & Awareness including a shared services content creation team. Website & Application Compliance. Anti-Corruption Program including sanctions & FCPA compliance. Business Integrity & Fraud Hotlines. Governance, Risk, Compliance Operations and Technology including PMO, Reporting, and Dev Support. Third Party Risk Management: Vendors, Partners, Suppliers, & Ethical Supply Chain lifecycle risk management. Risk management regarding spear phishing & business email compromise attempts & internal training campaigns. Environmental, Social, Governance Program.

Emily is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/US and a Certified Information Privacy Manager. She is a member of the IAPP, CFE, and the WVOV PMI.

On a personal note, Emily loves to give back to the community and volunteers as a Board member for a local Art/Music festival: FestivALL Charleston, is a founding member of Arti Gras and Yak Fest local Arts and Kayaking festivals respectively, and serves on various committees in Charleston and St. Albans, WV. She has always loved to paint, draw, and sculpt and her work can be seen as street signs in Charleston, West Virginia’s capital city.

Vice President, Enterprise Risk Management , CBRE

Manesh Shah is Vice President of Enterprise Risk Management at CBRE, and works to identify, mitigate, and track CBRE’s top enterprise-level risks. Prior to working in risk management, Manesh practiced law (in house and as outside counsel) for over 14 years.

Beth Rudofker

Risk and Control Executive & Senior Executive Advisor, PwC , Former - Citigroup, GE

Beth Rudofker has extensive experience building, transforming and leading Risk and Control organizations in large regulated financial institutions. She is currently a Senior Executive Advisor for PwC providing consulting services for C- level clients and teams to strengthen Enterprise and Operational Risk Management practices. Most recently she was the Global Head of Operational and Reputation Risk at Citigroup. In this role she provided the vision and leadership for establishing integrated enterprise-wide strategies, frameworks, methodologies, tools, and practices to proactively identify, assess, measure, report on, mitigate and control exposures associated with all Citigroup’s businesses and functions. Beth successfully built the operational risk management organization with oversight groups for business and risks including technology, cyber third party, fraud, data, and reputation risks.

Prior to Citi, Beth led the global Operational Risk Management organization at GE Capital where she was responsible for design and implementation of the operational risk management framework across the company in accordance with strong risk management practices and global regulatory expectations. This included operational risk policies, governance, risk appetite, risk and control assessments, issues management, loss event reporting and lessons learned, metrics monitoring, scenario analysis, capital and stress testing methodologies.

Prior to joining GE, Beth was the Head of Corporate Operational Risk at JP Morgan Chase & Co. where she led and enhanced the Firm's global operational risk framework including governance, policies, standards and the capital methodology necessary to meet Basel advanced regulatory requirements.

Beth’s career of leadership positions in Financial Services also includes Global Head of Operational Risk and Corporate Compliance at Barclays Capital as well as Global Head of Internal Audit, COO roles and various CFO/Controller leadership positions in Finance at Lehman Brothers.

Beth holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University.

Senior Business Systems Analyst , Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan

Jason is a Senior Business Systems Analyst supporting the Office of the General Auditor and Corporate Compliance at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. He joined BCBSM in 2020 and has worked to expand GRC solutions across the entire Enterprise, with a focus on simple to understand workflows and training to support both new use cases and reimagining of historic processes. Prior to working for BCBSM, Jason spent 13 years as a Mergers and Acquisitions broker in the broadcast and telecommunication sector; representing clients in both growth and divestiture of their holdings. Jason holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Telecommunications, Information Studies, and Media from Michigan State University.

Oded Anderman

Program Manager, Anti Scraping & Threat Intelligence , Meta Platforms, Inc.

Oded Anderman is a program manager in Meta Platform’s Privacy organization, focusing on protecting user data from unauthorized scraping, on the world’s largest social media platform with over more than 3 billion daily users.  The work he drives includes standing up innovative preventive measures, including the collection, analysis and informed use of threat intelligence to advance that goal.

Prior to joining Meta in 2022, Oded worked as a director of program and product management in Citigroup, where he led transformational initiatives in response to regulatory mandates, as well as engineering and operations organizations supporting risk management, financial crimes and cyber security.  Oded holds a law degree from the Reichman University in Israel, and MBA from Cornell University.  He is Six Sigma and ACAMS certified.

Director and Chief Data Officer , National Credit Union Administration

Amber Gravius is the NCUA’s Director of the Office of Business Innovation and Chief Data Officer. In this role, Ms. Gravius is responsible for working with stakeholders to deliver improved business processes with secure, innovative, and reliable technology solutions and data to support the NCUA mission.

Prior to her selection as Business Innovation Director, Ms. Gravius served as Acting Business Innovation Director and as a Supervisory Special Assistant for Business Innovation representing stakeholders in the development of NCUA’s new Modern Examination and Risk Identification Tool or MERIT. She joined NCUA in 1999 as a credit union examiner and served as a Supervision Analyst, Risk Management Officer, Loss Risk Analysis Officer, and Supervisory Examiner before joining the Office of Business Innovation.

Ms. Gravius holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania, and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in information technology from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Head of Control Assurance , First Citizens Bank

Kellie Bickenbach is a highly accomplished executive with over three decades of experience in the financial services sector. She has gained widespread recognition for her expertise in leading transformative strategies that deliver competitive solutions. Kellie's primary focus has been on risk leadership in large depository institutions, global fintech, and systemically important market utility settings.

Throughout her career, Kellie has held senior leadership roles at several renowned institutions, including Fannie Mae, Silicon Valley Bank, US Bank, Bank of America, and Finastra. She also honed her expertise during her earlier career as a consultant with Arthur D. Little, Inc., where she provided strategic guidance to healthcare and financial services clients.

Kellie's in-depth understanding of the regulatory environment has enabled her to provide insightful guidance on managing risk. As a seasoned strategic thinker, Kellie is passionate about helping financial institutions navigate the ever-evolving landscape of risk management.

Head of Technology Risk , Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizens

Cynthia (Cindy) Klimaszewski is a Managing Director with a background in risk management, strategic transformation, and infrastructure optimization. With a career spanning over two decades, Cindy has made significant contributions in risk and controls, particularly around reporting, technology and infrastructure.

Cindy currently oversees the First Line of Defense Risk Management function for Technology, Cybersecurity and Data Governance at Silicon Valley Bank. She joined SVB in 2022 after more than 20 years at Citi, where she held a variety of senior leadership roles across Risk, Finance and Technology. She started her career as a Market Risk Manager at NatWest.

Cindy holds a Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and a M.S., Real Estate Finance from New York University.

CEO & Co-Founder, Mercury Risk and Compliance , Former - Meta & Verizon

Gavin Anthony Grounds: Pioneering Cybersecurity Titan with a Heart for Humanity

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity and risk management, few individuals have left a mark as profound as Gavin Anthony Grounds. Renowned for his visionary leadership, groundbreaking innovations, and unwavering commitment to philanthropy, Grounds stands as a paragon of excellence in both business and compassion.

A Legacy of Innovation and Leadership

Grounds' journey in the realm of cybersecurity and business management is nothing short of extraordinary. With a stellar educational background and a relentless pursuit of knowledge, he quickly ascended the ranks, establishing himself as a trailblazer in the field. His tenure at several Fortune 500 companies saw him spearheading groundbreaking initiatives, shaping the future of cybersecurity with his innovative strategies and solutions.
Having attended prestigious GRC conferences by ISACA and MetricStream, Grounds honed his expertise in risk management, becoming a driving force behind industry-wide best practices. His contributions to thought leadership in risk quantification have been widely acclaimed, positioning him as an authority in the field.

Championing Philanthropy: A Heartfelt Commitment

Beyond his professional achievements, Grounds' philanthropic endeavors set him apart as a leader with a heart for humanity. Over decades, he has been an active supporter of charities dedicated to child safety, combating human trafficking, and advancing the mission of UNICEF. However, it is his passionate advocacy for suicide prevention that truly distinguishes him.
Grounds' unwavering support for charities focused on suicide prevention and support for survivors and their families underscores his profound empathy and commitment to making a tangible difference in people's lives. His dedication to this cause serves as a testament to his compassion and integrity, embodying the values of a true leader.

Why Gavin Grounds is the Ultimate Leader for Your Cybersecurity and Risk Management Needs

1. Unmatched Expertise: With a proven track record of pioneering innovations and thought leadership in cybersecurity and risk management, Grounds brings unparalleled expertise to the table. His deep understanding of industry trends and emerging threats ensures that your organization stays ahead of the curve.

2. Humanitarian Values: Grounds' commitment to philanthropy and social responsibility goes beyond business metrics. By aligning with a leader who prioritizes ethical values and social impact, your organization not only enhances its reputation but also contributes to meaningful change in society.

3. Empathetic Leadership: In an era marked by uncertainty and volatility, Grounds' empathetic leadership style provides a sense of stability and reassurance. His genuine concern for the well-being of employees and stakeholders fosters a culture of trust and resilience, essential for navigating today's complex business landscape.

In conclusion, Gavin Anthony Grounds embodies the perfect blend of expertise, compassion, and visionary leadership required to navigate the intricate challenges of cybersecurity, risk management, and GRC strategies. By engaging Grounds as your executive partner, you not only secure your organization's digital assets but also uphold the values of integrity, empathy, and social responsibility.

CEO & Chairman, Tachyon Aerospace & White Diamond Risk Advisory , Former - Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, UBS

Paul Shotton is a physics PhD with more than 30 years of practice in financial market risk analytics and executive leadership. His current roles include CEO of Tachyon Aerospace, an aerospace technology company, and chairman and CEO of White Diamond Risk Advisory, which advises CEOs, boards and startup companies in the finance and technology sectors. Paul developed his knowledge of markets and honed his insights in high-level trading and risk management positions at financial institutions in major metropolitan hubs, first in fixed-income trading positions at Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank in London, and subsequently, as global head of market risk management at Lehman Brothers and deputy head of group risk control and methodology at UBS in New York. Paul is a frequent publisher of articles on economics, corporate governance and risk management.

Director of Governance, Risk and Compliance , Guidewire Software

Grace Evelyn Beason: A Trailblazer in Governance, Risk, and Compliance

In the dynamic landscape of Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), Grace Evelyn Beason emerges as a beacon of innovation and leadership. With a rich tapestry of experiences spanning clinical social work, legal compliance, and cybersecurity, Beason has carved a niche for herself as a visionary in the field, revolutionizing traditional approaches with her pioneering insights and expertise.

A Journey of Evolution and Excellence

Beason's professional journey is as diverse as it is illustrious. Graduating with honors in social work, she began her career as a clinical social worker, driven by a profound desire to support individuals in managing their mental health and well-being. This early focus on understanding human behavior and addressing the needs of her clients laid the foundation for her future endeavors. Transitioning seamlessly into the realm of legal compliance, Beason leveraged her expertise to navigate complex regulatory frameworks in medical care and privacy law. Her meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment to ethical standards earned her accolades and recognition as a trusted authority in the field.

Pioneering Thought Leadership in GRC and Cybersecurity

Beason's transition to the technology sector marked a turning point in her career trajectory. Drawing on her background in social work and legal compliance, she seamlessly integrated her insights into the realm of cybersecurity and GRC. At prominent GRC conferences hosted by industry giants like ISACA and MetricStream, Beason showcased her groundbreaking methodologies and innovations, particularly in Automated Control Efficacy Testing.
Her industry-leading thought leadership in this domain has not only elevated the discourse surrounding GRC strategies but has also redefined the benchmarks for efficacy and efficiency in cybersecurity protocols. Beason's ability to bridge the gap between human behavior and technological systems has been instrumental in transforming conventional risk management paradigms.

The Ideal Leader for Your GRC Strategy

1. Holistic Perspective: Beason's background in clinical social work equips her with a unique understanding of human behavior and organizational dynamics. By adopting a holistic approach to GRC strategies, she ensures that regulatory compliance is seamlessly integrated into the fabric of your organization, fostering a culture of accountability and transparency.

2. Innovative Solutions: Beason's track record of innovation speaks volumes about her ability to anticipate emerging challenges and develop proactive solutions. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and methodologies, she empowers your organization to stay ahead of regulatory requirements and mitigate risks effectively.

3. Ethical Leadership: At the heart of Beason's leadership philosophy lies a steadfast commitment to ethical principles and values. By prioritizing integrity and compliance, she instills confidence in stakeholders and cultivates a culture of trust and responsibility, essential for long-term success in today's competitive landscape.

In conclusion, Grace Evelyn Beason epitomizes the ideal blend of expertise, innovation, and integrity required to navigate the complexities of GRC in the digital age. By engaging Beason as your executive partner, you not only elevate your organization's risk management capabilities but also uphold the values of ethical governance and compliance at every level.

Tice Morgan

Sr. Manager, Governance and Compliance , American Fidelity Assurance

Mr. Tice Morgan is a thirty year Security practitioner with an emphasis on Governance, Risk and Compliance related program development and maintenance. Having worked in the telecommunications, healthcare and financial sectors enables him to impart a variety of regulatory, compliance and risk management experience. Tice is currently employed by a private insurance organization in the Midwest tackling a variety of Governance and Compliance related challenges. Tice is very passionate about the GRC space, having witnessed the evolution within the information technology and information security landscape over the past three decades; which has offered a wide breadth of exposure to many of the security and compliance challenges organizations and the industry face. Tice has held positions within security operations, incident handling, computer forensic and security architecture roles throughout his career and is an avid researcher focused on building and evangelizing adaptive security program enhancements through the use of GRC based technologies.

Sanjiv Sharma

Vice President and Chief Audit Executive , Wolfspeed Inc.

Sanjiv Sharma is currently working as Vice President and Chief Audit Executive (CAE) at Wolfspeed Inc., responsible for Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Audit, and SOX Compliance. Sanjiv is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).

Prior to joining Wolfspeed, Sanjiv worked with NXP Semiconductor, Freescale, and Motorola in various leadership roles in Finance, Internal Audit, SOX Compliance, and Pricing in the US, Malaysia, China, and India.

Sanjiv has wide knowledge and experience in review of the design and implementation of Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework, Third-party Risk Management, and Cybersecurity frameworks and leveraging Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) for optimization.

Deputy Chief Risk Officer , Bank OZK

Mr. Majumdar is currently the Deputy Chief Risk Officer at Bank, a $29 BN Commercial Bank headquartered in Little Rock, AR. Arindam has been instrumental in establishing the Enterprise Risk function at Bank OZK. His current responsibilities include managing the Bank’s Operational Market, Liquidity. Model and Data Risk and Risk Appetite functions at the Bank. Prior to Bank OZK, Mr. Majumdar was also instrumental in establishing the Enterprise Risk function at Discover Financial Services. Mr. Majumdar has 20+ years in banking experience, having worked in India, Japan and the US. He has previously also worked on Wall Street for JP Morgan’s derivatives trading group. Mr. Majumdar has a Bachelor's Degree in Instrumentation Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal. He also has an MBA from the University of Iowa, a Graduate Degree in Banking and Leadership from the ABA Stonier Graduate School of banking and Wharton Business School and a Certificate in Risk Management from Harvard Business School

Director - Enterprise Risk , Western Alliance Bank

Varun has worked in financial services extensively in the Enterprise Risk, Operational Risk and Strategic Risk Management space with emphasis on risk quantification, risk analytics and risk governance. He brings over twenty years experience both as an industry practitioner and a provider of consulting services to global banking organiztions. He is currently a leader in the Enterprise Risk Management function at Western Alliance Bank, an innovative and fast paced growing bank based in Phoenix, AZ. He has previously worked for HSBC, JP Morgan Chase, and Deloitte in US, Canada and Europe.​

​​​​Varun is a published author on varied topics in finance and risk management across US and Europe; presented at numerous industry conferences at both international and national levels. His educational qualifications include a Ph.D. in Economics, MS in Financial Economics and BS in Engineering. He also has a CFA Charter.

Managing Partner , Yacamy Advisors

Marcelo Cruz is the Managing Partner of Yacamy Advisors, a boutique consulting firm, private equity and venture capital fund. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Operational Risk and an adjunct professor at the New York University. Previously he was the Chief Risk Officer of Ocwen Financial and Aviva plc and global head of risk analytics at Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers. He is was a junior partner at McKinsey & Co. He is the author of several Risk Management books, amongst them the best seller “Measuring and Managing Operational Risk” a best seller that sold over 30,000 copies. He holds a PhD in Mathematics by the Imperial College in London, a M.Sc. in Financial Mathematics, an MBA and a B.Sc. in Economics

Regional Compliance Officer - North America , Andritz

Ramsey Kazem is Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional and an accomplished attorney. As Regional Compliance Officer – North America for Andritz, Ramsey has a broad range of responsibilities including preparing risk assessments, implementing program improvements, investigating claims of misconduct, and managing third-party risk. His expertise includes designing, assessing, and implementing compliance programs using a risk-based approach.

Prior to his work in compliance, Ramsey was a practicing attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. His legal practice focused on construction law, government contracts, and commercial litigation. During this time, he gained extensive experience assisting businesses with risk management, claims avoidance, and dispute resolution.

Ramsey is originally from Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He received his B.S., magna cum laude, in Finance with a concentration in International Business from Fairleigh Dickinson University. After college, he attended law school and business school at Emory University, where he earned his J.D. and M.B.A.

Hemma Lomax

VP, Compliance , Zendesk

Dr. Hemma R. Lomax is a passionate ethics and compliance professional who is intrigued by the role of integrity in the context of corporate social responsibility. She is the VP, Associate General Counsel, Compliance at Zendesk, where she leads the Global Integrity and Compliance function. Prior to Zendesk, she served as a senior corporate counsel in the Integrity & Compliance team at Snap, Inc. and as a Director in the Global Ethics and Compliance Management team at the Walt Disney Company. Hemma has a passion for designing innovative global compliance programs and providing excellent compliance customer service. She is a fan of objective-centered risk assessment, co-creative design, behavioural science, and coaching for compliance. Prior to moving in-house, Hemma served for just over a decade prosecuting financial fraud and corruption with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Hemma is also a British trained barrister (trial attorney) and has previously worked as Parliamentary Counsel for the UK government and as an advisor at the United Nations for the government of Guyana. Hemma is a strong advocate for integrity at work, active bystandership and diversity, equity, and inclusion, and she has a Phd in human rights and the laws of war. She lives in Maryland with her husband and her two daughters.

Managing SVP, CISO , City National Bank of Florida

Brian Fricke is a business-centric technology professional, specializing in strategic Enterprise Information Security Policy, Operations, and Technology Risk Management. With the primary goal to balance the needs of the business with security requirements; Programs are established or revamped to comply with various US/Global laws (GLBA/HIPAA), regulations (FFIEC/FINRA), and Security Industry best practices control frameworks (ISO/NIST) in order to prevent, detect, and respond to security events and incidents. Based in Miami, FL, he is currently the Chief Information Security Officer of City National Bank of Florida, and acts as the Senior Executive for all Technology and Cyber Risk concerns, overseeing Cyber Operation. He has been establishing innovative Information Security Programs for over 15 years in Military, Government, and Financial Institutions, ensuring adherence to the most restrictive security requirements across all industries. His widest set of responsibility covered the information & cyber security risk portfolio of over 600 sites, 30,000 Personnel, and 20,000 systems and endpoints across the globe.

A 5-year active-duty US Marine; Brian also served as a civil servant for 10 years in various agencies with an increasingly wider scope of duties. He served at The US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in New York, and as a Security Program Manager at the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon. He also served for 3 years as an officer of the Board of Directors of OutServe, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. His last role in government was the CISO and Cyber Security Branch Manager at the US Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC) at the Washington Navy Yard before transitioning to the Financial sector. He has held CISO roles at mid size, and large financial institutions, the last two having a global presence where he ran US operations and advised Global CIO/COOs on unique approaches to Programmatic management of Business Line risk, product security, and establishing governance and oversight committees. He was Class President of the George Washington University School of Business, World Executive MBA, Class of 2013, and holds a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Cybersecurity Enforcement

ACHIEVEMENTS

Named a 2021 a Top 100 CISO by Security Current. https://securitycurrent.com/congratulations-to-all-c100-awards-winners. Grew the Information Security team from 30 to 110 (in plan) while maintaining 70/30 FTE to Contractor ratio to assure sustainability. Tools and Budget rationalization to ensure the right tool for the right job, resulting in a 30% reduction in vendors and products. This simplification of the security stack also reduced Operational Expense (OpEx) by almost 10% in the first year. Established Business Information Security Officer (BISO) Program providing 100% direct advisory coverage to all lines of business and subsidiaries for InfoSec Program alignment, cultural awareness, and risk aggregation visibility to Management and the Board.

Head of ESG Compliance , Norilsk Nickel USA

Max possesses extensive professional experience in the mining, metallurgy, and cement production sectors. Throughout his career, he has held significant roles in leading manufacturing companies, focusing on industrial marketing, ESG compliance and due diligence, sustainable development, and responsible sourcing. Max spearheaded the development of the first Due Diligence Management System, which included the formulation of a Supplier Code of Conduct and Responsible Sourcing Policy. His primary focus was on risk assessment within the mineral supply chain for raw materials.

Additionally, Max has played a crucial role in validating transparency to support responsible sourcing and production practices, covering the entire spectrum from mining operations to market distribution, with a particular emphasis on automotive industries and EV battery production. He holds an MBA degree in Marketing and a certification in climate change agenda, reflecting his commitment to climate change action at both the corporate and personal levels.

Max's contributions extend to developing net zero cement products and maintaining a steadfast dedication to waste recycling and responsible consumption, with the aim of reducing his personal carbon footprint by half before 2030.

Chief Compliance & Ethics Officer , Caddipay

Jennifer Newton is a highly accomplished professional and a trusted leader in the field of corporate compliance and risk management. With extensive experience in regulatory matters, risk management, and corporate governance, Jennifer currently serves as the Chief Compliance Officer of Caddipay, a leading fintech company. Her expertise in navigating complex regulatory landscapes, implementing effective compliance programs, and ensuring adherence to industry standards has made her an invaluable asset to the organization.

In addition to her role at Caddipay, Jennifer is the founder and CEO of the National Association of Black Compliance & Risk Management Professionals (NABCRMP). With a vision to empower and uplift Black professionals in the compliance and risk management fields, Jennifer established NABCRMP as a platform for professional development, networking, and advocacy. Under Jennifer's leadership, NABCRMP has grown into a thriving community that fosters diversity, excellence, and inclusivity. Through various initiatives, educational programs, and industry partnerships, NABCRMP has become a catalyst for change, promoting equal opportunities and recognition for Black professionals in the industry.

Jennifer's expertise in compliance and risk management spans across multiple sectors, and she has gained recognition for her strategic thinking, exceptional leadership, and commitment to excellence. Her extensive knowledge in regulatory compliance, risk assessment, and governance has made her a trusted advisor and sought-after speaker in the industry. With her combined experience in the federal government, law firm, and in-house compliance roles, Jennifer offers an uncommonly broad range and depth of compliance and risk management expertise.

Well-respected by her peers, Jennifer has been featured in publications such as Compliance Week, Law360, Daily Business Review, American Banker, the Wall Street Journal, Bankrate, and JDSupra and she regularly speaks at prominent industry conferences. Jennifer was named by Legacy Magazine as one of South Florida's Most Powerful and Influential Black Leaders and selected for inclusion in the National Black Lawyers’ “Top 40 under 40” in Banking and Finance in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Very active in her community and bar associations, Jennifer currently serves as an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law, and as a board member of Ten North Group (formerly Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation) and the Community Justice Project. She also previously served as Chair of the American Bar Association Consumer Financial Services Pro Bono Committee and the Chair of the CLE and Social Media Subcommittees of the Florida Bar Consumer Protection Law Standing Committee.

Partner Sales Manager - Security, Compliance, and Governance ISVs , AWS Global Financial Services (GFS)

Nick leads security, compliance and governance ISV partnerships for AWS Global Financial Services (GFS). He helps customers navigate the vast ecosystem of security partners and improve the security posture of their cloud workloads. Prior to joining AWS, Nick worked for IBM and Oracle in various leadership roles with focus on data analytics, information governance, and data privacy. Nick is based in New York and in his free time he enjoys skiing and sailing.

CEO, COO , Ileana Canlas & Associates

Ileana Canlas is a respected business consultant specializing in compliance, internal audit, program management, technology, and operations. She had a successful lengthy corporate career holding the positions of CFO, COO, CEO, Head of Compliance and Internal Audit, Accounting Manager, Legal Security Compliance Software Manager, and Operations Director, for major defense and technology multinationals. She is an international lecturer, published writer, author, and editor of screenplays, business, and technical publications. For two decades she was an awarded business and technology graduate-level educator for American and European universities

During her extensive career she has demonstrated mastery of GRC, identifying and solving risk concerns, developing controls and mitigation solutions, enforcing compliance, and driving financial and operational initiatives.

Her knowledge and experience in diverse industries such as defense, aerospace, telecom, tech, insurance, and entertainment, has proven to be critical for strategic, operational, and regulatory decisions by the businesses. Her recommendations and decisions have resulted in increased efficiencies and improved margins for prominent multinatioals such as Verizon, CAE, TECO, TechData, Aegon. 

Ileana is a recognized expert on legal requirements, DoD, global strategic planning, market development, and international issues. She is a polyglot and a skilled international trade negotiator, serving for a decade as US and Florida trade liaison, meeting with consular and government representatives of European, Latin American and Asian countries, and co-founded the FL International Trade Fair Advisory Board, and the WCFL Protocol Committee for Consular Affairs. She is Executive Board Member of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce of FL and was invited several times as contributor to business forums by Oxford University.

Educational credentials include two MBAs summa cum laude in Management of Information Technology and Business Management, an advanced degree/certification with honors as Certified Project Manager from Stanford University/PMI (SCPM) focused on advanced project management and aerospace engineering, undergraduates in accounting and management, and several other certifications. She co-hosted two radio shows for many years, has been a featured and keynote speaker on TV and radio shows, women-guidance seminars in US and overseas, and multi-industry GRC and cybersecurity global conferences.

Alla Valente

Senior Analyst , Forrester

Alla is a senior analyst at Forrester serving security and risk professionals. She covers governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), third-party risk management (TPRM), contract lifecycle management (CLM), and supply chain risk with a special focus on risk management frameworks. In this role, Alla helps Forrester clients establish strategy, adopt best practices, define a governance framework, and select technology to manage risk, improve business resilience, and strategic value-add. Her research also includes ethics and trust in digital transformation, enterprise risk management (ERM), and protecting the organization’s brand.

Her 25 years of B2B marketing experience includes marketing leadership and strategy, product marketing, and digital and customer marketing. Alla’s risk management experience comes from marketing, strategy, and customer advocate roles where she helped launch successful software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings and oversaw all aspects of brand development, go-to-market, messaging and positioning, and digital marketing. In these roles, she ran marketing strategy and product marketing.

Alla holds an BA in English from Hofstra University and has completed the Business Analytics Program at Harvard with distinction.

Michael Rasmussen

GRC Analyst & Pundit , GRC 20/20 Research

Michael Rasmussen is an internationally recognized pundit on governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) – with specific expertise on the topics of enterprise GRC, GRC technology, corporate compliance, and policy management. With 27+ years of experience, Michael helps organizations improve GRC processes, design and implement GRC architecture, and select technologies that are effective, efficient, and agile. He is a sought-after keynote speaker, author, and advisor and is noted as the “Father of GRC” — being the first to define and model the GRC market in February 2002 while at Forrester.

Michael has contributed to U.S. Congressional reports and committees, and currently serves on the Leadership Council of the OCEG and chairs the OCEG Technology Council, OCEG Policy Management Group, and the OCEG GRC Architect Group.

Michael is quoted extensively in the press and is respected for his commentary on broadcast news channels. He is an Honorary Life Member in The Institute of Risk Management for his contributions to risk management and GRC. In June 2007, Treasury & Risk recognized Michael as one of the 100 most influential people in finance with specific accolades noting his work in “Governance and Compliance: Saving the Planet and the Corporation” and as a “Rising Star in Rocky Times: Corporate America’s Outstanding Executives.”

Prior to founding GRC 20/20 Research, Michael was a Vice-President and ‘Top Analyst’ at Forrester Research, Inc. Before Forrester, he led the risk/compliance consulting practice at a professional services firm, and prior to that has specific experience managing compliance and risk within commercial organizations.

Michael’s educational experience consists of a Juris Doctorate in law and a Bachelor of Science in Business. Michael is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with a research focus in ethics and church history. He is a GRCP (GRC Professional), CCEP (Certified Compliance and Ethic Professional), and a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional). OCEG has recognized him as an OCEG Fellow for his contributions and advancement of GRC practices around the world.

Attorney , Venable LLP

David N. Patariu is dedicated to helping clients navigate the complexities of privacy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data protection. With experience in regulatory compliance, litigation, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, and product development, David advises clients in the technology industry on compliance with laws and regulations at the state, federal, and global levels. David holds a B.A. and M.Eng. (computer science) from Cornell University, a graduate degree in biomedical informatics from Stanford University Medical School, and a law degree from Loyola Chicago. He is licensed to practice law in multiple states and the District of Columbia, having passed five bar exams (CA, NY, NJ, IL, TX). David is a Privacy Law Specialist (PLS) and International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Fellow of Information Privacy (FIP), and has earned the Information Privacy Manager (CIPM), Information Privacy Professional United States (CIPP/US), and Information Privacy Professional Europe (CIPP/E) credentials from the IAPP. Additionally, David holds the (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) credential, the gold standard of InfoSec certifications. With expertise in data breaches, information privacy, cyberattacks, network architecture, incident responses, and risk management, David provides comprehensive support to clients seeking to address security issues. David also has extensive experience working with Governance, Risk, and Compliance teams on crucial compliance and data governance projects while in-house counsel at Verizon Media, Yahoo, Instacart, and currently for his clients at Venable. David is known for using AI to address compliance risks, and for driving a best-in-class multi-year implementation of the NIST privacy controls at a Fortune 10 company.

National Integrated Risk Technology & Enterprise GRC Leader , PwC

Seth D. Rosensweig is a Partner at PwC. He has over 20 years as a tech and risk professional. He leads a National Digital Integrated Risk Management and enterprise GRC practice focusing on helping clients strategize, design, implement and transform their Risk Management controls, monitoring and reporting functions.

With an extensive background in Financial Services he has advised clients and executives on enterprise technology and data solutions to comply with risk and control demands and regulatory requirement & transformation changes.

Seth is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and frequently writes on topics around the intersection of digital and risk & control. Some of his publications include “Staying Afloat in a Sea of Data: Establishing a Data Certification for Regulatory Reporting” PwC, “How Data Analytics is Changing the Face of Compliance” Compliance Week, and “No Guts, No Glory: Committing to Data-Driven Risk Management” GARP

Education / Certifications - MIT- AI for Business Strategy. Columbia University – Master’s Degree in Business/Management. University of Delaware - Bachelor of Arts

Vice President – GRC , Vivid Edge Corp

Surya is Seasoned professional having 20+ years of IT experience who has been responsible for building the GRC Practice and defining best practices around implementations of Risk, Compliance, Audits, ESG, Cyber and Quality Management system for customers in BFSI, Pharma, life sciences, Healthcare, Energy, Technology and Retail verticals.

Senior Product Manager – Technical , Amazon

Neha brings over a decade of experience in product management and strategy to her role. Currently employed as a Senior Product Manager for the AWS Audit Manager service, Neha focuses on simplifying the compliance professionals' experience, empowering them to navigate complex audits seamlessly in the cloud environment. Prior to her position at Amazon, Neha held a pivotal role at Bosch Siemens Home Appliances, Europe's largest manufacturer of home appliances, leading a diverse team of 70 professionals in spearheading the eCommerce product and engineering track. Together, they successfully developed and delivered innovative solutions that transformed the company's online presence in 55 countries. Neha also collaborated with Thyssenkrupp, a major steel manufacturer, to establish their online materials and metals business across Europe and North America, driving revenue growth through strategic partnerships. In addition to her strong engineering background in Computer Science, Neha holds a Master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University, solidifying her academic expertise in the field.