Speakers

Shilpi Handa

IDC

Associate Research Director (META)

Event Sessions

One Day Event 9:05 am

IDC Keynote: Orchestrating Resilience Amid Transformation, Regulation, and Emerging Threats

META’s cybersecurity agenda is shaped by unprecedented digital acceleration, regulatory dynamism, and the proliferation of advanced threats across IT, OT, and cloud. As organizations embrace AI, platform-centric architectures, and hybrid environments, the attack surface expands and adversaries become more sophisticated—leveraging GenAI, identity compromise, and cyber-physical exploits. At the same time, regulatory mandates around data sovereignty and trust are intensifying. CISOs are challenged to orchestrate holistic defense strategies that unify technology, process, and people: integrating real-time detection, adaptive controls, and continuous compliance, while investing in workforce upskilling and AI augmentation. Achieving resilience in this environment demands a proactive, inclusive approach—balancing innovation, operational continuity, and regulatory alignment across the region’s diverse digital landscape.

One Day Event 9:00 am

IDC Welcome Address

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Shahin Hashim

IDC

Associate Research Director (META)

Uzair Mujtaba

IDC

Senior Research Manager

Ayman Alissa

SBM

Vice President, Cybersecurity Solutions

Ayman Alissa leads the Cybersecurity Practice at SBM, bringing over 18 years of extensive experience in the field. Throughout his career, he has successfully delivered more than 100 cybersecurity projects, providing clients with robust and innovative security platforms tailored to complex environments.

Ayman possesses strong analytical skills and a deep understanding of security architecture and solution implementation. His expertise enables him to design and deploy effective cybersecurity solutions that align with client requirements and industry best practices.

Notis Iliopoulos

Obrela

EVP of MRC

Notis Iliopoulos is EVP for MRC, bringing over 25 years of global experience in the cybersecurity domain in critical positions. Notis has held demanding positions in large corporates under risk management across SE Europe and the Middle East driving businesses to successful development. He was involved in the Initial establishment & operation of six business units, providing information security consulting services, and two corporate information security departments. His research interests include Information & Cyber Resilience and Risk Assessment Methods and Techniques, focusing lately on the Convergence of Digital & Physical Security and a holistic approach to Security Risk Management. He holds an MSc in Information Security (Royal Holloway, University of London), MSc in Business Innovation Management (AIT) and BSc in Computer Science (Royal Holloway, University of London). He is also certified by CISA, CISM & ISO 27001 Lead Auditor.

Event Sessions

One Day Event 10:25 am

Operationalizing Cybersecurity Through Outcome-Based Delivery, Quantified Risk, and Resilience-First Prioritization

Cybersecurity leaders are increasingly challenged to demonstrate how security investment translates into measurable business outcomes. This session explores how organizations can operationalize cybersecurity through outcome-based delivery, quantified cyber risk, and resilience-first prioritization. Moving beyond fragmented tools and isolated initiatives, the discussion will focus on building security models aligned with operational continuity, faster recovery, and measurable risk reduction. Attendees will gain practical perspectives on prioritizing investments based on business impact and strengthening resilience through repeatable, outcome-driven cyber operations.

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Tarek Kuzbari

Picus Security

Vice President EMEA

Tarek Kuzbari is a seasoned leader with 20+ years of experience in the Technology Media and Telecommunications (TMT) sector, specializing in international market expansion, revenue growth, and P&L management. He has held senior roles at HUMAN, Cybereason, Bitdefender, Group-IB, SABA Software, and Kaspersky, managing $58m ARR across regions including MEA, APAC, and Eastern Europe. Tarek, an acknowledged industry influencer, has been listed among the top “30 under 30” by Gulf businesses and ACN’s “Top 25 Most Powerful Executives in the Middle East”. He also earned a spot in Network Middle East’s “Top Executives in the Security Industry in the Middle East”. He holds an MBA from London Business School and actively supports NGOs like Agastya International Foundation and the Grow Movement.

Event Sessions

One Day Event 10:35 am

Unlocking Your Unfair Advantage Against AI Adversaries

Attackers use AI to strike in minutes. To adapt, we must shift our perspective from manual reaction to automated mobilization. This session demonstrates how to utilize a ‘virtual crew’ of AI agents to ingest intelligence, build attack playbooks, simulate threats to find gaps, and mobilize fixes.

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Bushra Alhetelah

Cyberani

Detection and Intelligence Fusion Specialist

Bushra Alhetelah is a Detection and Intelligence Fusion Specialist at Cyberani by Aramco Digital, with experience in cybersecurity, threat detection, and intelligence-driven defense strategies. Her expertise includes detection engineering, threat intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs), and prompt attack security. Bushra developed the first solution capable of detecting and preventing Browser-in-the-Browser attacks. She holds GRID and GDAT certifications from SANS and a Master’s degree in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity from KFUPM, with a strong focus on advancing proactive cyber defense capabilities.

Event Sessions

One Day Event 11:25 am

AI Resilience in the New Threat Landscape: Prompt Attacks and Business Risk

As organizations rapidly adopt Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI technologies, a new cybersecurity threat is emerging through prompt-based attacks and AI manipulation techniques. These threats can compromise AI behavior, expose sensitive information, disrupt business operations, and erode organizational trust. This session explores the evolving risks associated with prompt injection attacks, jailbreak techniques, and malicious AI interactions, while highlighting their impact on enterprise security and business continuity. The discussion will focus on how organizations can strengthen AI resilience through proactive detection, secure AI design, governance, and risk management strategies.

Attendees will gain practical insights into building resilient AI systems that can withstand emerging threats while enabling innovation, operational stability, and trusted adoption of generative AI technologies.

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Sultan Alanazi

Exabeam

Country Regional Director

Sultan Alanazi is the Country Regional Director for Saudi Arabia at LogRhythm | Exabeam, with over 10 years of experience in cybersecurity, enterprise sales, and project leadership. He specializes in driving regional growth, leading high-performing teams, and enabling large-scale digital transformation across government and enterprise sectors. Sultan holds a Master’s in Cybersecurity and is PMP and Prosci certified, with a strong focus on aligning cybersecurity strategy with business outcomes.

Charbel Chekie

Delinea

Technical Sales Engineer

Charbel Chekie, Technical Sales Engineer at Delinea, with 15+ years of experience in the GCC market in diverse Areas of IT Security and Technology Systems.

Thamer Alrowidhan

Confidential

Chief Information Security Officer

Thamer Alrowidhan is a seasoned cybersecurity executive with extensive experience leading information security strategy across government and critical national sectors in Saudi Arabia. As a Chief Information Security Officer, he specializes in building and scaling cybersecurity programs aligned with national regulations, risk management frameworks, and large-scale digital transformation initiatives.

With a strong background in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC), Thamer has led the development of resilient security architectures, incident response capabilities, and enterprise-wide security operations. His expertise spans cloud and hybrid security, data protection, third-party risk management, and aligning cybersecurity with organizational and national priorities.

Thamer is recognized for his practical, execution-driven approach to cybersecurity—bridging strategy with real-world implementation. He has played a key role in strengthening cyber resilience within complex environments and advising leadership on managing evolving threat landscapes. He frequently contributes to industry discussions and forums, sharing insights on cyber resilience, regulatory compliance, and the future of cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia.

Eng. Khalid Alfaheid

Confidential

Chief Information Security Officer

Eng. Khalid is a cybersecurity leader with extensive experience in cybersecurity governance, digital transformation, and national technology initiatives. He led the establishment of the General Department of Cybersecurity at the Ministry’s Headquarters and contributed to building a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence that currently serves more than 25 entities through over 30 specialized services.

He also participated in the design and launch of the “Reef Saudi” program and contributed to cybersecurity support for the international COP16 conference. In addition, he has been involved in several national digital projects, including the “Nafath” project, the “Absher” platform, the “Deem” cloud project, and the GCC Data Exchange project.

Alongside his professional contributions, Eng. Khaled is the author of the book “CYBROSHIMA,” reflecting his interest in promoting cybersecurity awareness and knowledge.

Asma Alyemni

Technical and Vocational Training Corporation

Chief Information Security Officer

As a Cybersecurity and Network Engineer with over 13 years of experience managing information technology and network operations in the educational sector, I am proud to serve as a Board Member of Trustees at the National IT Academy (NITA). Since 2022, I have been the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC) in Saudi Arabia, where I lead multiple enterprise information security divisions, including governance, risk management and compliance (GRC), cyber resilience, security architecture, security strategy, security technologies, incident response, and data protection.

In addition, I represent TVTC on the Sectoral Council for Skills Development in Cybersecurity, contributing to national efforts to strengthen and align cybersecurity competencies with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives.

Throughout my career, I have held diverse leadership roles such as Deputy CISO, Head of Purchasing Department, and Director of Public Relations & Media. Before joining TVTC, I worked as a Project Manager at King Saud University, where I helped launch the Smart University Project in 2010.

I also previously served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saudi Association in the UK, and have been actively involved in shaping the National Cybersecurity Strategy of Saudi Arabia in collaboration with the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA).