GCF Annual Meeting 2024
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For this event
Date
2 - 3 October, 2024
Time
09:30 - 17:30
Location
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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The 2024 GCF Annual Meeting program builds directly on the insights and priorities of the successful previous editions. Its theme, “Advancing Collective Action in Cyberspace,” will be a call to deepen multi-stakeholder engagement and drive collective action across key strategic priorities.
The forum advances collaboration across five thought-provoking sub-themes, which in 2024 are:
- Beyond Cyber Discord: Building trust within geopolitical competition – This sub-theme explores innovative approaches and collaborative frameworks to transcend geopolitical discord and build enduring trust among nation-states and relevant stakeholders.
- Cyber Psychology: Decoding human behaviors in Cyberspace – This sub-theme focuses on unraveling the psychological aspects of human minds—of cyber criminals to understand their motivations, and of users to protect them from cyber manipulation in the ever-evolving cyber environment.
- Cyber Social Fabric: Strengthening development and inclusion in Cyberspace – This sub-theme explores avenues for ecosystem development and policies to promote social cohesion and ensure Cyberspace catalyzes growth and equitable participation and benefits.
- Thriving Cyber Economy: Developing strong markets and building resilient cyber ecosystems – This sub-theme focuses on strategies to foster economic prosperity within the cybersecurity domain to integrate the fragmented markets and foster ecosystem development.
- New Cyber Frontier: Integrating convergent technologies in Cyberspace – This sub-theme explores the changing face of advanced and convergent technologies to understand the implications for Cyberspace.
Sessions
#Panel discussion
Room G
Pathways to De-escalation: Shared priorities for reducing tensions and advancing stability in Cyberspace
Mark Esper
Sir Jeremy Fleming
Jose Manuel Barroso
In an increasingly interconnected world, Cyberspace stands as a critical domain in which nations, organizations, and individuals converge and collaborate. Cyberspace is a dynamic environment transcending geographical boundaries and playing a pivotal role in modern life and global connectivity. As inter-state tensions continue to strain the international order, it is essential to recognize the potential for conflict in Cyberspace to disrupt economies, compromise national security, and diminish trust. This session will highlight the implications of rising inter-state tensions in Cyberspace, as well as the key frontiers of opportunity including in terms of new diplomatic channels, evolving norms, and emerging technologies. The discussion will also focus on identifying the most viable pathways of collective action to de-escalate tensions and promote peace and security in Cyberspace.
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09:50 AM
#Panel discussion
Room G
Pioneering Pathways: Unleashing potential in the Cybersecurity sector
Félix Barrio Juárez
Suk-Kyoon Kang
Timothy Sherman
Ir. Dr. Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin
In an era defined by rapid technological transformation and interconnectedness, cybersecurity emerges as a critical pillar in supporting economic stability and growth. As the reliance on technologies intensifies across sectors, so too does the need to safeguard these systems from evolving cyber threats. Effective cybersecurity plays a crucial role in facilitating continued innovation and increased technological investments. In this context, harnessing the potential of cybersecurity as a driver for sustainable economic development is imperative. This session will explore the multi-faceted economic contributions of cybersecurity sector in tech-driven market, covering the potential of the sector in times of major technological changes, the looming risks and opportunities in the overall ecosystem development. The session will also explore the most important pathways of action to harness the potential of this sector for sustainable economic growth.
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10:35 AM
#Panel discussion
Room G
Leadership Launchpad: Charting Paths to Leadership in Cybersecurity
H.E. Hala Altuwaijri
Joy Chik
Silvana Koch-Mehrin
In today's cybersecurity landscape, the underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles remains a critical issue. As the demand for diverse perspectives and strategic acumen grows, it becomes imperative to address barriers hindering mid-to-senior female cybersecurity professionals from advancing into executive positions. To bridge this gap, proactive initiatives are such as leveraging global networks of cybersecurity, developing effective strategies including targeted mentorship and sponsorship programs are essential. This session will explore the strategies to propel mid-to-senior female cybersecurity professionals into executive positions through tailored mentorship and sponsorship programs on a global scale within a network of cybersecurity leaders. The session will also explore the role of global networks in supporting women's leadership in cybersecurity and how best to leverage and scale these networks.
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11:10 AM
#Fireside Chat
Room G
Cyber Statecraft: The new chessboard of geopolitics
Chris Inglis
In an era where cybersecurity and geopolitics are increasingly intertwined, nations must navigate a complex landscape of cyber threats and strategic interests. As security risks loom large and geopolitical tensions rise, the importance of robust cybersecurity policies in national security planning and strategy development cannot be overstated. Cyber statecraft has emerged as a critical component of modern diplomacy and defense, shaping the way countries protect their infrastructure and assert their sovereignty in Cyberspace. This session will explore the strategic importance of cybersecurity in national security planning and strategy development in times of looming security risks and increasing geopolitical tensions. The session will also explore the key pathways of action to integrate cybersecurity measures into national defense strategies to enhance geopolitical advantage and ensure long-term security and stability.
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11:50 AM
#Panel discussion
Room G
The Multilateral Frontier: Assessing the state of play and imperatives for collective action in cyber diplomacy
Dr. Robin Geiss
H.E. Massimo Marotti
In a global environment that is paradoxically both increasingly interconnected and structurally divided, cyber diplomacy has become ever more strategically central and challenging. No single nation can achieve cybersecurity alone, but pathways of collaboration have become dauntingly complex. Finding pathways of productive, substantive inter-state collaboration on cybersecurity is thus a shared imperative. The effectiveness of cyber diplomacy in catalyzing multilateral cooperation will be decisive in shaping the future of Cyberspace. This session will dive into the current state of UN negotiations, examining the significant progress to date as well as the persistent challenges in establishing robust international norms and frameworks for cyber governance. It will then turn to the path forward, identifying actionable pathways for strengthening global cyber resilience and stability through enhanced international cooperation.
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12:10 PM
#Panel discussion
Room G
Ctrl + Invest: Women shaping the future of cyber innovation
H.E. Shihana Alazzaz
Christopher Steed
The landscape of cyber innovation is currently undergoing a transformative shift, in which there is a growing recognition of the pivotal role that women-led ventures play in driving technological progress and economic prosperity. As the cybersecurity sector continues to expand, there is an increasing emphasis on the need to foster inclusivity. Emphasizing inclusivity not only strengthens workforce diversity but also enhances innovation and resilience in tackling evolving cyber threats in a rapidly evolving technological age. This session will discuss the expanding and ever-important opportunities for investing in women-led cyber ventures driving innovation and economic growth while providing space for discussion on what each of the stakeholders can do for inclusivity in this sector. The session will also explore the most promising actions the public and private sectors can take to support the innovation and growth of women-led startups.
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02:00 PM
#Fireside Chat
Room G
Economic security and critical infrastructure: the imperative of building trust in an era of geopolitical competition
Heidi Crebo-Rediker
In today’s era of heightened geopolitical competition, protecting economic security and critical infrastructure presents significant challenges. This session will highlight the crucial role of building and maintaining trust to effectively address these issues. It will cover how international cooperation can strengthen resilience, safeguard essential assets, and promote stability. This session will discuss approaches for enhancing trust and collaboration in managing the complexities of economic and infrastructure security in a competitive global environment.
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02:30 PM
#Panel discussion
Room G
Beyond the Firewall: Building a cyber resilient supply chain in a hyperconnected world
Christophe BLASSIAU
Michael Ruiz
Basim AlRuwaii
Akshay Joshi
The world is in a period of extensive technological integration, with global supply chains becoming more interconnected and reliant on advanced technologies. Simultaneously, the rise in cyber threats exploiting these dependencies significantly endangers the security and stability of supply chains worldwide. The imperative to build cyber resilience extends beyond individual organizations to encompass entire supply chains, where dependencies and vulnerabilities are amplified by technological interdependencies. This session will explore the growing need for cybersecurity in supply chain resilience in a hyperconnected world, exploring the trends impacting the supply chain including advanced technologies, and potential mitigation mechanisms to drive stability and safety in the supply chain. The session will also explore the role of international cooperation in enhancing cyber resilience in global supply chains.
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02:50 PM
#Panel discussion
Room G
Balancing Progress and Peril: Understanding the challenges and opportunities of AI in Cybersecurity
Brigadier-General Edward Chen
Ken Naumann
Adam Russell
Dr. Helmut Reisinger
The rapid advance of artificial intelligence is creating a new frontier of cyber threats and vulnerabilities and at the same time generating powerful new means of strengthening cybersecurity. The dual nature of AI creates new challenges and opportunities for cybersecurity policymakers and diplomats at the national and international levels. For many countries, addressing these challenges and capitalizing on these opportunities will require new forms of international collaboration. This session will explore AI’s dual nature, delving into the advancements in cyber threats powered by AI, its potential to offer transformative solutions that can anticipate, detect, and mitigate threats more effectively than ever before. This session will also focus on identifying the most promising pathways of collaboration for advancing the responsible use of AI to address the risks and realize the opportunities that this transformative technology is generating.
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03:20 PM
Speakers
Mark Esper
27th U.S. Secretary of Defense and President of The Esper Group
Chris Inglis
Former U.S. National Cyber Director
Sir Jeremy Fleming
Former Director of GCHQ, United Kingdom
Jose Manuel Barroso
Former President of the EU Commission (2004-2014)
H.E. Hala Altuwaijri
President of the Human Rights Commission, Saudi Arabia
Joy Chik
President, Identity and Network Access, Microsoft Corporation
Pascal Lamy
Vice-President Paris Peace Forum, and Former Director-General of World Trade Organisation
H.E. Ambassador Shyam Saran
Former Foreign Secretary, Government of India
H.E. Shihana Alazzaz
Chairwoman of Board of Directors, Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property
Silvana Koch-Mehrin
Founder and President, Women Political Leaders (WPL)
Iain Drennan
Executive Director, WePROTECT Global Alliance
Michael Ruiz
VP and General Manager for Cyber Products, Honeywell
William H Dutton
Oxford University’s Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre
Martin Fellow
Mike Fell OBE
Director of National Cyber Operations, NHS England
Jim O Connor
USTTI
Chairman and CEO
Pablo Munoz de Mora
DG SPANISH NATIONAL POLICE
Principal Commissar, General Secretary of Operations and Digital Transformation
Antonio Jara
Libelium
CSO
Oliver Väärtnõu
Cybernetica AS
CEO
Dr Jinyoung Oh
Korea Internet Security Agency
Vice President
Christopher Steed
CIO and Managing Director, Paladin Capital Group
Basim AlRuwaii
Chief Information Security Officer, Saudi Aramco
Harold Rivas
Trellix
CISO and Member of the Executive Leadership
Dr. Helmut Reisinger
CEO for EMEA and LATAM, Palo Alto Networks
Filippo Cassini
Senior VP of Engineering, Fortinet
Heidi Crebo-Rediker
Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Dr. Robin Geiss
Director, UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR)
Ir. Dr. Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin
Chief Executive, National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA), Malaysia
Christophe BLASSIAU
SVP, Cybersecurity & Product Security, Global CISO & CPSO, Schneider Electric
Félix Barrio Juárez
Director, Spanish National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE)
Adam Russell
VP Enterprise & Cloud Security, Oracle
H.E. Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Secretary-General, ITU
Ken Naumann
CEO, Netwitness
Timothy Sherman
Vice President/CTO, Global Security Sales Engineering, Cisco
Dato’ Ts. Dr. Haji Amirudin Abdul Wahab
CEO, CyberSecurity Malaysia
Dr. Neal JETTON
Director, Cybercrime, INTERPOL
H.E. Massimo Marotti
Managing Director for Strategies and Cooperation, Italian National Cybersecurity Agency
Major General (Rtd) Eng. Mohammad Boarki
Chairman, National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), Kuwait
Pyerre-yves JOLIVET
Thales Group
VP of Cyber Digital Solutions
Yasser Alswailem
Group VP for Cybersecurity, stc Group
Brian Hendrickson
SANS
GM EMEA
Wael Fattouh
SITE
Chief Advisory Officer
Joao Marcelo Azevedo Marques Mello da Silva
Quality Control Manager, National Telecommunications Agency – Anatel, Brazil
Sheikh Salman Alkhalifa
Kingdom of Bahrain
CEO, National Cyber Security Center
Erik Bertman
Conscia
CEO
Dr. Richard Staynings
University of Denver
Chief Security Strategist, Cylera and Teaching Professor
H.E. Eng. Mohamed Ben Amor
Director General, Arab ICT Organization
Ahmed Mohammed Al Hammadi
Director, National Cyber Fusion Affairs, National Cyber Security Agency, Qatar
Akshay Joshi
Head, Centre for Cybersecurity, World Economic Forum
Catherine M. Russell
Executive Director, UNICEF
Bocar Alpha BA.
Chief Executive Officer, SAMENA Telecommunications Council
Dr. Yacine Djemaiel
National Agency for Cybersecurity (TunCERT), Tunisia
CEO
Paul Selby
U.S. Department of Energy
Chief Information Security Officer and Deputy CIO
Suk-Kyoon Kang
CEO, AhnLab
Prof. Junaid Nabi
Senior Researcher, Health Care Strategy, Harvard Business School
Brigadier-General Edward Chen
Defence Cyber Chief, Digital and Intelligence Service, Ministry of Defence, Singapore
Dan Cîmpean
Director, Romanian National Cyber Security Directorate
Dr. Bernd Pichlmayer
CEO and Founder, FTGG Cyber
Chris Gibson
Executive Director, Forum of Incident Response & Security Teams (FIRST)
Dr. Ohoud Shehail
Ajman Digital Government, UAE
Director General
Dr. Mary Aiken
Chair of the Department of Cyberpsychology, Capitol Technology University
and Professor of Cyberpsychology Washington D.C.’s premier STEM University
