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Public trust is essential to the effective implementation of public sector AI solutions, yet trust in institutions is declining. BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey will discuss what’s driving this trust crisis, why it matters for AI adoption, including in cybersecurity, and how a rights-first approach can enhance innovation. Commissioner Harvey will share insights on embedding privacy by design principles at the start of programs to build public trust.

AI is reshaping cybersecurity—but public trust and responsible use must evolve alongside it. This panel will explore how governments can adopt AI to enhance resilience, while addressing concerns around privacy, transparency, and over-reliance on automation.

This session will show how you can apply new approaches on how to use AI for smarter security while fostering optimism, trust, and balance.

• Leverage AI to enhance cyber resilience and threat detection
  
• Address public concerns around data privacy and ethical use
  
• Build trust and confidence in AI through transparency and accountability
  
• Balance automation with human oversight in critical security operations

Jennifer Wray

Assistant Deputy Minister & Chief Information Officer, Connected Services BC, Ministry of Citizens’ Services, Government of British Columbia

Christopher Gillespie

Chief Privacy Officer and Director of Privacy & Access, University of Victoria

Jamie Ross

Partner, Cyber Strategy & Transformation, Deloitte

Ashley Anderson Moderator

DSM, Public Sector Western Canada, Palo Alto Networks

Technology alone doesn’t create resilience — people, culture, and leadership do. This keynote reframes cybersecurity from a compliance task to a confidence capability. Walter shares how public-sector leaders can build cyber-ready cultures that safely harness AI and automation: clarifying accountability, sharpening decision-making under pressure, and turning frontline behaviors into measurable resilience. Attendees leave with a short, practical playbook they can apply immediately.

Roundtable 1: Enhancing Public Services and Workforce Empowerment through AI Assistants. Facilitated by: Nicholas Lee, CEO, Fujitsu Intelligence

Roundtable 2: The Autonomous Adversary: Agentic AI's Next-Gen Breach Blueprint . Facilitated by McGillivray, Manager, Solutions Consulting, and Paul Condon, Named Account Manager, Palo Alto Networks

Roundtable 3: Closing the Gap: Practical Strategies for Smarter Vulnerability Management in Response to Modern Threats. Facilitated by Robb Anderson, Director, Cyber Strategy & Transformation, Deloitte

Roundtable 4: APIs, Apps & Attack Surfaces: Defending the Modern Delivery Layer. Facilitated by: Max Cizauskas, Sr. Security Advisor at Optiv and Glen Willms, Sr. Security Engineer at F5

Traditional Security Awareness training programs, including phishing, need to change. Phishing click rates are meaningless without context and followup, and the main point of your training should be to educate your workforce so that they support and champion things that improve the org's overall cybersecurity. Help them understand why long, unique and complex passwords are required. Teach them the value of Prod and Dev/Test environments. Explain what MFA is, and how it protects us. Oh, and yes, let's get them to recognise phishing emails, but also report them, and what to do if they realise they've fallen for one, without the shame and blame.

Legacy applications pose a growing threat to security and transformation efforts. This panel will unpack the risks, explore modernization strategies, and share how to integrate new technologies without compromising resilience or scale.

This session will show how you can apply new approaches on how to secure, modernize, and integrate legacy systems to support long-term innovation.

• Identify critical vulnerabilities in aging applications and infrastructure
  
• Evaluate methods for modernizing or replacing legacy technologies
  
• Integrate new solutions without weakening system security or stability
  
• Balance transformation speed with risk management in complex environments

Irene Guglielmi

Executive Director, Digital Workplace and Collaboration Services, Connected Services BC, Service Delivery Operations Division, Ministry of Citizens’ Services, Government of British Columbia

Natalie Branch

Executive Director, Service Automation Branch, Connected Services BC - Service Delivery Operations, Government of British Columbia

Penny Longman

President, Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) Western Canada Affiliate

Farzaan Darius Nusserwanji

Associate Director, IT Security, Camosun College

Max Cizauskas

Sr. Security Advisor, Optiv

Paul Condon Moderator

Named Account Manager, Palo Alto Networks