Speakers.

Innovative Ideas from Diverse Speakers: Our Conference Lineup

Event

Speakers

Dr. Ebrahim Al Alkeem Al Zaabi

Director - CyberSec & AI Expert

Government of Abu Dhabi

Prashant Nair

Group Chief Information Security Officer

Airtel Africa

Veneeth Purushotaman

Group Chief Information Officer

Aster DM Healthcare

Ramesh Ramakrishnan

Chief Information Officer

Zurich Insurance

Ramesh Ramakrishnan

Chief Information Officer

Ramessh Ramakrishnann is an accomplished professional in the field of Banking, Finance and Insurance combined with Technology for the past 30 years. Ramessh has worked in various countries and is currently based in Dubai, Chief Information Officer for Zurich Insurance. He has been with Zurich Insurance for more than 9 years handling Technology and being accountable for IT Infrastructure and Operations, Application Development and Maintenance, Testing COE, Supplier Management, Data Governance, IT Financial governance and Cyber Security. In addition, Ramessh has handled Business Resilience, Business Intelligence, IT Risk Governance, and Information Governance. Ramessh has also worked in various areas of operation in the Life Insurance industry, which makes him techno functional. From academics' standpoint, Ramessh is alumni of Indian Institute of Management Indore and pursuing his research with Academy of Human Resource Development He has done his post-graduation in Commerce, comprising of International Foreign Trade, Commerce and Insurance. He is Fellow of Life Office Management Institute (LOMA) and has done certification courses in Cornell University. Whilst his profession is primarily into Insurance, his passion makes him a better personality which is in the world of Sports management and Arts. He is mentor to Leap Sports, sports management firm based out of Dubai and Srusan Mind Matters, music production company heavily focused on holistic wellness, physical and mental fitness, and well-being. Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik is brand ambassador for Leap Sports and worked with international sport personalities like Ashwin Ravichandran, L Balaji, Paddy Upton, Basu Shanker, Prasanna Raman, and Dipika Pallikal. Ramessh has additionally worked with Zurich Cares, part of Zurich Foundation to contribute to CSR activities and part of many initiative from an individual level as well.

Somnath Sarkar

Chief Information Security Officer

Mashreq Bank

Somnath Sarkar

Chief Information Security Officer

Somnath Sarkar is EVP and Group-CISO at Mashreq, providing singular accountability for group level security and privacy programs in the bank. Somnath visualized the changing landscape of cyber-security and was instrumental in enabling disruptive technologies to grow in the evolving marketplace, introduced effective digital strategies, system designs and data to help Mashreq transform as a market leader. With deep expertise in managing Privacy including advising on compliance with GDPR and various Data protection laws across the globe, Somnath acts as a single point of contact for all data compliance across Mashreq. With more than 35 years' experience as an security professional and enterprise architecture, Somnath has a successful track record of establishing and implementing large scale IT and Security programs across the banking industry.
Prior to joining Mashreq, Somnath has served in several banks as CIO and Technology head, where he drove transformation programs related to smart banking, cyber defense, enterprise mobility including setting up Data Centers and COEs. Somnath is a highly rated public speaker, frequently keynoting on cyber security and privacy related topics at large events including Cloud Summits, Fintech forums, and others.

Waqas Haider

Chief Information Security Officer

HBL Microfinance Bank LTD

Waqas Haider

Chief Information Security Officer

Mr. Waqas Haider is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at HBL MfB. He has more than 19+ years of diversified experience in managing Technology & Business risks for Banks (Islamic & Conventional, Commercial & Microfinance) Telecom and Fintech on various execuitive level positions in Asia & Mena region. He has been a speaker on many international conferences held in Pakistan, USA, UAE, Oman, Bahrain including but not limited to ISACA, EIBFS UAE, Sultan Qaboos University Oman, National Institute of Banking & Finance (NIBAF) SBP, Intitute of Bankers of Pakistan, Cloudera USA, AQMENA365 UAE 2021, 7th Cyber Warrior Conclave 2022, Breach & Attack Simulation Burj Khalifa 2022, Cyberx Awards UAE22 and AICS (Arab International Cybersecurity Summit) 2022 to name a few.
He has worked as SVP Director Information Security for Chinas Ant Financials & Norways Telenor Group subsidary EasyPaisa. He served Emirates Integrated Telecommunication Company (EITC - Du Telecom) as Director Controls Management for Business & Technology Risks and prior to that as Associate Director Risk Assessments & Advisory for Al Hilal Bank - Abu Dhabi.
As CISO, he has managed Information & Cyber Security strategy, Information Security GRC, Application Security, SOC Monitoring, Security Incident Management, Network Security, Program & Project Management for Security projects as well as operating various Security platforms.
He holds multiple Master degrees specializing in Computer Science & Information Security and Business Administration with major in Finance. He holds various security certifications i.e CISA, CISSP, CRISC, CISM, CCSA, CFE, CEHv10, ITIL, CIEH, ISO27001-LI and other technology specific certs in information security. He has been an active member of ISACA and EC Council.

Bruno Fonseca

Regional Chief Security Officer

GIG Gulf

Sarfaraz Muneer

Vice President – Cyber Security & Technology Platform

Mubadala

Sarfaraz Muneer

Vice President – Cyber Security & Technology Platform

“Sarfaraz Muneer is a knowledgeable leader in the field of information security and a seasoned cybersecurity evangelist with 16 years of experience. He has received accolades for his superior technical knowledge, strategic thinking, and capacity to motivate and lead teams throughout his career. Sarfaraz has held a range of positions during his professional life, including those of technical leadership, management, and cyber security architect. He has created strategies to reduce risks for large enterprises and has a thorough awareness of the changing threat landscape. He has also played a key role in developing and putting in place strong security measures that are in line with corporate goals and legal requirements.
In addition to his technical knowledge, Sarfaraz is an excellent communicator with experience working with stakeholders at all organizational levels. He is dedicated to spreading awareness of the value of cybersecurity and has acted as a mentor for many aspiring security specialists. Sarfaraz currently holds the position of Vice President of Cyber Security at a prestigious sovereign wealth fund and investment company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, where he oversees a group of security experts leading the Cyber security assurance function. He is also eager to give back to the larger cybersecurity community through volunteer work, speaking engagements, and publications. Sarfaraz is a respected thought leader in the business, holding a Bachelor of Engineering in computer science as well as numerous certifications from reputable organizations”.

Rajesh Yadla

Information Security Director

Al Hilal Bank

Rajesh Yadla

Information Security Director

Throughout his career, Rajesh has demonstrated an exceptional ability to manage complex information security challenges, a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in information security and technology risk management, spanning almost 15 years. In his current role as head of the information security function at Al Hilal Bank, he is responsible for ensuring the protection of the bank's valuable information assets across both on-premises and cloud environments, from both external and internal threats.
Before joining Al Hilal, Rajesh played a key role in establishing the information security function at Group42, a prominent technology company. Prior to that, he served as Head of International Information Security at First Abu Dhabi Bank, where he was responsible for managing the information security of the bank's 12 international branches.
Rajesh holds a dual Executive MBA degree from the prestigious Universities of California, Los Angeles, and the National University of Singapore. He is also a highly qualified professional, possessing several industry-recognized certifications on cyber and information security, including CISSP, CISA, ISO27001(LA), and CDPSE etc. Outside of work, Rajesh has a keen interest in traveling and enjoys playing cricket and chess.

Series

Speakers

Ali Abdulla Hassan Salman

Head of IT

Ministry of Oil – Bahrain

Anthony Samir Fouad

Head of Cybersecurity

Ministry of Health – Egypt

Mohamed Roshdy ElBastaweesy

Senior Consultant – CIO

International Finance Corporation – UAE

Mohamed Roshdy ElBastaweesy

Senior Consultant – CIO

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