Security Leaders’ Summit Agenda

Mark Nuttall, Regional Head | MitKat Advisory

Embedding Security Across the Project Lifecycle

Mike O’Neill, Director | The Security Institute

Cost Centre No More: Building Security as a Revenue and Growth Enabler

Security does not have to be a sunk cost. This panel demonstrates real-world cases where security creates new revenue, faster clearances, protected brand value, premium services, or insurance advantages.

Moderator:
Dr. Jorge J. Roman, Strategic Planning Advisor | Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi

Panel Members:

• Salem M. Al-Essa, General Manager of Emergency & Crisis Management | Ministry of Municipalities & Housing
• Malcolm Smith, Public Safety Excellence Director | Royal Commission of AlAula
• Jake Phillips, Group Security Director | IHS Towers
• Ibrahim Yasir Abuawwad, Vice President of Technology & Cybersecurity | Mitsui E&P
• Saleh AlHawas, Chief Security Officer | Red Sea International Airport

Ella Cullen, one of the youngest CEOs in the security sector, will share her journey driving real-world impact against human trafficking and shaping the future of global security.

From a young woman determined to make a difference, Ella has turned challenges into opportunities, leading initiatives that protect communities and empower the next generation of security professionals. Her vision and courage redefine leadership in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries.

This session celebrates Ella’s mission to inspire, mentor, and open doors for emerging talent, showing how frontline action and strategic leadership combine to build safer, more resilient, and inclusive security environments.

Moderator:
Satia Rai, CEO | IPSA

In Conversation with:
Ella Cullen, Women in Security Ambassador | IPSA

Adrian will explore how we can use guidance not as rigid rules, but as tools to inform decision-making. The focus will be on integrating standards into the unique context of your organisation—developing a principled, context-aware basis for action that goes beyond procedural conformity.

• Reassessing the Basis of Our Decisions: He will examine how over-reliance on risk calculations can limit strategic awareness, particularly in environments without historical precedent.
• Beyond the Illusion of Precision: Unpack the flawed singularity of risk as a decision-making lens and propose how strategy—not just probability—must inform judgement in complex physical security contexts.
• The Use and Misuse of Heuristics: Explore how intuitive shortcuts, while necessary, become problematic when treated as endpoints instead of entry points in decision-making.
• Beyond Compliance: In a landscape saturated with often ambiguous and conflicting standards,

Adriaan Bosch, Principal Security Consultant | Buro Happold

Moderator:
Glenn C. Schoen, Expert CNN Commentator; Best-selling Author; CEO | Boardroom@Crisis BV

Panel Members:

• Amira G. AlMutairi, Director, Governance, Risk Management & Compliance | Ministry of Communications & Information Technology
• Peter O’Connell, Regional Security Director MESSA – Global Security | AtkinsRealis & Chair | Security Institute Mid East Members Group (MEMG)
• Navaid Ahsan, Head of Aviation Security Operations | Etihad Airways
• David Warham, Head - Response & Recovery Planning | Dubai Airports

Leo Levit, Steering Committee Chairman | ONVIF

Moderator:
Eitan Charnoff, Secretariat | Secure Communities Forum

Speaker:
Prof. Ahed Al Najjar, EMS Education & Research Director | National Ambulance & Bin Wariqa Service Committee Member | Ministry of Interior

• Tawfeeq Alsadoon, Group Head of Security | Red Sea Global
• Ali AlNomais, Aviation Security Manager | The Helicopter Company

The Gulf region is home to some of the most ambitious and high-profile infrastructure projects in the world—from giga-cities and tourism hubs to smart transportation and energy megaprojects.

This session brings together project developers, government stakeholders, and solution providers to explore how cutting-edge security innovations are identified, procured, and deployed at scale.

Session will examine:

• How security is integrated from the planning phase across multi-billion-dollar developments
• Regional procurement practices and challenges for new technologies
• Lessons from recent megaprojects in the region and beyond

Moderator:
Dr. Omer Ali Saifudeen, Assistant Dean – Graduate Studies Affairs, Dean Faculty | Rabdan Academy

Panel Members:

• Scott Paterson, Director of Security Operations – EMEA | The Walt Disney Company
• Malcolm Smith, Public Safety Excellence Director | Royal Commission of AlAula
• Eddie Reyes, Senior Vice President & Founder | RTSG
• Jake Phillips, Group Security Director | IHS Towers
• Abu Ahmed, Deputy Director, Head of Joint Security & Resilience Centre - Homeland Security | UK Home Office

Handon Liu, Drone Solution Engineer | DJI

Behaviour, Technology & the Business of Resilience

In an era where disruptions have become the norm rather than the exception, operational resilience is now a strategic imperative. This session introduces Operational Agility 2.0—a holistic approach that combines intelligent early warning systems, behavioural science insights, and integrated human–technology readiness.

Attendees will walk away with a clear strategic roadmap for transforming continuity planning into a robust business enabler.

• Operational Resilience as a Strategic Imperative: Making resilience a core component of organizational strategy rather than a compliance checkbox.
• Intelligent Early Warning Systems (EWS): Harnessing advanced predictive technologies and real-time analytics to detect threats before they escalate.
• Behavioral Science in Crisis Response: Understanding human decision-making under stress to ensure effective leadership and crisis management.
• Institutional Readiness Through Human–Tech Integration: Building resilience by seamlessly blending human capabilities with technological innovations to respond to crises proactively.

Abdel-Moaty Ali, Chief Business Continuity Specialist | Government Entity

Moderator:
Mark Nuttall, Regional Head | MitKat Advisory

Guest Speaker
Dr. John Harrison, Associate Professor – Homeland Security | Rabdan Academy

• Defining the function of a Security PMO in the context of large-scale, high-risk events.
• Aligning national security strategies with operational planning through structured PMO processes.
• Enhancing inter-agency coordination and intra-organizational coordination, accountability, and performance tracking via project governance tools.
• Lessons learned from real-world implementation in preparing for major events in the Gulf region.

Aleksandra Barysheva, Senior Security Expert | Safety & Security Operations Committee

• Understand the unique security challenges in the Brazilian environment and how they impact model development
• Explore strategies for integrating local regulatory and cultural factors with the expectations of an Emirati investor
• Learn from practical lessons and obstacles encountered during the creation of this security framework

Pedro Sá, Former Deputy Manager - Security & Intelligence | Acelen & Founder | PS Consulting

Mark Nuttall, Regional Head | MitKat Advisory

Mark Nuttall, Regional Head | MitKat Advisory

Moderator:
Mark Nuttall, Regional Head | MitKat Advisory

Guest Speaker
Lt. Col. Saeed M. AlShebli, Deputy Director of Digital Security Department | Ministry of Interior

Balancing innovation and governance — ensuring ethical, transparent, and explainable AI within industrial and national security contexts.

Moderator:
Mark Nuttall, Regional Head | MitKat Advisory

Guest Speaker:
Abdullah S. Al-Shemaly, Director of Security Operations | Saudi Aramco

In this practical and forward-looking session, Goran Novkovic shares real-world use cases and breakthrough applications of AI and emerging technologies within critical infrastructure environments.

Goran Novkovic, Director of Industrial Cybersecurity | Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)

A Wake-Up Call for Physical Security Managers for One of the Biggest Threats for Our Future.

Operational Technology (OT) systems powering production lines, energy grids, buildings, and infrastructure are often decentralized and physically exposed—making them prime targets for both insider and external attacks. Yet, physical security is frequently overlooked, and OT-linked security systems (like access control and surveillance) fall into a grey zone between cyber and physical domains.

This panel explores the urgent need to bridge this gap, raise awareness, and drive integrated strategies that treat physical and cyber threats as two sides of the same coin.

• Physical weak spots in decentralized OT environments
• Security systems as part of the OT attack surface
• Accountability gaps between cyber and physical teams
• Why convergence is no longer optional
• Steps toward unified OT security governance

Moderator:
Ahmed Al Saleh, OT Cybersecurity Leader | Saudi Aramco Northern Area Gas Operations

Panel Members:

• Goran Novkovic, Director of Industrial Cybersecurity | Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
• Tunde Dada, CIO | Inq Inc.
• Dr. Johan J. de Wit MSSM, Technical Officer Enterprise Security EMEA | Siemens
• Mohammed Hussain Al Busaleh, Director of Emergency & Crisis Management | Ministry of Municipalities & Housing
• Khaled Al Teneji, Cyber Security Head, Group IT, Shared Services Center| Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC) LLC
• Onder Kartal, General Manager, Security & Access Solutions (SAS), META Region | Honeywell

Tunde Dada, CIO | Inq Inc.

Scientific Insights in Biases, Human Behaviour, Risk Assessments and Decision Making.

• Understand how human decision-making affects risk assessments (and be confronted with your own biases!)
• Gain insights into the influence of biases on priorities in security risk decision making and sources of risk information (diversity comes to play here as well)
• Become aware of their own biases and flaws in dealing with uncertainties
• Get some tips and tricks to improve their individual decision and assessment performance.

Dr. Johan J. de Wit MSSM, Technical Officer Enterprise Security EMEA | Siemens

Across the region, organizations are reimagining access control and security solutions — connecting physical and digital worlds to enable seamless, intelligent, and secure user identification.

In this session, ELATEC, together with its long-standing partner Ones Technology, will share how unified access ecosystems are shaping the next generation of secure authentication. Using real-world examples such as Istanbul Airport we’ll demonstrate how biometric and mobile credential technologies enable scalable, user-centric, and compliant access across diverse environments.

We’ll then explore what this means for the Middle East, where digital transformation and security innovation are advancing hand in hand. From mobile-first access to data sovereignty and regulatory compliance, we’ll discuss how organizations can create flexible, future-ready infrastructures for truly unified access.

Like the Arabian falcon, the region continues to soar with vision, precision, and innovation — turning the opportunities of tomorrow into reality today.

• Carsten Hoersch, Managing Director Middle East | ELATEC ME
• Onur Sırmatel, Co-Founder & General Manager| Ones Technology

• Examine the convergence of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) in modern railway systems and its critical implications on cybersecurity.
• Highlights sector-specific vulnerabilities and attack surfaces introduced by OT-IT integration in metro rail environments.
• Analyzes real-world threats and their potential impacts on rail operations, passenger safety, and system availability.
• Proposes practical cybersecurity strategies and mitigation approaches tailored to the rail sector, including risk management frameworks and governance structures.

Dr. Ali Shikai, Cyber Security Manager | AtkinsRéalis

As the boundaries between users, devices, and platforms blur, traditional security models fall short.

This session explores how Mesh Security enables a decentralized, identity-driven approach to securing people, places, and platforms—bridging cyber and physical domains with adaptive, scalable protection across modern digital environments.

Vishesh Kalia, Director – Public Safety Technology | PWC

Glenn C. Schoen, Expert CNN Commentator; Best-selling Author; CEO | Boardroom@Crisis BV

Thomas Schiemann, Managing Director | Trade Association for Security Systems VDMA

As cryptocurrencies grow in global influence, so too does their exploitation by criminal networks. In response, the Secure Communities Forum (SCF) has launched a cutting-edge international Public–Private Partnership (PPP) Working Group on Crypto Crime Prevention, bringing together law enforcement and private sector leaders to protect the crypto space. SCF has led two global law enforcement training programs and launched Operation Crypto Shield 1, one of the world’s first multi-agency initiatives targeting crypto-enabled crime.

SCF will present key lessons and early results from this initiative, demonstrating how collaboration between public safety agencies and blockchain companies is vital to global security. The session will explore evolving threats, operational responses, and frameworks for deeper cross-sector cooperation.

Moderator:
Lt. Sultan AlDahbashi, Head, Permanent Alliances Development Branch, International Affairs Bureau | UAE Ministry of Interior & Secretariat | Secure Communities Forum

Panel Members:

• Lt. Col. Abdulrahman Ahmed Al-Tamimi, Deputy Director General, International Affairs Bureau | UAE Ministry of Interior
• Danny Chan, Regional Chief Security Officer | Mastercard Asia-Pacific
• Arushi Goel, Policy Advisor on Digital Assets

Globally the security industry faces a $145 billion annual cost burden from mental health issues. Measures to support good mental health can generate $4.00 for every $1 invested. This represents one of the most compelling business opportunities available to security companies worldwide.

Security companies that implement comprehensive mental health programs will not only improve the lives of their employees but also gain significant competitive advantages through reduced costs, improved productivity, and enhanced reputation in the marketplace. The question is not whether to invest, but how quickly and by how much.

The speaker will explore:

• How mental wellbeing directly impacts performance, decision-making, and incident response?
• Proven strategies for integrating mental health into organizational resilience frameworks
• Real-world examples of security teams gaining operational and financial advantages through wellbeing investment

Mike Hurst, UK Director, Global Advisory Board | International Foundation for Protection Officers

Moderator:
Sarah Austerberry, CEO | The Security Institute

Panel Members:

• Raegan Moss, Scholar | The Security Institute
• Maciej Gluchowski, Member | The Security Institute
• Rick Mounfield, Fellow | The Security Institute
• Peter O’Connell, Regional Security Director MESSA – Global Security | AtkinsRealis & Chair | Security Institute Mid East Members Group

Mark Nuttall, Regional Head | MitKat Advisory