Five Questions with Dan Adamson, Cyber Challenge Program Founder

Jade is the Service Excellence leader for Deloitte’s Managed Security Services. She brings an Operations and Service Management lens to Deloitte’s cyber security expertise, advocating for exceptional service delivery and continuous improvement in an evolving threat landscape.

She has over 15 years of experience in large scale IT transformations and operational delivery, supporting clients in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. Over the last 8 years, she has focused her career around supporting Life Science and Health Care organizations to shape and gain traction on their IT priorities, including Cyber Security.

Heavily focused on people and integrity-led progression, Mike Melo is a Senior IT Executive and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) with over 15+ years of experience advancing operational efficiencies, cyber indomitability, and overall organizational success. Currently serving as the CISO & VP IT Shared Services for LifeLabs in Canada, Mike holds an extensive background involving agile risk mitigation, post-breach transformation, security architecture, cross-functional technical leadership, regulatory compliance, and the art of developing high-performing team environments that are as positive as they are productive. In addition, he is passionate about not only helping industry leaders rectify security weaknesses while attaining sustainable protection, but doing so in such a way that ultimately propels their competitive capacities and growth initiatives forward.

Prior to his most recent role overseeing multi-million cybersecurity programs and their implementation across organizational systems, Mike Initially worked as an International Information Security Officer, quickly scaling to hold several C-level roles under LifeLabs. Notably, this includes being an IT Security Lead, where Mike had the opportunity to support the tech team in rendering new security program development and overseeing the inception of the Incident Response program. More formerly, Mike became a CISO in December of 2019. Here, Mike fundamentally optimized the growth trajectories of security programs, developed risk-based approaches to security governance, and ultimately managed a $50M+ Cybersecurity post-breach transformation program that successfully fixed the largest data breach on record in Canada.

That said, Mike’s ambitions for security excellence were also done in conjunction with ongoing side affiliations supporting various professional engagements, keynote presentations/talking panels, and public contributions. Namely, this involves being a Board Member and Co-Chair of the Operations Committee for the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange, a CISO Co-Chair for Evanta, and an active Board Member of HUMINT Cybersecurity Recruitment. Furthermore, Mike’s devotion to bridging security gaps and innate avocation for making cybersecurity knowledge accessible has not gone unnoticed. To date, Mike has earned several accolades, including, but not limited to, the CISO of The Year Award issued by SiberX & EC Council, first globally recognized Transformational CISO by SANS, the CISO Division Award from the CIO Association of Canada, and more recently, the Top Global CISO Award presented by Cyber Defense Media Group.

Academically, Mike holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Queen’s University (Smith School of Business) and earned various Cybersecurity and Leadership certifications such as CISM, GSLC-GIAC, SSAP, SSCP, among others. Overall, Mike is a visionary and strategic leader who values positioning organizations for low-risk/high-reward success and ongoingly keeps a firm pulse on the transient introductions of threat intelligence and emerging technology. Even more, he is a firm believer that positive trajectories in cybersecurity start by instilling innovative impacts today, and understands that the most beneficial results are the ones that stem from the formation of strong, shared-value teams. Mike currently resides in Calgary with his wife and two children who inspire him to always become better than the day before, and enjoys spending his free time playing guitar – including attending Berklee College of Music in the evenings for guitar performance.

Carole is managing partner at INQ Law, focusing her practice on privacy, cyber readiness, data governance and artificial intelligence (AI) risk management. She regularly counsels clients on a wide range of matters related to privacy, cyber readiness and breach response, data governance, ethical AI and responsible innovation. Prior to founding INQ Law, Carole was co-lead of the national Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Management group at McCarthy Tétrault. She has represented clients before all levels of court in Ontario as well as at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Carole plays an active role in shaping data law, policy and standards in Canada and globally. She is the co-chair of the federal government’s Exposure Notification application. She also co-chairs the data governance working group for the Data Governance Standardization Collaborative at the Standards Council of Canada. She is a member of the Data Governance Working Group for the Global Partnership on AI, as well as an advisor to several AI start-ups. In 2018, Carole was appointed by the federal Minister of Innovation to serve as one of six Digital Leaders in the national data and digital transformation consultations. In this role, she led consultations with businesses, academics, civil society and industry associations to inform the first national Digital Charter. Announced on May 21, 2019, the Digital Charter has led to
significant proposed reforms to Canada’s federal private sector privacy law.

Carole regularly teaches, speaks and writes on topics related to cybersecurity, privacy, data law and AI. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law where she lectures on AI law. She is also co-editor of the book, Leading Legal Disruption: Artificial Intelligence and a Toolkit for Lawyers and the Law, published by Thomson Reuters (2021).

Iain is a Cyber Security veteran with more than 16 years of experience in the Information Security and IT field. He has designed and run security operations programs in enterprise-scale banking, healthcare, and government organizations. In 2015, Iain joined Cycura, were he became the company’s Managing Director, leading both Offensive Security and Incident Response teams. In August of 2020, WELL Health acquired Cycura, and he became the company’s CEO, and leader of the Business Unit, which includes Source 44 Consulting. In 2022 Iain assumed the full time role of CISO for WELL and its various business subsidiaries in North America and abroad. Iain has spoken as a thought leader at Healthtech and Cyber Security conferences globally. Iain currently sits on the RCMP / NC3 Cyber Crime working committee, and the Halifax Forum “Peace with Women Fellowship” selection committee. Iain holds industry designations from ISC2, SABSA, and ISACA and an MBA from Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada.