ABOUT W4C CYBERSECURITY CONFERENCE

Total SPEAKERS

+35

Total sessions

+20

attendees

250

15-16 september

W4C 2026 cybersecurity conference brings you sessions from expert speakers on cybercrime, resilience, AI and more…

LOCATION

KBR - The Royal Library of Belgium

  • Bd de l’Empereur 2, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Interview Recognition Award with Annika

WHAT TO EXPECT

INSIGHTFUL SESSIONS AND PANELS

  • Dive into discussions led by industry pioneers. Discover the latest in AI, cybercrime, and digital resilience

NEXT LEVEL Networking Opportunities

  • Connect with top-tier executives, innovators, and decision-makers. Build meaningful partnerships and unlock new  opportunities in exclusive side events.

Full Conference Experience

  • Gain unlimited access to the complete conference programme and dynamic exhibition area. 

Day 2 | Wednesday 16, September 2026

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9:00

Opening

  • Anett Mádi-Nátor (President, Women4Cyber Foundation, CEO of CyEx.hu)
  • Luigi Rebuffi (Secretary General, Women4Cyber Foundation)
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09:30

Keynote | Commission Cybersecurity Policy Priorities 

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09:40

Keynote | From Human Risk to Systemic Resilience

  • Henk Dujardin
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09:55

Keynote | Digital Systemic Resilience and Sovereignty

  • Luigi Rebuffi (Secretary General, Women4Cyber Foundation)
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10:10

Fireside Chat | Title TBC

    }

    10:40

    NETWORKING BREAK

    }

    11:15

    Sponsor Talk | Industrial OT Security: Resilience Where Safety and Continuity Meet

    • Rafael Barreto J.
      }

      11:30

      Sponsor Talk | Seeing the Threat When Nothing Is Failing in the Network

      • TBC
      }

      11:45

      Fireside Chat | Cyber Resilience in a Fragmented World

      • Stina Connor
      • Speakers TBC
      }

      12:15

      LUNCH BREAK

      }

      13:30

      Sponsor Keynote | AI and Sovereignty

      • Zeina Zakhour (Vice-President and Global CTO Cybersecurity, Atos)
      }

      13:45

      Tech Talk | Beyond the Chatbot: Exploiting the New Frontier of Agents

      • Ciara Lynch, Workday
        }

        14:00

        Panel | From Model Risk to System Risk: Governing AI That Acts

        Moderated by Dr Valerie Lyons

        • Sofia Pogrebynska (Paypal) TBC
        • Adedayo Adetoye
        • TBC

         

        }

        14:45

        Sponsor Keynote | Title TBC

        }

        15:00

        NETWORKING BREAK

        }

        15:35

        Talk | Quantum, AI and Cyber Resilience: What Organisations Should Prepare for Now

        • Connie McIntosh (Ericsson)
          }

          15:50

          Talk | Title TBC

           

          }

          16:05

          Interactive Session | Want to Play a Game? How Gamification Revolutionises Leadership in a Cyber Crisis

          • Kaja Möller TBC
          }

          16:20

          Closing

          • Saskia Brugman (Strategic Partnerships and Activities Coordinator, Women4Cyber Foundation)

          SILVER SPONSOR

          START-UP SPONSOR

          MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS

          MEET OUR SPEAKERS FROM 2025

          Vasilios Alexiou

          CISO, Hellenic Parliament

          A. Vasilous brings extensive experience in cybersecurity, having served as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Hellenic Parliament.

          Carine Allaz

          Cyber security expert and Founder, CIRISK 

          Carine Allaz is a cyber security and data protection expert with over 15 years of experience. She is lecturer at the University of Geneva and in various continuous education program. As an advocate for more diversity in cyber she is the co-founder and President of Women4cyber Switzerland. 

          Bhavana Bhinder

          Office of the CISO, Google

          Bhavana is a Strategic Trust Lead at Google Cloud, Office of the CISO; a role she has held since 2021. She drives secure-by-design Cloud solutions to meet customers’ risk postures and digital transformation initiatives, ensuring secure and resilient Healthcare outcomes worldwide. Bhavana’s expertise spans Data Protection, Privacy, and Cybersecurity,

          Jan Carroll

          CEO, Fortify Institute

          Jan Carroll is a cybersecurity strategist and educator dedicated to bridging the gap between cyber policy and real-world practice. As founder of Fortify Institute, she develops and delivers CPD-accredited training aligned with EU regulations including DORA, NIS2, the Cyber Resilience Act, and ISO standards, empowering both small businesses and executive leaders to build operational resilience.

          Greg Francis

          CISO, Head of Information Security, Athens International Airport

          With a background as a Justice of the Peace (Magistrate 1994) and Serious Organised Crime Investigator and Prevention for the UK National Crime Agency (NCA), Greg is now at the forefront of developing Cybercrime Offender Prevention (COP) strategy and interventions globally. As Senior Consultant to the Netherlands National Police Cybercrime Prevention Team he has, through his 4D Approach; Deter, Divert, Degrade, Disrupt, helped establish and progress Dutch intervention activities on the cybercrime landscape.

          Dimitris Georgiou

          CISO, Alphabit Cybersecurity

          Dimitris Georgiou is CSO and Partner at Alphabit Cybersecurity with 20+ years in infosec. He’s a seasoned expert, an ISC2 and BCS committee member, and W4C mentor, specializing in GRC, Digital Forensics, and AI security across critical sectors.

          Erlend Andreas Gjære

          CEO & Co-founder of Secure Practice

          Erlend Andreas is a co-founder and CEO at Secure Practice, building scalable services for security awareness and preparedness through digital skills. After receiving his MSc degree in Informatics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), he worked six years as a research scientist, before transitioning to industry work as a consultant and security manager, and then tech-founder since 2017. In 2024, Secure Practice was awarded the European Digital Skills Award for their multi-national effort to increase cyber preparedness among thousands of SMEs, with support from the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC).

          Betty Godier

          Cybersecurity & Engineering Advisor (CyWatt)
          Cloud Security • Product Security • AI Governance

          Betty Godier is a cybersecurity strategist, published author, and former tech founder with over 20 years of experience leading secure innovation across AI, cloud, and operational technology (OT). She partners with C-level leaders not only to advise but to implement resilient, secure-by-design systems at scale. Currently a Cybersecurity MBA candidate at Solvay Brussels School, Betty combines strategic foresight with hands-on execution in regulated environments. 

          Fergus Hay

          Founder/CEO of The Hacking Games

          Founder/CEO of The Hacking Games, building a generation of ethical hackers. Co-founder at Elysian Fields, VC partner, board advisor, ex-agency CEO, and global tech commentator. EMBA from NYU, LSE & HEC Paris. 

          Sabika Ishaq

          CISO/Head of Information Security, Grant Thornton

          With 15+ years’ cross-sector experience, Sabika Ishaq is a purpose-driven leader who blends business acumen with technical depth to drive impactful, inclusive security transformation across complex environments. 

          Kristina Jovanovska

          Cyber Defense Group Manager, Avanade

          Strategic cybersecurity leader with 7+ years of international consulting experience, driving complex security transformations for Fortune 500 clients across different industries. Multi-award-winning advocate for digital safety and inclusion.

          Stavroula Karagianni

          CISO, Allianz Greece

          Global Cybersecurity Director at OpenBet, with past roles at multinational companies (Allianz, AXA, E&Y, PwC). Blending hands on experience with an MSc in Information Security and an Electrical & Computer Engineering background.

          Chris Kubecka

          CEO, HypaSec, Author of Hack The World With OSINT

          Dimitra Liveri

          Head of Resilience of Critical Sectors Unit, ENISA)

          Ana Maria Matejic

          Cybersecurity Expert

          Ana is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over 20 years of experience leading global cybersecurity programs and transformation initiatives. She is passionate about the intersection of technology and human behavior, championing the “human factor” to ensure cybersecurity programs become a cultural mindset throughout an organization, not just a technical implementation of products stack. 

          Panagiotis Merkouris

          CISO, Head of Information Security, Athens International Airport

          Panagiotis Merkouris is a dynamic and certified security professional with more than 18 years of experience leading enterprise-wide cybersecurity programs across the aviation, technology, gaming, and education sectors. Currently serving as CISO at Athens International Airport, he oversees cybersecurity strategy and resilience for Greece’s largest aviation hub, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations while advising the Board on emerging cyber risks. 

          Raluca Mihu

          CISO, Founder at Synchromind.EU 

          Experienced cybersecurity leader and mentor with 25+ years in roles like CISO and CTO. Passionate about security awareness, gamified learning, and helping the next generation of leaders through practical tools, inclusive teams, and hands-on support. 

          Florina-Mondana Neag

          ISO, E.ON Energie Romania

          Florina-Mondana Neag is an accomplished executive with over two decades of experience across the banking, IT, and energy sectors. A certified expert in cybersecurity and data privacy, she currently serves as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at E.ON Energy Romania, retail business, where she leads the company’s cybersecurity, data privacy, and compliance programs—critical responsibilities in today’s complex and highly regulated energy landscape.

          Christos Ntrigkogias

          CEO, Logstail

          Christos Ntrigkogias is the Founder & CEO of Logstail, a European cyber defense company. A former Armed Forces officer, he drives innovation across cybersecurity, national resilience, and critical infrastructure protection.

          Yiannis Pavlosoglou

          Vice-Governor, The National Cybersecurity Authority (NCSA) of Greece

          Kritika Roy

          Senior Threat Intelligence Researcher | Deutsche Cyber-Sicherheitsorganisation (DCSO)  

          Kritika Roy is a Connect2Trust volunteer, Virtual Routes Cybersecurity Fellow, Practice Fellow at Hertie School, and former Indo-German Young Leaders delegate. She researches North Korea-linked cyber threats, tracking campaigns, actors, and tactics.Confirm the title of your session. 

          Julia Schuetze

          Founder & Project Lead Cyber Policy Haus

          With over 10 years of experience in designing, implementing, and facilitating international cybersecurity policy exercises, Julia specializes in developing impactful strategies and methodologies for strengthening cybersecurity resilience. She has successfully led multi-stakeholder projects in the EU, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Africa, and has a strong track record in coaching and advising teams on exercise design, facilitation, and evaluation.

          Bretislav Sopik

          Senior Data Science Manager at Gen

          Despina Spanou

          Principal Adviser on Cybersecurity, European Commission

          In her 20 years in the European Commission, Ms Spanou has held a number of senior management
          positions in the areas of Health and Consumer Policy and served as Deputy Head of Cabinet for
          Commissioners Kyprianou and Vassiliou. Before joining the European Commission, she practised
          EU competition and trade law with a US law firm for a number of years.
          Despina Spanou is a member of the Athens Bar Association and holds a Ph.D. in European law from
          the University of Cambridge

          Zoey Stambolliu

          Director, Global Cybersecurity Policy, Mastercard

          Zoey Stambolliu is the Director for Global Cyber & Tech Policy at Mastercard, focusing on the EU and UK. Based in Brussels, Zoey collaborates with governments, policymakers, industry associations, academia, and civil society to enhance collective defence, promote consistent approaches, and build a future-ready cyber workforce. Member of the global cybersecurity policy team, she closely follows cybersecurity policy initiatives at the European and Member State levels and supports a global aligned approach to cybersecurity.

          Matina Tsavli

          Security Manager – Cyber Protection Lead for Greece, Accenture Greece

          Cybersecurity leader with 16+ years of experience in Cloud/Application/Data Security, DevSecOps). Passionate mentor and coach, empowering teams and future professionals through technical excellence, strategic guidance and inclusion.

          Victor Turegano

          Head of Cloud Security Engineering, NVISO

          Victor leads the Cloud Security Engineering team at NVISO, providing consulting services to clients across various industries. He is a subject natter expert in Cloud security and Identity and Access Management, with 20 years of experience in IT and cybersecurity.

          Annika Wägenbauer

          Project Lead & Facilitator at Cyber Policy Haus

          With extensive experience at the intersection of cybersecurity, policy, and training, Annika specializes in designing and delivering impactful awareness programs, strategic exercises, and tailored capacity-building formats. She has worked across Europe and globally with stakeholders from critical infrastructure, automotive, and nuclear sectors, and is known for translating complex cybersecurity topics into engaging, actionable content for diverse audiences. Passionate about fostering a strong cybersecurity culture and advancing policy engagement, she thrives in connecting strategy, education, and implementation at global, national, and local levels.

          Zeina Zakhour

          Principal Adviser on Cybersecurity, European Commission

          Zeina Zakhour is a seasoned executive and innovation catalyst, with over two decades of building and scaling transformative cybersecurity businesses.She is renowned for fusing deep technical acumen with business strategy, bringing clarity to complex challenges, and advancing cybersecurity as a driver of digital trust and resilience.Currently serving as Vice President, Global Chief Technology Office Cybersecurity at Atos, Zeina leads global strategy, innovation and technology direction, shaping how organizations protect and evolve in increasingly complex digital and threat landscapes.

          Sonia Moura

          Cybersecurity R&D Manager, Nokia Cloud & Network Services

          WOMEN4CYBER

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