MAX Cybersecurity: AI & the Future of Governance

Connect with cybersecurity leaders as they share real-life experiences, daily challenges, and why this industry is more vital than ever. Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026 Start Time: 5:30 pm End Time: 10:00 pm Location: Fasken Office, Bay Adelaide Centre, 333 Bay St, Suite 2400, Toronto, ON M5H 2R2 AI is already running inside most organizations, often without anyone approving it. Security teams are asked to sign off on tools they did not buy, and legal teams are asked to work against regulations that are not finished yet. When one of those systems causes a breach, who answers for it? MAX Cybersecurity: Governance in the Age of AI puts that question to the people who make the call at their own organizations. Event Agenda 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Registration, Dinner, Maghrib Prayer, Networking 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM Introductory Remarks, Qur'an Recitation + Overview of MAX 7:00 PM – 7:20 PM Keynote Speech 7:20 PM – 8:45 PM Panel Discussion + Q&A 8:45 PM – 9:00 PM Closing Remarks 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM Networking Note: Dinner and refreshments will be served. Speakers: Samer Adi - Vice President, Cyber Strategy and Industry Engagement, Bell Cyber Imran Ahmad - Partner, Canadian Head of Technology and Co-Head of Cybersecurity and Data Privacy, Norton Rose Fulbright Kashif Parvaiz - VP, Consulting and CISO, Arancia Mahy Ahmed - Senior Manager, Cloud Infrastructure and Security, MNP Christopher Ferguson - Partner, Technology, Media and Telecommunications, Privacy and Cybersecurity Law, Fasken Why should you attend? • Understand who is responsible for AI governance and who is accountable when things go wrong. • Learn how to identify AI tools being used across your organization, including those that were never formally approved. • Explore what incident response looks like when AI systems can act autonomously. • Hear real-world lessons from AI policies that looked good on paper but failed in practice. • Connect with cybersecurity, legal, and technology professionals from across industries. THE SPEAKERS Kashif Parvaiz is a seasoned Cyber Security executive with over 20 years' experience managing security programs for large private and public sector organizations in the Consulting, Energy, Education and Healthcare sectors. For the last decade, Mr. Parvaiz has had the privilege of managing these organizations' security programs as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).Kashif is currently the Vice President of Consulting and CISO of Arancia, in this role he regularly engages with senior executives from clients across all verticals to assess, review and improve their cyber programs.Mr. Parvaiz is an active member in the cyber community and has led thought leadership roundtable discussions for Gartner, IANS and Forrester as well as delivered many keynote presentations at global security conferences. Imran Ahmed - Partner and Head of Technology, Co-Chair Cybersecurity and data privacy Norton Rose Fullbright Imran Ahmad is a senior partner and the Canadian head of technology and Canadian co-head of cybersecurity and data privacy at Norton Rose Fullbright, based in Toronto and Montreal. Recognized as a leading cybersecurity and privacy lawyer by several legal directories, Imran advises clients across industries on technology matters and cyber risk, often acting as "breach counsel" in complex cross-border security incidents. He is the author of Canada's first legal incident response handbook, Cybersecurity in Canada: A Guide to Best Practices, Planning, and Management, 2nd Edition (LexisNexis, 2021), and is the former chair of the Privacy and Access to Information Section of the Ontario Bar Association. Samer Adi - Vice President, Cyber Strategy & Industry Engagement, Bell Cyber Samer is a visionary technology leader with over 35 years of experience in Information Security, IT Operations, and large-scale digital transformation. He currently serves as VP of Cyber Strategy and Industry Engagement at Bell Cyber, following a career that includes CISO roles at some of Canada's largest payment processors, health benefits providers, and retail brands, as well as leadership positions overseeing security and infrastructure for a provincial regulatory agency and a national meal-kit company. Known for aligning security strategy with business goals and building high-performing teams, Samer is also a published author, public speaker, and advocate for cybersecurity and data privacy. He holds a master's degree in Computer Science and Information Technology and is the author of two Computer Maintenance textbooks used in Ontario's Grade 11 and 12 curriculums. Mahy Ahmed - Senior Manager, Cloud Infrastructure & Security, MNP Mahy Ahmed is a cybersecurity leader, Professional Engineer, educator, and cyber investigations specialist with extensive experience across cloud security, security architecture, cyber risk, AI, and digital transformation. She holds an MSc in Criminal Justice specializing in Cyber Crime Investigations & Cybersecurity, along with CISM, CEH, ITIL, and Microsoft Certified: Azure Cybersecurity Architect Expert credentials. Mahy combines technical cybersecurity expertise with an investigative and engineering background, with a focus on practical security strategies, emerging AI risks, and protecting organizations against evolving cyber threats. She is also a professor teaching AI & Cyber Forensics and Network Security to undergraduate and graduate students. About MAX Muslim Achieving Excellence (MAX) was founded with the aim to recognize, reward, celebrate and motivate high achievement and encourage positive and productive contributions to society by Muslims in Canada. MAX fosters that through creating connections between senior level, mid level and early career professionals. THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO KNOW SOME OF CANADA'S TOP LEADERS. DINNER WILL BE SERVED. Contact Us: For any attendees who may have financial needs and require a sponsored complimentary ticket, or for any questions or comments please contact: Sara Alshakarji | Co-Lead, Cybersecurity Series | [email protected] Safa Al-Siaudi | Co-Lead, Cybersecurity Series | [email protected] Website: onemax.org | LinkedIn: MAX | Twitter: @max_gala | Instagram: @max.gala ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL