Conference 2026 - Speakers

With 25 years of cybersecurity leadership across heavily regulated industries including telecommunications and financial services, Bjorn Watne is an internationally recognized leader in building resilient cybersecurity ecosystems. Currently serving as the Global Chief Information Security Officer at INTERPOL, he leads the mission to secure the connection between 25 million law enforcement officers across 196 countries, driving transnational cybersecurity collaboration for global public safety.

A dedicated ISACA leader for over a decade, he has served as Chapter President and board member, actively fostering knowledge sharing and professional development within the global community, consistently contributing to the association’s mission across borders. His unique perspective combines enterprise security strategy with international governance experience, making him a sought-after voice on scaling cybersecurity through collaboration.

Beyond the boardroom, Bjorn Watne is an avid world traveler who has explored close to 250 countries and territories across all seven continents. This unique global perspective informs his approach to leadership—believing that while technology is the tool, human collaboration and cross-cultural understanding are the true keys to securing our interconnected world.

Tomáš Hettych graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics of the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava, Slovakia. He is currently a Member of the Board at the Cybersecurity Competence and Certification Centre, previously he worked as a Cybersecurity Senior Manager at PwC and until 2018 as CSO (Chief Security Officer) at the multinational pharmaceutical group Sanofi. Tomas has extensive experience in cybersecurity, IT service management, process and project management and IT procurement. 
He is Vice President of the Slovak branch of ISACA and co-founder of the Slovak branch of itSMF. He holds international certifications ITIL4 Master, ISO/IEC 20000, 27001, 22301 Lead Auditor, M_o_R, Prince2, TOGAF, Cobit2019, CISA, CISM, CGEIT, CRISC and CDPSE.

Dejan has over 26 years of insurance experience. He has been a co-founder of Advisio since 2010. Previously, he was Head of Property Reinsurance at Triglav Re, responsible for placing proportional property reinsurance contracts and facultative reinsurance of insurance companies within the Triglav Group, as well as for the development of active reinsurance in Asia and the Middle East. In 2016 he organized the first conference on cyber insurance in the region. At Advisio he is co‑responsible for placing clients’ most complex cyber insurance programs and for coordinating claims under cyber insurance.

Martin has 12 years of experience in management consulting and banking and joined Advisio in 2022. His expertise comes from work across various industries and engagements during his consulting years, including the largest financial institution in the Adriatic region, telecommunications, energy, and manufacturing, covering a wide range of projects in strategy, sales effectiveness, procurement, restructuring, and more. At a regional bank he was responsible for product and process development, managing external technology partners, overseeing internal procedures and process controls, digitalizing products and services, and ensur

Damir has over 20 years of experience in cyber security and technology risk working as Cloud Risk and Cyber Security Senior Officer at BNP Paribas Group, Associate Director of Cloud Security Controls at WillisTowers Watson, Senior Analyst and Program Manager at Cloud Security Alliance, and CISO at SKB banka. Damir holds BSc in Information Science, and CCSK, CISM, CISA, and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor certifications.

Pablo Ballarin is a cybersecurity and digital trust expert with more than 25 years of experience in information security, risk management, and governance. He works with organizations across telecommunications, finance, retail, and public sectors, helping them integrate cybersecurity, compliance, and emerging technology governance.

He is an instructor of the Advanced AI in Security Management (AAISM) certification and an implementer of ISO/IEC 42001 (AI Management Systems). His work includes AI-related research and development initiatives focused on digital trust, risk, and regulatory alignment.

Pablo is the founder of Balusian, board member of ISACA Valencia, member of the ISACA Emerging Trends Working Group, and coordinator of the Centre for Industrial Cybersecurity (CCI) in Spain. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences and regularly contributes to public discussions on cybersecurity, AI governance, and technology ethics.

Olga Troshkova has 18 years of experience in the information and cybersecurity domain. She has worked across several sectors—including maritime, finance, public procurement, and consulting—gaining broad and practical insight into the security challenges each domain faces. Her expertise spans incident response, IT auditing, ISMS development and maintenance (including ISO 27001 certification), information security risk management, as well as the design and implementation of security frameworks, processes, and controls (GRC).

Olga values working with people and contributing to the cybersecurity community. After all, when we share knowledge openly, we raise our collective resilience and leave fewer gaps for attackers to exploit.

Ramona Ratiu is an accomplished cybersecurity professional with over 15 years of experience in governance, risk, compliance, and cyber resilience. She currently leads the Cyber Resilience Testing Program at Zurich Insurance, where she drives transformative projects to bolster organizational resilience against evolving threats.

Ramona serves as the Executive Advisor on Global Partnerships and Innovation Strategies for ISACA Chicago, the US ambassador at the Global Council for Responsible AI, as well as an adjunct professor at DePaul University, equipping the future generations of professionals with knowledge on IT risks landscape. Among her numerous accolades, the latest is the ISACA Technology for Humanity Award for visionary leadership in advancing cybersecurity careers, empowering women and amplifying underrepresented voices in tech.

Ramona believes in the power of collaboration and innovation to tackle complex cybersecurity and AI challenges globally. Through knowledge sharing, mentorship, and advocacy, she fosters a resilient and inclusive cybersecurity community.

Tony Hughes is a highly experienced risk consulting professional with over 25 years of expertise in leading and delivering business risk, information risk, and cyber security projects across the public and private sectors. His core strengths encompass cyber governance, IT audit and regulation, incident response, and privacy management. Tony has provided cyber incident Gold Command and consulting services for a diverse range of industries, including energy, retail, financial services, healthcare, criminal justice, and government. He holds numerous top-tier professional certifications, including CISSP, Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and CREST Certified Cyber Incident Exercise Team Lead. 

His extensive leadership background includes his tenure as a Director in cybersecurity consultancy firms, IT Audit Lead in Central Government Departments, co- founder of an AI based startup and statutory IT auditor for complex governmental clients. 

In addition to his corporate leadership, Tony has played a pivotal role in national cyber strategy. While working in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) as the Strategy and Policy Lead for Cyber Security, he developed the National Cyber Security Education Strategy and advised ministers on technology risk. This followed a 20-year tenure as Head of IT Audit and Senior Audit Manager for the NICS, where he acted as the IT Security Accreditor for highly sensitive government systems. Recognised as a thought leader, Tony teaches cyber security at the postgraduate level, is a frequent media commentator and speaker at global events and currently serves as the Vice President of the ISACA Ireland chapter. 

Punit Bhatia is an award-winning privacy, AI and sourcing strategist who has worked with CXOs and DPOs in over 30 countries to identify and manage risks, create and implement data, sourcing and privacy strategies in a digital, AI-driven world with cloud-based data. Punit helps you establish trust in your governance and practices by defining and implementing strategies and policies in compliance with standards and laws. Punit helps you and your company in being accountable, responsible and ethical. Punit is an excellent speaker and trainer for your staff, management, and board. Thanks to his practical and straightforward approach, he makes even abstract and complex topics fun and humorous. Punit is open to advising or coaching you or your company on a selective basis.  

Punit Bhatia is the author of four books, including “Be Ready for GDPR” and “AI & Privacy”. Punit is a global speaker who has spoken at over 80 international events and is the host and creator of the FIT4PRIVACY Podcast, which has been regularly ranked among the top GDPR podcasts since 2020 including #1 ranking by the People’s Choice Awards for privacy podcasts and Feedspot. 

Punit is known to use simple business language that is free from legal or technical jargon. Punit is a certified Fellow in Information Privacy (FIP), CIPM, CAIP, COP, CDPO, ISO 27701 lead implementer, CIPP-E, DeMartini Values Facilitator and DeMartini Method Facilitator. Punit is the founder of FIT4Privacy and Grow Skills Store, both trade names of Ek Advisory company that he has founded in Belgium. 

Punit is a board member of the ISACA Belgium chapter, Global AI Association, and DPO Circle. Previously, he served as a board member at World Game Changers. Punit is also a member of the Forbes Business Council, IAPP and ISACA’s Emerging Technology Advisory council. 

Bharat is an experienced security professional and has held roles of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO and BISO), security advisor/advocate, security consultant and project/product manager. He brings expertise on cyber security/business risk, strategy, security/maturity assessments, incident/breach response, operations, security controls and processes, as well as security education, security awareness, culture and in skills/career development. 
 
He has over 20 years’ experience in multinational/regulated environments as well as SMEs - leading on designing, implementing and managing end to end cyber security risk and information assurance projects - involving implementing security policies and procedures, security controls, incident response plans, business continuity and crisis management programmes. 
 
He is a key-note speaker at cybersecurity conferences and seminars; international conference chair, thought leader, podcaster, author & blogger.