Securing Cyberspace Conference - 9 October 2024

James Lewis

Senior Vice President, CSIS

James Andrew Lewis is an internationally recognized expert on technology and cybersecurity.  He is currently a Senior Vice President at CSIS, where he has authored numerous publications.  Before joining CSIS, he was a diplomat and a member of the Senior Executive Service and worked on a range of political-military issues.

Lewis developed ground-breaking policies on satellite remote sensing, encryption, high-tech exports to China, and cybersecurity.  He led the U.S. delegation to the Wassenaar Arrangement’s Experts Group and was rapporteur for the UN's successful 2010, 2013, and 2015 Group of Government Experts on Information Security.  He leads a long-running Track II Dialogue on cybersecurity with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

Lewis served as a member of the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee, State’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy, the Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing, and advises government agencies on the security and intelligence implications of foreign investment. He is frequently quoted in the media, and has testified numerous times before Congress.  Lewis received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Marcelo Câmara

Director of the Department of Strategic, Defence and Disarmament Affairs, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Since October 2020 Marcelo Câmara has been Director of the Department of Strategic, Defence and Disarmament Affairs in the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Career diplomat since 1995, he has held various positions in Brazil and abroad, such as Head of the Disarmament and Sensitive Technologies Division, Deputy Head of the UN Division and the Deputy Head of the Brazilian Delegation to the IAEA.

He participated as the Brazilian Expert in the Group of Governmental Experts (2016-2017) on the developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security, pursuant to UNGA Resolution A/RES/70/237. Since October 2019 he holds the position of coordinator for cybersecurity issues in the Brazilian MFA. He has a bachelor´s degree in international relations (University of Brasília) and master of science´s degree in contemporary history (Humboldt University/Berlin).

Dr Grace Githaiga

CEO and Convenor, Kenya ICT Action Network

Dr Grace Githaiga is the CEO and Convenor of the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested in ICT policy and regulation (www.kictanet.or.ke). In this role, she has led the Network in groundbreaking work shaping ICT policy and regulation, freedom of expression online, and digital rights.

She also hosts a television talk show Take on Tech, on Kenya's National Broadcaster the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). The Talkshow breaks down Technological concepts and debates in a non tech way.

Kim Zetter

Award winning investigative journalist and author,

Kim Zetter is an award-winning investigative journalist and author who has covered cybersecurity and national security for more than 15 years first as a staff writer for WIRED, and more recently as a freelance journalist for New York Times Magazine, Politico, Washington Post, WIRED and others. She has repeatedly been voted one of the top ten security journalists in the country by security professionals and her journalism peers.

She has broken numerous national stories about NSA and FBI surveillance, nation-state hacking, the hacker underground, the Russian sabotage of Ukraine's power grid and its use of that country as a testing ground, and election security. She is considered one of the leading experts on the latter, and in 2018 wrote a New York Times Magazine cover story on the crisis of election security. Zetter has also written extensively about cyber warfare and wrote an acclaimed book on the topic - Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon - about a sophisticated virus/worm developed by the U.S. and Israel to covertly sabotage Iran's nuclear program. In addition to writing for other publications, she publishes a Substack newsletter called Zero Day, which features original stories on spies, security and surveillance topics. She was a visiting scholar last year at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies co-teaching a course on signals intelligence with Professor Thomas Rid.

Dr Emily Goldman

Stratagist, US Cyber Command

Dr Emily Goldman serves as a strategist at U.S. Cyber Command and a thought leader on cyber policy. She was cyber advisor to the Director of Policy Planning at the Department of State, 2018–19. From 2014 to 2018 she directed the U.S. Cyber Command / National Security Agency Combined Action Group, leading a team that wrote the 2018 U.S. Cyber Command vision, Achieve and Maintain Cyberspace Superiority. She has worked as a strategic communications advisor for U.S. Central Command and for the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the State Department. She was a professor of Political Science at the University of California, Davis for two decades, and has published and lectured widely on strategy, cybersecurity, and military innovation. In 2022, she published Cyber Persistence Theory: Redefining National Security in Cyberspace with Michael Fischerkeller and Richard Harknett (Oxford University Press). Her most recent publication, “The Importance of Analytic Superiority in a World of Big Data and AI,” was published with Dr. Robert Grossman in Cyber Defense Review (2024).

Juliet Skingsley

Lawyer, British Army

Juliet is a lawyer in the British Army, and the former Army Chief of the General Staff Research Fellow at Chatham House. Her work has focused on states’ approaches to offensive cyber operations and the application of international law to cyber activity. She has published a variety of papers and articles on these issues, and spoken widely on the subject at various international and national events.

Dr Bich Tran

Adjunct Fellow, CSIS

Dr Bich Tran (pronounced as Bic Trahn) is an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a fellow at the 2024 International Strategy Forum, and a postdoctoral fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Her research interests include issues at the intersection between geopolitics and technology, Southeast Asian states’ relations with major powers, and Vietnam’s grand strategy. Dr. Tran is the author of “Vietnam's Strategic Adjustments and US Policy” (Survival 64, no. 6, 77–90). A full list of her publications is available on Google Scholar. Follow her on X @BicTranVn.

Nnenna Ifeanyi-Ajufo

Professor of Law and Technology, Leeds Beckett University

No bio provided

Dr Patryk Pawlak

Part-Time Professor at the European University Institute and Visiting Scholar at Carnegie Europe,

Dr Patryk Pawlak is a Part-Time Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute in Florence and a Visiting Scholar at Carnegie Europe. Since December 2023, Dr Pawlak is the Project Director for the Global Initiative on the Future of the Internet (GIFI) – a two-year project funded by the European Union to promote the Open Internet and the Declaration for the Future of the Internet (DFI). In January 2024, Dr Pawlak was appointed by the UN Secretary General to serve on the Advisory Board for Disarmament Matters.

Prior to joining EUI, Dr Pawlak headed the Brussels office of the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) and coordinated the Institute’s cyber and digital activities. From 2018 to 2022, he was Project Director of the EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative – EU Cyber Direct, an EU-funded multimillion project to support the EU’s engagement on cyber diplomacy and digital policies worldwide. In this capacity, he ideated and coordinated numerous initiatives, including EU Cyber Consultations with partner countries, the European Cyber Diplomacy Dialogue, and the EU Cyber Forum. He was also the Co-Chair of the Advisory Board for the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise and headed the Program Advisory Team for the Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building in 2023.

Dr Pawlak’s current work focuses on digital risks management, capacity building and global governance of digital and cyber issues.

Gavin Wilde

Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Gavin is a Senior Fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he applies his background and expertise on Russia and information warfare to examine the strategic challenges posed by cyber and influence operations, propaganda, and emerging technologies. He also leads graduate coursework on these topics as an adjunct professor at the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Gavin previously served on the US National Security Council as Director for Russia, Baltic, and Caucasus Affairs, where, in addition to managing country-specific portfolios, he helped craft policy on foreign malign influence, election security, and cyber issues.

Gavin also served as a linguist, senior analyst, and organisational leader in roles throughout the US intelligence community for nearly 15 years. He holds an undergraduate degree in Russian studies from the University of Utah, and a graduate degree in National Security Strategy from the US National War College.

Dr Noran Fouad

Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University

Noran is a Lecturer in Digital Politics at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Her research and teaching lie at the intersection of technology, security, and governance, with a particular focus on cybersecurity. Her research interests include critical approaches to cybersecurity in international relations, cybersecurity of the everyday, the global politics of cyber governance, and the co-production of cybersecurity policies and practices between human and non-human agency. Previously, Noran worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, where she conducted public policy research on cybersecurity for the education sector and risk-based approaches to cybersecurity in low- and middle-income countries. As part of her role, she co-designed and co-taught multiple executive education programmes, postgraduate courses, and online courses for public policy makers on governing digital transformation and cybersecurity.

Noran holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Sussex, UK, and MSc and BSc degrees in Political Science from Cairo University, Egypt, where she worked as an Assistant Lecturer of Political Science. During that period, she conducted research on Middle East politics, focusing specifically on internet governance and digital activism. She was also an Academic Assistant and Executive Editor for two academic journals published by the university.

Mariana Salazar Albornoz

Professor, Universidad Iberoamericana

Mariana Salazar Albornoz is a Professor of International Law, International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Criminal Law (ICL) at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. Between 2019 and 2022 she was Member of the Inter-American Juridical Committee of the Organization of American States, where she was Rapporteur for International Law Applicable to Cyberspace and for Privacy and Data Protection. She is a Member of the Editorial Board of the International Review of the Red Cross, as well as of the Board of the United Nations’ Register of Damage Caused by the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She is the Coordinator of the International Law unit of the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations- COMEXI. She also serves as Regional Manager for Mexico and Central America of the Latin American Association of Internet- ALAI.

Between 2019 and 2022, Ms Salazar collaborated as Academic Programs Associate at the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities. Previously, she served for 13 years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico on issues related to International Law, Human Rights, IHL and ICL. In such capacity she was was the Technical Secretary of Mexico’s National IHL Committee, and Mexico’s Focal Point to the Global Network on Responsibility to Protect and to the Latin American Network on Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities. She also has prior experience as a practicing lawyer in corporate law firms in Mexico City.

Ms Salazar holds a Law Degree from Universidad Iberoamericana and a Master’s Degree in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. She publishes frequently on the matters related to her expertise, and is a member of the International Law Association.

Dr Gatra Priyandita

Senior Analyst, ASPI

Dr Gatra Priyandita is a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). His research focuses on cyber politics in emerging economies, as well as foreign policy and security issues in Southeast Asia.

He is a political scientist by training, specialising in the intersections of comparative politics and International Relations in Southeast Asia. He holds nearly a decade of research experience, working extensively on projects researching Indonesian foreign policy, Southeast Asian security, and cyber politics. His analysis has appeared in multiple news outlets, academic journals, and think tank publications.

He is also currently a visiting fellow at the Australian National University’s Department of Political and Social Change. He was formerly the non-resident WSD-Handa fellow at the Pacific Forum, where he remains a part of its Young Leaders’ program. Gatra has also had past affiliations with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, University of Indonesia, and Jinan University.

Gatra holds a PhD in Political Science and a Bachelor of Asia-Pacific Security (Honours), both from the Australian National University.

Ollie Whitehouse,

Chief Technology Officer, NCSC

Ollie Whitehouse is CTO of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, where he helps to maintain the organisation’s role as the National Technical Authority for cyber security, as well as influencing in tackling the challenges of tomorrow. His career spans over 27 years in applied cyber attack and defence, in addition to acting as a science advisor to wider government. Prior to joining the NCSC, Ollie held a portfolio of non-executive directorships and investment advisory positions in relation to British cyber interests.

His operational tenures include more than a decade at NCC Group, during which time he operated as CTO, as well as at BlackBerry and Symantec. Ollie has given oral evidence to the UK Parliament Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy twice in 2017 and 2022 on matters related to cyber security.

Professor Ciaran Martin CB

Professor of Practice, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Professor Ciaran Martin CB is a Distinguished Fellow of RUSI and Professor of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. He is also an adviser to Paladin Capital in the United States, and Garrison Technology Ltd in the United Kingdom.

For six and a half years ending in the middle of 2020, Ciaran led the UK’s Government’s work on cyber security. This included establishing the National Cyber Security Centre in 2016. The UK NCSC is now recognised as one of the leading public authorities in the world for cyber security, and running it for its first four years. During Ciaran’s tenure, the UK rose from eighth to first in the International Telecommunications Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index. The NCSC’s approach to intervening to make technology safer, and easier to use safely, and to manage national level incidents proactively has been lauded around the world and Ciaran has been honoured within the UK, Europe, the United States and beyond for his ground-breaking efforts to combat cyber threats.

Prior to running the NCSC, Ciaran held a series of senior roles in the UK Cabinet Office. These included: Director of Constitution, where he oversaw the agreement for arrangements for the Scottish independence referendum in 2014; Director of Security and Intelligence, and head of the Cabinet Secretary’s office. He has also worked in the UK Treasury and National Audit Office. Originally from Northern Ireland, he holds a first class degree in history from the University of Oxford.

Jen Ellis

RUSI Associate Fellow,

Jen Ellis is working to reduce cyber risk for all digital citizens. As founder of NextJenSecurity, she partners with security experts, technology providers and operators, civil society, and governments, to create greater understanding of cyber security challenges and solutions. Jen promotes better collaboration among these communities, more effective cyber security advocacy, and broader adoption of security best practices. 

Jen serves on the UK Cabinet Office’s Government Cyber Advisory Board and the UK Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology’s Cyber Resilience Expert Advisory Group. She is also a co-chair of IST’s Ransomware Task Force, sits on the boards of the Center for Cybersecurity Policy and Law, and the Rapid7 Cybersecurity Foundation, and is a member of the board of advisors for the CyberPeace Institute and the RUSI Ransomware Harms investigation. She has testified before U.S. Congress and spoken at numerous security and business conferences.