ISACA UAE and tahawultech recently hosted the 2025 edition of the Infosec & Cybersecurity Congress at the impressive Habtoor Grand Resort, Autograph Collection, JBR Dubai.
Under the banner of ‘Securing the Intelligent Age’ the event focused on delving deep into the evolving cybersecurity landscape, providing industry leaders, experts, and security professionals with practical insights to navigate today’s digital threats.
The digital landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with AI, quantum computing, and blockchain reshaping the way we operate. While these technologies unlock vast potential, they also introduce new complexities and vulnerabilities that demand robust cybersecurity strategies.
The event opened with a welcome speech by Sandhya D’Mello, Editor, CPI Media Group which was then followed by opening remarks from Dr. Alok Tuteja, CGEIT, CRISC Ex-President, ISACA UAE Chapter on ‘The imperative of Digital Trust focusing on securing our interconnected future’.
The first panel discussion followed titled, ‘Navigating the trust deficit in the Intelligent Age focus’. The speakers included Taskeen Khan, Aditya Kaushik from ZMI Holdings, Padam Sundar Kafle from Aster Digital Health and Jayesh Nandanan from Mediclinic Middle East. After a short break the proceedings resumed with a keynote speech from Gopan Sivasankaran, General Manager, META Secureworks, a Sophos company titled ‘Think like Attackers – The Shift beyond EDR’.
Afterwards, we proceeded to the next panel discussion titled, ‘AI’s double edge in the perfect storm – Navigating security paradoxes amidst converging global risk’. The speakers included Dhiraj Sasidharan, Oma Martins – Okonkwo from IHS Towers, and Annu Chouraria. Our final panel discussion was on ‘Building resilience – Strategy, culture, and digital trust in the age of uncertainty’. The speakers included Faisal Khan from Dubai World Trade Centre, Zahid Altaf from Majid Al Futtaim Holding LLC, Abraham Rabind Parbhunath from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation and Muhammad Musa Mazhar from Liva Group.
As the event drew to a close, we hosted a fireside chat between Harriet de Morton, SASE Sales Manager for Middle East & Africa HPE Aruba Networking and Shijeesh Sahadevan, WAN & Security transformation Expert HPE Aruba Networking. After that it was time for awards ceremony to reveal who had won a CISO Infosec & Cyber Risk Leadership Award. The full list of winners are as follows:
CISO Infosec & Cyber Risk Leadership Awards
- Dhiraj Sasidharan – Emirates NBD
- Kausar Mukeri – GEMS Education
- Sajjad Ahmad – DP World
- Anand Nataraj – Emaar
- Oma Martins-Okonkwo – IHS Towers
- Ahmed Nabil Mahmoud – Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB)
- Ram Soni – Mashreq
- Ahmed Al Zarouni – Investment Corporation of Dubai
- Sunil Nair – Majid Al Futtaim Retail LLC
Cybersecurity Visionary Leader of the Year Award
- Kapil Matta