Keynote Speakers | Stage One

KEYNOTE; Machine-Speed Adversaries: The FBI’s Perspective on AI’s Growing Role in Cyber Intrusions 

Todd Hemmen 

Deputy Assistant Director, Cyber Capabilities Branch, FBI Cyber Division 

Artificial intelligence is actively reshaping how cybercriminals and nation-state actors operate, from AI-assisted reconnaissance and social engineering to increasingly autonomous intrusion activity. Drawing on real-world FBI casework and threat intelligence, this keynote examines how AI is being leveraged across a broad cyber threat landscape. Looking ahead, it explores where this trajectory is headed in the coming years and what it means for how organizations and law enforcement must adapt.

Thu 29 Oct | 9:40–10:00 

KEYNOTE: Decoding China’s Standards Playbook in the Wake of Europe’s Cyber Resilience and Sovereignty Push 

Dr. Susann Lüdtke,  

CEO & Founder, L.I.A. – Lüdtke Intelligence & Analytics 

Dr. Susann Lüdtke is an expert on the geopolitics and geoeconomics of technical standardisation, with a particular focus on China’s growing influence in global technology governance. As Founder and CEO of Lüdtke Intelligence & Analytics, she advises organisations on the strategic implications of innovation, standards, technology policy and geopolitical risk.  

In this keynote, Dr. Lüdtke examines how China leverages technical standards as a strategic tool to advance industrial competitiveness, technological influence and geopolitical objectives. Against the backdrop of Europe’s efforts to strengthen cyber resilience and technological sovereignty, she will provide insights into the evolving global standards landscape and what it means for policymakers, businesses and cybersecurity professionals.

Thu 29 Oct | 12.30-13.00 

KEYNOTE: The Vicious Cycle – Personal Data Surveillance, Privatized Subversion and the Spread of Authoritarianism 

Ron Deibert 
Founder and Director, Citizen Lab | Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto 

Ron Deibert brings a unique perspective on the intersection of cybersecurity, geopolitics, and digital surveillance. 

Having led global investigations into the commercial spyware ecosystem, including technologies such as Pegasus, FinFisher and RCS, Deibert offers rare insight into how advanced cyber capabilities are used in practice and how they impact organisations, governments, and societies. 

His keynote explores the growing influence of state and commercial actors, and what these developments mean for today’s security landscape. For anyone working with cybersecurity, risk, or digital resilience, this session provides valuable context for understanding the broader forces shaping cyber threats.