Cybersecurity's brightest minds take the stage

Sumit Dhawan

Chief Executive Officer

As CEO of Proofpoint, Sumit Dhawan leads a global workforce of over 4,500 employees focused on defending organizations from advanced cyber threats and compliance risks by protecting their people—and in turn, safeguarding their data, business, and reputation. A seasoned executive with a proven track record, Mr. Dhawan brings over 25 years of experience in building category-leading, scaled enterprise software companies and businesses. Sumit previously served as VMware’s President, where he was responsible for driving over $13B of revenue for the company and led go-to-market functions including worldwide sales, customer success and experience, strategic ecosystem, industry solutions, marketing, and communications. He also previously served as Chief Customer Experience Officer, managing global teams responsible for professional services, technical support, and customer success. Before that, Mr. Dhawan was chief executive officer of Instart, a cybersecurity business delivering innovations in web application performance and security services and held senior executive and general management roles at Citrix.

Mr. Dhawan is a strong advocate for delivering an exceptional experience to customers and partners. He is passionate about building diverse teams and fostering inclusive cultures and equitable environments that bring out the best in everyone. Mr. Dhawan holds an MBA from the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida, an MS in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota, and a BS in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Ryan Kalember

Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer

With over 20 years of experience in the information security industry, Mr. Kalember currently leads cybersecurity strategy and marketing for Proofpoint and is a sought-after expert for commentary on breaches and best practices. His global team of security experts ensures that Proofpoint’s customers have consistent insight into the attacks that target their people.

Mr. Kalember joined Proofpoint from WatchDox where he served as both chief product officer and CMO, leading the development of pioneering data-centric security solutions through to the company’s acquisition. Previously, Ryan ran solutions across HP’s portfolio of security products, was director of product strategy at ArcSight, and held a variety of positions at VeriSign, including EMEA regional manager and senior product manager. Early in his career, Ryan was a security practitioner, helping build many leading security organizations and security operations centers (SOCs) around the world. He received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University, where he studied fault tolerance, cryptography, and authentication algorithms.

Molly McLain Sterling

Senior Director, Global Cybersecurity Strategists

Molly champions human-centric security and culture, helping organizations build resilience through behavioral insights and smarter alignment of people and technology.

John Abel

Chief Information Officer

John leads global IT, cybersecurity, and digital transformation at Proofpoint. He was recognized as a Top 25 Global CIO and inducted into the Silicon Valley Hall of Fame in 2023.

Mary Benton

Senior Information Security Analyst, Meijer

Mary is a senior information security analyst at Meijer where she leads the company’s security awareness program. Mary has developed strategies to foster a security-conscious culture within her organization. She created and implemented a successful reward-based program that encourages employees to report the phishing emails that they receive, and she manages comprehensive phishing simulation campaigns and training initiatives. Under her leadership, Meijer has strengthened its defense capabilities by empowering team members to become proactive defenders against cyber threats.

Daniel Blackford

Director, Threat Research, Proofpoint

Coming soon.

Jennica Brodeur

Staff Expert CSM

Jennica is a Staff Expert is customer success, with over 13 years in cybersecurity and 6+ at Proofpoint. She helps global teams maximize value from Proofpoint's Threat Protection products.

Kris Burkhardt

Chief Information Security Officer, Accenture

Kris leads a team that protects company, client, and people data, including security operations, risk reduction strategies, cyber incident response, and behavior change.

Davide Canali

Director, Threat Research

Dr. Davide Canali is Director of Threat Research at Proofpoint. He leads a global team of researchers focused on studying the threat landscape and tracking its actors.

Brian Cincera

Chief Information Security Officer, Cargill

Brian is Cargill's Chief Information Security Officer and leads the protection of Cargill's information and digital assets. He leads and advances their strategy to proactively prepare for, detect, and efficiently and effectively respond to potential cyber events. Additionally, Brian drives culture of cybersecurity and information protection, so that Gargill manages risks for their employees, partners and customers in an ever-changing   digital world. 

Prior to joining Cargill, Brian spent 19 years at Pfizer, most recently served as Senior Vice President & CISO with global responsibility for Pfizer's enterprise infrastructure, multi-cloud platforms, IT operations, information security and risk management capabilities. Brian led their information security risk governance process, including regular reporting to their executive leadership and Board of Directors. 

During his 30 years in technology, Brian has led service delivery or overseen operations across a wide range of industries including transportation, financial services, entertainment, manufacturing, and life sciences with firms like America Online, United Airlines, JP Morgan Chase, HBO and Time Warner. Beginning in 2013, Brian has been Board of Director/Chair of the Health--Information Sharing & Analysis Center (H-ISAC), a not-for-profit industry partner to the US Food & Drug Administration, dedicated to improving operational resilience in healthcare delivery for patients in need. 

Paul Chavez

Sr. Product Marketing Manager

With 20+ years in cybersecurity, Paul focuses on telling the story of how Prime Threat Protection helps customers stop multichannel threats, defend against multistage attacks, and reduce human-risk. 

Itir Clarke

Staff Product Marketing Manager

Itir is a Staff Product Marketing Manager for Proofpoint Data Security, with 20+ years in cybersecurity and IT, helping organizations prevent data loss, exposure, and insider risk. 

Tom Corn

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Threat Protection Group, Proofpoint

Tom Corn is Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Threat Protection Group at Proofpoint. He leads the company's core threat protection offerings, including Email Security, Threat Protection, Identity Defense, Threat Research, AI and Machine Learning. With a mandate to accelerate innovation and enhance threat efficacy. Tom is focused on evolving Proofpoint's capabilities to help customers stay ahead of an increasingly complex and dynamic threat landscape.

Tom brings over two decades of cybersecurity leadership across both established enterprises and emerging ventures. Most recently, he co-founded a startup focused on securing agentic-AI applications. Prior to that, he held the Chief Product Officer position at Ontinue, where he helped shape the company's AI-driven approach to managed extended detection and response (MXDR). He previously served as Senior Vice President of VMware's Security Business Unit and held key leadership roles at RSA Security, including GM of the Data Security Business and Chief Strategy and Technology Officer. He holds an MBA from Harvard University and a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo. 

Dr. Poppy Crum

Expert in AI, Technology-Driven Innovation, & Human Evolution Futurist, Neuroscientist, and Technologist

What was the last phone number you memorized? Decades ago, this skill was second nature, yet today, we outsource it entirely to our devices—a shift that has physically altered our brains. As technology automates more of our cognitive processes, our brains adapt and fundamentally change how we think and process information. Dr. Poppy Crum’s groundbreaking research sits at this critical intersection, with a particular emphasis on the next frontier to reshape our neural pathways: AI. Poppy’s work reveals how the AI transformation is not just technological—it’s deeply human, redefining how we live, work, and connect.

In her eye-opening presentations, Poppy unpacks AI’s profound influence on our brains, using compelling industry examples to illustrate how this technology will drive change. As AI becomes a standard tool across sectors, organizations must learn to navigate and adapt to this new reality. Poppy explains how to efficiently leverage human-AI collaboration, identify gaps in skillsets, and ensure employees maintain critical thinking and decision-making abilities. This proactive approach positions industries to harness AI’s transformative potential while preserving the human touch in innovation and problem-solving.

Dr. Poppy Crum is a visionary leader and innovator at the forefront of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human-computer interaction. As Chief Scientist at Dolby Laboratories for over a decade, she pioneered technologies that leveraged human physiology to enhance digital experiences. Later, as CTO of Trimble, Inc., she developed groundbreaking solutions connecting the physical and digital worlds. Now the founder of Goby Technologies, a consultancy for product and platform innovation with clients like Google and Universal Music Group, Poppy continues to shape the future of technology and its human applications.

She holds numerous patents, chairs global technology standards committees, and has collaborated with organizations such as DARPA and the Consumer Technology Association. A recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the 2021 Hedy Lamarr Award for Innovation in Entertainment and Technology and the 2018 Lumiere Technology Leadership Award, she has been recognized as one of Billboard magazine’s 100 most influential female executives in the music industry. Her TED Talk on empathetic technology has garnered over one million views, and she is a sought-after speaker at events like SXSW. Through her unparalleled industry expertise, Poppy continues to guide some of the world’s most innovative organizations in aligning cutting-edge technology with human potential.

Chris Dawson

Threat Intelligence Publication Lead

Chris has spent 15 years in cybersecurity helping customers and the public understand the threats they face--both in their organizations and daily lives. 

Alexis Dorais-Joncas

Senior Manager, Threat Research

Alexis is the Senior Manager of Proofpoint’s APT research team, which is responsible for tracking the most elusive state-sponsored threat actors and disrupting their activities.

Nathan Dube

IT Security Manager, Viant Medical

Nathan Dube is an IT Security Manager at Viant Medical, a global strategic manufacturing partner to leading medical device OEMs. Based in Massachusetts, Nathan leads enterprise cybersecurity initiatives that protect critical infrastructure and ensure compliance across a diverse and complex IT landscape. He collaborates closely with cross-functional teams to strengthen digital defenses and manage risk. Known for his strategic leadership and hands-on approach, Nathan’s recent work spans a broad range of initiatives focused on enhancing organizational security posture and operational integrity.

Gretel Egan, SSAP

Security Awareness Strategist

Gretel Egan has been with Proofpoint for 10+ years.  She's a certified SANS Security Awareness Professional and a six-time author of the Proofpoint State of the Phish report.

Jason Ford

Principal Research Engineer

Jason is a Principal Researcher for Proofpoint's Competitive Intelligence team. He has over 20 years of experience working in IT and Information Security, and has published multiple papers on using machine learning to detect cyber attacks. 

Garrett Guinivan

Staff Sales Engineer

As a solutions architect, Garrett supports U.S. federal agencies with threat analysis and implementing Proofpoint solutions, drawing on experience in military intelligence and private sector threat consulting. 

Lynn Harrington

Sr. Product Marketing Manager

Lynn specializes in Prime Threat Protection with a focus on security awareness and behavior change to help organizations reduce risk and build resilience against today's human-centric threats.

Dr. Bob Hausmann 

Lead Cognitive Scientist, Human Risk Management 

With a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Bob specializes on the use of technology and principles from cognitive science to enhance educational outcomes for learners. 

Andrew Hermance

Sr. Expert Customer Success Manager

Andrew is a senior expert in customer success with many years in cybersecurity and 3+ at Proofpoint. Andrew helps global teams maximize value from Proofpoint's Information Protection products. 

Stacy Knoup

Director of Data Protection

Stacy Knoup is the Director of Data Protection at Principal Financial Group. She is responsible for the execution of Data Security and Records Management within the enterprise information security program. 

Jason Hurst

Founder and Pincipal Consultant, Cypriflex

Jason W.R. Hurst is a 20+ year Cybersecurity Professional and a published Sci-Fi author. His professional work specializes on treating Cybersecurity and Privacy as a competitive advantage and ensuring these investments return value through deep technical configurations.

He achieves this through continuous discovery, continuous remediation and continuous compliance by focusing on best-in-class solution ecosystems, not individual partners.

He holds the following professional certifications in good standing: CISM, CRISC, CISA, CGEIT, CDPSE, CIPP/US, CCSK, OneTrust Fellow.

Chris Inglis

Former U.S. National Cyber Director

Chris Inglis is a distinguished cybersecurity leader with over 40 years of federal service. He served as the nation’s first National Cyber Director at the White House (2021–2023) and spent 17 years at the NSA, including as Deputy Director. A retired Brigadier General and command pilot in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, Inglis also held academic and advisory roles, including as a commissioner on the U.S. Cyberspace Solarium Commission and a trustee of the National Intelligence University.

His accolades include the President’s National Security Medal and the Director of National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal. Inglis holds advanced degrees in engineering and computer science from Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and George Washington University. He resides in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife, Anna.

Patrick Joyce

Global Resident Chief Information Security Officer, Proofpoint

Patrick Joyce is the Global Resident Chief Information Officer at Proofpoint. In this role, he serves as a strategic advisor to the greater CISO community and spearheads Proofpoint's Customer Advisory Board (CAB). He is focused solely on the security needs of customer CISOs by delivering unbiased advice, knowledge and training to help CISOs stay ahead of the curve in the ever-changing threat landscape.

Mr. Joyce is a highly respected cybersecurity practitioner and industry thought leader with over 30 years of experience in the IT and security field. Before joining Proofpoint in November 2023, he served as Vice President and Chief Security Officer (both CSO & CISO) for Medtronic, a Fortune 500 MedTech enterprise, where he was responsible for leading the company's global security strategies, operations and initiatives. 

Prior to joining Medtronic, Patrick held leadership roles in both public and private sector organizations across multiple verticals, including healthcare (both provider & payor), travel/hospitality, and IT consulting. He also served as an Officer in the US Air Force and in the US Intelligence Community.

In addition to his accomplishments as a business partner and trusted advisor, Patrick is also known for his commonsense approach, calm and careful leadership, sound judgement, and ability to communicate effectively at all levels. 

Cristiana Kittner

Sr. Manager, Threat Research

Cris leads eCrime research at Proofpoint, bringing deep expertise in APT tracking, election interference, and Asia-pacific cyber ops from a background in military and defense analysis.

James Knight

Principal PS Consultant

James Knight brings over 29 years in IT, including 10+ at Proofpoint. He's helped Fortune 100 firms deploy defenses to protect their global enterprises from evolving digital threats.

Iza Kosterkiewicz

Project Manager, Accenture

Iza is a seasoned technology leader specializing in project management and email security, overseeing global operations and initiatives for Accenture's Messaging, Collaboration, and Productivity group.

Josh Linkenhoker

Enterprise Security Adviser

Josh is an experienced enterprise information security leader and has helped dozens of organizations align business objectives with risk-based security solutions.

Peter Lopez-Perez

Cybersecurity Engagement Specialist, Sharp HealthCare

Cybersecurity strategist and psychotherapist fusing human insight with learning. Inspires behavior change through adaptive awareness and workforce engagement.

Nick McClay

Sr. Director of Product and UX, Proofpoint ZenGuide

With 20 years of user-focused product development, he helped build Wombat Security's best-in-class product acquired by Proofpoint in 2018 and serves as Product Leader for the Security Awareness Group.

Yaniv Miron

Senior Manager, Threat Research

Yaniv is a seasoned Threat Researcher who leads a team focused on cloud threats. He's an inventor and 0-day vulnerability discoverer who often presents at cyber conferences.

Judy Molenaar

VP, Information Security & Chief Information Security Officer, Surescripts

Judy Molenaar is the VP and Chief Information Security Officer at Surescripts. She sets the vision, develops plans and oversees the execution of Surescripts' Enterprise Information and Physical Security, Business Continuity and Enterprise Risk Management Programs to ensure comprehensive, high-quality, and effective risk and information security management in support of business goals. With 20 years in cybersecurity, she has held leadership roles overseeing global teams for governance, cybersecurity, HIPAA compliance and identity management in multiple critical industry verticals (manufacturing, retail, and healthcare industries).

Judy is currently the President of the Women in Cyber Security (WiCyS) MN affiliate, an DirectTrust Board Member & Commissioner. She earned her bachelor’s degree in organizational studies from Bethel University and holds a Masters in Security Technologies from the University of Minnesota School of Science.

Matthew Moorehead

Director, Sender Security & Authentication Services

With over a decade of email authentication experience, Matt oversees the Services team responsible for deployment of Sender Security and Authentication solutions.

Itay Nachum

Sr. Director, Product Management

Itay has over two decades of cybersecurity expertise. He leads Proofpoint's Identity Threat (ITD) and SaaS/Identity Posture Management (SIPM) product organizations. 

Mike Olden

Sr. Principal Consultant 

Mike Olden is a Senior Principal Consultant with the Proofpoint Professional Services Organization.  With 20 years of experience in IT, he has held positions that include systems administration and engineering, architecture planning, custom development and product enhancement, solutions engineering, and technical training. 

Katie Ostrom 

Sr. Program Manager, Global Cybersecurity Strategist

Katie has 10+ years of experience as a cybersecurity practitioner, specializing in security metrics program design, process improvement, and cross-domain security strategy.

Sara Pan

Director, Product Marketing

Sara leads a team that helps organizations stay ahead of evolving cyber threats by driving awareness, delivering insights into attacker behavior, and sharing actionable strategies to reduce risk.

Pablo Passera

VP, Product Management

Pablo brings 19+ years in tech, leading security product teams. He drives Proofpoint’s Email Detection stack, including Protection, TAP, Emerging Threats, and Supplier Defense.

Chirag Patel

CISO, Bottomline Technologies

With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and risk management, Chirag has led enterprise-wide programs across FinTech and large financial institutions. He specializes in cybersecurity, risk management, regulatory engagement and program transformations. Chirag is currently the CISO for Bottomline, a global leader in business payments and cash management. In his role, he is responsible for the strategic vision and execution of the company’s global cybersecurity, product security and risk management programs. Prior to that he held several cybersecurity leadership roles with Truist Financials.

Vishal Patel

Sr. Sales Engineer

Vishal Patel is a Senior Sales Engineer at Proofpoint, with over a decade of experience in cybersecurity, specializing in adaptive email security and data loss prevention (DLP). At Proofpoint, he focuses on delivering cutting-edge solutions to protect organizations in the ever-evolving threat landscape.

Kimberly Pavelich 

Director, Learning Curation & Design 

Kimberly Pavelich is a dynamic scholar-practitioner who blends her experience as a security educator and policy expert to create effective, human-centered security strategies. 

Simon Pople

Sr. PM ZenGuide Admin Experience and Automation 

A member of the Proofpoint ZenGuide Security Awareness product team, Simon is passionate about behavioral data, and program automation as well as the occasional mountain trail with his fiance and dog. 

Blake P. Sallé

Chief Revenue Officer

Blake P. Sallé is the Chief Revenue Officer at Proofpoint, where he leads the company’s global customer-facing and go-to-market functions. With nearly 30 years of experience, Mr. Sallé has a strong background in building strategic sales, customer success, routes to market, and field operations initiatives that drive momentum, growth, and revenue across international markets.

Before joining Proofpoint in 2017, he served as President of Kony, the leading provider of enterprise mobility solutions. Mr. Sallé has also held senior leadership positions at some of the most recognized and innovative organizations in technology and healthcare such as Cisco, VCE, VMware, EMC, Johnson & Johnson, DXC, PTC, and an Andreessen Horowitz-backed start-up acquired by RSA. Mr. Sallé holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Kevin San Diego

VP, Product Management, Sender Security & Authentication

Kevin has over two decades of expertise in email, mobile messaging, and DNS security and leads Proofpoint’s product management team for Impersonation Protection solutions.

Ovais Shekhani

Director, IT Security Operations

Ovais Shekhani is Director, IT Security Operations at the American Medical Association. He has more than 20 years experience leading enterprise wide security programs in high-stakes environments.

Tucker Shepard

Sr. Manager, Information Security & HIPAA Security Officer

Tucker Shepard, CISSP, is the Senior Manager, Information Security and HIPAA Security Officer of Regent Surgical and an expert in enterprise continuity and data-driven risk reduction. 

Brad Skibitzki

Chief Information Security Officer

Brad Skibitzki is the Chief Information Security Officer at Zebra Technologies based in Lincolnshire, IL. Zebra Technologies provides innovative enterprise asset intelligence solutions, including mobile computers, barcode scanners, RFID technology, and software, to enhance productivity, accuracy, and decision-making across various industries. 

Cheryl Tang

Sr. Director, Product Marketing

Cheryl is a seasoned cybersecurity and IT leader who helps enterprises reduce risks, manage human-centric threats and align security strategies with real-world business outcomes.

Craig Temple

Staff Product Marketing Manager

Craig specializes in human-centric threat protection with a focus on impersonation protection solutions that defend against brand abuse and BEC attacks.

Stephanie Torto

Senior Product Marketing Manager

Stephanie brings over two decades of experience in cybersecurity and IT and helps organizations understand how to proactively detect, deter, and mitigate insider risk.

Trey Tunnell

CISO, Floor & Décor

Trey Tunnell is the Chief Information Security Officer for Floor & Décor, a 260-store retailer of hard surface flooring with roughly $4.5B in annual revenue. He’s passionate about keeping F&D’s brand safe.

Josh Tweeten

Senior Cybersecurity Analyst, Hormel Foods

Josh Tweeten is a Senior Cybersecurity Analyst at Hormel Foods in Austin, MN. His primary focus is cloud and application security architecture and reducing enterprise risk.

Ash Valeski

Senior SER Solutions Director

Ash is a subject matter expert on relaying application generated emails and played a critical role in bringing Proofpoint’s Secure Email Relay solution to fruition.

Jeremy Wittkopf

Sr. Manager, Product Evangelist Services

Jeremy is an expert in architecting, implementing, and managing Information Protection programs with a focus on helping multinational organizations comply with a changing regulatory landscape.

Patrick Wheeler

Director, Product Management

With more than twenty years in cybersecurity, Patrick drives strategy and execution for incident response, reporting, and usability innovations in the TAP Dashboard and APIs.

Jennifer L. Wood

Sr. IT Operations Manager, Delta Air Lines

Jennifer is a forensic researcher who works cross-functionally to lead threat investigations, bridging technical expertise and strategy to reveal the WHY behind investigations.

Curtis Wray

Staff Security Architect

Curtis has spent the past 14 years helping Proofpoint grow while bringing innovative security technologies to market. His extensive experience working with security leaders across industries--and implementing those same solutions--has shaped a unique, practical perspective. Building on a decade of prior work leading security teams and deploying solutions. Curtis now focuses on operationalizing security strategies to maximize impact for organizations.