Cindy Termorshuizen

Deputy Minister for the G7 Summit and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister for the G7 and G20 Summits

Cynthia (Cindy) Termorshuizen was appointed as Deputy Minister for the G7 Summit and Personal Representative of the Prime Minister (Sherpa) for the G7 and G20 Summits on June 25, 2024.

From January 2022 to June 2024, Ms. Termorshuizen served as Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. From May 2023 to June 2024 she served concurrently as Personal Representative of the Prime Minister (Sherpa) for the G7 Summit.

Ms. Termorshuizen previously served as Assistant Deputy Minister, Consular, Security and Emergency Management, at Global Affairs Canada, and in a range of roles at Global Affairs Canada, including Director General, International Security Policy; deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Canada to China; and deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Canada to Afghanistan.

Ms. Termorshuizen also held a number of positions earlier in her career at the Privy Council Office and the Department of National Defence.

Ms. Termorshuizen holds a Master of Arts (Political Science) from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts (International Development and French) from the University of Guelph. She has also studied in Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

Ambassador Andrii Plakhotniuk

Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada

Ambassador Andrii Plakhotniuk, Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada.
He is a seasoned diplomat with a long history of service in Ukraine’s foreign affairs. He previously served as Ukraine’s Ambassador to Sweden from 2020 until his recent appointment in July 2025 as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Canada and Representative of Ukraine to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Ambassador Plakhotniuk began his career at Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1997. He has held a number of key roles, including leading the Ministry’s Directorate for Countering Russian Threats and representing Ukraine in diplomatic capacities in China.

Through his diplomacy, Plakhotniuk has focused on strengthening bilateral relations, promoting democracy and human rights, and advocating for Ukraine’s security, Euro-Atlantic integration, and international cooperation.

Karim Bardeesy

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry

Elected in April 2025, Karim Bardeesy is the Member of Parliament for
Taiaiako’n-Parkdale-High Park, representing the Liberal Party. He has also been appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, where he works to advance innovation, economic growth, and opportunity for Canadians.

A lifelong public servant, Karim has dedicated his career to building a more inclusive and prosperous Canada. He co-founded and led the Dais, a national public policy and leadership institute at Toronto Metropolitan University, focused on forward-thinking work in technology, education, and democratic renewal.

Previously, Karim served as Deputy Principal Secretary to Premier Kathleen Wynne and Executive Director of Policy under Premiers Wynne and Dalton McGuinty, leading transformative policy initiatives on infrastructure, student support, and pensions. He ran as the Ontario Liberal candidate in Parkdale—High Park in 2022.

Karim began his career in journalism, working as a columnist for The Toronto Star, and as an editorial writer and business reporter at The Globe and Mail and Slate in New York.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School, and has taught leadership at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance.

Karim lives in Roncesvalles Village with his wife and two children. The son of
immigrants from Egypt and England, he was raised in Bathurst, New Brunswick.

Mark Schaan

Associate Deputy Minister, ISED – Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation

Mark Schaan is the Associate Deputy Minister at Innovation, Science and
Economic Development Canada (ISED), confirmed in October 2025, which builds on the direction from the Prime Minister on July of 2025 that he act as the direct Deputy support to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation. In these capacities, Mark supports Canada’s industrial AI and digital agenda, working to position the country as a global leader in the responsible development and use of these technologies.

Mark’s career has been highlighted by this cross-cutting policy and framework
effort, including leading major consultations and reforms, including for
telecommunications, investment review, intellectual property, bankruptcy and
insolvency, privacy and AI. Mark’s public service career has included roles
across the policy spectrum, as well as leading on revitalizing the public service
through innovative recruitment models.

Mark earned his BA (Honours) from the University of Waterloo, where he studied as a Loran Scholar. Mark earned his MPhil in Comparative Social Policy, conferred in 2004, and his DPhil in Social Policy, conferred in 2010 from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Mark is also actively involved in his communities.

Dominic Rochon

Deputy Minister, Treasury Board and Chief Information Officer of Canada

Dominic Rochon is leading the charge on Canada’s digital transformation as the Deputy Minister at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Canada’s Chief Information Officer – a role he’s held since February 2024.
Before this, Dominic brought his leadership skills to Transport Canada as Associate Deputy Minister, and played a key role at Public Safety Canada as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of National Security and Cyber Security. He also held senior positions at the Privy Council Office, TBS, and with the Communications Security Establishment.

With a wealth of experience in strategic policy, planning, communications, and operations, Dominic has played a major role in shaping Canada’s approach to technology, security, and government modernization and is at the forefront of modernizing government operations and driving innovation in the public sector. His leadership is all about building a more secure, connected, collaborative and forward-thinking government for Canadians.

Dominic holds a B.A. (Honours) in Political Science, International Politics from the University of Ottawa. When he’s not championing Canada’s digital future, Dominic is busy navigating the adventures of family life with his wife and two kids.

Marc Brouillard

Chief Information Officer and Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Digital Services

Marc Brouillard became Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Digital Services Branch on January 8, 2024.

In this role, Marc provides strategic leadership in pursuing world-class excellence in digital transformation service delivery, data and information management, and cyber security.

Before his arrival at Public Services and Procurement Canada, Marc served as Chief Digital Officer for Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He also held the following roles at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat:

• Chief Technology Officer and acting CIO of Canada
• Deputy departmental CIO and acting departmental CIO

Prior to joining the Government of Canada, Marc was Vice-President of Business Development for a local ecommerce services start-up. He also spent 13 years at MONTAGE IT Services, a division of MTS/Allstream, where he held numerous positions in technology consulting and business development.

Marc holds a Computer Programming Diploma from Algonquin College as well as a CIO Leadership Professional Development Certificate from the CIO Institute of the University of Ottawa.

Sami Khoury

Government of Canada Senior Official for Cybersecurity

Sami Khoury serves as the Government of Canada Senior Official for Cyber Security, providing cyber security expert advice and guidance to deputy ministers and senior officials across the Government of Canada. This role, with Sami’s extensive experience and knowledge, is critical to safeguarding Canada’s digital infrastructure and advancing our national security interests.

Previous to this, Sami was the Head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) from 2021 to 2024. The Cyber Centre is the primary source of expert advice, guidance, services, and support on cyber security for government entities, critical infrastructure owners and operators, the private sector, and the Canadian public. Sami embarked on his career at the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE) in 1992, initially as a research engineer specializing in the impact of emerging multimedia communications technologies. Over the years, he has held various operational and leadership roles. More recently, he served as Assistant Deputy Minister for Enterprise Technologies and Solutions. In this capacity, he was CSE’s Chief Information Officer, led CSE’s comprehensive Research program and the 24/7 Operations Centre.

Sami holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and a Master of Applied Science from Concordia University in Montreal. In 2016, he completed a certificate program in Public Sector Leadership at the University of Ottawa.
Sami’s contributions have been recognized through various accolades, including the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal and the APEX Award of Excellence for Innovation.

Richard Bilodeau

Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Safety

Richard Bilodeau is the Acting Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the of the National Cyber Security branch in Public Safety Canada responsible for a wide range of national security issues, including economic and cyber security, critical infrastructure, counter-terrorism policy and programs, and national security. Prior to joining Public Safety, Richard was a Director General in the Department of Finance Canada responsible for providing advice on financial sector policy, including on governance, financial services trade, insurance, framework policy and strategic initiatives. Richard has over 18 years experience in regulatory enforcement, including 15 years with the Competition Bureau of Canada where he managed complex enforcement matters and contributed to major legislative and policy initiatives. Richard holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa.

Véronique Torner

President, Numeum

Véronique Torner is a graduate of CPE Lyon and a pioneering entrepreneur in the digital and open-source space. She began her career in 1998 by co-founding the e-commerce startup Black Orange, later acquired by Éditions Atlas. She went on to lead Masterline Net Solutions and Masterline for five years before the company was acquired by Alti in 2005.

In 2006, she co-founded Alter Way, a services company specializing in open-source technologies. Following its integration into the Smile Group in 2021, Véronique joined the group’s executive committee.

A prominent voice in the tech ecosystem, she served as president of the Open CIO Summit from 2009 to 2022, and has been a board member of Numeum (formerly Syntec Numérique) since 2013. Since 2019, she has led the organization’s strategic program on sustainable digital technology and the Planet Tech’Care initiative.In June 2023, Véronique Torner became the first woman elected president of Numeum, France’s leading professional organisation for digital companies.

Jason Oxman

President and CEO, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)

Jason Oxman is president and chief executive officer of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), the global trade association for the tech sector, representing the world’s most innovative companies. Jason brings more than 25 years of experience as a globally recognized leader in technology policy and serves as the leading advocate for technology during a consequential time for the industry.

Washingtonian named Jason one of its 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy and a Tech Titan given his key role in advocating for innovation. Under Jason’s leadership, ITI has been recognized by its peers, including as the Trade Association of the Year by the Reed Awards. ITI was awarded the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) Power of Associations’ Silver Award for advocacy on the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act of 2022.

Jason serves as a member of the Board of Directors of ASAE; the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). He also chairs ASAE’s Association Coalition for AI, which advances the understanding, adoption, and responsible implementation of AI technologies within the association community.

Before joining ITI, Jason served as CEO of ETA, the international trade association of the payments technology industry, for seven years. In that role, Jason led ETA and its 500 global financial and technology member companies through unprecedented industry transformations and represented the payments industry before policymakers around the world.

Previously, Jason was Senior Vice President of Industry Affairs at the Consumer Technology Association, which he joined in 2006, leading multiple departments. Previously, he served as general counsel of an ICT industry trade association and as vice president of a Silicon Valley-based technology company. Earlier in his career, Jason developed and implemented technology policy for broadband and related communications services at the Federal Communications Commission. Jason began his career as a law clerk for the Maine Supreme Court. He received his B.A. cum laude from Amherst College, and his M.S. and J.D. from Boston University. Jason lives in Virginia with his wife and their two sons.

Julian David OBE

CEO, techUK

Julian David is the CEO of techUK, the UK technology trade association, representing over 1,100 member companies with more than 800,000 employees in the UK. Julian leads the company’s nearly 100 strong team working to deliver positive outcomes from digital technology for People, Society, the Economy and the Planet.

techUK is the voice of the tech industry in the UK with 21 member led programmes covering all of tech from ‘Chips to Clicks’ and addressing 11 market sectors from Defence and Central Government, through to Health, Consumer Electronics and Financial Services.

In 2021 techUK launched TechSkills, the employer-led accreditation organisation that aims to improve the flow of talent into the digital workforce and open up access for all to high value tech jobs.

Lasse Hamilton Heidemann

Senior Director for Outreach, DIGITALEUROPE

Lasse is DIGITALEUROPE’s Senior Director for Outreach. He was previously Senior Director for EU- and International Affairs at the Danish Chamber of Commerce where he has been for 8 years, and where he has worked on a broad range of issues including digital area, internal market, competitiveness, competition- and industrial policy – apart from a number on more concrete legislative files. He is responsible for outreach to all relevant stakeholders in Brussels as well as dealing with the press and representing the organisation in Danish and European contexts. Before this, he worked for the Danish Competition- and Consumer Authority, The Danish Ministry for Business, The Danish Business Authority and the European Commission (then DG SANCO) as well as in a role at a private management consulting firm in London.

He furthermore has been appointed to an advisory body to the European Commission (Fit-4-Future platform), been the Chairman for the Committee on Internal Market, Consumer- and Digital Policy in Eurocommerce and had a number of other formal and informal roles and academic guest lecture engagements.

He holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Aalborg University, and has lived and worked in Brussels for more than 12 years.

Ettore Russo

Senior Policy Manager, Anitec-Assinform

Ettore serves as Senior Policy Manager at Anitec-Assinform, where he oversees work on AI, Digital Health, and Digital Skills. He holds a degree in Public Policy and a postgraduate degree in Open Innovation and Intellectual Property. In his role at Anitec-Assinform, Ettore leads engagement on key EU legislative files, including the AI Act, Data Act, and European Health Data Space. He is currently coordinating research on AI’s impact on Italian businesses and the workforce in partnership with the Polytechnic University of Turin, and has authored and co-authored publications on European Data Regulation and the economics and regulation of the Metaverse. Since June 2025, Ettore is Vice Chair of DIGITALEUROPE’s AI & Data Working Group.

Jun Nakaya

Chair of Trade Policy Committee and Vice Chair of Personal Data Special Committee, JEITA

Mr. Jun Nakaya is Chair of Trade Policy Committee and vice chair of Personal Data special committee of Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA). JEITA is Japan’s leading IT and electronics association, with a membership of around 400 companies from Japan and abroad. Representing IT and electronics industry of Japan. he has been expressing views and opinions at the various international fora for the better world trade policies.

He participates in several industry organization activities such as JEITA and Keidanren and made recommendations on global-ICT related policy issues.
He coordinates with ministries and government offices for global-related policy issues and organized high level public-private sector meeting for G20 ministerial meeting on trade and digital economy in 2019 and public-private meeting for the G7 Digital Technology Ministerial meeting in 2023. He is also involved in the promotion of cross-border e-commerce and the establishment of the safe and secured environment for cross-border e-commerce market.

Valérie Dagand

Director General, Numeum

Valérie Dagand is a recognized expert in the digital sector, specializing in leading major digital transformation, data, and AI projects.

As General Delegate of Numeum, France’s leading professional union for digital companies, she manages a team of 30 people serving more than 2,500 member companies that account for 85% of the total turnover of the sector, which encompasses all digital professions and companies of all sizes.

Her experience in both the private and public sectors, working for large corporations as well as start-ups, has enabled her to develop a unique vision of governance and organizations in an era of major technological disruption, particularly in complex environments.

An internet pioneer, she began her career at Monoprix in 1995, where she launched the brand’s first e-commerce sites. She then joined the Connectworld agency (Havas) to support luxury brands (Dior, Givenchy, Le Bon Marché) in their first steps on the internet. In 2001, she helped create the PPR group’s first web and multi-brand subsidiary, bringing together Fnac, Conforama, Citadium, and La Redoute as Digital Marketing Director. She then joined Aéroports de Paris as Digital and Communications Director to initiate its strategic repositioning focused on digital, data, and services.

Passionate about entrepreneurship, in 2007 she launched a new television channel (Vivolta) with Philippe Gildas as Director of the digital subsidiary and Marketing Director of the media group. In 2016, she joined the Vinci Autoroutes group as Director of Innovation to launch its digital, data, and AI transformation.

In April 2018, she was appointed Deputy Director General in charge of orchestrating the digital transformation of the Ministry of the Armed Forces within the DGNUM, where she also led numerous circles of influence on issues such as sovereign cloud computing, trusted AI, data protection, agility, and more. Convinced of the need to support businesses, she then co-founded IA Campus, the first innovation and training lab focused on new uses of AI.
Committed to responsible and inclusive digital technology, she was president of the Cyberelles association and president and founder of the Combattante@Numerique association.

Valérie Dagand is a graduate of ESG, holds a master’s degree from KEDGE, and an executive MBA from ESCP Europe.

Stella Morabito

Director General, AFNUM

Stella MORABITO is the CEO of AFNUM, the French trade association of tech manufacturers, representing national, European and global industry leaders with a cumulative turnover in France of €35 billion and 180.000 employees.
Stella has been leading AFNUM since 2019 and has contributed to transform the association in one of the most influential and heard voices of the French digital landscape and an esteemed sparring partner for French public authorities, and international organizations and Embassies.

Focused on the convergence of digital industries with vertical sectors such as energy, aeronautics, defense, health or agriculture, Stella has been involved in several innovative projects related to the use of IoT, 5G, AI, and edge computing on industrial projects, to improve productivity and minimize the environmental impact of digital technologies. The industrialization of France and Europe by and with digital industries, is one of her main advocacy topics.

In the last 15 years, she has also contributed to building a solid link between the digital industries and the cultural sector on all subjects related to creation, copyrights and, most recently, the use of protected works for the training of generative AI.

Before AFNUM, Stella has worked for several years in the consumer electronics sector (Thomson, RCA, General Electrics) as an international Marketing and Sales Director, after a career debut in the media sector within the Berlusconi group, Mediaset.

Passionate about technology, innovation, economics and strategy, Stella has graduated both in business administration (Bocconi University in Milan and HEC in Paris) and in engineering (Centrale-Supelec, Master in Technology management).

Stella has been living and working in Paris for 30 years but was born and raised in Italy and Switzerland. She speaks Italian, French, English, German and Spanish, is a convinced Europhile and considers herself a citizen of the world.

John Cousens

Managing Director of Public Sector, Google Cloud Canada

John Cousens is the Managing Director of Public Sector, Google Cloud Canada. John is a Cloud industry veteran with experience in two cloud computing start-ups. He has over 20 years of senior management experience, with previous technology leaders. John has a passion for innovation, customers and hockey; all powered by an entrepreneurial heart. John sits on the board of directors of TECHNATION.

A native of the Ottawa valley, John is married to an amazing wife with two children that inspire him daily.

Nicole Foster

Director of AWS Global AI/ML and Canada Public Policy, Amazon

Nicole Foster leads the direction and strategy of artificial intelligence public policy globally for Amazon Web Services (AWS) as well as the company’s public policy efforts in support of the AWS business in Canada. In this role, she focuses on issues related to emerging technology, digital modernization, cloud computing, cyber security, data protection and privacy, government procurement, economic development, skilled immigration, workforce development, and renewable energy policy. Prior to joining Amazon in 2018, Nicole led the Toronto office for Global Public Affairs, providing senior public affairs counsel to clients. Before joining Global in 2004, Nicole worked for a number of years in political roles in Ottawa. Nicole is the past National Chair of Equal Voice, a multi-partisan group dedicated to raising the issue of women’s under-representation in Canadian legislatures.

Sylvie Ouelette

President/Co-Founder, Versatil

Sylvie Ouellette is the President & Co-founder of Versatil, an IBM Platinum Business Partner with core competencies in analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber security. Versatil is a proud Women, Indigenous and 2SLGBTI+ owned company, certified by WBE Canada, CCAB, CAMSC and CGLCC. Recognized for being a creative thinker and a change agent for organizations, Sylvie is a highly energetic and result-oriented professional with over +25 years of experience in Information Technology (IT) and digital transformation.

At Versatil, she enjoys helping organizations take advantage of IT solutions to provide greater insight for better and faster decision-making. Before Versatil, Sylvie has held several senior executive positions, including IT Director, VP of Finance & Shared Services, Global Process Owner, and Global Business Performance Leader in large corporations, such as General Motors (GM), Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and Hewlett Packard (HP). She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Université de Sherbrooke, a Higher Diploma in International Business from Leeds Beckett University in England, and an MBA from the Université du Québec in Outaouais.

J.Paul Haynes

President and Chief Operating Officer, eSentire

J.Paul Haynes was drawn to eSentire with a vision to create a disruptive cybersecurity company. He successfully partnered with growth capital and private equity firms to invest in and scale eSentire to become the world’s largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider and market leader. J.Paul is a professional engineer with a 35-year entrepreneurial track record of success. His business acumen, in-depth understanding of technology, and strong leadership have made him a respected and reliable voice on the topic of cybersecurity in North America, Europe and Asia. J.Paul holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Engineering from the University of Guelph. He is also a proud alumnus serving on the Advisory Board of the Masters of CyberSecurity and Threat Intelligence for University of Guelph’s College of Physical Science, is a Board Director for Technation and for 2025 is co-chairing the Canadian T7 cybersecurity and AI working group as part of Canada’s G7 Presidency.

Todd Lane

Manager, Government Relations, Lenovo

Todd M. Lane joined Lenovo as the Manager for Government Relations responsible for Canada in December of 2023 following decades of experience on Parliament Hill and Queen’s Park. He most recently served as Director of Communication for the Minister for National Defence, the Minister of International Development and as a Senior Advisor to the Premier of Ontario.

Over his years in Ottawa and Toronto, he has a developed expertise in national security, economic development, and crisis communications. He is a proud alumni from the University of Toronto’s Munk School for Global Affairs, where he received a Master’s degree in European, Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Michael Acedo

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Open Text

Mr. Acedo was appointed Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary in January 2022, and became Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary in August 2022. Since joining OpenText in 2014, Mr. Acedo has held various increasingly senior legal roles, primarily supporting corporate governance, external reporting, investor relations, Corporate Citizenship, capital markets, corporate communications, government relations, and merger & acquisitions matters and, most recently, as the Vice President, General Counsel–Corporate & Corporate Secretary. Mr. Acedo is responsible for leading the global legal organization, including the Office of the Chief Compliance Officer and the Corporate Secretarial department. Prior to joining OpenText, Mr. Acedo practiced corporate and securities law, with a concentration on international capital markets and merger and acquisitions transactions, at the global law firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Mr. Acedo holds a Law Degree from The University of Western Ontario, Canada (including Law exchange at Hong Kong University) and a B.A. (Honours) from The University of Toronto, is a member of the New York State Bar Association and a Foreign Legal Consultant with the Law Society of Ontario.