GovTechON CIO Briefing – Bridging Innovation: Industry & Government for a Digital Ontario

On November 18, TECHNATION hosted the GovTechON CIO Briefing in partnership with Ontario’s Office of the Corporate Chief Information Officer, a bi-annual forum that brings together Ontario’s digital leadership and industry partners to align on modernization priorities, secure-by-design practices, and the province’s evolving digital architecture. GovTechON, Ontario’s digital and technology organization, plays a central role in advancing cyber resiliency, enterprise architecture and innovative, citizen-centred digital services across government. 

The session opened with remarks from TECHNATION President & CEO Kevin d’Entremont, who emphasized TECHNATION’s role as the national voice of Canada’s tech industry and a trusted partner to government. He noted the importance of creating a space for open dialogue focused on innovation, rather than specific procurements, to help address Ontario’s most pressing digital challenges.
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Opening Remarks from Ontario’s Digital Leadership

The session opened with video remarks from the Honourable Stephen Crawford, Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement. He highlighted the long-standing partnership between government and TECHNATION, noting that these collaborations are central to advancing secure and connected public services for Ontarians. 

As he shared, “Ontario’s digital transformation is not just about technology, it’s about Ontarians,” underscoring the province’s commitment to building a responsive, transparent and inclusive government. 

Building on this message, Deputy Minister Samantha Poisson reinforced the importance of public–private collaboration in strengthening Ontario’s digital economy. She emphasized that “the relationship between TECHNATION and the Ontario government has always been a dynamic one, built on trust, innovation and collaboration,” and positioned this shared work as essential to supporting modernization efforts across ministries.

Rounding out the opening remarks, Corporate Chief Information Officer and Associate Deputy Minister Mohammad Qureshi spoke to the need for coordinated action across the digital ecosystem. He encouraged both government and industry to avoid working in silos, reminding attendees that meaningful progress comes from collective effort. As he noted, Ontario’s digital future must ultimately be “a win-win situation” for government, industry and the public.
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Secure by Design: Strengthening Ontario’s Digital Resiliency 

The Secure by Design segment featured four leaders from Ontario’s Cyber Security Division and Digital Experience Practice: 

• Daniela Spagnolo – Chief Information Security Officer, Cyber Security Division 
• David Langille – Head, Cyber Security Strategy, Risk Management & Architecture Branch 
• Jason Persaud – Head, Cyber Security Operations Branch 
• Sam Wissa – Head, Ontario.ca Digital Experience Practice 

Their presentation provided updates on Ontario’s enterprise cybersecurity approach, including advancements in cyber operations, security architecture, and proactive digital safeguards. They emphasized embedding security early in the technology lifecycle. 

As Spagnolo noted, “Security must be embedded from the very beginning. It cannot be an afterthought.”
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Powering Progress: IT as a Catalyst for Government Acceleration

Rocco Passero, Chief Information Officer for the Community Services I&IT Cluster, presented the province’s work in enterprise IT modernization and the role of technology in advancing Ontario’s ProtectON priorities. He emphasized that progress is driven not only by systems and architecture, but by the talent, program expertise and strong partnerships across ministries and with Supply Ontario that enable transformation.

“What really makes this all happen is the talent and experience that we have, as well as our partnerships,” Passero noted, highlighting the value of program knowledge and the ability to reimagine service delivery through data and technology. 

He added that the sector’s strength lies in leveraging this experience to ideate, rethink program delivery and support business priorities while ensuring IT acts not merely as a technical implementer, but as a strategic partner in building modern, responsive and citizen-centred services for Ontario.
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Supply Ontario Presentation 

As the morning continued, the focus shifted from enterprise modernization to procurement transformation with a presentation from Supply Ontario. This session featured insights from: 

• Sunita Chander – Chief, Strategy, Programs & Partnerships, Centralized Supply Chain Ontario 
• Jackie Korecki – Chief Operating Officer, Centralized Supply Chain Ontario 

Together, they highlighted how modernized procurement practices are becoming a critical enabler of Ontario’s digital agenda. Their update emphasized the need for greater consistency, improved vendor engagement, and streamlined procurement pathways to support the province’s digital and technology initiatives more effectively.
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“Two Sides of the Table” Panel Session with Industry and Public Sector Leaders

Moderated by Shannon MacDonald, Partner at Ernst & Young Canada, this panel brought together leaders from both government and industry to examine their respective perspectives on AI, data, cloud, digital trust and cybersecurity. Participants included: 

Industry Representatives 

• Carlos Akhilele – Manager, Sales Engineering, Canada, CrowdStrike Canada 
• Ven Adamov – Partner, Risk Analytics, Data & Technology, KPMG 
• Celio Casadei – Senior VP, Cloud & AI, OnX 

Public Sector Leaders 

• Mohammad Qureshi – Corporate CIO & Associate Deputy Minister, GovTechON 
• Daniela Spagnolo – Chief Information Security Officer, Cyber Security Division 
• Mike Amato – Chief Information Officer, Infrastructure Technology Services 

This “face-off” format created a lively, balanced exchange between government decision-makers and industry experts. Panelists explored the realities of responsible AI adoption, the pressures of cyber threat evolution, the need for scalable cloud architectures and the importance of digital trust frameworks. 

Their shared message was clear:government and industry must work in tandem to accelerate innovation while maintaining strong protections for Ontario’s digital ecosystem.

This final exchange tied together the core messages of the briefing, highlighting how closely technology, governance, talent and partnerships must align to strengthen Ontario’s digital resilience. The dialogue reflected a shared commitment, across government and industry, to continue advancing secure, scalable and citizen-centred digital services as Ontario moves forward.
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Closing Remarks

The event closed with remarks from Mark Matheson, Vice President, Federal & Eastern Public Sector at Kyndryl Canada and Director on TECHNATION’s National Board of Directors. He thanked all speakers for their insights and emphasized the strength of the TECHNATION GovTechON partnership, noting that Ontario’s model “sets the benchmark” for collaboration across the country.  

As he concluded, Matheson reiterated that this event represents the level of engagement and execution that TECHNATION aims to carry forward: “We need to replicate the work of GovTechON across the rest of the country. This is the benchmark that we need to set. ”
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The discussion reinforced that building a digitally resilient Ontario is a shared responsibility. Panelists highlighted the need for cross-ministry alignment, clear governance and ongoing collaboration with industry partners to advance secure, modern and citizen-centred digital services across the province. 

As the program came to a close, the open audience Q&A encouraged participants to reflect on the interconnected nature of technology, talent, governance and partnerships in driving meaningful modernization. The insights shared underscored a common commitment to strengthening Ontario’s digital ecosystem and supporting the province’s long-term transformation efforts. 

TECHNATION extends its sincere appreciation to all speakers, panelists, partners and sponsors who contributed to the success of the GovTechON CIO Briefing. Thank you to our industry experts, government leaders and moderators for sharing valuable insights that continue to shape Ontario’s digital future. 

Your leadership and partnership make these conversations possible.