Charlene O’Hanlon is an award-winning journalist and content professional serving the technology sector for more than 20 years as director, executive editor and managing editor for numerous technology-focused sites. As VP and Managing Editor at Activate Marketing Services, she leads a team of writers and editors who create client-focused content for marketing programs in the B2B tech sector. In her former position as Chief Operating Officer at Techstrong Group, Charlene led the direction and management of Techstrong Learning and Techstrong Live! webinars and events divisions. Charlene also served as co-host and anchor of the Techstrong TV streaming broadcast.

Charlene is co-author of “The Lifecycle of Fashion Technology” and is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences. In her spare time, she is an avid drummer and is working toward achieving a Level 4 Diploma in Wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).

Tom Gillis is the Chief Technology Officer at Cisco, where he drives the company’s vision for systems-level platform innovation. In this role, he focuses on helping customers navigate complex architectural shifts by leveraging Cisco’s comprehensive platform, spanning from the silicon layer through to the software and systems layer. A respected industry leader with deep expertise in secure integrated networking and enterprise computing, Tom is dedicated to empowering organizations to reduce risk, streamline management, and effectively adapt to the evolving technological landscape.

Previously, Tom served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Infrastructure & Security Group at Cisco, where he oversaw the global security business and led initiatives to build secure infrastructure within a unified framework. Prior to that, he led Cisco’s Security Business Group, focusing on simplifying the security experience globally.

Before joining Cisco, Tom was the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Network and Advanced Security Business Group at VMware, where he oversaw the endpoint, networking, load balancing, and network security businesses. He was also the CEO and co-founder of Bracket Computing, which was acquired by VMware.

Earlier in his career, Tom was the General Manager of the Security Technology Group at Cisco, managing security management, appliances, applications, and endpoint services. As part of the founding team at IronPort Systems, he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing, leading the company to become a premier provider of antispam, antivirus, and antimalware appliances. Under his leadership, IronPort achieved an average growth of 100 percent year-on-year for seven years before being acquired by Cisco.

Tom’s career also includes roles at iBEAM Broadcasting, Silicon Graphics, Boston Consulting Group, and Raytheon. He is a noted advisor to startups and venture capital firms, serving on several boards of directors. Tom holds an M.B.A. from Harvard University, an M.S.E.E. from Northwestern University, and a B.S.E.E. from Tufts University.

Michael Milligan is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for FedEx Freight, where he sets the strategic direction for cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, and risk management. He oversees the protection of the company’s digital assets and continuity programs for its 40,000+ team members, and is leading the security strategy for the company’s separation from FedEx Corporation

James Beeson was most recently the Global Chief Information Security Officer at Pfizer. Prior to Pfizer, James was the Global Chief Information Security Officer at The Cigna Group where he retired at the end of 2023 after 7 years. He was responsible for all aspects of cyber security and digital information protection. James also had a 20-year career working for GE Capital as a Chief Information Security Officer and a Chief Technology Officer.

He has an MBA in Finance from Southern Methodist University – Cox School of Business and a BBA in Business from Amberton University.

Susan is a 2x CISO who has rebuilt programs from inception, matured, operationalized and optimized results. She has more than 25 years of experience in Information
Technology, Cybersecurity, Business Continuity and Third-Party Risk Management. She has served in executive leadership roles with PNC as the CISO (Fortune 150),
Aetna as the Chief Data Protection Officer, Synovus as the CISO and BNY as the Managing Director of Technology Risk Management.

She has a record of rebuilding programs with highly capable teams. She reengineers processes and technology for efficiency and innovation – creating opportunities to
achieve continuous learning to address complex issues.

Susan is a CISO Executive Network Advisory Council member, Governing Body of the Global Evanta CISO Council, Member of the BITS Security Steering Committee and
prior Board members of the Cyber Risk Institute and the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
and a Masters in Business Administration.