Agenda for the Conference Day
| Time | Session | Speaker |
| 9:00 to 9:30 | Registration | |
| 9:30 to 9:40 | Opening | Master of Ceremony |
| 9:40 to 9:50 | Address by Chief Guest | Cabinet Secretary |
| 9:50 to 10:00 | NCS Launch | Cabinet Secretary |
| 10:00 to 10:20 | BtCIRT Annual Update | BtCIRT |
| 10:20 to 10:30 | Group Photo Session |
10:30 to 11:00 – Tea Break
11:00 to 11:10 – Regulator Initiatives Update (BICMA)
Mr. Sonam Tobgay works for the InfoComm and Infrastructure Division, Bhutan Information Communication and Media Authority (BICMA). Previously he worked in the Spectrum Management Division, BICMA. He has a Bachelors of Engineering in Electronics and Communication from the College of Science and Technology, Royal university of Bhutan. He was a member of the working group for drafting National cybersecurity strategy, Draft CII framework.
11:10 to 11:20 – Regulator Initiatives Update (RMA)
Mr. Phub Wangchuk is a Senior ICT Officer at the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Murdoch University, specializing in Internetworking Security. Before taking on his current role, he worked at the erstwhile Ministry of Works and Human Settlement from 2013 to 2023.
11:20 to 11:30 – Regulator Initiatives Update (ERA)
Mr. Tshewang Nidup works at Electricity Regulatory Authority of Bhutan. He has a Bachelors in Computer Application from Integral University. Currently he carries out the responsibilities of a network administrator and system administrator at his workplace
11:30 to 12 noon – Space Security
Pooja Lepcha is a satellite systems engineer at the Division of Telecom and Space under the Government Technology Agency, Bhutan. She has bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Masters and PhD in Space Systems Engineering from Kyushu Institute of Technology During her master’s degree, she was involved in the BIRDS-2 satellite project that developed the first satellite of Bhutan, BHUTAN-1 She has been actively involved in seven more satellite projects. She currently is leading the development of the next satellite in Bhutan and occasionally conducts space education outreach programs in schools and colleges.
12 noon to 12:30 – Architectural Design Considerations for OT DMZ
Ed has worked in IT for the past 28 years bringing technical, communications and leadership expertise to his practice. More recently Ed has intensified his focus on Cyber Security Architecture recognising the critical nature of IT/OT convergence.
Ed is an enabler with a calm, adventurous spirit, is methodical and can think on his feet with a can-do attitude. He has a passion for simplifying technical information to a non-technical audience. As a result of extensive international consulting Ed landed key cyber security roles with Synergy (Western Australia’s largest Electricity Generator & Retailer) and now Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy & Fertilisers.
He has worked largely in the energy and resources industries and the most recent project was the implementation of an OT DMZ to securely and safely separate IT from OT to mitigate risk.
Ed is a former Microsoft Trainer, qualified Certified Information Systems Security Professional, CISSP®, a three-time graduate of Curtin University and holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical), Graduate Diploma in Business & Administration and a Graduate Diploma in Computer Science.
Ed’s personal mottos are Think Cyber Safety and Cyber Never Sleeps!
12:30 to 13:00 – AI for CI Security
Dr. Muna Al-Hawawreh is a Lecturer in Cybersecurity at the School of Information Technology, Deakin University, Australia. She holds a PhD in Computer Science-Cybersecurity from UNSW Canberra, obtained in 2022, alongside First-Class Honours bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Computer Science. Dr. Al-Hawawreh is a passionate researcher focused on cybersecurity and privacy-preserving techniques in critical systems like the Industrial Internet of Things (IloT), Industrial Control Systems (ICS), cloud computing, cyber-physical systems, and smart satellites.
Her research aims to investigate, analyze, and mitigate current and future cyber threats, emphasizing applying Al for cybersecurity automation.Her contributions have been recognized through several prestigious awards, including the Dr KW Kong Best Paper Award (2018-2020), the 2022 UNSW Ria De Groot Prize for the best performance by a female postgraduate student, the UNSW Stephen Fester Prize for the most outstanding thesis in Information Technology, and the First Prize for High Impact Publication from UNSW Canberra. She also received the ARC PGC Student Award for her contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Al-Hawawreh’s work has been extensively published in top-tier, peer-reviewed journals, with some of her research cited by patents, demonstrating the practical relevance of her work in industrial and commercial applications.
13:00 to 14:00 – Lunch Break
13:30 to 14:00 – Lighting Talk: Build an AI-powered platform approach to cyber resilience
Mr. Chinmoy Maiti is a senior solutions consultant. He has 15 years of experience in Cybersecurity domain. Currently, he has worked with Palo Alto Networks for the last six years.
14:00 to 14:30 – Unveiling Common Vulnerabilities: Lessons from Ethical Hacking exercise of DHI Companies
Mr. Kinley Tshering is currently the Chief Project Officer at Thimphu TechPark Ltd (TTPL) handling the electronic patient information system (ePIS) project. Prior to joining TTPL, he worked at Druk Holding & Investments Ltd (DHI) and Bhutan Telecom Ltd (BTL), where he led development of in-house Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects for SMCL, CDCL and NRDCL. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Application Development from Rochester Institute of Technology, NY and is a Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), Professional Scrum Master (PSM) and RedHat Certified Specialist in Containers.
14:30 to 15:00 – Analysis of SMTP TLS Implementations
Jamie Gillespie is a Senior Internet Security Specialist at APNIC, where he focuses on security training, outreach, and the development of Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs), network operators, and Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) throughout the 56 economies that make up the Asia Pacific region. His work supports APNIC’s vision of fostering “A global, open, stable, and secure Internet.” With over 26 years of IT experience, 22 of those dedicated to Information Security, Jamie has built an extensive career in the industry. He began at the backbone Internet provider UUNET Canada before holding various information security roles at organizations such as AusCERT, Google, and Macquarie Cloud Services. Jamie is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP), and a Certified Professional Member of the Australian Computer Society (MACS CP (Cyber Security)).
15:00 to 15:30 – Generative AI Guidelines for Civil Servants
Mr. Sherab Gocha has a Bachelors of Engineering in Information Technology from the College of Science and Technology. He is currently serving at the Emerging Technologies Division under GovTech Agency where he is responsible for carrying out research and development, drafting guidelines, frameworks, and policy for emerging technologies. He is working on creating a repository for emerging technologies used in agencies to forecast tools to be used. Currently, he is engaged with the GovTech chatbot and NFT projects.
15:30 to 15:45 – Tea Break
15:45 to 16:15 – “Scaling Up Cybersecurity: The World Bank’s Role in Enabling Secure, Resilient, and Sustainable Digital Transformation”
Hagai Mei-Zahav is a Senior Cybersecurity Specialist working with the World Bank’s Digital Transformation Practice. He focuses on promoting global cybersecurity initiatives, working collaboratively across sectors and regions, and addressing the World Bank’s growing client demand.
Hagai also supports the World Bank’s cybersecurity partnerships in the South-Asia and Asia-Pacific Regions, advising governments, including the Royal Government of Bhutan, on advancing their cyber resilience, designing and implementing strategies, and deploying cyber solutions.
Prior to the World Bank, Hagai held the Director for International Cooperation position at Israel’s National Cyber Directorate (INCD), leading Israel’s business development in cybersecurity in Europe and Asia-Pacific regions. Hagai is a professional diplomat. He served as Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to Hungary and Israel’s Deputy Consul-General to Sao-Paulo, Brazil. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Management and a master’s in business administration.
16:15 to 16:45 – Anti-bullying Mechanism in Schools
Ms. Kinley Wangmo is a School Guidance Counsellor at Changangkha Middle Secondary School. With a Postgraduate Diploma in Contemplative Counselling Psychology, she is dedicated to advocating for and supporting the mental health of children. She actively engages in initiatives aimed at fostering emotional well-being and resilience among students.
16:45 to 17:15 – Who is living off your Domain Name?
Mr. Swapneel Patnekar is the CEO of of Shreshta, a threat intelligence company. He has 15 years of experience in information security. Swapneel is a Liaison Member of FIRST [1] and the co-chair of the DNS Abuse SIG at FIRST.He is an APNIC Community Trainer and has delivered workshops in Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. He has also delivered technical workshops to Law Enforcement on countering cybercrime. He is a prolific speaker and has recently presented at numerous international security and privacy conferences.