On Day 1, attendees will have access to a curated mix of hands-on technical engagement and high-calibre panel discussions, designed to combine practical skills, strategic insight and industry-wide dialogue.
Day 1 highlights include:
- Hands-On Purple Team – ‘Powered by WiCSME’ — a dedicated workshop session where participants will engage in real-world purple-team exercises blending offensive and defensive techniques.
- Tracing the Cyber Shift at Black Hat MEA — a panel featuring Gary Hayslip (CISO-in-Residence, Halcyon), Ricardo Lafosse (CISO, Kraft Heinz), Dr. Chenxi Wang (Managing GP, Rain Capital), Lance James (Founder & Chief Innovations Officer, Unit 221B) and Jaya Baloo (COO & CISO, AISLE) — exploring how evolving threats, technology shifts and business demands are reshaping cybersecurity across MEA.
- Next-Gen CISOs: Leading Through Talent, Turbulence & Transformation — a panel discussing the expanding role of modern CISOs and how they lead teams and manage risk amidst digital disruption; speakers include Abeer Khedr (Group Head – Cybersecurity, National Bank of Egypt), Asma Alyemni (CISO, TVTC), Saja Aljulaud (CyberSecurity Manager & Podcast Co-founder, Kalam Cyber), Shaikha AlDhaheri (Senior OT expert – WiCSME UAE), and a senior representative from the government sector.
- Reverse Pitch – What Security Leaders Want (and Will Pay For) — a deep-dive panel where enterprise security buyers share their procurement priorities, featuring Ricardo Lafosse (CISO, Kraft Heinz), Marcos Marrero (CISO, H.I.G. Capital), Roya Gordon (CISO, Renewable Energy), and Dimitri van Zantvliet (CISO, NS – Dutch Railways).
- Rethinking Zero Trust for a World That Won’t Sit Still — a panel addressing the evolving nature of zero-trust security in the face of hybrid work, multicloud and AI-driven threats; speakers include Bernard Assaf (CISO, Airbus), Dr. Reem Al Shammari (Global Thought Leader – Cybersecurity & Technology), Salwa Alessa (CISO, DETASAD), and Muhammed Alwashmi (Chief Delivery Officer, Cyberani).
With this carefully selected mix of practical workshop experience and strategic dialogue led by top-tier cyber leaders, Day 1 of Black Hat MEA 2025 promises to deliver immediate value and long-term perspective for professionals, enterprises and innovators across the cybersecurity landscape.
