2024 speakers
CIGF is proud to convene leaders across governments, the private sector, civil society, academia and the technical community to discuss the most pressing public policy issues facing the internet. We were pleased to have the following speakers for CIGF 2024: Canada on the world stage. Stay tuned for our CIGF 2025 line-up!
Keynote
President and CEO, CIRA
Byron Holland
President and CEO of CIRA, Byron Holland represents CIRA internationally in its global policy work. Over the past decade, he has been at the decision-making table for key moments in the history of internet governance and has held numerous positions within the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), including Chair of the Customer Standing Committee and terms as Chair and Vice Chair of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO). He currently sits on the Board of Directors for TORIX, Canada’s largest internet exchange point and is on the Board of Directors of the Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries (CENTR).
Virtual Keynote
Senior-Fellow-in-Residence, McGill Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy
Frances Haugen
Frances Haugen is an advocate for accountability and transparency in social media. Frances holds a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Olin College and an MBA from Harvard University. In 2019, she was recruited to be the lead Product Manager on the Civic Misinformation team, which dealt with issues related to democracy and misinformation. During her time at Facebook, Frances became increasingly alarmed by the choices the company makes prioritizing their own profits over public safety and putting people’s lives at risk. As a last resort and at great personal risk, Frances made the courageous decision to blow the whistle on Facebook. The initial reporting was done by the Wall Street Journal in what became known as “The Facebook Files.” Since going public, Frances has testified in front of numerous governments and engaged with lawmakers internationally on how best to address the negative externalities of social media platforms. Frances has filed a series of complaints with the U.S. Federal Government relating to Facebook, claiming that the company has been misleading the public and investors on how it handles issues such as climate change, misinformation and hate speech, and the impact of its services on the mental health of children and young adults. In May 2023, she joined McGill’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy as a Senior-Fellow-in-Residence.
Host
Director of Corporate Engagement, Catalyst Canada, and Public Policy Forum Fellow in Digital Democracy
Victoria Kuketz
Victoria Kuketz is an established public policy, and engagement professional focused on social impact. Her mission is to accelerate growth and momentum on innovation, inclusion, and the protection of democracy. She is currently the Director of Corporate Engagement at Catalyst Canada, a fellow of the Public Policy Forum focused on Digital Democracy, and host of the Democracy Dialogues at the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Democratic Engagement Exchange (The Exchange.) Victoria was a Civic Action Diverse City fellow from 2021-2022, volunteers for Mila in their AI for Humanity work, and sits on the advisory committees for TMU’s 2024 Democracy XChange Conference as well as The Exchange’s Canadian Vote Summit.
Panel 1
President, Mozilla Foundation
Mark Surman
Mark Surman has spent three decades building a better internet, from the advent of the web to the rise of artificial intelligence. Mark is President of Mozilla Foundation, a global nonprofit that does everything from making Firefox to advocating for a more open, equitable internet. Mark’s current focus is ensuring the various Mozilla organizations work in concert to make trustworthy AI a reality. Mark led the creation of Mozilla.ai (a commercial AI R&D lab) and Mozilla Ventures (an impact venture fund with a strong focus on AI). Before joining Mozilla, Mark spent 15 years leading organizations and projects that promoted the use of the internet and open source as tools for social and economic development.
Panel 1
Reporter, The Globe and Mail
Alexandra Posadzki
Alexandra Posadzki is an award-winning business journalist with The Globe and Mail, Canada’s largest national newspaper, and the author of the instant #1 best-selling book, Rogers v. Rogers: The Battle for Control of Canada's Telecom Empire. Her coverage of the country’s telecommunications industry, and in particular the conflict at Rogers, won several Canada Best in Business Awards from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. She was featured in a 2022 Netflix documentary called Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King for her contributions to the Globe’s industry-leading coverage of a massive cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. She lives in Toronto and is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Master of Journalism program.
Panel 1
Vice President for Technical Engagement, ICANN
Adiel Akplogan
Adiel Akplogan is Vice President for Technical Engagement at ICANN. With more than 25 years’ experience in the ICT industry, Adiel has previously worked as CEO for AFRINIC, IT Director for Symbol Technology in France and Director of New Technology at CAFE Informatique in Togo. Recognized as one of the Internet technology pioneers in Africa, he has contributed to technical capacity building and deployment of some of the first private ISPs in Africa from 1996-1999. Adiel Akplogan has a graduate degree in electrical engineering and holds a master’s degree in E-Business and New Technology Management from Paris Graduate School of Management.
Panel 1
Director General, Telecommunications and Internet Policy, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Andre Arbour
Andre Arbour is Director General of Telecommunications and Internet Policy at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. He is responsible for leading policy development on various telecommunications matters including Internet and mobile competition, rural access, net neutrality, and international Internet governance. He also has broader responsibilities for the Telecommunications Act and interfaces with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) concerning telecommunications.
Prior to his current role he occupied a series of positions working in telecommunications and public policy. Past initiatives including leading development of Canada's first national Connectivity Strategy, leading policy for $4 billion in connectivity program funding, and policy development on various issues related to competition and consumer protection. Andre graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Toronto and has a Master’s in Public Administration from Carleton University.
Panel 1
Vice President Public Affairs, Bell Canada
Michele Austin
Michele Austin is a global leader in public policy who currently serves as the Vice President of Public Affairs at Bell Canada. Previously, Michele was the Director of Public Policy (U.S. and Canada) at Twitter Inc., for five years, and worked as a Senior Advisor at Summa Strategies. She held two chief of staff roles under Stephen Harper’s government.
Youth spotlight
President, Youth Internet Governance Forum Canada
Dana Cramer
Dana Cramer is Canada’s leading young internet leader. She is a PhD Candidate at TMU and a Digital Policy Hub Fellow with CIGI. Dana is a Global Youth Ambassador with the Internet Society, has held a NextGen@ICANN placement, and a fellowship with ARIN. She leads Youth Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Canada and Canada Youth IGF. She is a past winner of the CRTC’s Prize for Excellence in Policy Research – the youngest person to be awarded when she won in 2020. She is a past Top 10 finalist of the International Institute of Communication’s Future Leaders Competition.
Panel 2
Assistant Professor, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University
Suzie Dunn
Suzie Dunn is an assistant professor at Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law. Her research centers on the intersections of equality, technology and the law, with a specific focus on technology-facilitated gender-based violence, artificial intelligence and deepfakes. She is also a Senior Fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation and is a member of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund’s technology-facilitated violence committee.
Panel 2
Canadian Investigative Journalist
Justin Ling
Justin Ling is an award-winning investigative journalist who covers national security, policing, politics, and plenty of other things. He is also the author of Missing From the Village, and he hosted the podcasts The Village and The Flamethrowers. He writes the Bug-eyed and Shameless newsletter.
Panel 2
Senior National Director, Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Canada
Marlene Floyd
Marlene Floyd is one of Canada’s leading government affairs professionals with over 20 years working in business, government and the not-for-profit sector. Professionally Marlene leads Microsoft’s corporate affairs, public policy and advocacy efforts in Canada. Prior to joining Microsoft, Marlene has worked as a partner in a national government and public affairs firm and has served as a trusted advisor to Prime Ministers and several federal Ministers on a diverse range of public policy matters. An avid volunteer, Marlene sits on and chairs several national and community boards, including Dress for Success Canada Foundation, Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan), and the Canadian American Business Council. She is the founder of Dress for Success Ottawa, a charity that empowers the economic independence of women by providing the tools to help them thrive in work and in life. For her career and community achievements Marlene has been a recipient of a Forty Under 40 award, Y Women of Distinction award and a Leading Women Building Communities award from the province of Ontario.
Panel 3
Director, International Cyber Policy, Global Affairs Canada
Kelly Anderson
Kelly Anderson currently serves as Director for International Cyber Policy at Global Affairs Canada. Ms. Anderson joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1997. At Headquarters, she has worked in a variety of assignments including Deputy Director for NATO, OSCE and European Defence Cooperation; Deputy Director for Conventional, Chemical and Biological Weapons; and, as Deputy Director for Space Policy and Regulation. She has served overseas at the Canadian Embassies in Belgrade, Serbia and Washington, DC. She was Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva from 2011-2014 and, most recently, served as Counsellor and Head of the Foreign Policy and Diplomacy section of the Canadian Embassy to Austria. She has an MA from the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs.
Panel 3
Senior Director, North American Government and Regulatory Affairs, Internet Society
Natalie Campbell
Natalie Campbell is Senior Director, North American Region at the Internet Society, and a co-lead of its global initiative to protect the Internet from emerging fragmentation threats. She is passionate about analyzing how policy decisions and trends could impact the Internet and leading advocacy efforts to grow, protect and defend an Internet for everyone. She also helped develop the first Internet Impact Assessment Toolkit as a resource to help protect what the Internet needs to exist and thrive. Prior to joining the Internet Society, she was founder of Campbell Communications, an agency specializing in advocacy and strategic communications, and working with Indigenous communities to promote community-led Internet access solutions. She has also worked at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, where she helped establish the first Canadian Internet Governance Forum.
Panel 3
Vice President, Community Investment, Policy and Advocacy, CIRA
Charles Noir
Charles Noir leads CIRA’s policy development, advocacy and Net Good program. Net Good invests millions of dollars each yuear to bridge the digital divide and address some of Canada’s most pressing internet challenges. Prior to joining CIRA, Charles spent over 15 years working for various Canadian government departments and agencies where he made significant contributions to policy development related to internet, international telecommunications, cybersecurity and technology. He has extensive experience in leading international negotiations and providing policy advice to senior decision-makers. Charles holds a PhD in Management (Information Systems) from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, a Master of Science in Analysis, Design and Management of Information Systems from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Simon Fraser University.
Panel 3
Managing Director, Centre for International Governance Innovation
Aaron Shull
Aaron Shull is managing director and general counsel at CIGI. He is a senior legal executive and is recognized as a leading expert on complex issues at the intersection of public policy, emerging technology, cybersecurity, privacy and data protection.
Panel 3
Head of Policy and Privacy at TCX
Sarah Wyld
Sarah Wyld, CIPP/E is the Head of Policy and Privacy at TCX, a domain name wholesale registrar and registry operator (Tucows), fiber ISP (Ting), and mobile services enabler (Wavelo), where she helps make the Internet better by championing the privacy of TCX’s customers and employees. Sarah leads TCX’s privacy and data governance program, including creating data processing policies, drafting staff training modules, and implementing solutions for compliance with global privacy and data protection laws. She works as an active participant in the ICANN community, taking on the Policy Vice-Chair role in the Registrar Stakeholder group (RrSG) as well as leading the RrSG Communications and Outreach team and participating in various ICANN policy working groups. Sarah is also involved in Tucows' corporate presence in other industry groups, including as a member of the Internet Infrastructure Coalition.
Fireside chat
Assistant Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University
Jake Okechukwu Effoduh
Jake Okechukwu Effoduh is an Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law of Toronto Metropolitan University. He teaches Technology Law as well as Big Data Law. His research lies at the intersection of responsible AI, technology governance, and human rights. He has gained significant expertise in legal advocacy by working across various ranks of supranational legal systems. As Chief Councillor of the Africa – Canada AI and Data Innovation Consortium (ACADIC), he provided human rights and regulatory compliance expertise on the use of AI and Big Data in Canada and 20 African countries. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council.
Fireside chat
Director of AI, Conseil de l’innovation du Québec
Anne Nguyen
Graduate of Harvard Business School in Business Analytics and Lean Six Sigma certified, Anne Nguyen has been the Director of AI at the Innovation Council of Quebec since January 2024. Her role is to promote AI adoption in Quebec, a role that she took on with great enthusiasm. Her journey has been characterized by many challenges and achievements, particularly in the health network, all of which have had innovation as their leitmotif, an innovation that Anne wishes to color with the values of inclusion, equality and humanity—which have always guided her in her professional journey.
Panel 4
Of Counsel, Dentons
Chantal Bernier
Chantal Bernier is Co-chair, Dentons’ Global Privacy and Cybersecurity Group as well as a member of the Canadian Privacy and Cybersecurity practice group. With Chantal on board, Dentons is proud to be the only law firm in Canada with a former privacy regulator as a practicing lawyer. During her nearly six years at the helm of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), Chantal led national and international privacy investigations in the public and private sectors, as well privacy audits, privacy impact assessment reviews, technological analysis, and privacy policy development and research.
Chantal leverages her many years in high-ranking positions at the Government of Canada to provide her clients with strategic counsel. Her experience as a senior executive also uniquely positions her to understand corporate management challenges in both the public and private sectors to find solutions that serve corporate interests and comply with the law. She serves clients in French, English, Italian and Spanish, and is very active at the international level.
Panel 4
Reporter, The National Post
Stephanie Taylor
Stephanie Taylor is a political reporter with the National Post in Ottawa. She's previously worked at The Canadian Press and CBC. Over the past decade Stephanie has covered all three levels of government across four different provinces. Most recently, she's turned her attention to the issue of the role of government when it comes to online safety and Internet regulation.
Panel 4
Fellow, CitizenLab
Cynthia Khoo
Cynthia Khoo is a technology and human rights lawyer, and a fellow at the Citizen Lab (University of Toronto). Previously, she was a senior associate at Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy & Technology in Washington, DC, leading on algorithmic discrimination, worker surveillance, and consumer privacy. Cynthia has developed particular expertise in areas where emerging technologies impact human and civil rights, such as algorithmic policing, stalkerware, and intermediary liability, and authored LEAF’s Deplatforming Misogyny: Report on Platform Liability for Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence. She holds an LL.M. (Law and Technology) from the University of Ottawa and J.D. from the University of Victoria.
Panel 4
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy Sector, Justice Canada
Owen Ripley
Owen Ripley is Senior Assistant Deputy Minister and leads the Policy Sector at the Department of Justice Canada. The Sector works to support the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada in relation to criminal law, victims, federal family law, youth criminal justice, Indigenous justice, international development and access to justice. Prior to joining the Department of Justice, Owen worked for over 12 years at the Department of Canadian Heritage where he spearheaded policy work related to the impact of digital technologies on arts, culture and media. Significant achievements included the passage of the Online Streaming Act and the Online News Act, as well as developing a legislative framework related to online safety (proposed Online Harms Act). Owen has Common Law and Civil Law degrees as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from McGill University.
Panel 4
Executive Director, MediaSmarts
Kathryn Hill
Kathryn is the Executive Director of MediaSmarts, Canada’s Centre for Digital Media Literacy. Kathryn holds a Master of Social Work, and a Master of Management. Her commitment to social justice has resulted in a career of over 30 years in leadership roles in the voluntary sector. She frequently serves as an expert advisor, including: the Prime Minister’s Awards Advisory Committee; the CBC Kid’s News Advisory Committee; and UNESCO’s International Organizing Committee of Global Media and Information Literacy Week.