Top 10: CISOs in Canada

Modern cyber risks have made navigating the digital landscape more perilous than ever before.

With highly-organised ransomware syndicates on the rise, the state of cyber threats demands elite defensive strategies. Recent high-profile cyber incidents targeting healthcare systems and critical infrastructure have highlighted severe vulnerabilities within Canada's national networks.

As businesses digitise at breakneck speed, they often adopt technology faster than they can secure it. This escalating arms race places Chief Information Security Officers at the absolute forefront of corporate survival.

These top cybersecurity leaders are not just fighting off daily breaches, but actively safeguarding the Canadian economy.

This week, Cyber Magazine shines the spotlight on the Top 10 CISOs in Canada, leading the charge against today's digital adversaries.

10. Phil Umrysh

Company: Intact Financial Corporation
HQ: Toronto, Ontario
Revenue: ~US$18.74bn (2025, source: Companiesmarketcap.com)

Phil Umrysh is a powerhouse in the financial sector who brings over 15 years of security leadership expertise in to his role, aligning security investments to business strategy and enterprise risk appetite. 

Earning the Community Champion Award at the CISO Forum Canada in 2025, he has transformed security programmes by establishing specialised teams for identity and access governance.

His proactive approach integrates security seamlessly into application development pipelines.

Phil is also deeply invested in the wider cybersecurity community. By serving on the board of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange, he actively helps shape national resilience and mentors the next generation of tech talent.

9. Maggie Calle

Company: Varicent
HQ: Toronto, Ontario
Revenue: US$150m (2024, industry estimate, Not publicly disclosed)

Maggie Calle stands out as a highly decorated leader with over two decades of security leadership experience across the financial, retail and technology sectors.

At Varicent, she aligns complex risk management frameworks with rapid business innovation. Her impressive trophy cabinet includes the Woman in Leadership award and recognition as one of Canada's Top 20 Women in Cybersecurity.

Beyond protecting enterprise data, Maggie is a fierce advocate for privacy rights and STEM education.

To add to Maggie's accolodes, she also has a collection of books she inked, bestselling ones exploring how women are transforming science and technology. Her dynamic leadership proves that robust security accelerates commercial growth.

8. Priya Mouli

Company: University of Alberta
HQ: Edmonton, Alberta
Revenue: Not publicly disclosed

Securing a major academic institution requires balancing open research collaboration with rigorous data protection. Priya Mouli executes this delicate act flawlessly.

Recently honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Canadian Women in Cybersecurity, she brings nearly 20 years of top-tier consulting and enterprise risk experience to the academic sphere. Priya has advised global Fortune 50 organisations and is a prominent voice on diversity, equity and inclusion within tech.

Her strategic foresight ensures that university networks remain resilient against sophisticated espionage while fostering a safe environment for groundbreaking academic innovation.

"There’s no shortage of conversation in cybersecurity right now; the real imperative is ensuring it remains consequential to how we lead and respond across our institutions and sectors," Priya notes on her LinkedIn.

"In my role as CISO at the University of Alberta – supporting the safeguarding of nationally significant research infrastructure, trusted AI ecosystems and the digital foundations underpinning Canada’s innovation enterprise – I see firsthand why these conversations matter."

7. Olivera Zatezalo

Company: Ontario Power Generation (OPG)
HQ: Oshawa, Ontario
Revenue: US$1.5bn (2025, net income attributable to the shareholder )

Defending critical energy infrastructure is a zero-fail mission. Olivera Zatezalo tackles this immense responsibility with over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications and energy industries.

Her agile execution and collaborative style have made her a cornerstone of national security. Recognised as one of the Top 20 Women in Cyber Security, she possesses deep knowledge of industrial control systems and artificial intelligence frameworks.

Olivera actively shapes industry standards through her advisory work with the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange (CCTX), proving that keeping the lights on requires both technical brilliance and relentless community engagement.

"Collaboration and trusted information sharing are fundamental to strengthening our collective cybersecurity posture in an increasingly complex threat landscape," Olivera notes. "CCTX plays a vital role in enabling cross-sector cooperation and intelligence sharing across Canada and I’m honoured to contribute to its important mission."

6. George Al-Koura

Company: RubyLife
HQ: Toronto, Ontario
Revenue: Not publicly disclosed

Operating in the highly sensitive world of online dating platforms requires a proactive and empathetic approach to privacy.

George Al-Koura brings exactly that, drawing on 15+ years of diverse experience across military, government and commercial intelligence sectors.

Crowned CISO of the Year in 2025, his leadership style completely rejects the traditional barriers between security compliance and agile product development.

Instead, he focuses on clear business outcomes and human-centric enablement.

As the co-host of a popular cybersecurity podcast, George is dedicated to making the information security profession more transparent and sustainable for everyone.

George notes on his LinkedIn commenting on the Mythos vulnerability storm. "The last five years as a CISO during the AI revolution have taught me that panic is not a strategy.

"As Security leaders, our job sits at the intersection of curiosity, enablement, enforcement and solutioning. All four. All the time. And the balance between them shifts daily."

5. Mike Melo

Company: TMX Group
HQ: Toronto, Ontario
Revenue: Not publicly disclosed

The stability of national financial markets depends on absolute digital integrity. Mike Melo safeguards this macroeconomic bedrock for the organisation operating the Toronto Stock Exchange.

He is a battle-tested expert in post-breach transformational security and incident response. Mike famously led a massive security overhaul during a previous tenure that improved internal customer trust by an astonishing 800%.

Now recognised among the Top Global CISOs for 2025, his strategy relies on recalculating executive risk appetites and streamlining access controls. His analytical mindset ensures operational availability and elite security always go hand in hand.

Mike doesn't just handle the chords of security, he is also an avid musician, as his LinkedIn bio reads: "Protecting data with precision, Shredding solos with passion."

4. Clinton McFadden

Company: Canadian Tire Corporation
HQ: Toronto, Ontario
Revenue: ~US$11.9bn (2025)

Retail cybersecurity presents a notoriously broad attack surface spanning e-commerce, global supply chains and sprawling loyalty programmes.

Clinton McFadden manages this massive ecosystem with 25 years of international risk management experience. He was recently celebrated as a CISO ORBIE Award winner for his proven ability to construct world-class security architectures that optimise business safety.

Having led major technology initiatives at several top-tier Canadian institutions, Clinton embeds security natively within digital transformations.

His strategic foresight ensures that as the retail giant aggressively expands its footprint, the underlying infrastructure remains incredibly resilient against modern threats.

3. Vaughn L. Hazen

Company: CN Rail
HQ: Montreal, Quebec
Revenue: ~US$12.6bn (2025)

Protecting a continental railway network involves securing vast physical infrastructure alongside sensitive digital data.

Vaughn Hazen navigates this complex convergence of operational and information technology with military precision.

As a U.S. Army veteran and retired Coast Guard Reserve officer, he brings strict incident response discipline to the civilian sector.

His exceptional career was globally validated in 2024 when he was inducted into the prestigious CSO Hall of Fame.

Vaughn advocates for pragmatic leadership and business-aligned risk management, ensuring that the drive for logistical efficiency never exposes critical transportation infrastructure to exploitation.

2. Octavia Howell

Company: Equifax Canada
HQ: Toronto, Ontario
Revenue: US$6.07bn (2025, global)

Operating at the intense intersection of consumer data aggregation and strict privacy regulation, Octavia Howell is a dominant force in the technology sector.

Crowned the 2024 CISO of the Year and recognised among the Cybersecurity 40 Under 40, she has spent her career shielding massive financial institutions from sophisticated attacks.

Octavia operates on the deeply held philosophy of lifting others while you climb. She is the founder of Augustus Redefined – an organisation dedicated to advancing Black women in the cyber industry.

Tactically, Octavia focuses on accountable cybersecurity leadership, transparent risk communication with the business and building resilient, high-performing security organisations.  Her leadership brilliantly blends rigorous technical risk mitigation with passionate community stewardship.

1. Adam Evans

Company: Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
HQ: Toronto, Ontario
Revenue: ~US$45.4bn

Standing at the absolute pinnacle of the Canadian financial system, Adam Evans dictates the defensive vision required to safeguard massive global capital flows and millions of clients.

With more than 20 years of elite financial security experience, he is universally respected and was recently named among the Top Global CISOs for 2025.

Adam pioneers advanced defensive postures that leverage machine learning and AI to automate threat detection with staggering velocity.

Beyond the bank's perimeter, Adam actively champions the broader Canadian innovation ecosystem by spearheading collaborative initiatives with the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst to help emerging startups build highly-resilient digital foundations.

A highly vocal thought leader, Adam warns the market about the weaponisation of generative AI, urging corporate entities to fiercely protect their digital personas in an increasingly hostile landscape.