2026 Pitchapalooza Judges & Participants
Explore the judges evaluating this year’s submissions and the CSA Startup Members showcasing innovative solutions at the AI Security Summit 2026: Zero Trust, November 18–19, 2026.
Meet the 2026 Pitchapalooza Judges
Meet the panel of judges who will evaluate this year’s submissions, recognizing innovative security solutions across three categories of Agentic Security Transformation, Hardening Security Fundamentals, and Future-Proofing Security.
2026 Pitchapalooza Participants
Explore the CSA Startup Members participating in this year’s Pitchapalooza and discover the companies developing solutions to address emerging cybersecurity challenges.
Dr. Roger Ison-Haug is Global Chief Information Security Officer and Global Data Protection Officer at StormGeo, part of Alfa Laval. He also owns Berigo, a cybersecurity advisory firm supporting organisations with security leadership, governance and risk management.
He brings over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, combining international security leadership with extensive advisory work in the energy sector. His expertise spans IT and operational technology, data protection, security management systems and the evaluation of security products and services.
Roger also works with the practical application of AI in secure software development, including training developers to use AI tools to improve code security. His approach connects technical security with business priorities and operational needs.
He holds a PhD in Cybersecurity and an MBA, and has completed the Stanford LEAD programme at Stanford Graduate School of Business
Harry Halikias, Author of "Digital Shakedown: The Complete Guide to Understanding and Combating Ransomware," has over 15 years of dedicated IT, security, and privacy service. He is an experienced business leader known for developing and implementing robust cybersecurity and privacy strategies. His expertise is underpinned by a Master's degree in Cybersecurity and industry-leading certifications, including CISSP and CIPP/US, complemented by a continuous learning journey through professional development and industry engagement. A deep-seated commitment to privacy as a fundamental right is at the core of Harry's professional ethos. This conviction drives Harry to create security programs that protect and add substantial value to organizations.
Aadithya Francis is a Senior Director of Cybersecurity at Visa Inc. and has over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and software engineering. He has led groundbreaking projects and has several innovations and publications in the area of Cybersecurity, Identity and Access management and AI/ML to his name. He currently leads the global engineering of Identity governance and Access models and can be contacted on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/jpaadithya
Greg has more than 20 years of heavyweight cybersecurity leadership. He has previously served as CISO and Head of Information Security for organizations like Lightcast, CalAmp, and Fast Hosting Services. From building security programs from the ground up to spearheading major cloud migrations at Pacific Life, Greg has a proven track record of turning security into a driver of business revenue and resilience.
His deep expertise is anchored by his early career in U.S. Air Force special operations communications, an Executive MBA from UC Irvine, and his ongoing role training the next generation of leaders as an adjunct cybersecurity professor at UMGC. This extensive background has shaped a highly collaborative, level-headed approach to risk management.
Charlotte Samuels is BISO Director at Royal Caribbean Group, where she leads the global Business information security officer (BISO) team supporting cybersecurity across business transformation, technology portfolios and strategic growth initiatives.
With 20 years of cybersecurity experience, Charlotte has led and worked across security strategy and governance, risk, architecture, engineering, security operations, incident response and large-scale technology transformation.
Her current focus is connecting cybersecurity with business strategy — helping leaders understand risk, make proportionate decisions and enable transformation securely.
Charlotte holds CISSP, CISM and CRISC certifications and was named Outstanding Cyber Security Consultant at the 2026 UK Cyber Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs).
With over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, I am passionate about building and investing in innovative solutions that protect enterprises. I have co-founded and led two security startups, Bluebox and SPI Dynamics, that were acquired by Lookout and HP respectively, and served as an EIR at Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most prestigious venture capital firms in Silicon Valley.
Most recently, I was the Chief Security Officer at Robinhood, the leading online brokerage platform that democratizes finance for all. There, I oversaw the security strategy, operations, and IT for the company, ensuring the highest standards. I also helped Robinhood scale its security capabilities and culture as it grew from a $5.6 billion valuation to a $40 billion IPO. Additionally, I was a board member at Cobalt.io, a cloud-based security platform that connects organizations with ethical hackers, and an advisor and investor to several security startups and nonprofits. My mission is to make the web a safer and more secure place for everyone.
Saurabh Srivastava is Director of Hybrid Cloud Security at Hilton, where he leads cloud security architecture and governance across global cloud environments. With more than 18 years of experience in enterprise technology and cybersecurity, he brings practical expertise in evaluating, deploying, and managing security solutions at scale. His current focus includes cloud risk management and emerging AI and agentic security technologies. He also serves as Vice President of the Cloud Security Alliance’s Dallas Chapter.
Prteek Wahi is a cybersecurity leader with 10 years of experience across highly regulated industries, including financial services, energy, insurance, and healthcare. As a Lead Cybersecurity Architect at JPMorgan Chase, he leads security architecture and product security for Payments & Global Banking.
His expertise includes product security, threat modeling, cloud security, and secure-by-design architecture, with a focus on translating complex technology and regulatory risks into pragmatic engineering outcomes. He partners closely with product and engineering teams to embed scalable security capabilities, automate security reviews, and enable faster, risk-informed technology decisions.
Paul El Khoury is Head of Cybersecurity for Siemens Foundational Technologies and Vice President Cybersecurity. He serves on the Siemens Cybersecurity Board and leads cybersecurity across Foundational Technologies. In parallel, he leads Siemens-wide transformation of cybersecurity services through AI, with a focus on cybersecurity operations, vulnerability discovery and remediation, and the responsible adoption of agentic security capabilities.
Judy Winn is Head of Information Security and Governance at Peach Payments, a payment service provider operating across six African markets. She built the company’s security programme from the ground up and owns its PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications and its cloud security architecture on AWS and GCP. With 14 years in security across financial services and payment infrastructure, she has selected, deployed and audited the controls and tooling behind a regulated payments platform, and leads Peach’s AI governance and threat modelling programme. She holds CISSP, CCISO and CEH and an MSc in Cyber Security. LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-winn-55728077/
Cybersecurity leader with 12+ years of experience building and scaling global, risk-based security programs across technology organizations. Proven ability to reduce enterprise attack surface, prevent breach scenarios, modernize security operations, and influence executive decisions through quantifiable risk metrics. Recognized for people-first leadership and cross-functional execution at scale.
My competencies, honed over years of leading high-impact projects, encompass strategic planning and execution of comprehensive security programs that bolster our resilience against evolving cyber threats. I lead the development of global security teams and bespoke vulnerability management programs, which now serve as a foundation for my approach to securing complex digital ecosystems. In addition to collaboration with cross-functional teams, vendors and industry professionals, my dedication to mentorship reflects commitment to fostering a culture of security awareness, continuous improvement and well-rounded growth.
I'm Director of Information Security (functioning as CISO) At SuperFile, a PE-backed SaaS company, where I lead a lean security team. In under a year we achieved SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and HIPAA readiness, and I'm now leading our FedRAMP 20x effort.
Before SuperFile, I was Head of Application Security at Amount and a VP, Technology Risk Advisor at Goldman Sachs. Across the roles in my career I've evaluated, bought and deployed security tooling, and I have advised security startups & leadership on security risk positioning and go-to-market, so I have a good sense of what separates real innovation from noise for a buyer.
Carlos Moran Jr. is the Founder & Principal Advisor at Frontiqa, with decades of experience in cybersecurity leadership, risk management, and technology innovation. Previously VP/CISO at Toppan Merrill, he has also held leadership roles at MISO, Ally/GMAC, and Marsh & McLennan. Carlos is a patent holder and has contributed to CSA, where he co-founded its Minnesota Chapter and participates in the CSA CxO community. His work centers on governing advanced technologies, securing next generation digital agents, and promoting responsible innovation through practical, risk aware decision making.