Jake Upfield

Security Sales Specialist, Trustmarque Ultima.

Joining Rebecca Taylor from Sophos, Jake will bring a security-focused perspective to the conversation around AI’s evolving role in the threat landscape.

The session will explore how cybercriminal communities are adopting and promoting AI, separating real-world risks from hype, and highlighting what organisations should consider when strengthening their security strategies.

James Holton

Cyber Security Practice Director, Trustmarque Ultima.

James will share insights into what modern cyber resilience looks like in practice, exploring the technologies, strategies, and lessons shaping the future of security.

Through the discussion on Daybreak, Glasswing, and Mythos, James will highlight how organisations can adapt to an evolving threat landscape and build the capabilities needed to stay resilient in an AI-driven world. 

John Spencer

Engineering Director, Northern Europe, CrowdStrike

John Spencer is a seasoned technology leader with more than 30 years of experience in the software industry, leading sales engineering, product and technology teams across both global enterprises and high-growth startups. Throughout his career, he has helped organisations navigate complex technology challenges, driving innovation and customer success across a range of markets.

Prior to joining CrowdStrike, John served as Chief Product Officer for a cyber identity startup and as Chief Technology Officer for Northern Europe at Citrix. Today, he leads CrowdStrike's Sales Engineering team across Northern Europe, overseeing technical engagement and helping customers strengthen their cybersecurity strategies in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Ray Manash

Ray Manash leads Customer Success at ManageEngine, a role that has given him first-hand experience of hundreds of customer identity environments across a wide range of industries and geographies. He works closely with IT and security leaders on the challenges that define modern identity programmes, including identity governance, privileged access management, and the rapidly growing risks associated with machine and non-human identities.

His experience spans organisations of all sizes and levels of maturity, from teams managing long-established Active Directory environments to global enterprises modernising identity across hybrid and multi-cloud estates.

Throughout that work, he has observed a consistent pattern: the most significant security exposures are rarely the result of sophisticated attacks. More often, they stem from overlooked identity gaps such as orphaned accounts, excessive privileges, unmanaged service accounts and weak recovery processes.

Ray brings a practitioner’s perspective focused on what works in the real world. He helps organisations build resilient, Zero Trust identity ecosystems by balancing security, compliance and operational practicality, ensuring controls are effective without creating unnecessary friction for users.

Simon Bishop

Head of Consulting - Governance, Risk & Compliance, Trustmarque Ultima.

Simon will bring a governance, risk, and compliance perspective to the discussion on modern cyber resilience, exploring how organisations can strengthen their security posture in an evolving threat landscape.

Simon will share insights into the role of governance and risk management in building resilient organisations that are prepared for the challenges of an AI-driven future.