The University of the West Indies and its partners will host the fifth National Cyber Security Conference this week under the theme ‘Understanding FinTech, Ransomware and Cyber Threats to Governance’.

It is scheduled for The UWI Regional Headquarters in Kingston, this Tuesday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 29, starting at 9:00 am each day.

The university describes the conference as part of a response to the growing number of cyber threats, identity thefts, hacking, and other risks posed to businesses, government departments and individuals.

The list of international speakers to address the conference include Dr En-Hui Yang, professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Waterloo, who also co-founded SlipStream Data Inc (now a subsidiary of BlackBerry) and founded BicDroid Inc, a world leader in data and cybersecurity; Adekunle Ajiboye, systems innovator and entrepreneur from Ontario, Canada who has led the National Cyber Security Risk Assessment project in Nigeria; Shiva Bissessar, a cyber security specialist of Trinidad and Tobago; Craig Spiezle, chairman emeritus, Online Trust Alliance, and senior policy strategist, Internet Society (ISOC); and Shernon Osepa, ISOC’s manager regional affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Local speakers include Simon Roberts, chief information officer of Grace Kennedy; Trevor Forrest, advisor, Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology; Julian Robinson, MP, oppposition spokesman on the information and knowledge economy; Dolsie Allen, CEO Consumer Affairs Commission; Inspector Warren Williams of the Jamaica Constabulary Force; Sandie King James, manager, information security and risk management, National Commercial Bank; and Damian Donaldson, IT consultant with First Caribbean International Bank.

Day one of the conference will consist of panel presentations on a range of topics including: The Global Rise of Ransomware and How to Respond; FinTech, Cyber Security and Business Readiness; and Cyber Security: MSMEs and Community Awareness.

The second day will feature two key topics: Cyber Threats to Governance – Protecting Democracy and the Electoral Process, and a workshop called Understanding Blockchain: The Future of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies.

The conference will open on Tuesday, November 28, 2017 with greetings and remarks from Government of Jamaica and UWI officials. Speakers at the opening ceremony will also include Richard York, counsellor (Commercial) and senior trade commissioner, High Commission of Canada; Professor Hopeton Dunn, director of CARIMAC, UWI, and Nadeen Matthews Blair, chief digital and marketing officer, National Commercial Bank (NCB).

The main conference presentations and workshops are free of charge to participants and open to the public. Persons wishing to attend should register online at cybersecurity.carimac.com

The Cyber Security Conference is an initiative of the Mona ICT Policy Centre, Caribbean Insitute of Media and Communication at UWI and is being hosted in association with the global Internet Society (ISOC), International Telecommunication Union, NCB and the High Commission of Canada in Jamaica. Other sponsors include the law firm Gibson Henlin Gibson, Spanish Court Hotel, and the RJR Communications Group.