Celebrating the leaders
defining agentic product security

Nikola Dalcekovic has over a decade of experience in software and security engineering. He began his career as a software engineer before transitioning to product management, where he established the Product Security Office to enhance secure practices across a workforce of over 500 engineers. Over the past eight years at Schneider Electric, his team has scaled globally, supporting multiple high-risk profile products across three different R&D regions. In 2022, Nikola relocated to California to pursue innovation in the industry. He holds a PhD in the security of multi-tenant systems, has published over 10 scientific papers, and served as a professor at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. Nikola is certified in CSSLP and CISSP, and has completed an INSEAD course in business leadership and strategy with distinction. Currently, Nikola serves as Cybersecurity Officer (CSO) for Prosumer Software at Schneider Electric, where he provides strategic cybersecurity leadership by partnering closely with executive leadership to strengthen product and data security, guide risk and incident readiness, and align secure development practices with the division’s operational, commercial, and regulatory priorities.

With over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, Priya is a seasoned security leader who has successfully transitioned from delivering complex optical networking solutions to championing secure software development practices across product engineering. As the Head of Innovation for Product & Application Security, she is a strong advocate for building security into the DNA of products, while proactively exploring emerging technologies and piloting cutting edge solutions to reduce risk and minimize attack vectors across the modern software supply chain. Beyond her technical leadership, Priya is a committed mentor and active member of Women in Tech resource groups, where she focuses on enabling the personal and professional development of women. She brings a deep commitment to customer transparency and trust and is passionate about elevating product security as a strategic business enabler, not just a technical function.

Anshuman Bhartiya is a technical security leader and researcher with over a decade of experience building and breaking software at scale. Currently, as the AppSec Tech Lead at Lyft, Anshuman specializes in developing automated security programs that keep pace with high-velocity engineering teams. A builder at heart, he is a vocal advocate for a "bias to action," believing that security engineers must deeply understand how software is built to effectively secure it.

Miriam is a seasoned software security leader with an impressive background of over 20 years in the IT industry, with more than a decade dedicated to application and product security. She is committed to fostering a strong culture of security through collaboration, mentorship, and advocacy for customer trust. Throughout her career, Miriam has successfully led and evolved application security programs, provided invaluable advice to development teams on secure architecture and design, and spearheaded numerous initiatives across threat modeling, DevSecOps, security testing, and risk management. Her expertise spans a diverse range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, identity management, and enterprise software. Miriam is a CISSP, CCSP, and CSSLP-certified security professional and holds a Master of Science in Computer Science degree from Florida Atlantic University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Nova Southeastern University. She is a named inventor on U.S. patents in the areas of multimodal application development, proxy insertion, and enhanced authentication methods using dynamic geographical location data. Her background reflects her long-standing focus on innovation, security, and scalable software design. She is also known as a security evangelist who enjoys mentoring others and translating complex security concepts into practical, actionable guidance for engineering teams and leadership alike.

Julie Chickillo is a veteran security leader with over 15 years of experience across governance, risk, compliance, and DevSecOps. Currently the VP and CISO at Guild, Julie is known for her pragmatic approach to security—transforming it from the traditional ""big book of no"" into a frictionless business enabler. An early adopter of modern cloud-native practices, Julie has successfully implemented fully automated DevSecOps programs and scalable security data lakes. She is a vocal advocate for the ""agentic shift,"" focusing her strategy on moving security teams from manual triage to high-level orchestration where humans provide the critical context and oversight for AI-driven systems.

Jamie Dicken is a pragmatic security leader who defines her career by the ability to bridge the historical divide between software engineering and security operations. Having begun her professional journey as a software engineer and engineering manager, she possesses a first-hand understanding of the frustrations developers face when security requirements lack business context or technical feasibility. This dual-perspective informs her leadership style, which prioritizes business alignment, clarity, and a “calm” approach to risk management. Currently leading Security Platforms and Architecture at GitLab, Jamie is a vocal advocate for decentralizing security responsibilities. She challenges the traditional “anti-pattern” that security work belongs solely to security teams, arguing instead that software teams should own the security of their systems through self-service “golden paths” and automated guardrails. Jamie is currently focused on the strategic evolution of the Agentic SDLC, experimenting with in-house AI agents to perform code reviews and threat modeling to match the increasing velocity of modern R&D.

Daniel Hammon brings a unique and high-energy perspective to cybersecurity leadership, rooted in a diverse career path that spans the culinary arts, finance, and academia. Formerly an executive chef with extensive experience in high-pressure, live-media environments, Daniel transitioned into security by way of GRC and auditing before diving deep into the technical ""rubber meets the road"" realities of offensive security. This rare blend of skills allows him to translate complex technical risks into clear, calm, and actionable business narratives. Currently the Head of Information Security and Compliance at Signifyd, Daniel is a passionate advocate for building a security culture that empowers every employee to be a line of defense. When he isn't securing the product lifecycle at Signifyd, Daniel mentors the next generation of talent as a cybersecurity lecturer at California State University, Sacramento, where he emphasizes the critical importance of public speaking and research in the security field.

Conleth Kennedy is an accomplished security leader and software engineer with over eight years of experience bridging the gap between deep technical engineering and organizational security strategy. Currently serving as an Application Security Manager, Conleth has a proven track record of leading DevSecOps initiatives, ranging from building CI/CD maturity and automated scanning suites (SAST, SCA, DAST) to managing complex microservices architectures. With a background that spans full-stack development and AI-driven automation, he brings a unique ""engineer-first"" perspective to security. Conleth is a strong advocate for ""strategic persistence"" and cultural transformation, focusing on behavioral incentives and ""policy as code"" to ensure security acts as a business enabler rather than a friction point. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Software Development from the Institute of Technology, Carlow.

Kevin Markley is a Senior Product Security Manager at Veeam, a global leader in data resilience. With over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity and systems engineering—including a tenure at Veritas—Kevin specializes in scaling security within high-velocity, complex enterprise environments. Throughout his career, Kevin has focused on transitioning security teams from traditional "gatekeeper" roles to a model driven by automated governance and "paved paths." He is a vocal advocate for context-first security, believing that the future of the industry lies in empowering developers to move at machine speed while security engineers act as strategic orchestrators.

Kimberly Mattheys is a dedicated security practitioner and consultant who champions a pragmatic, results-oriented approach to protecting the modern software pipeline. She is a strong advocate for ""Secure Curiosity,” a philosophy that encourages engineering teams to explore and break new technologies like AI, provided they maintain the human context and guardrails necessary to prevent decision manipulation. Throughout her tenure at organizations like Solaris, Kimberly has distinguished herself by her ability to connect disparate technical dots into clear, outcome-based business stories. She is a vocal critic of the traditional ""Shift Left"" anti-pattern when it is executed without developer buy-in, instead advocating for ""shifting where it matters"" to ensure security accelerates rather than hinders delivery. By focusing on exploitability and developer enablement, Kimberly builds security cultures rooted in trust, transparency, and actionable intelligence.

Cássio Pereira is a veteran security leader and software developer who spent over a decade in engineering before transitioning to cybersecurity. Currently serving as a Senior Application Security Evangelist at StoneX Group, a Fortune 100 financial services firm, Cássio specializes in bridging the gap between developers and security teams. Cássio’s strategy centers on four key pillars: Culture, Process, Tools, and Automation. He believes that in the age of AI, success isn't defined by tool volume, but by the human judgment required to govern them.

Rusty Perry is a seasoned cybersecurity executive with a career defined by leading global strategy and architecture for organizations ranging from agile startups to Fortune 150 enterprises, including leadership roles at Western Union, EchoStar, and DaVita. A former Army veteran, Rusty brings a disciplined ""impact over activity"" philosophy to security, focusing on shifting the narrative from restrictive control to ""safe velocity"". He is a staunch advocate for ""influence without authority,"" believing that true security success stems from building political credibility and aligning technical risk with business outcomes. Currently deepening his expertise through the Stanford Graduate School of Business LEAD Program, Rusty specializes in architecting the governance required to secure the next generation of digital platforms.

Chase Pettet is a veteran security leader and architect with over 20 years of experience building secure, scalable software across highly regulated industries. Currently a Principal Security Engineer at Life360, Chase is a specialist in driving product security automation and risk-informed decision-making. His career spans critical roles at the Wikimedia Foundation, Illumina, and Archer, where he founded the Product & Application Security team and scaled security programs to support massive SaaS growth. A builder by nature with more than a decade of hands-on coding experience, Chase excels at turning complex compliance requirements, including HIPAA, PCI DSS, and FedRAMP, into practical, value-preserving engineering solutions. He is a vocal advocate for collaborative security cultures and the evolution of cloud-native DevSecOps.

Michael Westphal is a veteran software architect and DevSecOps leader who specializes in the rigorous security requirements of the premium automotive market. With over a decade of experience at HARMAN International, Michael leads the design and rollout of modern DevSecOps processes, overseeing a global technical footprint that spans microservices, Docker-based CI/CD, and the complex Java-based NDS.Classic database compilers as well as Android and C/C++ applications that power high-end navigation systems. Michael’s approach to security is defined by his belief that staying ahead of the threat landscape requires a relentless drive to understand what is possible today while preparing for what might come next year.