InfoSec Seminar – March 2025
The Information Systems Security and Assurance Management (ISSAM) Department in Mihalcheon School of Management proudly invites you to the monthly InfoSec Seminar on “An Industry Under Attack: Protecting the Oil & Gas Sector”
SPEAKER
Gaétan Houle 
Over his 39-year career in security, Gaétan has held senior positions within the Canadian government, including Chief Engineer for Telecommunications Security at the Department of National Defence, Director of Security at Global Affairs Canada, and Consul at the Canadian Embassy in Peru following the 1996-1997 Shining Path terrorist crisis in Lima.
In the private sector, he has served as CSO for renowned companies such as Bombardier Aerospace, Airbus Group (Paris, France), and Bell Canada, where he notably wrote the IT and telecommunications security plan for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Since 2015, after leading the national cybersecurity practice for EY Canada, Gaétan has worked as an independent consultant on multiple mandates and joined Fortinet as the Enterprise CISO in 2024.
Talk Description
The oil and gas industry are increasingly targeted by cyber threats that compromise IT and OT environments, jeopardizing operations, safety, and supply chains. This presentation examines key cybersecurity challenges across upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors and introduces a governance model that unifies IT, OT, and physical security responsibilities under a Chief Security Officer (CSO). It also explores innovative and practical strategies to secure IT/OT connectivity, ensuring greater resilience against evolving cyber threats.
Meeting Link – https://meet.google.com/zxp-mpzv-phn
The seminar is open to all, including non-CUE members, and we encourage anyone interested in security research and technologies to attend.
If you have any questions regarding the seminar series, please contact Shawn Thompson or Eslam G. AbdAllah, MISSM, Mihalcheon School of Management at shawn.thompson@concordia.ab.ca, eslam.abdallah@concordia.ab.ca