AI, Democracy & Digital Rights Forum

Professor Dagne is an associate professor and holds the Ontario Research Chair position at York University in Canada. He teaches at the School of Public Policy and Administration and Osgoode Hall Law School. Professor Dagne’s current research examines the instrumentality of intellectual property, privacy and data governance rules and norms in influencing societal outcomes, either perpetuating or mitigating inequalities in AI deployment. 

Marium Hamid (she/her) is the Manager of Partnerships at the Dais where she brings her skills in creating impactful relationships across industries and communities. She is deeply committed to understanding the intersections of economics, technology, and culture. At the Dais, she is the lead on Canadian Democracy @ Work, a non-partisan learning initiative to build civic skills for the digital age. In collaboration with employers and unions nation-wide, the project aims to elevate digital media literacy, AI skills, and civic engagement – one workplace at a time.

Before joining the Dais, Marium led workforce development at LinkedIn Canada, enabling the public sector to leverage technology to create economic opportunities for Canadians. She advised libraries, healthcare, and workforce development organizations on strategies to better engage the communities around them. Previously, she was at the Business+Higher Education Round Table delivering large-scale work-integrated learning opportunities to students. 

Bruce Schneier is an internationally renowned security technologist, called a “security guru” by The Economist. He is the author of over one dozen books—including his latest, Rewiring Democracy—as well as hundreds of articles and essays, and many more academic papers. His influential newsletter Crypto-Gram and his blog Schneier on Security are read by over 250,000 people. He has testified before Congress, is a frequent guest on television and radio, served on several government technical committees, and is regularly quoted in the press.

Samir Chhabra is the Director General of Marketplace Framework Policy at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). In this role, Samir oversees the development of policy advice on the effective functioning of Canada’s marketplaces, including corporate and insolvency law, privacy and data protection, artificial intelligence, intellectual property, and competition law. More recently, he has been cross-appointed as the Deputy Executive Director of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) to lead the policy, coordination and international engagement functions of the CAISI. Samir has broad experience in public policy development and implementation, having worked at all three Canadian central agencies (Privy Council Office, Department of Finance, Treasury Board Secretariat) as well as with the Department of National Defence, amongst others. He also has significant private sector experience, including as a strategy consultant in London, UK, where he advised organizations including the UK Home Office and large NHS hospitals on service delivery improvement opportunities.

Konstantinos (Costas) Kapsouropoulos is the Digital and Science Counsellor at the EU Delegation to Canada since 1st July 2024.

He previously served as International Relations Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content, and Technology (DG CONNECT). He was in charge of the Digital Partnerships of the European Union with Japan and the Republic of Korea since 2021. He was also the European Union Delegate at the OECD Digital Economic Policy Committee since 2023.

His areas of expertise are geopolitics of technology, digital and science diplomacy, EU public affairs and digital identities.

Konstantinos Kapsouropoulos holds a Masters’ Degree in Geopolitics and International Relations from the Sorbonne Paris North University and a Law Degree from the University of Athens, Greece.

Dr. Claudia Krywiak is the President and CEO at the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), a not-for-profit organization that accelerates the development, commercialization, and  adoption of new technologies. 

A champion of innovation in Ontario and across Canada, Dr. Krywiak has been with OCI  since 2011. She has consistently promoted innovation as a crucial driver of  competitiveness, productivity, and economic growth. In her role, she leads the  development and deployment of emerging technology initiatives that bring together start ups, government, post-secondary institutions, and multinational firms. Her leadership  covers a broad range of initiatives, including those in artificial intelligence, autonomous  and electric vehicles, 5G and next-generation networks, cybersecurity, medtech and clean  technologies. 

Previously, Dr. Krywiak was the Vice President of Business Development at Mitacs, a  national research organization that funds research and training programs. Her career began  at Bruker Corporation enabling scientists to make breakthrough discoveries. She holds a  Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto. 

Dr. Krywiak serves on the Boards of Directors for Signal49 Research, the Centre for  Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine, and Waterloo’s Accelerator Centre.

Victoria Lennox, MSM, is an executive nonprofit leader and CEO of the Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada, Canada’s national centre of excellence for the women’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. She leads a coordinated national network and stewards a $30M+ developmental loan fund advancing women entrepreneurs toward economic parity. Founder of Startup Canada and co-founder of NACUE (UK), she has built enduring institutions strengthening entrepreneurship globally. An Oxford-trained strategist in Global Governance and Diplomacy, she advises senior governments on inclusive growth, Indigenous economic development, innovation, and governance. Victoria has represented Canada at APEC Summits and Governor General State Visits, and is a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion, and the APEC Women Icon Award.

Namir Anani, President and CEO of the Information and Communications Technology Council (ictc-ctic.ca), is the chief strategist and driving force in bringing ICTC’s world-class centre of expertise and services to industry, education and government; enabling Canada’s advancement as a leader in innovation, productivity in the global economy. Before joining ICTC, Namir previously led Policy Development & Research at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

He has also held several executive leadership roles in both the private and public sectors including the Department of Canadian Heritage (Director General & CEO), CGI consulting, Nortel, and Novartis (Switzerland). Mr. Anani’s experience extends to; strategic policy development and implementation, learning and capacity building, business transformation, national/international strategic alliances, economic and market research, and technology innovation.

Namir holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Salford (UK) and holds Professional Engineer designation in Ontario (P. Eng.). He is also a board member of the Women in Communications and Technology.

Jutta Treviranus is the Director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) and professor in the faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto. Jutta established the IDRC in 1993 as the nexus of a growing global community that proactively works to ensure that our digitally transformed and globally connected society is designed inclusively.  Dr. Treviranus also founded an innovative graduate program in inclusive design at OCAD University.  Jutta is credited with developing a co-design methodology with her team that has been adopted by public and private sector organizations internationally. She has coordinated many research networks with and by people with disabilities. She is the chair of the Accessible and Equitable Artificial Intelligence standards committee for the Accessible Canada Act and recognized for her work in AI by Women in AI. 

Ms Lucilla Sioli is the Director of the “EU AI Office” within Directorate-General CONNECT at the European Commission. She is responsible for the coordination of the European AI strategy, including the implementation of the AI Act and international collaboration in trustworthy AI and AI for good. The EU AI Office is also responsible for R&D&I activities in AI and for the coordination of the AI Continent Action Plan and the Apply AI Strategy. Lucilla holds a PhD in economics from the University of Southampton (UK) and one from the Catholic University of Milan (Italy) and has been a civil servant with the European Commission since 1997.

Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Science, Health, and Technology Communication at the University of Waterloo. Professor Mehlenbacher is a rhetorical scholar who investigates the rhetoric of science, technology, and medicine (RSTM). Professor Mehlenbacher is the author of On Expertise: Cultivating Character, Goodwill, and Practical Wisdom (Penn State University Press, 2022), Science Communication Online: Engaging Experts and Publics on the Internet (The Ohio State University Press, 2019). She is also co-author, with Christopher Thaiss, of Writing Science In the Twenty-First Century, Second Edition (Broadview Press, 2025), and co-editor, with Carolyn R. Miller, of Emerging Genres in New Media Environments (Palgrave, 2017).

Mehrdad Hariri is the Founder, CEO, and President of the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC), where he has built a leading platform for non-partisan, cross-sector dialogue on science, technology, and innovation policy. Since 2009, he has grown CSPC into a national and international hub, launching flagship initiatives such as the Canadian Science Policy Conference and Science Meets Parliament.

A recognized thought leader, Mehrdad contributes regularly to public discourse through outlets such as Nature, The Globe and Mail, and CBC. His work spans science diplomacy and innovation policy.

His contributions have been recognized with the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2024) and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin (2022). He is also a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa and an alumnus of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.

Jake Hirsch-Allen is the head of Partnerships at The Dais, Canada’s leading think tank. Current foci include “Kids and Tech”, “Renewing Democracy” and “AI and the Innovation Economy.” Jake previously built public-private partnerships in workforce development and higher education for LinkedIn.

Jake advises impact investors, public sector leaders and start-ups, including on edTech, responsible tech, ethical data and Public AI. He co-founded Lighthouse Labs and has acted as a director on many boards. A former intellectual property and international criminal lawyer, Jake was also chair of the Technology Committee of the Global Education Platform, taught Global Health at McMaster University and clerked at the Supreme Court of Israel.