Speakers for the 2026 Girls in Tech Conference
Saba Zuberi
Saba Zuberi is the Associate Vice President of Applied Artificial Intelligence at TD Bank. She leads a team of machine learning scientists to build AI solutions across the enterprise and drives applied AI research to support cutting-edge AI applications at TD.
Saba has 10 years industry experience in AI, from startup to enterprise. She holds a PhD in theoretical particle physics from the University of Toronto and completed her post-doctoral research in particle physics at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
Ruda Barar
Ruda is a senior consultant in the Technology Risk Consulting. She has 10 years of work experience and a master’s in information security & a bachelor’s in information technology. Ruda’s day to day job involves working on IT audits covering SOC 1, SOC 2, SOX, FSA, ISO 27001 areas. Her daily tasks involves client interaction, internal collaboration with team members and being a team player.
Sana Tonekaboni
I am an EWSC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. My research lies at the intersection of machine learning and healthcare. I work on developing methods that integrate multimodal biomedical data to better understand human health. I am also interested in challenges of deploying clinical ML in healthcare environments and finding solutions for effective and safe use of such tools in practice. I received my PhD in Computer Science from the University of Toronto, under supervision of Dr. Anna Goldenberg. During my PhD, I received the Apple Scholars in AI/ML Fellowship and the CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship.
Tara Simeunovic
Tara Simeunovic is a Cybersecurity Analyst at Sun Life, where she works across incident response, enterprise security engineering, and the rapidly evolving field of Generative AI. She earned a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from McMaster University and later broadened her expertise through work in Cybersecurity Governance and Architecture, giving her a multidimensional view of today’s information security landscape.
Tara is actively committed to empowering the next generation of women in technology. She has led multiple events for Sun Life’s Global Cyber Security Women’s Network, bringing together cybersecurity professionals and coop students to learn, connect, and explore careers in the field. Beyond Sun Life, she has contributed extensively to Junior Achievement (JA) initiatives, by mentoring over 200 students at the Empowering Young Women event, teaching a Grade 8 class through the Economics for Success program, and speaking to over 1,200 students as a panelist in JA’s Career Discovery Series webinar.
Before her career in cybersecurity, Tara was a national competitive figure skater and coach. She speaks English, French, and Serbian, and in her free time enjoys spin classes and watching ballet performances.
Juliana Zaremba
Juliana Zaremba is the Director of Sales and Partnerships for Canada at Blue Voyant, a global cybersecurity firm. In this role she is responsible for strategic partnerships with Microsoft and channel partners in the Canadian ecosystem, while working with the sales team to bring cyber solutions to Canadians across the country. With deep experience building global partner programs, she has driven expansion of advanced security services and champions conversations about the ever-changing threat landscape that Canadian companies face daily. She has focused her career in cybersecurity, but has worked across organizations in various departments such as Project Management, Sales, Channel Management, Customer Success, Architecture, and Service Delivery. Utilizing her educational background in Statistics, Economics, and her Masters in Business Administration from Schulich University she has been able to create transformational change in various organizations, always putting the customer at the forefront of decision making. Juliana is also a passionate mentor and advocate for young women in tech, sharing her insights through panels and one-on-one coaching. Her work bridges technical leadership with community-building, helping to empower the next generation of female cyber professionals.
Sunita Kheterpal
Sunita Kheterpal is a Senior Manager in Digital Health Consulting at KPMG, where she helps healthcare organizations design and implement technology solutions that improve patient care and system efficiency. She brings nearly a decade of experience leading digital transformation and change management initiatives across the public and private sectors, including work with Ontario Health, the Ontario Ministry of Health, and non-profit national healthcare community organizations.
At KPMG, Sunita works closely with healthcare teams and technology partners such as Microsoft and Salesforce to bridge the gap between clinical needs and digital innovation. Her work focuses on turning complex healthcare challenges into practical, human-centered solutions that make a real difference for patients and care providers.
Sunita holds a Master of Science in Global Health Management from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Science in Physiology with minors in Management and International Development Studies from McGill University.
Growing up, Sunita thought she wanted to be a doctor until she discovered that she could make an impact in healthcare through technology and consulting. She is passionate about inspiring the next generation, especially young girls, to explore how technology can transform the way we live, work, and care for others.
Katherine MacDonald
Katherine is a Data and AI solution architect, and have a computer science background with 20 years experience working in the data space. Her current focus is data platform engineering, and is leading the Microsoft data team in enterprise solutions.
Shwetha SivakumaR
Shwetha Sivakumar is a Partner Solution Architect at Microsoft, where she advises partners and customers on designing and implementing effective Data & AI solutions. She helps organizations build scalable AI practices, strengthen their data foundations, and adopt responsible, secure approaches to AI innovation.
She holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from Queen’s University and has completed internships at startups, IBM, and Microsoft, giving her a strong foundation across both emerging and enterprise technology environments.
In the community, Shwetha serves as the Canada co‑lead for Asians at Microsoft and previously led Women at Microsoft in Vancouver, championing representation, inclusion, and leadership opportunities across the tech industry.
Beyond her industry role, Shwetha is passionate about creating opportunities for the next generation. She co‑founded TOHacks, a non‑profit that provides secondary and post‑secondary students with hands‑on exposure to STEAM careers through hackathons and experiential learning. She has mentored students and early‑career professionals and continues to support accessible learning pathways for young people exploring technology.
As a speaker at the Girls in Tech Conference, Shwetha hopes to inspire young women across the GTA to stay curious, explore what excites them, and imagine themselves confidently in the world of STEM.
ASHLEY NAVARATNAM
Ashley Navaratnam is a Security Awareness and Training Strategist at Sun Life, where she delivers various communications, trainings, and events to create a security-conscious culture and drive behavioral change across the global organization.
With over 3 years of experience in cybersecurity education, Ashley specializes in creating customized awareness communications and trainings that address business-specific risks and emerging threats. She has led interactive security awareness events for diverse audiences ranging from corporate staff to elementary, high school, and university students. Ashley also spearheaded the implementation and global expansion of a paid internship program across Canada, the U.S., and Ireland to promote STEM careers and create mentorship pathways for the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Through these initiatives, she fosters a culture of security awareness both internally and externally. Ashley partners with leadership to align security strategies with organizational risk posture, using data-driven insights to evolve the security awareness program and influence security behavior at scale.
Winnie Zhao
Winnie is a web accessibility specialist and software engineer with a passion for creating inclusive and accessible digital spaces. She started her career as a paediatric occupational therapist, supporting children with disabilities in school and beyond. She noticed a major barrier to access for assistive technology users and transitioned into the tech world to tackle the issue head on. Winnie has 6 years of experience at the intersection of disability and technology, and uses her healthcare background to give her unique perspective while building solutions and user experiences that are seamless for everyone.
Pardis Talebian
Pardis is a Manager in the Cybersecurity team at the KPMG Canada, dedicated to helping clients mitigate the daily cybersecurity challenges of protecting their networks, Infrastructure, IT and IoT assets, applications, and resources. Pardis works closely with organizations to plan and prepare for evolving threats, ensuring they have the right tools and strategies in place to detect and respond to attacks effectively. Her team focuses on building resilience by implementing best practices and solutions that strengthen security posture and safeguard businesses against future risks.
Clare Butler
Clare Butler is a consultant specializing in technology-driven solutions and process optimization. Her experience includes leading AI tool rollouts and shaping AI strategy to support digital transformation, while coordinating technical teams and project management offices. She combines strong analytical skills with a focus on implementing innovative solutions that enhance efficiency and streamline operations.
Charlotte Oickle
Charlotte Oickle is a Partner Technology Manager at Microsoft, based in Toronto, Canada. With over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, Charlotte has built a diverse career spanning technical support, technical sales, project management, and now the technical partner ecosystem. Her academic foundation in Economics at U of T has shaped her perspective, and she is passionate about sharing her non-linear journey into technology to inspire others.
Tina Patricia D’Souza
Experienced Risk Management and Internal Audit professional with over 10 years of experience across Financial Services, Capital Markets, Technology, Media, Defence, Healthcare, and Telecommunications. Specializing in Technology and Operations environments, I focus on strengthening governance, enhancing operational efficiency, and driving process improvement through data analytics, visualization, and strategic process re-engineering.
I bring a proven track record of leading cross-functional initiatives, collaborating with senior stakeholders, and building strong control environments that enable sustainable business growth. My work centers on transforming complex operational challenges into structured, risk-aware solutions that support organizational resilience and performance.
Beyond my professional role, I am deeply committed to mentorship, community impact, and thought leadership. I serve as a Pro-Bono Board Director and Co-Founder of the Audit and Risk Network on LinkedIn — a global ecosystem that promotes knowledge sharing among mid- to senior-level professionals through curated newsletters, thought leadership content, and career opportunities in Risk Management, Internal Audit, Fraud, and Anti-Money Laundering.
I am also a published author and an active mentor, supporting emerging professionals and students through career coaching, my mentorship role with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (Texas), and the Girls E-Mentorship community, where I guide high school girls from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in building confidence, awareness, and access to future career opportunities.