Silicon Curtain 26 | September 17, 2026

8:00 - 8:30 AM | Registration and Networking Breakfast

8:30 – 8:35 AM | Welcome Remarks

8:35 – 9:05 AM | Fireside Chat
Insights From the Front Lines: From Borders to Bandwidth
Host:
Christopher P. Skroupa, Founder & CEO, Skytop Media Group LLC  
Featuring:
Mark Kelton, Founding Partner, Five Eyes Group, LLC; National Security Executive (Retired); Director, Advisor and Board Member, Multiple Companies
John Browne, former Conservative Member of Parliament, Investment Banker, Author, Columnist & Television Commentator

Mark Kelton, former CIA Chief of Counterintelligence, spent more than three decades protecting America’s most sensitive secrets—from Cold War stations to the hunt for bin Laden. John Browne, former Member of Parliament, economist, military officer, and global strategist, navigated the front lines of geopolitics and financial power from Westminster to Wall Street.

Together, they span the arc from the Iron Curtain to the Silicon Curtain—two eras defined by different technologies, but the same stakes: power, deception, and the contest for advantage.

This is an exclusive fireside chat with two principals who were there. Not analysts. Not commentators. Witnesses. Leaders. Practitioners.

9:05 – 9:35 AM | Fireside Chat
Boardroom Power & Global Risk: Governance in an Age of Geopolitical Volatility
Interviewer:
Mauro da Cunha, Independent Director, Multiple Boards; Senior Advisor, Engage.MC; Skytop Contributor and Host of “Capital Connection”, SkytopTV Talk Show Series
Interviewee:
Hari Panday

***Please note that Hari Panday’s remarks reflect his personal views alone and do not represent the positions of any firms, companies, or organizations with which he is formally affiliated***

As President & CEO of PanVest Capital, and formerly Chair at Tarion Warranty and Pro-Demnity Ins. and Committee Chair at the Ontario Securities Commission, Meridian Credit Union, and Canadian Securities Exchange, Hari Panday has shaped some of Canada’s most consequential regulatory and market‑integrity frameworks. His oversight experience extends through the Independent Review Committee at TD Asset Management and into major academic, cultural and civic institutions, including the Osgoode Law School, Rotman School of Management, Schulich Business School, Institute of Corporate Directors, Royal Ontario Museum, Massey Hall, and the Harbourfront Centre. A long‑serving Honorary Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and a professor in York University’s Master's in Financial Accountability program, Hari’s career reflects a commitment to disciplined governance, excellence in intellectual capital, national service, and the long‑view thinking required to navigate a fractured global landscape.

9:35 - 10:05 AM | Exclusive Interview
In the Fight for Facts: Covert Targeting of Western Companies Designed to Destabilize Trust
Interviewer:
Chuck Brooks, Professor, Georgetown University; CEO, Brooks Consulting International; Skytop Contributor & Host of “Intelligence Briefing”, SkytopTV Talk Show Series
Interviewee:
Mark Kelton, Founding Partner, Five Eyes Group, LLC; National Security Executive (Retired); Director, Advisor and Board Member, Multiple Companies

10:05 – 10:20 AM | Networking Break

10:20 – 10:50 AM | Executive Briefing
Behind the Silicon Curtain: The Emerging Playbook of the Intelligence Economy
Presenter:
Chad Sweet, Co-Founder & CEO, The Chertoff Group

10:50 – 11:25 AM | Panel Discussion
Governance Challenges for Boards: Emerging Risks, Many Not Thought of Five Years Ago
Moderator:
David A. Katz, Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Panelists:
Kerrie MacPherson, FCPA, FCA, Independent Director, Chair Audit Committee, Member Nominating & Governance, Synechron Technology; Lead Independent Director, Chair Risk Committee, Member Audit and Nominating/ Governance Committees; Community Financial System, Inc.; Partner, EY (Retired)
Craig Robinson, Independent Board Director, Audit & Nom Gov Committees, Draper and Kramer, Incorporated; Independent Board Director, Chair Compensation Committee, Audit Committee, Roofstock; Independent Board Director, Second Nature; Independent Board Director, Vast Coworking
Mauro da Cunha, Independent Director, Multiple Boards; Senior Advisor, Engage.MC; Skytop Contributor and Host of “Capital Connection”, SkytopTV Talk Show Series

11:25 AM - 12:00 PM | Panel Discussion
Company Risk and National Security Risk: A Converging Threat Landscape
Moderator:
Chuck Brooks, Professor, Georgetown University; CEO, Brooks Consulting International; Skytop Contributor & Host of “Intelligence Briefing”, SkytopTV Talk Show Series
Panelists:
Edward H. You, Founder & Strategic Advisor, EHY Consulting LLC; Lecturer, Center for International Studies, Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at the Bush School, Texas A&M University; Former Supervisory Special Agent, National Counterintelligence Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Paul Wertz, Senior Director, Government Business Development & Sales, eGain Corporation; Founder and Chairman, SherpaWerx; Former President, AFCEA Atlanta Chapter; Former Client Solutions Executive (Federal & Enterprise), AT&T
Dewayne Hart, Chief Executive Officer, Author and Advisor, Secure Managed Instructional Systems (SEMAIS), LLC

12:00 - 12:30 PM | Fireside Chat
Insider Threats: AI’s Impact on Security and the Irreplaceable Human Factor
Discussants:
Chuck Brooks, Professor, Georgetown University; CEO, Brooks Consulting International; Skytop Contributor & Host of “Intelligence Briefing”, SkytopTV Talk Show Series
Bill Deckelman, Chief Legal Officer, Andersen; Vice Chairman, The Howard Baker Forum AI Collaborative

12:30 - 1:30 PM | Networking Luncheon

1:30 - 2:05 PM | Panel Discussion
Silicon Curtain as a Supply Chain Story: Defined by Export Controls, Geopolitical Fragmentation, and Forced Realignments
Moderator:
Edward H. You, Founder & Strategic Advisor, EHY Consulting LLC; Lecturer, Center for International Studies, Seminar XXI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at the Bush School, Texas A&M University; Former Supervisory Special Agent, National Counterintelligence Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Panelists:
Abe Eshkenazi, Chief Executive Officer, Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM)
Edwina Payne, Member, Board of Directors, Sunrise Banks; Member, Board of Directors, Royal Neighbors of America; Advisory Board Chair, Successive Digital; Board Member, NACD Atlanta
Jeffrey Neuman, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Tronox, LLC

2:05 – 2:35 PM | Exclusive Interview
Iran Conflict: Global Shockwave of Note for Boards and Shareholders
Interviewer:
Kandie Stroud, CEO and Founder, Stroud & Associates, SkytopTV Host, Washington & Beyond and Skytop Contributor
Interviewee:
John Browne, former Conservative Member of Parliament, Investment Banker, Author, Columnist & Television Commentator

2:35 – 3:10 PM | Panel Discussion
Firewalls & Fault Lines: Emerging Technologies & Digital Age Espionage
Moderator:
Chuck Brooks, Professor, Georgetown University; CEO, Brooks Consulting International; Skytop Contributor & Host of “Intelligence Briefing”, SkytopTV Talk Show Series
Panelists:
Margaret E. Kosal, Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology
Jeff Croft, Founder & President, Meridian Partners
Barry Hensley, Executive Advisor, Cape Endeavors; Cyber Advisor, Bain Capital Ventures; Former Chief Security Officer, Brown & Brown; Former Chief Threat Intel Officer, SVP, Secureworks; Former Director, US Army Global Network Operations & Security Center

3:10 – 3:25 PM | Networking Break

3:25 - 3:55 | Exclusive Interview
Mind the Gap: Digital Exposure, Executive Vulnerability and Governance
Interviewer:
David A. Katz, Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Interviewee:
Dave Fox, Senior Director of Corporate Investigations, Crisis24

3:55 – 4:30 PM | Panel Discussion
The Next Generation of Threats: Commercial Space Assets and Security Risks
Moderator:
Tim Chrisman, Executive Director, Association for Space Finance | Foundation for the Future; Skytop Contributor, Host of “Case for Space”, a SkytopTV Talk Show Series
Panelists:
Matthew Friters, Chief Data Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Lonestar Data Holdings Inc.; Vice President and Senior Analyst, Stony Lonesome Group LLC; former Director, Cyber IMAT, United States Space Force; former Director, Cyber National Mission Force
Samuel Visner, Chair, Board of Directors, Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center

4:30 - 5:00 PM | Fireside Chat
Capital in Conflict: How AI is Impacting Global Companies
Interviewer:
Sandy Kenyon, Executive Vice President and Managing Partner, SkytopTV and Skytop Media Group LLC
Interviewee:
Partha Mukherjee, Executive in Residence, Atlanta Tech Park; Governing Council Member, SKSVMA College of Engineering & Technology; Advisory Board Member, Transcend Cruises; former CIO; and Family Office Investments & Advisory Consulting

5:00 - 5:05 PM | Closing Remarks

5:05 - 6:00 PM | Networking Reception