2025 SICW Opening Ceremony and SICW Opening Plenary Session: High–Level Panels

21 OCT 2025

2025 SICW Opening Ceremony and SICW Opening Plenary Session: High-Level Panels

The SICW Opening Ceremony featured a keynote address by Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, Mr K Shanmugam.

Keynote Speaker
Ms Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations

Panel 1: Not at War, Not at Peace: Making International Cyber Cooperation Work in an Uncertain Future
In a world marked by geopolitical rivalry, military conflict, economic fragmentation, pressures on the multilateral system and rules-based order, as well as the rapid democratisation of technology, can states collaborate to make international cyber cooperation work and collectively safeguard international peace and security before it is too late? This panel examined how states are navigating this period of uncertainty and discussed how like-minded states can band together to uphold the multilateral rules-based order in cyberspace and preserve an open, secure, stable, accessible, peaceful and interoperable cyberspace.

Keynote Speaker & Panellist
Mr Jiří Kozák, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic

Panellists

  • Ms Jessica Hunter, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Australia
  • Ms Manon Le Blanc, Coordinator for Cyber Issues and Deputy Head of the Hybrid Threats and Cyber Division, European External Action Service
  • Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations

Moderator
Mr Ashok Kumar Mirpuri, Head, International Policy & Governance, Temasek International Pte Ltd

Panel 2: Power Struggle in a Technopolar World: Big Tech and State Power
Nation-states have traditionally been the dominant players in global affairs, shaping and directing the conduct of geopolitics, economics, and social development. However, in an era where much of government, business, media, and society depend heavily on the underlying digital infrastructure of Big Tech, what are the implications when companies have the resources and reach to influence political, economic, and social development of nation states? Have global power dynamics undergone a fundamental shift? How can Big Tech and governments work together to act responsibly in the service of the global public good? This panel explored the underlying forces that drive governmental and industry interests, shaping the digital world we live in today. It also examinedhow we can collectively work together to manage the new realities of the future.

Keynote Speakers

  • Chen Jixue, Cyberspace Administration of China
  • Mr Vitaly Balashov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

Panellists

  • H.E. Pengiran Dato Shamhary Mustapha, Minister of Transport and Infocommunications, Brunei
  • Mr Vincent Strubel, Director General, French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI)
  • Ms Claudia Plattner, President, Federal Office for Information Security, Germany
  • Mr Royal Hansen, VP of Engineering, Google

Moderator
Professor Yaacob Ibrahim, Adjunct Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Panel 3: Whose Job Is It? Private Enterprise and Public Good, vs. Sophisticated Threats
Stealthy, patient, and sophisticated – attacks by Advanced Persistent Threats have surged in scale and complexity, targeting not just governments but the private firms that power our economies, supply essential services, and hold vast troves of sensitive data. These are no smash-and-grab jobs, but calculated and long-term campaigns. Is it the state’s job to defend against them, or does it fall on private companies to protect their clients and citizens they profit from? How far should or can the state intervene, and where does the buck stop?

This panel invited government and industry leaders to confront hard questions of accountability, with lessons from around the world. Looking beyond blame, it explored how countries are experimenting with new models of public-private partnerships – blending state resources with private innovation, to strengthen collective action against evolving threats.

Keynote Speaker & Panellist
Dr Richard Horne, Chief Executive Officer, National Cyber Security Centre, United Kingdom

Panellists

  • Mr Saita Yukio, Global Strategy Lead, National Cybersecurity Office, Government of Japan, Japan
  • Mr Peter Bailey, Senior Vice-President, Securit, Cisco
  • Mr Richard LaTulip, Field Chief Information Security Officer, Recorded Future

Moderator
Mr Gaurav Keerthi, Chief Executive Officer, Strongkeep