Covering chapter events happened during the period of October to December 2025
From Rebuild to Evolution: ISC2 Toronto Chapter AGM Highlights
On Friday, November 21, 2025, the ISC2 Toronto Chapter convened its third Annual General Meeting at Manulife’s Toronto office. The meeting served as an opportunity for members to review the chapter’s considerable advancements in its financial health, operational efficiency, and community engagement. Our journey, which started as a post-pandemic recovery initiative, has resulted in a robust and diverse organization cherished by its members. The event was hosted at Manulife and attracted more than 30+ cybersecurity professionals from across the GTA, allowing us to formally celebrate our growth, recognize key volunteers, and establish the strategic framework for the coming year.
Grounded in Respect, Anchored in Accomplishment
In a reflection of our dedication to inclusion and accessibility, the session opened bilingually in English and French. The proceedings were centered around the ‘anchor word’ of the night: Accomplishment. This theme provided a cohesive narrative for every financial report, volunteer story, and retrospective shared throughout the evening.
President’s Reflections: From Crisis to Community
Outgoing President Raphael Olusola Adeyemo delivered an inspiring and candid reflection on his four-year journey leading the Chapter and his transition back to a regular member role. He vividly recalled the challenging starting point: operating without a bank account, lacking legal status, dealing with outdated by-laws, and relying on board members for basic expenses like Zoom subscriptions.
From this foundational state, Raphael detailed the intensive rebuilding effort. This included achieving federal and provincial incorporation, modernizing the by-laws, and conducting a full-day strategic planning session at Security Compass a leading cybersecurity firm specializing in secure software development to define our core mission, vision, and values in July 2024.
That strategy is now built upon three clear pillars: Connection, Learning, and Inspiration. These pillars are now evident in every event, every mentorship call, and every interaction within our community.
Perhaps the most powerful moment was his acknowledgment of the diverse room itself—a space filled with accents, backgrounds, and experiences that reflect the best of Toronto. For many members, the Chapter has truly become a home, a sense of belonging that stands as our biggest collective accomplishment.
As Raphael closes his term, the board and membership offer a heartfelt thank-you for his transformative leadership, which extended to challenging ISC2 Global to strengthen governance and chapter standards worldwide.
By the Numbers: Membership, CPEs and Reach
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) clearly demonstrated the Chapter’s remarkable growth, confirming our strength not just in community spirit, but in measurable, professional impact. Key metrics highlighted our success:
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Membership Surge: We have grown from approximately 144 members at the start of the rebuild to nearly 576 total members today (annual and student combined), with around 400 considered active Chapter members.
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Strong Growth & Retention: Our year-over-year membership growth stands at approximately 49%, reflecting excellent engagement with a churn rate of only about 1.6% and a retention rate close to 31%.
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Community Reach: Our mailing list now connects us with approximately 8,500 contacts across the broader cybersecurity community.
Supporting Professional Development:
On the professional development side, our members have collectively reported more than 5,000 CPE hours between 2022 and 2025. This includes over 1,900 CPEs submitted in 2025 alone through Chapter events and volunteer activities. These impressive numbers prove that the Chapter is a vital professional resource, actively supporting our members’ growth and certification journeys, not just a social hub.
Events That Connected the Community
The Chapter Events Director, Kanishka provided a detailed review of a successful year built on connection, relevance, and hybrid access. The Chapter delivered a strong mix of virtual and hybrid sessions, with most events offering a hybrid format and averaging about 65 attendees per event.
Impact and Reach
Across the year, the Chapter engaged approximately 600 unique attendees. This included:
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350 in-person participants across five different Toronto venues.
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250 virtual attendees, ensuring accessibility for those outside the GTA.
Timely and Practical Content
Our event content focused on timely and practical topics that directly support members’ professional roles. Key themes covered included Zero Trust, Cloud Security, Cyber Insurance, Resilient Cyber Cities, and Third-Party Risk.
The Chapter also maintained high visibility in the wider cybersecurity ecosystem, officially participating in major industry events such as the Toronto Tech Summit, Official Cyber Security Summit, SecTor, and SecureWorld.
The Takeaway: The quality of the Chapter’s events was evident in the informal feedback received throughout the year: attendees consistently mentioned they didn’t want to leave after sessions, proving the networking and conversations were exceptionally valuable.
Mentorship, Career Growth and What’s Next
Director of Professional development, Syed Ali Turab’s update on professional development showcased the immense impact of the Chapter’s mentorship program. This highly successful initiative supported 152 total participants this cycle, with many mentors voluntarily taking on multiple mentees. We saw fantastic engagement, with over 56 mentor–mentee sessions held just between August and October 31st.
Focused on Real-World Outcomes
The program is strategically structured around SMART goals, ensuring mentees focus on practical, actionable outcomes. Common goals included refining LinkedIn profiles, preparing for critical interviews, and clearly planning certification paths. To maximize valuable discussion time, much of the administrative overhead has been automated, allowing participants to focus entirely on meaningful conversations rather than logistics.
Exceptional Satisfaction and Future Plans
The program’s success is confirmed by the feedback: both mentors and mentees rated their experience at an exceptional 4.9 out of 5. This reinforces the value of this program, which we plan to expand.
Looking ahead, the Chapter is planning a dedicated 2026 study group to support members pursuing ISC2 certifications, building directly on the momentum of the mentorship program.
Please watch for future Toronto Chapter communications regarding the 2026 mentor-mentee program intake and registration details.
Strong, Disciplined Finances
Treasurer Camille Kloppenburg’s report highlighted that the Chapter’s growth is secured by careful financial stewardship and disciplined resource management.
We are pleased to report a strong closing balance of approximately $11,600, up from $11,000 at the start of the year. This growth is a direct result of balancing revenue and expenditures:
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Total Revenue: Approximately $15,000 was brought in this year from membership fees, events, and ISC2 stipends.
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Total Expenditures: Around $14,400 was spent, primarily covering tools, technology, and essential event-related costs.
Every dollar earned is reinvested entirely back into member programming, services, and experiences, as all board roles remain completely voluntary. This solid financial position provides the incoming board with an excellent foundation to continue investing in member value while exploring exciting new initiatives.
Building a Seamless Member Journey
A critical theme at the AGM was operations and technology—the essential “behind-the-scenes” work that ensures a smooth member experience. The Chapter is deliberately treating the entire member journey like a product, optimizing every step from initial awareness to joining, participating, and managing membership status.
Current Systems and Future Vision
Today, our core membership data resides in Join It, and our community engagement has successfully transitioned to Discord (replacing the previous Slack workspace). While keeping these systems synchronized currently requires some manual effort, the vision is clear: we aim for a future where a new member joins via the website and automatically receives all necessary access, including Discord, with minimal manual intervention.
Commitment to Automation
To achieve this seamless experience, the Chapter is actively exploring automation options to streamline processes and enhance efficiency. This serious focus on process improvement and automation is a clear signal of our growth into a maturing organization committed to delivering a consistent, high-quality experience for every member.
Celebrating the People Behind the Progress
A highlight of the AGM was the formal recognition of the exceptional volunteers whose efforts have made the Chapter’s evolution possible. As Raphael emphasized throughout the evening, our success is built on a culture where volunteers “own a piece of the chapter,” making this progress truly shared and collective.
We extend a special thank-you to the following key contributors:
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Governance & Strategy: Mandy was recognized for leading the critical transformation of our decade-old by-laws into a modern governance framework. Caroline was thanked for her tireless work in building sponsorships, partnerships, and high-quality events.
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Technology & Operations: Recognition went to Eddie, Bram, John, Emily, and Leah for their contributions to tools, newsletters, and operational excellence. Special acknowledgment was given to Leah for stepping up to lead the newsletter team.
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Events & Outreach: Volunteers including Chris, Raul, Christian, Mike, and others were spotlighted for ensuring our events ran smoothly and that all members felt welcome and engaged.
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Professional Development: Olusola, Gurdeep, Edmund, and Adina were thanked for their invaluable support, particularly in the successful mentorship and program initiatives.
Amplifying Our Story
Director of Communications, Faiza Aziz, communications update spotlighted the small but mighty team responsible for keeping our community informed and engaged. Through targeted emails and various channels, the communications group ensures members receive timely updates on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and Chapter achievements.
We noted that a significant part of our growth isn’t just due to formal campaigns, but is powerfully driven by word-of-mouth—members sharing their positive experiences with colleagues, friends, and aspiring cybersecurity professionals.
Looking Ahead: A Vision for the Future
As the Chapter moves into its next phase, our incoming President Jon Rohrich shared a clear vision focused on three central pillars to guide us through 2026 and beyond:
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Value-Driven Growth: Expanding beyond just numbers to focus on the value we create—more deep-dive learning, intentional networking, and clear pathways for career advancement.
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Inclusive Engagement: Experimenting with diverse event formats to ensure there is something for everyone, from students and “accidental” security leads to seasoned CISOs.
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Operational Sustainability: Ensuring our financial and organizational structures remain robust so the Chapter continues to thrive for future generations.
A Call to Our Community This vision is a collective effort, not a one-person show. If you’ve ever thought, “The Chapter should really do X,” we want to hear from you. We are looking for more voices to lean in—whether through speaking, volunteering, mentoring, or simply sharing your ideas. This community is at its best when we build it together.
Advancing Together with Purpose and Impact
The Annual General Meeting concluded by returning to its central theme: From Rebuild to Evolution: Advancing Together with Purpose and Impact. Over the past four years, our Chapter has successfully transitioned from rebuilding fundamental operations to becoming a strong, diverse, and welcoming “home” for cybersecurity professionals across the GTA.
As the Chapter transitions to a new board, it does so with solid legal standing, sound finances, a rapidly growing membership base, and a culture firmly rooted in service and inclusion.
Priorities for 2026
The strategic priorities for the coming year are clear:
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Professional Growth: Expand mentorship initiatives and launch structured study groups to support members pursuing ISC2 certifications.
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Engagement & Value: Deepen key partnerships and continue offering high-value hybrid events.
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Efficiency & Experience: Improve the member experience through better technology, automation, and streamlined processes.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to every member, volunteer, partner, and sponsor who played a part in this journey. The next chapter of the ISC2 Toronto story is already underway—and there is room for all of us to help shape it!
Call to Action: If this newsletter resonates with you, we encourage you to share it with someone in your network who would benefit from being part of the thriving ISC2 Toronto community!
