Meet the speakers.

Mr. Jason Choueiri was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister (Digital Services) in July 2026.

Prior to this appointment, he served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Digital Officer at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, where he led digital strategy, service modernization, data and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity integration, enterprise architecture, and the delivery of major business and technology transformation initiatives. Previously, he served as Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, where he oversaw day-to-day operations and led the modernization of management practices for Canada's largest administrative tribunal.

Over the past 24 years, Mr. Choueiri has held progressively senior leadership positions across the Government of Canada, leading major initiatives in digital transformation, national security, government operations, major complex procurements, and service modernization. He spent more than a decade at the Department of National Defence, where he held leadership roles in material management, information management, information technology, project management, and major capital acquisitions, supporting military and business operations.

Throughout his career, he has led the modernization of mission-critical systems and services, advanced cybersecurity and cyber-resilience capabilities, supported secure and classified technology environments, and worked closely with departments, central agencies, and national security partners to deliver enterprise-wide transformation.

Mr. Choueiri holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) with a specialization in Management Information Systems from the University of Ottawa. He is a recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canada.

Ms. Vidya ShankarNarayan was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister (Digital Services - Transformation) in July 2026.

Prior to assuming her current role, she was the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for People, Culture and Digital Solutions at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat where she led numerous policies, programs, and regulations to advance the government's modernization agenda. Previously, she was the Assistant Deputy Minister and CIO at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada where she led AI, innovation, digital transformation and cyber-resilience within the agriculture sector, the Government of Canada and with international organizations such as the OECD and the European Union.

Over the past 30 years, Ms. ShankarNarayan has held multiple positions in both the private and public sectors, where she led horizontal collaboration to deliver multiple high-profile transformation initiatives related to service delivery to Canadians, digital technologies, and modernization. She has held executive positions at Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Employment and Social Development Canada and Global Affairs Canada, and in the private sector at Nortel Networks and Tata Consulting Engineers. She also had the privilege of being a champion for diversity and inclusion during her time in each organization. She is regularly invited to national and international events to share fresh perspectives on digital, data and AI, as well as equity, and inclusion as a key enabler of productivity.

Ms. ShankarNarayan holds a Master’s Degree in Architecture, specializing in Design and Technology from Carleton University, and has earned certificates from the University of Ottawa, and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She was awarded the Golden Quill (la plume d’or) in 2025, for her contributions in advancing both Official Languages.

Lieutenant-General Darcy Molstad was born and raised, in Edmonton, Alberta. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1996 after completing a Bachelor of Science at the University of Alberta. As a CF-18 pilot he flew operational tours in Bagotville, Cold Lake, and South Carolina on exchange with the United States (US) Marine Corps. He commanded 425 Tactical Fighter Squadron in Bagotville, Deployed Air Task Forces in Iceland, Romania, and in Hawaii, and 3 Wing / Canadian Forces Base Bagotville. As a General Officer, he deployed as Director of the US Combined Air and Space Operations Center in Al Udeid, Qatar, and served a two-year tour as Deputy Commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, second in command of all deployed CAF personnel.

His executive staff experience includes serving as an Attaché in the United Kingdom and Iceland, as the Special Advisor to the Minister of National Defence, as Director General of Strategies, Effects, and Readiness at the Strategic Joint Staff, and most recently as the Chief of Force Development designing the Joint Force of the future.

Lieutenant-General Molstad holds master’s degrees from the Royal Military College of Canada and the U.S. Air Force Air University and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Postgraduate Senior International Defense Management Course and the Institute of Corporate Directors Rotman School of Management Directors Education Program. He is a Fighter Weapons Instructor with over 2,200 hours logged on the CF-18. He was promoted to his current rank and named the inaugural Commander of the Canadian Joint Forces Command in December 2025.

Before joining the CAF, he competed in the pole vault winning two junior national titles and rising to multiple national university podiums. He stays connected to sports as the CAF Triathlon Patron and as an Honourary Coach of the Montréal Alouettes Football Club. He is married to an exceptional health professional and is the father to two extraordinary adult children.

Major General (MGen) Dave Yarker joined the Canadian Forces in 1989, graduating from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Kingston in 1993. Following completion of Graduate studies and Signals officer Training in 1996 he served with 2 Bde as a Signals Officer in both 427 Tactical Helicopter Squadron and 2 Combat Engineer Regiment.

He has been employed as staff in project management, joint, operational and strategic communications planning and deployed as the Canadian J6 to both Kosovo and Afghanistan. He has had the honour of command at 2 Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group Headquarters and Signals Squadron, the Canadian Forces Network Operations Centre, and the Canadian Forces Information Operations Group.

Since 2010, he has had the good fortune to have been employed in the cyber operations field, commanding at Unit and Formation levels as well as holding key staff and liaison positions including with United States Cyber Command and Canada’s Communications Security Establishment.

In 2022, he was then appointed as Director General Information Management Operations and the Joint Force Cyber Component Commander which became the Director General Cyber and Command and Control Information System Operation in 2024.

On promotion to his current rank, he was appointed Cyber Force Commander

He holds undergraduate degrees in Engineering Physics and History, along with master’s degrees in Engineering Physics and Defence Studies.

Major-General Yarker is married and the couple lives in Ottawa with their son.

Major-General Oberwarth enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994. A graduate of The Royal Military College, he was commissioned as an officer in The Royal Canadian Regiment.

Major-General Oberwarth has served with the Second and Third Battalions of The Royal Canadian Regiment and has seen deployments to the former Yugoslavia, East Africa, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

His key staff experiences include service with the Canadian Army HQ as the Business Planner and the Strategic Joint Staff as Director General Operations. He has also had the pleasure to serve two years with the United States Army as the Deputy Command General - Operations of America’s First Corps (I Corps).

His senior command tours include command of the Infantry School, the Combat Training Centre, and the 4th Canadian Division and Joint Task Force Central.

Major-General Oberwarth assumed the duties of Chief of Staff – Digital Services Group and Canadian Armed Forces J6 on 29 August 2025.

Originally from the West Island in Montreal, Major-General Justin Thibert joined the Canadian Forces in June 1993 as a Communications and Electronics Engineering officer.

Throughout his career, he’s had the privilege of occupying several command positions, namely as Officer Commanding (OC) of 765 telecommunication squadron in 76 Communications Group, Commanding Officer (CO) of the Mission Support Squadron and Wing Telecommunications and Information Systems Officer in 3 Wing Bagotville, CO of the Canadian Forces Network Operations Centre at CFS Leitrim and Commander of 7 Communications Group. He also deployed to Bosnia in support of OP BOREAS as the second-in-command of the sector HQ for the North-West Multinational Task Force.

Additionally, he has held staff positions in the Defence Messaging Handling System project office, Canada Command, Directorate of Information Management Capability Development, 7 Communications Group, Director General Air and Space Force Development, Chief Combat Systems Integration, Director General Air Strategic Resources and Air Reserve and recently was Director General Military Communications and Space Systems. He also had the opportunity to be the Occupation Advisor for the CELE (Communications and Electronics Engineering) and ATIS (Aerospace Telecommunications and Information Systems Technicians) trades. Most recently, he held the appointment of Director General Military Communications and Space Systems.

Major-General Thibert holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a Masters in Defence Studies from Royal Military College of Canada. He’s also a graduate from the National Security Program at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

Major-General Thibert currently holds the appointment of Chief Digital Transformation and Defence Chief Data Officer. He’s married and has four children.