As the internet continues to make the world a far more connected place, Bonnie Butlin keeps finding new ways to connect the global security professionals who aspire to safeguard it.
Based out of the Ottawa, Canada metropolitan area, Butlin is the co-founder and executive director of the Security Partners' Forum (SPF), an international, not-for-profit agile network that allows associations, educators and experts specializing in all areas of security (cyber, physical, peacekeeping, etc.) to exchange ideas and policy frameworks.
Launched in September 2011, SPF over the years has formed multiple “sub-networks,” including the Canadian Security Partners' Forum (CSPF), the Canadian Security Executive Forum (CSEF), the Canadian Cybersecurity Alliance (CCA), and the International Council of Security & Resilience Educators (ICSRE).
As the CCA's national coordinator and chair of its national council, Butlin has worked alongside fellow SPF and CCA co-founder Grant Lecky to unite over 100 Canadian organizations under one umbrella, all in an effort to tackle emerging challenges in the cyber landscape.
Recent SPF and/or CCA initiatives include developing a Canadian CISO Council within the CIO Association of Canada, and collaboration on the creation of an information sharing mechanism and community within the mining industry to better protect it against various threats such as cyberattacks.
Another SPF-affiliated sub-network is the Women in Security & Resilience Alliance (WISECRA), which from 2017-2018 nearly doubled its membership from 22 participating women-in-security groups to 40. It was during this rapid expansion that several colleagues approached Butlin about developing another one of these groups in Africa.