Canada’s grocery and supermarket sector runs on scale, speed, and trust, making cybersecurity leadership mission-critical. The executives highlighted below are either currently serving as CISOs or are closely tied to the role through senior security leadership, advisory positions, or prior stewardship of some of the country’s most complex retail environments. Together, they represent the people shaping how resilience, privacy, and cyber risk are managed across Canada’s food supply chains.
Vivek Khindria — President and Principal Consultant, Risk Embrace Inc.
Few leaders have shaped cybersecurity inside Canadian retail as visibly as Vivek Khindria. Formerly a senior cyber executive at Loblaw Companies, he helped protect one of the country’s most important businesses spanning grocery, pharmacy, banking, and e-commerce. Today, through Risk Embrace, Khindria advises boards and C-suites on cyber risk, AI governance, resilience, and emerging technologies such as quantum computing. His work focuses on translating complex technology risk into practical roadmaps that give organizations a competitive advantage. Alongside this, his advisory board role at 1CISO reflects a continued commitment to empowering practitioners and strengthening Canada’s broader cybersecurity ecosystem.
Greg Murray — Senior Vice President, Cyber Security, Privacy & Network, Loblaw Companies Limited
Greg Murray operates at the intersection of cybersecurity, infrastructure, and executive governance for Canada’s largest grocery retailer. As SVP at Loblaw Companies, his remit spans cybersecurity, privacy, networks, and technology operations across the Loblaw Group and PC Financial. Beyond industry, Murray is also a Fellow and advisory board member at the Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity, where he helps advance public–private collaboration in cyber and AI/ML research. Known as a trusted advisor to CEOs and boards, his career reflects how grocery cybersecurity has evolved into a board-level resilience and trust mandate.
Afan Murtaza — Senior Director, Cyber Security, Loblaw Companies Limited
Afan Murtaza brings depth and continuity to Loblaw’s cybersecurity program, having spent years maturing enterprise security across application security, vendor risk, governance, compliance, and awareness. He leads large, multidisciplinary teams delivering shared security services across Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart, and President’s Choice Financial. Murtaza’s work bridges operational rigor with executive reporting, supporting board-level visibility through KRIs and program scorecards. His leadership style, focused on development, diversity, and strong business relationships, has been central to sustaining cybersecurity at scale in one of Canada’s most complex retail ecosystems.
Adnan Siddiq — Senior Director, Cyber Command Center, Loblaw Companies Limited
With more than 25 years in cybersecurity, Adnan Siddiq leads the Cyber Command Center at Loblaw, overseeing security operations in a high-stakes, always-on retail environment. His expertise lies in aligning security investments with enterprise risk tolerance while building strong partnerships across industry and government to enhance threat intelligence. Siddiq’s leadership reflects the operational backbone of grocery cybersecurity, where rapid detection, response, and resilience directly protect customer trust and business continuity across thousands of physical and digital touchpoints.
Russell Thomson — Director of Information Security, Giant Tiger
Russell Thomson has quietly built and sustained Giant Tiger’s information security program over nearly two decades of hands-on leadership. From establishing the company’s first security department to driving SOX, PCI, and privacy compliance, his work has helped the retailer avoid material security incidents while reducing risk exposure. Thomson’s experience managing executive-level security strategy, regulatory relationships, and incident readiness underscores the importance of pragmatic, business-aligned security leadership in value-driven grocery and retail operations.
Ragulan Sinnarajah — Chief Information Security Officer, Empire Company Limited
As CISO of Empire Company Limited, Ragulan Sinnarajah is accountable for cybersecurity across one of Canada’s most diverse grocery portfolios, including Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, FreshCo, Foodland, Farm Boy, Longo’s, and Voila. His remit also extends into fraud and security for the Scene+ loyalty ecosystem, reflecting the convergence of retail, data, and digital identity risk. Known as a strategic and people-centric leader, Sinnarajah brings a transformation mindset to grocery cybersecurity, enabling business growth while strengthening resilience across banners and brands.
Why Grocery Cyber Leadership Deserves Attention
From national giants to value retailers, Canada’s supermarket sector depends on leaders who can balance operational scale, regulatory pressure, and consumer trust. The CISOs and senior cyber executives to watch are not just defending networks; they are shaping how food retail operates securely in an increasingly digital economy.