Chief Robert Martin
Robert Martin has been the Chief of the West Grey Police Service since 2016. Prior to that he served 28 years with the York Regional Police. He has a Master’s Degree from the University of Guelph, College of Economics and Management in Leadership Studies.

During his career, he has served in a number of roles including criminal investigations, traffic services, collision reconstruction, front line supervision, professional development and staff services. He also completed a 5-year secondment to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a training facilitator for the Drug Evaluation and classification program. Chief Martin has appeared as an expert witness before the Human Rights and Legal issues Committee of the Canadian Senate on the Tackling Violent Crime Act.

Robert Martin has been the Chief of the West Grey Police Service since 2016. Prior to that he served 28 years with the York Regional Police. He has a Master’s Degree from the University of Guelph, College of Economics and Management in Leadership Studies.

During his career, he has served in a number of roles including criminal investigations, traffic services, collision reconstruction, front line supervision, professional development and staff services. He also completed a 5-year secondment to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a training facilitator for the Drug Evaluation and classification program. Chief Martin has appeared as an expert witness before the Human Rights and Legal issues Committee of the Canadian Senate on the Tackling Violent Crime Act.
has been the Chief of the West Grey Police Service since 2016. Prior to that he served 28 years with the York Regional Police. He has a Master’s Degree from the University of Guelph, College of Economics and Management in Leadership Studies.

During his career, he has served in a number of roles including criminal investigations, traffic services, collision reconstruction, front line supervision, professional development and staff services. He also completed a 5-year secondment to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a training facilitator for the Drug Evaluation and classification program. Chief Martin has appeared as an expert witness before the Human Rights and Legal issues Committee of the Canadian Senate on the Tackling Violent Crime Act.

Anthony Odoardi, Deputy Chief, Peel Regional Police (PRP)
Anthony Odoardi, Deputy Chief, Peel Regional Police (PRP), began his career in 1995 with the Halton Regional Police where he worked across numerous aspects of the organization and was focused on leading a number of strategic and innovative policing initiatives including the creation of Canada’s first Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN). In 2015, Anthony served as a Security Commander for the Pan AM Games and currently sits on the Board of Directors for RADIUS Child and Youth Services.

In June 2020, Anthony joined PRP as Deputy Chief and is responsible for Innovation, Infrastructure and Technology Command. Anthony hit the ground running by initiating PRP’s Digital Officer Transformation Program with a vision of becoming one of North America’s most progressive and innovative police services. Anthony is also currently serving as the Managing Director of the PSBN Innovation Alliance (PIA). The PIA aims to provide a reliable, cost effective and cyber-secure data communications network to all first responders and critical infrastructure partners across Canada. Deputy Chief Odoardi is also serving as Chair of the Interagency Advisory Panel for Next Generation-911 on behalf of the Ontario Association Chiefs of Police and is leading the PRP / Ontario Human Rights Commission project that is focused on identifying and eliminating systemic discrimination in policing. Anthony is a a recipient of the Order of Merit of Police Forces (M.O.M.)

Brian Lass
Brian Lass is currently Staff Sergeant & Manager within the 2nd largest social housing provider in all of North America; The Toronto Community Housing – Community Safety Unit, and formerly Provincial Prosecutor with Government of Ontario Transit/Metrolinx (which is a Crown Agency of the Province of Ontario, Canada). He is a Harvard Business School graduate in Organizational Leadership, delegate of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (LEEDA) Command Leadership Institute, graduate of both the Ontario Police College Criminal Investigator program and Gun & Gang Investigator program, in addition to his studies at the world-renowned Disney Institute – in which Brian’s emphasis has been on employee engagement, servant leadership, and fostering a healthy workplace culture.

Moreover, in addition to acquiring a peculiar tertiary skills set over the past 17+ in law enforcement, legal advocacy, and both Interpersonal & Organizational Leadership; Brian has been regularly sought after as a Provincial Offences Court Process & Procedure subject matter expert by numerous prominent public sector agencies (by virtue of still being a Licensed Paralegal with the Law Society of Ontario and graduate of the York University – Osgoode Hall Law School Provincial Offences Practitioner program), in addition to his present tenure as Principal Provincial Statutes Instructor with TNT Justice Consultants (a subsidiary of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police) – currently facilitating training for the province of Ontario’s Campus Security/ Special Constable Agencies. Brian currently sits on the Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Humber College Police Foundations Program, and unofficial adjunct faculty member of the Seneca College School of Public Safety. Furthermore, Brian is (perhaps) most noted for bringing a very innovative, engaging, energetic and entertaining persona to all of his endeavors – with a passion for mentoring and fostering high performing teams.

Fire Chief Brent Thomas
Brent Thomas is the Joint Fire Chief for the Town of Innisfil and the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury.

Chief Thomas leads and manages the joint fire department’s overall operations, which include fire suppression, staff training, emergency management, fire prevention, public education, and strategic service planning. He has over 39 years of progressive experience in emergency services, beginning as a paramedic before shifting to a career in fire services and progressing through the ranks. Before joining the Town of Innisfil, he most recently served as Fire Chief with the Orillia Fire Department and prior to that, held various positions within Orillia and the Stoney Creek, Hamilton, and West Lincoln fire departments. Chief Thomas serves on the Board of Directors for the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs including chair of the Training and Education committee. He is also an advocate for pro active mental health and serves on the Mental Health Committee for the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. In addition he serves on the Georgian College Pre Service Fire Program Advisory Committee. In his spare time the Chief enjoys spending time with family and enjoying the outdoors.

Fire Chief Andrew Zvanitajs, B.A., A-EMCA
Andrew Zvanitajs is currently the Fire Chief for the Vaughan Fire & Rescue Service. He joined the fire service in 1997 after working as a paramedic in Ontario and overseas. He has previously served as the Deputy Chief of Operations, Administration, and Support Services. He comes from the Operations division where he served as an Officer and he has 28 years of fire service experience, all with the City of Vaughan.

A lifelong supporter of continuing education, he has been an adjunct instructor and professor at the Ontario Fire College and Humber College respectively. He instructed emergency patient care and the pre-service program for 15 years from 1999-2014.

He has completed a BA in History from McMaster in 1996, has a Paramedic diploma from Algonquin College (1994), a Queen’s University Diploma in Mental Health Leadership (2016), as well as a certificate in Business Leadership from Western University’s Ivey Business School (2019).

Chris Nearing Fire Chief , Markham Fire and Emergency Services
Chris Nearing is in his 33rd year in emergency services. Starting his public service career as a paramedic, he has spent the last 29 years with Markham Fire and Emergency Services. Chief Nearing has held a leadership role in MFES for 22 years, including 6 years as Deputy Fire Chief and was named Markham’s Fire Chief in 2023. Chris has been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in the fire service and has been dedicated to improving firefighter mental wellness as a senior manager. Throughout his time in management Chris has been responsible for Fire Suppression & Operations, Training, Mechanical/Apparatus and Communications. His portfolio of responsibilities has also included recruit firefighter hiring and internal promotions.

Ricky Brooks, District Chief, Recruitment & Outreach, Toronto Fire Services
Ricky attended Durham College to Study Business Administration with a focus on Human Resources. Following this he attended York University where he pursued an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Work & Labour Studies. He then completed a Masters of Industrial Relations from Queens University.

Ricky started his career with the City of Toronto working in the People & Equity Division in 2017. In 2023, he joined Toronto Fire Services in the role of District Chief in the Recruitment & Outreach division. In this role, Ricky directly supports the strategic goal of having the Toronto Fire Services reflect the diverse communities it serves. Outreach to equity deserving groups in the City of Toronto includes 2SLGBTQ+, Black and Indigenous communities as well as newcomers, and racialized minorities. To accomplish this, Ricky’s work includes building partnerships with community organizations, high schools, post secondary institutions as well as internal & external stakeholders. Some of the primary messaging of his work when conducting outreach to equity deserving groups includes the various firefighting career pathways like: Operations Firefighter; Fire Prevention Inspector; Call/Taker Dispatcher; Public Educator; Heavy Truck Mechanic; and Uniformed Technology & Analytics roles.

Asaf Levy, Director of Loss Prevention and Compliance, Metro Supply Chain
Asaf Levy started his 20+ year career attending the Police Foundations Program at Seneca college at King Campus. He then took on roles within various security guard companies as a uniformed guard, condo concierge, event control, personal protection, and mobile unit staff. After a few years, Asaf found himself working as a plain-clothed loss prevention professional, arresting shoplifters and conducting training for employees. This role evolved into ORC and internal investigations, and building relationships with police departments in different districts. From there, Asaf joined a supply chain security department, once again adapting to a new environment and a new way of conducting investigations and mitigations with new challenges. Asaf made his way into the cannabis industry where he had the opportunity to work with the Under Writers Laboratory of Canada on Cannabis Standards. Asaf also volunteers with ASIS International and in 2024 was elected the Chapter Chair for the ASIS Toronto Chapter. Asaf is a 2020 recipient of Canadian Security’s Top 10 Under 40 award.

 
Aaron Ramhit, Manager of Risk Prevention, Scotiabank
Aaron Ramhit is a physical security and emergency management professional with a Protection, Security, and Investigations (PSI) diploma from Humber College. Currently serving as the Manager of Risk Prevention on the Scotiabank Physical Security team, Aaron specializes in physical asset protection, travel and event risk management, and leading training and education initiatives, globally. With a proven track record in designing and implementing impactful security and emergency management programs across various industries, he is a proponent of breaking down silos and fostering collaboration for a holistic approach to safety and security. Aaron is dedicated to mentoring young professionals, and his active role in ASIS Toronto’s DE&I and Education committees reflects his commitment to cultivating a more inclusive industry and support for young professionals.

 
Robin Soobramanie, Director of Security Operations, Woodbine Entertainment
Robin Soobramanie is the Director of Security Operations at Woodbine Entertainment. Robin oversees all security operations, including physical security, investigations and surveillance. He has been in security operations at Woodbine Entertainment for 35+ years and obtained his Certified Protection Professional Certification (CPP) from ASIS International in 2014. Robin has led security operations for many special events, including Canada’s thoroughbred signature race, the King’s Plate.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Tom Stutler, Vice President of National Security Operations, Cadillac Fairview Corp.
Tom Stutler is a physical security, as well as an environmental health and safety professional with global operations experience. Professionally, Tom served as a criminal prosecutor then in FBI Management in the FBI’s National Security Division, managing the FBI’s liaison program with defence contractors, where Tom’s team worked directly with 13,000 corporate security leaders. Tom has been a volunteer leader with ASIS for over 25 years, serving as the Chairperson of the ASIS Investigation’s Council; and serving as the Chairperson of the Memphis ASIS Chapter. Tom enjoys writing and speaking on security related matters; and recent publications include ESG Primer for Security Practitioners, Rules of Work From Home, and Preparing for Personality Assessments for security professionals. Educationally, Tom has a Juris Doctorate, and earned certificates for EHS Professionals (Harvard), Organizational Leadership (Wharton/ASIS), and Board Governance (UT Rotman School of Management). Tom enjoys mentoring security professionals at all levels of their careers.