The Young Cybersecurity Leader
A four-week, case-based leadership programme. Students act as the leadership team of a real organisation that suffered a major cyberattack, analyse the breach and defend their response strategy before an executive panel.
Leadership, not hacking · Final Day 30 Jan
Cyberattacks are now a board-level problem. In this programme, teams of 4 to 5 students step into the shoes of the leadership team of a real organisation hit by a recent major breach. They work out how the attack happened, what it cost the business, how to respond and how to stop it happening again, then present their plan to a mock board of industry practitioners on the final day.
Meet Ali Khan
Ali Khan
Ex-Partner, Deloitte · Executive cybersecurity leader · CCISO, CISM, CISSP, CDPSE, CISA
Known as #thecyberAli, Ali Khan is an executive cybersecurity professional, author, thought leader, mentor and angel investor, raised across three continents. He leads cybersecurity initiatives for organisations around the world, and works closely with schools and universities to develop the next generation of cybersecurity professionals, mentoring aspiring cyber professionals and startups. Ali holds an Executive Management Certificate in Leading Organizations in Disruptive Times from INSEAD and an Honours BA in Information Technology Management from York University, Canada.
Learning outcomes
How each session works
Each Saturday runs 1:00 to 3:30 PM, with guided instruction, team work on the case (Ali works with each team) and a check-in with the Programme Lead. Students bring a laptop.
Real, recent breaches
Each team leads one real, recent breach. Cases are refreshed for every cohort. Examples from 2026:
A crypto exchange
A nation-state theft of billions from hot wallets in minutes. How do you secure privileged engineer access, protect customers and talk to markets and regulators?
An AI platform
The first publicly confirmed attack run end to end by an autonomous AI agent. Who is accountable when an AI attacks, and how do defences change at machine speed?
A SaaS supply chain
Attackers used a forgotten credential and stored OAuth tokens to reach hundreds of customers' data. How should connected apps be approved, limited and monitored?
What the student leaves with
A board-style presentation delivered to an executive panel
A certificate of completion
A chance at one of three awards
A chance at one of 5 internships, for the top students
Real experience of leading through a crisis
Created by Klaster with Leyla Baymaganbetova and Ali Khan.
Schedule and location
4 Saturdays, 9, 16, 23 and 30 January 2027, 1:00 to 3:30 PM, in person at DIFC, Dubai AI Campus. The Final Day is Saturday 30 January. AED 3,000. Bring a laptop.
Frequently asked
Other programmes
Ready to join The Young Cybersecurity Leader?
9 Jan - 30 Jan · 4 Saturdays · DIFC, Dubai
Registration is open
Register your student
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