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Cybersecurity for HR Leaders Empowering HR leaders to champion cybersecurity culture, protect people and data, and strengthen organizational resilience.
Did You Know?
- In Canada, ~72% of ransomware victims said IT systems were restored to pre-incident capacity within a month; ~52% in less than a week.
- ~28% of Canadian organizations affected by ransomware reported reputational harm in 2024, up from previous years.
- In Canada, 79% of ransomware victims paid, but global research shows only ~42% achieve complete data restoration.
- Canadian businesses spent $1.2B on recovery in 2023, double 2021, with SMEs carrying ~50% of the cost.
- Many Canadian SMBs lack tested incident response (IR) plans and role clarity during crises.
Description
Cybersecurity is no longer solely an IT issue — it is a people, culture, governance, and enterprise risk priority. HR leaders sit at the centre of workforce risk, talent strategy, policy governance, organizational culture, and crisis response.
Cybersecurity for HR Leaders is an intensive one-day program that equips HR professionals with the strategic insight and practical tools to:
- Embed cybersecurity into organizational culture
- Strengthen workforce readiness and insider-risk mitigation
- Align HR policies with cybersecurity governance
- Partner effectively with IT, Legal, Risk, and Executive teams
- Respond confidently to cyber incidents involving employees
Through expert instruction, real-world case studies, and collaborative exercises, participants will explore the evolving cyber threat landscape and HR’s critical role in managing human-centred risk across the organization. Spanning governance, policy, culture-building, and the full employee lifecycle, the program equips HR leaders with practical frameworks to embed cybersecurity into every stage of workforce management. A final tabletop simulation places participants at the centre of a live cyber incident — challenging them to lead cross-functional response, manage communications, and make high-stakes decisions under pressure.
At the conclusion of the program, participants receive a Certificate of Completion from the I.H. Asper School of Business’ James W. Burns Executive Education Centre.
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of the program, participants will be able to:
- Interpret cybersecurity risk through a workforce and culture lens.
- Define HR’s role in governance, insider threat mitigation, and regulatory compliance.
- Design engaging security education and awareness strategies (SETA).
- Strengthen controls across the employee lifecycle (hiring, onboarding, role changes, offboarding).
- Collaborate effectively during a cyber incident.
- Build and sustain a security-first culture aligned with enterprise strategy.
| Program Content | | Module 1: The Cyber Threat Landscape: Why HR Must Lead | Focus: Translating cyber risk into workforce and organizational risk. | Key Topics: - The evolving cyber threat environment (ransomware, phishing, insider threats)
Human behaviour as the primary attack vector Reputational, legal, and workforce implications of breaches Psychological and behavioural dimensions of cyber risk
| | Module 2: Governance, Policy & Risk: HR’s Oversight Role | Focus:
Embedding cybersecurity into HR governance and enterprise risk structures. | Key Topics: HR’s role in enterprise risk management Insider threat frameworks Policy alignment: acceptable use, remote work, data access controls Canadian privacy and regulatory considerations Role clarity between HR, IT, Legal, and Executive leadership
| | Module 3: Building a Security-First Culture | Focus: Moving beyond compliance training toward behavioural change. | Key Topics: Designing effective Security Education and Awareness Training (SETA) Making cybersecurity training engaging and measurable Partnering with Internal Communications Leadership modelling and accountability Metrics HR should track (participation, behavioural indicators, incident trends)
| Module 4: The Employee Lifecycle & Insider Risk | Focus: Strengthening controls across the full talent lifecycle. | Key Topics: Secure recruitment and background screening Onboarding and access provisioning Role transitions and privilege management Offboarding protocols and data recovery Managing behavioural risk indicators
| Module 5: Incident Response Simulation: HR at the Table | Focus:
Strategic crisis leadership and cross-functional coordination. | Participants engage in a facilitated tabletop simulation involving: A ransomware incident affecting employee data Payroll disruption Regulatory reporting obligations Internal communication challenges Media and reputational pressure
HR leaders must determine: What to communicate internally and externally How to support affected employees Documentation and compliance requirements How to collaborate with IT, Legal, and Executive leadership
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This program is ideal for:
Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs), HR Directors and Managers, Talent and Learning & Development Leaders, HR Business Partners, Organizational Development Professionals, and HR professionals involved in governance, compliance, or enterprise risk.
Date: Monday, June 1st, 2026
Time:
- 8:00am-8:30am - Registration and Breakfast
- 8:30am-4:30pm - Sessions
CPD Hours: 8.0
Cost: $1,150.00 + GST
Event Cancellation Policy: This event is governed by our general Professional Development Cancellation, Refund & Transfer Policy. To learn more, click here.
CPHR Manitoba has partnered with The James W. Burns Executive Education Centre at the I.H. Asper School of Business to offer this program to our members.
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