Merike Kaeo currently serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Uniphore, a conversational AI technology company. She has over 25 years of experience in pioneering Internet technology deployments and developing strategic security initiatives. Merike instigated and led the first security initiative for Cisco Systems in the mid 1990s and authored the first Cisco book on security, Designing Network Security, which was translated into multiple languages and widely used in security accreditation programs. She has held a variety of executive leadership positions and has a deep rooted history in the global Internet community having contributed to organizations such as NANOG, APNIC, RIPE, ARIN, LACNIC, IGF, IETF, FIRST and ISOC. She is a frequently sought after panelist and keynote speaker for disseminating and promoting strategies to create stable, resilient and safe digital environments. In 2007, Merike was instrumental in fostering cooperation and trust among the global operational security community and the Estonian National CERT during the cyber attacks against Estonia. She is fluent in Estonian, German and English and is hoping to learn Spanish in the near future. Having earned a MSEE from George Washington University and a BSEE from Rutgers University, Merike is a longstanding member of the IEEE. She is also a pioneer member of ISOC and has been an active IETF contributor since 1992. She was named an IPv6 Forum Fellow in 2007 for her continued efforts to raise awareness of IPv6 related security paradigms. Since 2010, she has been on ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Council (SSAC), a Board advisory committee comprised of Internet pioneers and technical experts including operators of Internet root servers, registrars, and TLD registries. Merike has participated on the FCC's Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC) and served a one-year term on the ARIN Board of Trustees from Jan 1, 2017 to Dec 31, 2017. Merike Kaeo has been appointed to serve as the non-voting liaison from the Security & Stability Advisory Committee starting in 2018 and continuing through 2021.
