Blair Canavan
Director, Alliances - PKI & PQC Portfolio at Thales
About
Blair has over 35 years of experience in cybersecurity sales, marketing, and business development. His career began with Symantec, where he developed his expertise in cybersecurity and cryptography, followed by key roles at startups such as Chrysalis-ITS (Thales), Titus (Fortra), Black Duck (Synopsys), InfoSec Global (Keyfactor), and Crypto4A. In 2019, Blair was recruited back to Thales as part of the Global Technology Alliances team, where he leads the curation of the PKI and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) alliances portfolio. An avid presenter and startup consultant, Blair is a recognized contributor to the PQC industry and the founder of Thales’ PQC Palooza, held annually at the RSA Conference. He holds an Honours BA from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Experience
Director, Alliances - PKI & PQC Portfolio
Oct 2026 – Present
Blair has over 35 years of experience in cybersecurity sales, marketing, and business development. His career began with Symantec, where he developed his expertise in cybersecurity and cryptography, followed by key roles at startups such as Chrysalis-ITS (Thales), Titus (Fortra), Black Duck (Synopsys), InfoSec Global (Keyfactor), and Crypto4A. In 2019, Blair was recruited back to Thales as part of the Global Technology Alliances team, where he leads the curation of the PKI and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) alliances portfolio. An avid presenter and startup consultant, Blair is a recognized contributor to the PQC industry and the founder of Thales’ PQC Palooza, held annually at the RSA Conference. He holds an Honours BA from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Independent
Oct 2026 – Present
Blair has over 35 years of experience in cybersecurity sales, marketing, and business development. His career began with Symantec, where he developed his expertise in cybersecurity and cryptography, followed by key roles at startups such as Chrysalis-ITS (Thales), Titus (Fortra), Black Duck (Synopsys), InfoSec Global (Keyfactor), and Crypto4A. In 2019, Blair was recruited back to Thales as part of the Global Technology Alliances team, where he leads the curation of the PKI and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) alliances portfolio. An avid presenter and startup consultant, Blair is a recognized contributor to the PQC industry and the founder of Thales’ PQC Palooza, held annually at the RSA Conference. He holds an Honours BA from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Speaking
Post-Quantum Cryptography Conference
- PQC Budgeting: How to Address the Costs of PQC ReadinessRoom A (2)
- Director, Alliances - PKI & PQC Portfolio
