Optro Announces AI Pioneer Dr. Rana el Kaliouby and Cybersecurity Expert Alex Stamos as Headlining Speakers for CRX'26

The premier event in GRC unites risk leaders from around the world to explore human-centric AI, agentic governance, and enterprise security at scale.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Optro, the leading AI-powered GRC Intelligence Platform empowering enterprises to transform risk into opportunity, today announced its headlining keynote speakers for CRX (formerly Audit & Beyond), taking place October 13–15, 2026, at the Gaylord Pacific Resort in San Diego, California. Mainstage keynotes will feature Dr. Rana el Kaliouby, pioneer in Artificial Intelligence, investor, and co-founder and General Partner at Blue Tulip Ventures, and Alex Stamos, Chief Product Officer at Corridor, Stanford University adjunct professor, and former CISO of Facebook, Yahoo, and SentinelOne, alongside Optro executives, including Raul Villar Jr., Richard Chambers, and Kieran Taylor.

CRX'26 gathers thousands of practitioners, leaders, and executives for three days of peer-led sessions, networking, and a deep dive into the era of GRC intelligence, a fundamental paradigm shift from managing governance, risk, and compliance data to leveraging AI to actively generate decision-ready insights. The event programming spans more than 45 sessions with up to 17 CPE credits available. Attendees will walk away with a practical roadmap to navigate the compounding pressures of AI risks, cyber threats, operational resilience, and shifting regulatory demands. They will also be able to go hands-on with exciting new Optro capabilities ahead of release and gain valuable insights from practitioners at leading enterprises such as Reddit, Block, Black Kite, and Navan.

Anchoring this year's conference, the mainstage talks explore the industry's shift to the fourth era of GRC, where enterprise risk, compliance, and audit teams are simultaneously deploying and governing autonomous agents while navigating today's evolving threat landscape.

Mainstage keynote highlights

• Dr. Rana el Kaliouby, co-founder and General Partner at Blue Tulip Ventures. El Kaliouby co-founded the MIT spin-out Affectiva, where she invented the emotion-recognition technology that created the Emotion AI category, and led it as CEO through its 2021 acquisition by Smart Eye. She now invests in early-stage human-centric AI and hosts the Pioneers of AI podcast. Her Day 1 keynote will offer an insider's look into the next frontier of human-centric AI.
• Alex Stamos, Chief Product Officer at Corridor and adjunct professor at Stanford University. Stamos has held the top security role at Facebook, Yahoo, and SentinelOne, and founded the Stanford Internet Observatory, which produced some of the first research on AI and child safety. He has served on the DHS Cybersecurity Advisory Committee and advised the White House. His closing keynote will deliver a high-stakes, unvarnished look at the emerging AI landscape.

"As GRC enters its fourth era, our customers need actionable, peer-tested strategies to manage the pace of change in today's risk landscape," said April Crichlow, Chief Marketing Officer at Optro. "Dr. Rana el Kaliouby and Alex Stamos represent the absolute pinnacle of expertise in ethical AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise scale. Their insights will provide our community with the strategic roadmap and confidence needed to turn agentic AI into a distinct competitive advantage."

To view the full agenda or register for CRX, visit optro.ai.

About Optro 

Optro (formerly AuditBoard) helps enterprises transform risk into opportunity through its AI-powered GRC Intelligence Platform. More than 50% of the Fortune 500 trust Optro to elevate audit, risk, and compliance in addressing a new era of risk. Optro is top-rated by customers on G2 and was named a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Tools, Assurance Leaders. To learn more, visit optro.ai.

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SOURCE Optro, Inc