CYBER WRITER

This award will go to the IT security writer who is completely on the ball and understands cybersecurity, demonstrating this through thought-provoking, well- written articles and interviews that help educate and inform his/her audience. 

Winner: Geoff White, Author

Highly Commended: Mollie Chard, Head of Cyber Defence at OVO

• Antara Jha
• Joseph Cox, 404 Media 
• Ali Abdollahi, Information Security Lead
• Ameera Aumeerally, AppSec Champion at IBM CIC
• Eliza-May Austin, th4ts3cur1ty.company
• Nikki Webb, Custodian360
• Graham Cluley, Smashing Security
• Kelvin Chan, Tech and Business Editor at The Associated Press
• Alison Simpson, Content Manager at SheCanCode 
• Kevin Poireault, Reporter at Infosecurity Magazine 
• James Coker, Deputy Editor at Infosecurity Magazine 
• Beth Maundrill, Editor at Infosecurity Magazine

GODFATHER/ GODMOTHER OF SECURITY

This award will go to someone who has been around the block and back and contributed greatly to the IT Security industry for more than 25 years. 

Winner: Jessica Figueras, CEO of Pionen

• Antara Jha
• Jenny Radcliffe, The People Hacker
• Eliza-May Austin, th4ts3cur1ty.company 
• Allie Andrews, CEO of PRPR 
• Andy James, Custodian360
• Martin Smith, Chairman of SASIG
• Tarnveer Singh, CISO of The Exeter
• Marcus Alldrick, CISO of Luminary
• Michael Colao, Global Chief Underwriting Officer – Direct and Indirect Cyber Risks, AXA XL

DATA GUARDIAN

Data has quickly become one of the most sought-after commodities. This award goes to the person who is always looking out for the interests of the everyday individual; making sure that customer and employee data are protected from prying eyes and their privacy is preserved. 

Winner: Harry Wilson, Head of Information Security at Williams Racing

• Antara Jha
• Harry Wilson, Head of Information Security at Williams Racing
• Stewart Room, Advisory Board member, Cyber Resilience Centre for London

CISO SUPREMO

CISOs play an important role in securing all aspects of the business and implementing programmes that increase the security posture of an organisation. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it – this award will recognise the best. 

Winner: Dr. Mary Haigh, CISO at BAE Systems

• Jon France, CISO of ISC2
• Hazel Mcpherson, CISO of ALD Automotive
• Dr. Mary Haigh, CISO at BAE Systems
• Jitender Arora, CISO at Deloitte NSE
• Jordan Schroeder, Managing CISO of Barrier Networks
• Tarnveer Singh, CISO of the Exeter
• David Cripps, CISO of Moneycorp
• Colette Hanley, CISO of Checkout.com
• Simon Riggs, CISO of OneAdvanced
• Derek Cheng,  CISO of Deliveroo

SECURITY AVENGERS

Security is not a one person job, this award will recognise the best IT security team and how they averted a security disaster or persevere in the fight to keep their organisations safe from cyber threats. 

Winner: OVO Energy, Attack Surface Management Team

• ZDL Group Compliance Team
• OVO Energy, Attack Surface Management Team
• The Custodian360 Team
• The Pentest People Team
• Canon Europe Team

BEST EDUCATOR

This award will go to a professor, lecturer or teacher who leads by example to inspire and motivate the next generation of cyber security professionals. 

Winner: Carolyn Yates, Lead Tutor and Head of Wellbeing at CAPSLOCK 

• Antara Jha
• Carolyn Yates, Lead Tutor and Head of Wellbeing at CAPSLOCK 
• Mark Cummins, Lecturer TU Dublin Blanchardstown
• Etay Maor, Chief Security Strategist at Cato Networks
• Sadie Creese, Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of Oxford
• Steven Furnell, Professor of Cybersecurity at Nottingham University
• Madeline Carr, Professor of Global Politics and Cybersecurity at UCL 
• George Danezis, Professor of Security and Privacy Engineering at UCL
• Sarah meiklejohn, Professor in Cryptography and Security at UCL and a Staff Research Scientist at Google
• Leonie Maria Tanczer, Associate Professor in International Security and Emerging Technologies at UCL
• Ivan Flechais, Associate Professor in Human Factors of Cyber Security, Department of Computer Science at University of Oxford
• Fabio Pierazzi, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at King’s College London

BEST ETHICAL HACKER/PEN TESTER

This award will go to the person who understands and knows how to look for weaknesses in security systems and uses the same knowledge and tools as a malicious hacker, but in a lawful and legitimate manner. 

Winner:  Josh Hickling, Principal Consultant at Pentest People

• Nikhil Rane, Student at University of Bradford
• Ben Jacob, Senior Security Consultant, Technical Lead EMEA, at Secureworks
• James Mason, Cyber and Physical Pen Tester, QinetiQ
• Mike McGrath – Principal Pen Tester, Bridewell
• Peter Connelly, Founder and CEO, Toro Solutions

SECURITY LEADER/

MENTOR

The winner of this award will be someone in industry who leads a team or mentors individuals, taking the time to show them the ropes and ensure those coming through the ranks are prepared for the future. 

Winner: Jennifer Cox, Director for Ireland at WiCyS UK & Ireland

• Stuart Coulson, University of Manchester
• Didar Gelici, (Latest Role) Interim Head of Infosec Risk and Compliance at Just Eat Takeaway
• Lisa Ventura MBE, Founder of Cyber Security Unity
• Diana Moldovan, Security Operations Manager
• Grace Dolby, Operations Director at Riversafe
• Antara Jha
• Eliza-May Austin, th4ts3cur1ty.company
• Nikki Webb, Global Channel Manager at Custodian360
• Martin Smith, Chairman of SASIG
• Gemma Moore, Founder of Cyberis
• Muhammad Yahya Patel, Lead Security Engineer and Global Cybersecurity Evangelist at Check Point Software

CYBERSECURITY WELLBEING ADVOCATE

Cybersecurity can be a stressful industry to work in. In fact, as many as 45% of senior cybersecurity professionals have considered quitting as a result. This award goes to the individual who makes every effort to look after the mental health and general wellbeing of their peers/colleagues.  

Winner: Cyber House Party team

• Stuart Coulson, University of Manchester
• Didar Gelici, (Latest Role) Interim Head of Infosec Risk and Compliance at Just Eat Takeaway
• Lisa Ventura MBE, Founder of Cyber Security Unity Limited
• Antara Jha
• Eliza-May Austin, th4ts3cur1ty.company
• Nikki Webb, Global Channel Manager at Custodian360
• Jitender Arora, CISO at Deloitte NSE
• The Cyber House Party Team

BEST SECURITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

In order to increase education on cyber threats and digital behaviours within the workplace, Security Awareness campaigns are often a vital part of getting the message out. This award will honour the campaign and the individuals who organised the campaign. 

Winner: The SWEBOTS, Girl Guiding South West England

• SharkStriker 
• Sarah Janes, CEO and Owner, Layer 8
• Lauren Magee, Information Security, Risk and Compliance Specialist
• Alhannah Crewe, Head of Security Culture and Programme Manager at Travelopia
• The SWEBOTS, Girl Guiding South West England
• Derek Cheng, CISO of Deliveroo

DIVERSITY CHAMPION

This award will recognise an individual who is pushing for greater diversity and inclusion within the industry – whether they’re advocating for change in recruitment/HR policies, mentoring others, serving as a role model etc. 

Winner: Emma Mallett, Lead Ambassador, Exeter, WiTCH

• Lisa Ventura MBE, Founder of Cyber Security Unity
• Jennifer Cox, Director for Ireland at WiCyS UK & Ireland 
• Antara Jha
• Rhiannon Fairweather, Branch Manager CyberWomen Groups C.I.C.
• Clar Rosso, CEO of ISC2
• Jemma Davis, Founder and CEO of Culture Gem
• Nikki Webb, Global Channel Manager at Custodian360
• Emma Mallett, Lead Ambassador, Exeter, WiTCH
• Alison Simpson, Content Manager at SheCanCode
• Lorna Armitage, Co-Founder of CAPSLOCK
• Colette Hanley, CISO of Checkout.com

APPRENTICE/

RISING STAR

Our future cyber welfare depends largely on these rising stars.  Whether in formal education, under employment or doing extraordinary research of their own, the winner of this category will show great promise with his/her technical or practical ability. 

Winner: Rhiannon Fairweather, Branch Manager CyberWomen Groups C.I.C.

• Rhiannon Fairweather, Branch Manager CyberWomen Groups C.I.C.
• Antara Jha
• Nieve Boaden, Junior Emergency Planning and Resilience Officer / Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
• MSc Students, University of Manchester
• Phoebe Price, Customer Success Manager, ThinkCyber
• Alexandra Forsyth, Founder of AFRG
• Valeen Oseh-Ovarah, Founder of TisOva
• Maria Motter, Vice President of CyberWomen@Warwick
• Josh Hickling, Principal Consultant at Pentest People
• Barnaby Kirby, Investigator at DarkInvader
• Sophie Vingoe, Consultant at Cyberis
• Andrew McNamara, Senior Information Security Compliance Manager, Virgin Media O2