Eskenzi PR has announced the winners of the ninth annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards.
The event took place at Balfour St Barts in London and celebrated the UK cybersecurity industry’s exceptional professionals, teachers, leaders, educators, and those working to create a healthier and more diverse industry.
Key sponsors included KnowBe4, Check Point Software, ThinkCyber, The Zensory, Hornetsecurity and Pulse Conferences. The event was also supported by Security on Screen, Computer Weekly and The IT Security Guru.
“The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards proudly celebrate the ‘real’ people in cybersecurity, those who go above and beyond to protect our businesses and our country. These people are often under-appreciated, not least because cyber is an often thankless career,” said Yvonne Eskenzi, Lead Organiser for the event and Director of Eskenzi PR. “These awards, which are free to enter and attend, also celebrate the new and diverse talent coming up through the ranks, too. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!”
The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards acknowledge the people who go above and beyond to keep us safe online. From mentors to educators, diversity champions to whole teams on the frontline of cybersecurity, the awards celebrate those who often don’t receive enough recognition for their actions. This year’s winners include:
Cyber Writer: Geoff White (winner), Mollie Chard, Head of Cyber Defence at OVO (Highly Commended)
Best Educator: Carolyn Yates, Lead Tutor and Head of Wellbeing at CAPSLOCK
Data Guardian: Harry Wilson, Head of Information Security at Williams Security
CISO Supremo: Dr. Mary Haigh, CISO at BAE Systems
Diversity Champion: Emma Mallett, Lead Ambassador, Exeter, WiTCH
Security Leader/Mentor: Jennifer Cox, Director for Ireland at WiCYS UK & Ireland
Rising Star: Rhiannon Fairweather, Branch Manager of CyberWomen Groups C.I.C.
Cybersecurity Wellbeing Advocate: The Cyber House Party Team
Best Security Awareness Campaign: The SWEBOTS, Girl Guiding South West England
Security Avengers: OVO ENERGY, Attack Surface Management Team
Best Ethical Hacker/Pentester: Josh Hickling, Principal Consultant at Pentest People
Godfather/Godmother of Security: Jessica Figueras, CEO of Pionen
The evening’s awards were presented and compered by Jim Shields, founder and creative director, the Twist and Shout Group, and Yvonne Eskenzi, Co-Founder of Eskenzi PR and Founder of the awards. The Judges for 2024 were:
- Author and world-renowned people hacker, Jenny Radcliffe
- Shan Lee, CISO at DocPlanner Group and CISO Supremo 2023 winner,
- Yvonne Eskenzi, Lead organiser and director of Eskenzi PR
- Javvad Malik, Lead Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4
- Sara Hook, Founder and CEO, Director of Pulse Conferences
- Tim Ward, CEO of ThinkCyber
- Emilie Beneitez, Head of PR EMEA, APAC and LATAM at Check Point Software
- Irvin Shillingford, Regional Manager Northern Europe at Hornetsecurity
- Rebecca Taylor, Threat Intelligence Knowledge Manager at Secureworks and Diversity Champion Winner 2023.
Nominees and their guests attended the celebratory evening hosted on the 16th of October 2024 in London, thanks to sponsors which made the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards free to enter and to attend, setting it apart from other industry awards.
Racheal Tattum, region Chief Commissioner Girlguiding South West England said: “We are incredibly proud to receive this award for the SWEBOTS resource. Our goal has always been to equip our members, within Girlguiding South West England, with the knowledge and skills to explore the digital world confidently and safely.
“This recognition highlights the importance of engaging young people in cyber awareness, and we couldn’t have done it without the hard work of our volunteers and the fantastic support from the National Cyber Security Centre and CyberFirst. It’s wonderful to see so many girls in girlguiding South West England benefitting from this resource.”
Irvin Shillingford, Regional Manager Northern Europe at Hornetsecurity: “We are delighted to have honoured important players in the cybersecurity industry tonight – as longtime providers in this dynamic sphere, we know just how hard they work to make the world a safer place.
“Yet, their efforts are often unrecognised, so the Unsung Heroes event was a great opportunity to shine a light on their cybersecurity achievements.
“Special kudos to the amazing CISOs who were in the running tonight; people in this role have to apply nonstop vigilance and fine-tuned strategies to keep ahead of the curve and that is to be commended.”
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