The second annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards winners were revealed on Tuesday night in a light-hearted and entertaining ceremony at St Bart’s Brewery in London. The awards celebrate the people, not products, of the cyber security industry on the front lines of organisations battling cyber threats and often saving the companies they work for from ending up a data breach headline.
The free event was a chance for the UK security industry to get together, network (drink) and enjoy a short awards ceremony compered by the immensely witty Clive Room, Chair of the White Hat Ball Committee, who added sense of fun and flair to the event. Awards were given to security veterans and newcomers alike; and there was a special award for the late Stephanie Daman, former CEO of Cyber Security Challenge UK – a friend of many in attendance and a true security leader.
“For those working in information security, it can often be a thankless task; and we as an industry have historically been better at giving recognition to technology vendors,” said lead organiser of Security Serious Week, Yvonne Eskenzi and co-founder of Eskenzi PR. “These awards are completely different and are all about unearthing new talent and rewarding the professionals who make it all come together behind the scenes and keep UK private and public sectors safe from cyber threats. It was all made possible by our wonderful sponsors, so we could throw the best party at no charge to enter or attend the awards.”
The Unsung Heroes Awards, started by Eskenzi PR, Smile on Fridays and the IT Security Guru, are backed by the cyber security industry from Infosecurity Europe, Computer Weekly, the Department for Media Culture & Sport and certification bodies such as (ISC)² and CREST to major corporations like GlaxoSmithKline and Canon and vendors FireMon, Corero, Lastline, Mimecast, Barracuda, SELabs, 1e and Gigamon.
“There are many other ‘Security Awards’ evenings in London, most of which take themselves far too seriously. Security Serious (ironically) gets the mix right – recognising those who make a valuable contribution to our work, our professional community and our society but, for a variety of reasons, don’t seem to get selected for other awards,” said Gerry O’Neill, Security and Assurance Advisor
Director, Inforisca Services who attended the awards for the first time.
The full list of winners included:
Fraud Fighter
Winner: Sean O’Neil, Bedfordshire Police
Captain Compliance
Winner: Rowenna Fielding, Protecture Ltd
Cyber Writer
Winner: Rene Millman, freelance
Runner-up: Bennett Arron, TV writer/comedian
Rising Star
Winner: Audrey Budryte, John Lewis Partnership
Runner-up: Thomas Seidling, CyberSmart
Godfather
Winner: Prof. Edward Humphreys, father of ISO 27001
Runner up: Pauline Neville-Jones
Avengers
Winner: National Crime Agency, Cyber Prevent Team
Awareness Campaign
Winner: Aviva Global Security Awareness Team
Runner-up: Royal Mail Information Security and Risk Team
Security Leader
Winner: Nick Coleman, IBM
Special recognition: Stephanie Daman, Cyber Security Challenge UK
Educator
Winner: Tania Brooks, Inscape House School
CISO Supremo – Finance
Winner: David King, Legal & General
Runner-Up: Matt Johnson
CISO Supremo – Retail
Winner: Steve Wright, John Lewis
CISO Supremo – Media & Entertainment
Winner: Brian Brackenborough, Channel 4
CISO Supremo – Manufacturing
Winner: Spencer Summons, Tullow Oil
CISO Supremo – CNI
Winner: Ray Stanton, National Grid
CISO Supremo – Charity
Winner: Martyn Croft, The Salvation Army
Runner-up: Gabe Chomic, Information Systems Security Association
CISO Supremo – Telecoms
Winner: Nick Ryce, Commsworld
Whenever cybersecurity
Massive congratulations must also go out to the winners and nominees for keeping us safe online! IT Security Guru is already looking forward to next year’s event.
