The sixth annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards are now open for nominations. This is a chance to celebrate the people working on the frontlines to fight against cyber threats, no matter if they work in the classroom, law enforcement or corporate organisations. This year sees three new categories introduced, which will be for Business Support Standout, HR Superstar and Remote Work Guru.
“We are passionate about getting the community together and recognising the people who protect us everyday of our lives,” said lead organiser of the event and founder of Eskenzi PR, Yvonne Eskenzi. “Often these awards go to people who quietly get on with their jobs and never think anyone has noticed. These awards show that we all notice not just the louder people in life but the quiet do-ers behind the scenes. There’s nothing better than rewarding these people and seeing the delight on their faces to gain this recognition.”
Javvad Malik, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, continued: “This past year in particular has kept businesses on their toes, having to adapt to remote and hybrid working. Security teams have had to juggle availability, security, and cyber resilience, in a balancing act that would give professional tightrope walkers a run for their money. These awards are a well-deserved validation of all the hard work and effort professionals, teams, and entire organisations have put in under extraordinary circumstances.”
The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards were started by Eskenzi PR and Smile on Fridays as part of the Security Serious initiative that takes place during European Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October each year. This year’s awards are sponsored by KnowBe4, Protiviti, Procordr, Intaso and Interlocutor Services. The sponsors are the ones who make it possible for these awards to be a completely free event. Everyone can enter and attend without charge, setting this event apart from others in the industry. COVID restrictions allowing, the event will take place physically, on the 12th of October at the St. Bart’s Brewery.
“We were delighted to win a Security Serious award for our CV19 awareness campaigns! The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards truly recognise and celebrate the diversity of cyber security professionals and teams, and they have fun while doing so,” said last year’s winner, Dr. Jessica Barker, co-founder and socio-technical lead at Cygenta. “The team put together a fantastic virtual award ceremony which really brought the community together, regardless of the fact that we couldn’t meet in person. I would encourage everyone to nominate people who they know are the unsung heroes of our industry.”
The following categories are free to enter here and now open for nomination until the 10th of September, 2021:
Captain Compliance
Godfather/Godmother of Security
Cyber Writer
CISO Supremo
Security Avengers (Best team)
Best Security Awareness Campaign
Security Leader/Mentor
Apprentice/Rising Star
Best Educator
Best Ethical Hacker/Pen-Tester
Business Support Standout
HR Superstar
Remote Work Guru
Thomas Lemon Managing Director – UK Country Market Leader & Head of Technology Consulting at Protiviti commented: “Our work brings us into contact with individuals and teams that deserve recognition and at times don’t get enough of it, despite playing key roles in protecting their organisations from cyber threats. We’re extremely proud to be sponsoring the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards for the second year running and we believe this recognition further invests in the wellbeing of the professionals in our industry.”
“The last couple of years have shown us that there are unsung heroes in every workplace and it’s their resilience and determination that keeps us all going, often when we don’t even realise how vital they are. The cybersecurity community is no different and that’s why I’m always delighted when the Security Serious awards come around again. Check out the categories and take a few minutes to show how much you appreciate the Unsung Heroes in your working world. I can guarantee you’ll all know at least one!!” said Brian Higgins, security specialist at Comparitech.com and judge of the Awards.
“At Intaso we appreciate that if you are doing a great job in security, you don’t always get the recognition you deserve, so any way we can contribute to those who go above and beyond, we are keen to do,” said Ryan Surry, director at Intaso. “We’re over the moon to support the Unsung Heroes Awards and have been keeping an eye on these for the last few years as we love keeping an eye on cyber talent. It promises to be a fantastic and much needed night where we can’t wait to celebrate with everyone involved!”
Rob Newby, CEO at Procordr said: “We are delighted that Procordr will be sponsoring the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards this year. I was looking for something different, not the usual booths and presentations, and with Unsung Heroes I think we’ve found it. I’m looking forward to a night of sparkling wit and repartee with friends old and new in cyber.”
Follow the Awards using #UnsungSecHeroes21 on Twitter
