The iSANZ Awards, an annual event honouring exceptional achievements in Aotearoa New Zealand’s cybersecurity and information security (InfoSec) sector, has revealed its highly-anticipated list of finalists for 2023.

This year’s finalists showcase outstanding contributions in various categories, including Senior Cyber Security Professional of the Year, Security Team of the Year, Project/Awareness Initiative of the Year, NZ Secure Development Team of the Year, Start-up or New Business of the Year, and Up and Coming Cyber Security Star of the Year.

Kendra Ross, Chair of iSANZ, is delighted with the abundance of high-quality entries received.

“We’ve seen a remarkable array of submissions from individuals and organisations nationwide who are tackling the most pressing cybersecurity challenges with unwavering dedication, excellence, innovation, and leadership.”

The independent panel of judges faced the challenging task of selecting the finalists from a fifty-strong pool of exceptional entries. The following entries have been named in each category:

NZ Secure Development Team of the Year:

• BNZ Pixie Mob.
• Cassini Limited.
• DevSecOps with the Golden Path at The Warehouse Group.

Security Team of the Year:

• BNZ Cyber and Governance Team
• Datacom Cyber Defence Operations Centre
• Toka Tū Ake EQC Security Team

Project / Awareness Initiative of the Year:

• Ministry of Education Cyber Security and Digital Services Programme.
• Te Whatu Ora, Cyber Security Uplift Programme – Sector Protect.
• Cyber Skills Aotearoa.

Start-up or New Business of the Year:

• Cybershore Limited.
• Outfox.
• CyberCure.

Senior Cyber Security Professional of the Year:

• Philip Whitmore, Partner – Cybersecurity at KPMG.
• Conan Bradley, Cyber Incident Response Manager at Kordia.
• Thomas Britton, Co-Founder of CyberTeam NZ and National Technical Program Lead – Cyber at Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.

Up and Coming Cyber Security Star of the Year:

• Kent Wolstenholme, Security Consultant at PrivSec Consulting.
• Megan Young, Security Governance, Risk and Architecture Specialist at Spark.
• Eleanor Wright, Lead Security Consultant at Quantum Security.

Kendra emphasises the significance of being named a national iSANZ finalist, saying it underscores the dedication of each finalist to information security.

“We extend our gratitude to all entrants and finalists for their invaluable contributions in safeguarding networks, people, and our nation against cybercrime and malicious online activities. Collectively, we stand as a strong force – working to secure Aotearoa’s digital tomorrow.”

The winners will be unveiled at a prestigious gala awards evening on 14th November at Wellington’s Te Papa Museum. A special nominee will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame category, recognising their outstanding contributions to the cybersecurity industry.