2023 iSANZ Awards: Finalists announced highlighting Kiwi talent

The iSANZ Awards, an annual ceremony honouring outstanding performance in Aotearoa New Zealand's cybersecurity and information security (InfoSec) sector, has announced its eagerly awaited list of finalists for 2023. This year's candidates are representing remarkable contributions in a range of categories, such as 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.

The Chair of iSANZ, Kendra Ross, expressed her delight at the noteworthy quality and multitude of entries received this year. "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 task assigned to the independent panel of judges was far from easy, as they had to sift through a pool of fifty outstanding entries to pick the finalists. The finalists in the NZ Secure Development Team of the Year category are BNZ Pixie Mob, Cassini Limited, and DevSecOps with the Golden Path at The Warehouse Group. For the Security Team of the Year, the contenders are BNZ Cyber and Governance Team, Datacom Cyber Defence Operations Centre, and Toka Tū Ake EQC Security Team.

Project/Awareness Initiative of the Year has seen the inclusion of Ministry of Education Cyber Security and Digital Services Programme, Te Whatu Ora - Cyber Security Uplift Programme, and Cyber Skills Aotearoa. Start-up or New Business of the Year finalists are Cybershore Limited, Outfox, and CyberCure. Competing in the Senior Cyber Security Professional of the Year category are Philip Whitmore of KPMG, Conan Bradley of Kordia, and Thomas Britton, Co-Founder of CyberTeam NZ. Lastly, the Up and Coming Cyber Security Star of the Year nominees are Kent Wolstenholme of PrivSec Consulting, Megan Young of Spark, and Eleanor Wright of Quantum Security.

According to Ross, being shortlisted as a national iSANZ finalist underlines the commitment of each contender 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 announced at a prestigious gala awards evening on 14th November at Te Papa Museum in Wellington. A special nominee will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame category, acknowledging their notable contributions to the cybersecurity industry. The list of sponsors for the 2023 iSANZ Awards includes Datacom, Spark, Kordia, Sailpoint, Checkpoint, Palo Alto, Cybercure, Duo, Nextgen Group, CyberCX, Tesserent, and Bastian Security Group, with additional support from partners NZITF, KBI Media, and Hannah Shand Art.

The iSANZ Awards is a non-profit initiative designed to formally acknowledge the achievements of prominent New Zealand InfoSec professionals, companies, initiatives, and events. This platform is intended to inspire, promote, and reflect on the New Zealand InfoSec industry and its exceptional individuals.