The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards celebrate the individuals and teams who make the UK a safer, more inclusive place to do business.
London, UK – 22nd October 2026 – Eskenzi PR has today announced the winners of the tenth annual Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards. The event took place on Tuesday night at St Barts Pub 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. The 2026 sponsors included CultureAI, Filigran, OneAdvanced and The Zensory, the event was also supported by CyberASAP and Pulse Conferences, as well as media partners Computer Weekly, Information Security Buzz and The IT Security Guru.
“The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards are all about recognising the incredible people working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our businesses, communities and country safe,” said Yvonne Eskenzi, Director of Eskenzi PR. “Cybersecurity can often be a thankless profession, with the dedication and achievements of those working in the industry going largely unnoticed. These awards give us the opportunity to shine a spotlight on those individuals who consistently go above and beyond, while also celebrating the fresh perspectives and diverse talent shaping the future of the industry. It was fantastic to bring the cybersecurity community together once again to recognise these remarkable individuals. A huge congratulations to all our 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 Correspondent: Phil Muncaster
- Godfather of Security: Andy James, Founder and CEO of Custodian360
- Godmother of Security: Dr. Emma Philpott, CEO of IASME
- Data Guardian: Peter Slevin, Cyber Engagement Senior Technical Lead at Bank of Ireland
- CISO Supremo: Andrea Litherland, CISO at Domestic and General
- Security Avengers: Revenge Porn Helpline
- Best Educator: Dr. Chidimma Opara, Lecturer in Computer Science at Teesside University
- Best Ethical Hacker/Pen Tester: Dominic Mortimer, Head of Red Team at WorkNest Secure
- Channel Champion: Olly Carter, Senior Channel Sales Director, EMEA and APJ, at Forescout
- Senior Leader/Mentor: Meera Tamboli, DFIR Analyst at AVEVA
- Cybersecurity Wellbeing Advocate: Nikki Webb, Director at Custodian360, Volunteer at The Cyber House Party, Ambassador at The Cyber Helpline
- Best Security Awareness Campaign: Cyber Local (Cyber Innovations Ltd., Bournemouth University, Cybexer, Dorset Mind, Dorset Chamber, local authority stakeholders)
- Diversity Champion: Segan Ebenezer Olaniyan, Information Security Analyst II AT Kraken Technologies
- Apprentice/Rising Star: Jordan Daglish, Acumen Cyber
- Cyber Scribe: Dr. Runli Guo – Reducing Blast Radius (LinkedIn Newsletter)
- Voice of Security: Cyber Agony Aunts (Podcast) & Ant Davis (Podcast, The Awareness Angle, and Content Creator)
- Best Academic Entrepreneur: Dr. Peter Garraghan, CEO of Mindgard
The evening’s awards were presented and compared by Clive Room, Director of Pulse Conferences, and Yvonne Eskenzi, Co-Founder of Eskenzi PR and Founder of the awards.
The judges for 2026 were:
- Yvonne Eskenzi, Director of Eskenzi PR
- Alex Scroxton, Editor at Computer Weekly
- Sam Soares, CRO at CultureAI
- Joe Pettit, Managing Director at Bora
- Emma Fadlon, Director of CyberASAP
- Beth Maundrill, Editor of Infosecurity Magazine
- Clive Room, Director at Pulse Conferences
- Stuart Coulson, Director of HiddenText and 2023 “Security Leader/Mentor” winner
- Holly Foxcroft, Cyber Security Business Partner and BISO at OneAdvanced
Nominees and their guests attended the celebratory evening hosted on the 20th of October 2026 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.
A raffle was held in aid of the NSPCC Childline, with £250 raised on the night.
QUOTES FROM WINNERS
Olly Carter, Senior Channel Director, EMEA and APJ, at Forescout, and winner of the Channel Champion Award, said: “It’s a real honour to be recognised with the Channel Champion Award, but the truth is that nobody achieves anything in the channel alone! I’m incredibly fortunate to work alongside such a talented, passionate, and committed team at Forescout, and some truly fantastic partners. For me, the channel has always been about people, relationships, trust and working together to achieve something special. I’m immensely proud of what we’re building together and, as far as I’m concerned, they’re all Channel Champions too!”
The Cyber Agony Aunts, Rebecca Taylor and Amelia Hewitt, who won the Voice of Security Award, said: “We’re genuinely a bit overwhelmed to win this. Cyber Agony Aunts comes from a very real place for us – It’s all about community, honesty and reminding people that behind the technology, cyber is ultimately about people. We’ve had some incredibly open conversations, plenty of laughs and a few tears along the way, so to see the podcast recognised like this is something we’re incredibly proud of. This award belongs just as much to our guests and the community as it does to us.”
Nikki Webb, Director, Custodian360, and winner of the Diversity Advocate, said: “Winning Cybersecurity Wellbeing Advocate was totally unexpected but equally wonderful. Our industry asks a lot of people, long hours, high pressure, and the weight of protecting others. Looking after the people behind the screens matters just as much as the technology itself, and I’m so proud to see that recognised. Looking round the room last night, it made me smile, and my eyes a little leaky, that I’m lucky enough to work with such incredible people. A huge thank you to Eskenzi for once again making this event happen, and to all the sponsors who make it possible.”
Dr. Runli Guo, winner of the brand new Cyber Scribe category for her LinkedIn Newsletter Blast Radius: “What a wonderful night at the 10th Annual Unsung Heroes Awards celebration! Honoured and thrilled to be named the winner of the Cyber Scribe category.
“Agentic AI is quickly becoming the most discussed topic in cybersecurity, yet the associated threats and risks aren’t always fully understood. With the rapid rate of change in this space, CISOs and architects simply don’t have the time to read every update. To help raise awareness, I’ve been sharing my learnings on LinkedIn and coding hands-on apps to demonstrate how to reduce the blast radius.
“It was inspiring to connect with so many cyber leaders across our diverse ecosystem. A big thank you to the sponsors and to Eskenzi PR for bringing us all together!”
Emily Rosenorn-Lanng, CEO and Co-Founder at Cyber Innovations Ltd., said: “It’s a real privilege to be recognised alongside so many people whose work usually happens quietly in the background. Ours has always been about helping people feel confident and supported when something goes wrong online, so to win Best Security Awareness Initiative, in a category full of such strong work, means a huge amount to me, to the Cyber Innovations team and to everyone who worked on it with us.”
Dr. Chidimma Opara, Senior Lecturer in AI at The Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “When I heard my name announced as the winner, I genuinely couldn’t believe it.
“What makes this award so special is knowing that the work I love doing as an educator is making a meaningful difference in motivating the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.
“My mum taught for 35 years, and to this day, former students still stop her to share how she influenced their lives. I have always thought that was the most beautiful reward an educator could receive.
“I am only a few years into my own teaching journey, and this recognition means more than I can express. If my students leave my classroom feeling valued, believing in themselves a little more, and inspired to reach their potential, then I know I am doing something worthwhile.”
The opinions expressed in this post belong to the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Information Security Buzz.