Welcome to the

2019 Women in Security Conference & Awards

On September 3rd , CSO & AWSN  partnered together to bring the IT Security industry together, to celebrate the Women of IT Security, along with delivering  a series of Awards that recognise  and honour the  accomplishments , value  and contributions of women  within the wider world of security

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The inaugural Women in Security Conference & Awards provided a much-needed opportunity to “honour the women and young women who are kicking goals in what has traditionally been a really male-dominated industry,” Victorian member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Eastern Victoria Region Jane Garrett said in opening the award proceedings this week.

Garrett, who served as Mayor of Yarra before an eight-year run representing Brunswick in the Victorian Legislative Assembly, said women-focused events were “invaluable” in helping women expand their professional support networks – and making cybersecurity a more welcoming industry for the skills they bring to the table.

“You’re here supporting each other and giving much-needed encouragement and advice,” she said, “about how you make the jobs better and bigger – and how to get more women in the door.”

“Men have been networking and doing these things naturally for a very long time,” she added. “What’s very important is that as women we observe that, learn, do it our way – but do it nonetheless.”

The awards – which, along with the conference, formed part of Victoria’s two-week Digital Innovation Festival – attracted 323 nominations relating to 183 individuals. A team of 15 judges delivered 45 finalists across 11 categories, with LinkedIn posts promoting the event receiving over 347,000 views.

Congratulations to all winners, finalists, and everyone who contributed to make the event a resounding success!

Category

Winner

Highly Commended

Special Recognition Award

Tamara Baker

Security Champion

Sarah Young

Karissa Breen

Amanda-Jane Turner

Male Champion of Change

Mike Burgess

Chris Mohan

One to Watch

Melanie Ninovic

Natasha Passley

Rania Bilal

Best Female Secure Coder

Hannah McKelvie

IT Security Barrier Breaker

Kylie McDevitt

Jacqui Loustau

Unsung Hero in Security

Charlotte Van Der Meulen

Dr Pam O’Shea

Christina Rose

CSO Publishers Award

Amy Roberts

Leanne Stevenson

Best Place to Work

Australian 

Signals 

Directorate (ASD)

IAG

Best Student Security Leader

Jessica Williams

Maeesha Lohani

Best Higher Education Program

Dr Tanveer Zia

ACA Digital Curriculum Security Challenges

Best Volunteer

Jacqui Loustau

Elizabeth Bonny

MARKET FIRST: CSO & AWSN are the first to run this within Australia .

Please note that in the coming weeks, you will hear about the individuals, and their nominations.