Judging panel and shortlist for Global Security Influencer of the Year unveiled

IFSEC Global and the Security Partners’ Forum are delighted to unveil the judging panel and shortlist for the inaugural Global Security Influencer of the Year 2021 award.

This is the first year the award has taken place, with the winner set to be revealed at the prestigious Security & Fire Excellence Awards in London on the 23^rd November. A panel of highly experienced and well-regarded judges have been put together by Head Judge, Grant Lecky, who will assess the shortlisted individuals’ achievements and level of influence in the security sector.

The shortlist comprises the five winners of the security categories for the IFSEC Global Influencers of the Year awards, which was announced in late July. The categories were:

• Security Executives
• Security Association Figures/Academics/Thought Leaders
• Security End Users
• Cyber Security Professionals
• Security – Manufacturers/Vendors/Integrators/Installers

The winners of these categories (listed below), will now be assessed by the new panel of independent judges – separate from the original panel for the first part of the Influencers process – with the ultimate winner being named the Global Security Influencer of the Year.

It should be highlighted that the award takes nothing away from the list of influencers that were announced in late July, but is designed instead to add an extra layer of excitement and recognition into the mix. As described in the launch release of the award in January, the award is designed to celebrate he successes of the Primus inter pares –  ‘first among equals’.

The finalists

Read the full biographies for the shortlisted nominees here!

Judging Panel

Grant Lecky, Co-founder, Security Partners Forum

Grant Lecky MSc. CSyP, F.ISRM, AARPI, CBCP is the co-founder of the Security Partners Forum (SPF), a network of security professionals that fosters greater communication and collaboration between the public, private and not-for-profit sectors across the globe.

In addition to the SPF, Grant, also currently serves as an Expert Network Member (Risk & Resilience) at the World Economic Forum, as member of the global advisory council of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM) and is a winner of numerous accolades including a spot on the Canadian Who’s Who and the Bill Zalud Award through the IFPO and Security Magazine.

View Grant’s LinkedIn profile to find out about his other accolades and accomplishments.

Mark Folmer, President & COO, Robotic Assistance Devices

Named to IFSEC’s Global influencers list 2018 and 2019 for Security Thought Leadership, Mark is a Business School Graduate, Certified Protection Professional and Fellow of The Security Institute (FSyI).

After graduating in Human Resources and International Business in 1996, he progressed to senior roles responsible for various security service business units across Canada. In 2009 he launched a consulting business focused on physical security for corporate clients and then served as Senior Manager, Corporate Security at Canada’s largest telecommunications company until 2016. He transitioned from the corporate security role to create the security industry function for a security industry workforce management software company, TrackTik.

Mark volunteers as a Community Vice President with ASIS International and is the past Chair of its Security Services Community. He has also contributed to various standards impacting private security. On a part-time basis, he teaches in the Security and Police Studies program at the Université of Montréal. In 2020, Mark joined Robotic Assistance Devices whose focus is to deliver artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organisations to solve complex security and service challenges while delivering immediate return on investment.

Abeer Khedr, Information Security Director, National Bank of Egypt

Abeer Khedr is the Information Security Director at the National Bank of Egypt with more than 20 years’ of experience in technology and information security fields. Abeer has been serving in her current role for 10 years where she has established the information security strategy and programme at the bank and designed an information security management system (ISMS) for the bank’s main data centre & call centre which got certified in 2016 & 2017. She has also developed an information security effectiveness measurement program to ensure continuous improvement and maturity in security processes. Prior to joining NBE, Abeer has been leading the security consulting and IT audit service lines at Deloitte Egypt serving different industries.

Abeer has been recently awarded among top 50 influential women in Egypt for community work related to the cyber security industry and named to Egypt’s 30 successful women list in the Egyptian Women Forum 2020. She was also named to the Global CISO 100 list for 2020. Abeer is actively involved in initiatives to support inclusion and diversity, where, amongst other work, she co-founded Women in Cyber Security Middle East (WiCSME) group in 2018 which has over 1100 women members from different countries in the region.

Pauline Norstrom, CEO, Anekanta Consulting

Pauline Norstrom is the strategic leader of a new AI innovation and strategic advisory firm Anekanta Consulting. Prior to this, her 20 years of security industry experience span across international leadership and governance of several security and safety technology businesses. Her focus is on the application of AI and disruptive technology across industries including defence, security and video surveillance, transportation, manufacturing, cybersecurity, AI, and IoT/Smart Cities.

Pauline is an honorary member and strategic advisor to the BSIA on the subject of AI and AFR, having previously Chaired the Association for a two-year term from 2014. She is also a fellow of the Institute of Directors and an AI advisor to the ERP/Digital Group. Pauline is a regular speaker and contributor on the subject of AI, video surveillance and cyber security and has also won a number of awards for her contribution to the security industry and appeared in IFSEC Global’s Top 50 Most Influential People in Security and Fire in 2015.

Eddie Reynolds, CEO and Co-Founder, iluminar Inc.

Driven by a fascination for cutting-edge technology and a passion for providing exceptional customer service, Edwina “Eddie” Reynolds has spent over 25 years as a leading figure in the video security industry. As the founder and CEO of multiple established CCTV lighting companies, Reynolds is at the forefront of bringing innovative solutions to the surveillance market.

Without light, there is no clear, effective video. Motivated by this, Reynolds founded iluminar Inc. in 2009. In her current position as president and CEO of iluminar, Reynolds has led the company to develop award-winning solutions and to be the lighting solution partner for market leaders like Axis Communications, Milestone Systems, Sony, Arecont Vision, Digital Watchdog, Ameristar Fence Products and Johnson Controls.

In 2018, Reynolds was elected to the Security Industry Association (SIA) Executive Council and was also named the 2018 recipient of the inaugural SIA Progress Award, which honors individuals who have shown excellence in their advancement of opportunities and success for women in the security industry. Reynolds currently serves as a member of the SIA Women in Security Forum and also serves on the SIA RISE Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee. She is also a member of the International Organization of Black Security Executives (IOBSE).

Theresa Payton, Founder & CEO, Fortalice Solutions

Named one of the Global Hot 150 Cybersecurity Companies to Watch In 2021 and one of the Top 5 Innovative Cybersecurity Companies in the Washington D.C. region, Fortalice Solutions is a boutique cybersecurity and intelligence services firm clients trust to provide discretion and superior service headquartered in Charlotte, NC with a global office in London and offices throughout the USA.

Payton began her career in banking technology where she quickly rose through the ranks to earn executive roles at both Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Regarded as an authority in her field, she was chosen to be the first female to serve as White House Chief Information Officer where she oversaw IT operations and security for President George W. Bush and his staff during a period of unprecedented technological change and cyber threat.

Payton is an industry trailblazer, holding US patent number 10735455 – “System for anonymously detecting and blocking threats”. Her work has received multiple accolades, including the FBI Director’s award for Public Service, Enterprising Woman of the Year, and named by IFSEC Global as #4 of the world’s top 50 cybersecurity professionals. She is included in the book of “100 Fascinating Females Fighting Cybercrime” and by Security Magazine as one of the 25 Most Influential People in Security. She was also named William J. Clinton distinguished lecturer by the Clinton School of Public Service.

Payton is also a familiar media presence, whether as a reality television actor in “Hunted” on CBS, or as an expert commentator and cyber analyst for CNN International, BBC TV News and Radio, Sky4 News, The Daily Mail UK, Irish RTE Radio, CBSN, NBC News, MSNBC, Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Morning & Evening News, NPR, and the Wall Street Journal. She is an award winning author of Manipulated: Inside the Cyberwar to Hijack Elections and Distort the Truth and has co-authored two additional books focused on helping others learn how to protect their privacy online, both of which were hailed as “must-reads” by Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” and Katie Couric.

Latha Reddy, Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace

Latha Reddy is the former Deputy National Security Adviser of India where she was responsible for cybersecurity and other critical internal and external security issues. She also served as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on Internet Governance. Ms. Reddy has extensive experience in foreign policy, having served in the Indian Foreign Service from 1975-2011, and in bilateral, regional and multilateral negotiations. In addition, she has expertise on security and strategic issues and has worked on strategic technology policies, particularly on cyber issues relating to cyber security policy, international cyber cooperation and Internet governance.

Ms. Reddy is involved with several organisations and think-tanks, both globally and in India. She is currently, among other positions, serving as a Distinguished Fellow in the EastWest Institute in the US and the Observer Research Foundation in India.

Lynn Mattice, President & Founder of the National Economic Security Alliance (NESA)

Mr. Mattice is President & Founder of the National Economic Security Alliance (NESA), a nonpartisan IRS designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused at educating policymakers at the Federal, State and Local level as well as business leaders and the general public on issues affecting the economic security of America.

He is also Managing Director of Mattice & Associates LLC, a management consulting firm focused on the fields of enterprise risk management, business risk intelligence programs, resiliency, information asset protection, cyber security, compliance, corporate security, management systems, and program evaluations. Mr. Mattice established the Executive Summit Series as a unique forum where leaders share their vision of the future and tackle the front of mind issues they face today. Additionally, he is a Leadership Council member for the National Small Business Association; a Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Risk Management; Distinguished Fellow at the Ponemon Institute and an Emeritus Senior Fellow at Auburn University’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.

Amongst many other roles in the security industry, he was appointed as one of the key industry representatives on the National Industrial Security Program Presidential Task Force, which was established through a Presidential Decision Directive by President George H.W. Bush; the taskforce’s members also included the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the CIA. Mr. Mattice was also appointed to the Inaugural Advisory Board for the National Counterintelligence Center (which is now known as the National Counterintelligence and Security Center), appointed as a member of the Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council, and asked to serve for several terms on the Steering Committee for the Global Congress on Combatting Counterfeiting and Piracy, established by INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization.

Brennan Baybeck, VP & CISO for Customer Services, Oracle Corporation

Brennan P. Baybeck, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CISSP, is VP & CISO leads a global team that addresses IT security risk management for one of the largest lines of business at Oracle. He is responsible for leading security, privacy and availability for customer facing services, including Oracle’s Security Services. He has more than 25 years of experience in IT security, governance, risk, audit and consulting, and has worked in various industries designing, implementing and operating enterprise-wide programs to address global security risks. He has held other leadership positions at Sun Microsystems, StorageTek and Qwest Communications, and served as an security risk consulting director at a global consulting company for several years.

Baybeck also has been actively involved with ISACA for more than 25 years, as ISACA’s International Board Chair and a board Director for several years, and served many years as a chapter board leader. He currently serves as Past Board Chair for ISACA. He is a recipient of the Western Michigan University’s Business Information Systems Outstanding Alumni Award in recognition of his distinguished service and accomplishments. The Colorado Technology Association also named Baybeck as the 2021 CISO of the Year.

Aristides Contreras, President, COLADCA

Aristides Contreras is the founding President of COLADCA, focused on bringing together professionals from the Security and Risk management world for research and to rethink security with a model that requires best practices and unites the private sectors, public and the academy.

Aristides is Lawyer with a specialisation in Constitutional Criminal Procedure, is a an Officer retired in the Army and worked for several years in the Management of Integral Security at a national level in security contracts and for effective Risk Management. He is also a Certified Consultant and is Speaker and Autor in some publications of updating the regulations and procedures that minimise the occurrence of losses in organisations and improve risk management and security in countries of Latin América.

Jason Brown, National Security Director, Thales (Australia & New Zealand)

Jason Brown is the National Security Director for Thales in Australia and New Zealand.  He is responsible for international trade and security liaison with government, law enforcement and intelligence communities to develop cooperative arrangements to minimise risk to Thales and those in the community that it supports. He is also responsible to ensure compliance with international and Commonwealth requirements for trade control, national security and relevant federal and state laws. His further responsibility is to maintain the Thales Crisis Management arrangements including exercise program.

Before joining Thales in 2004 Jason had 27 years’ experience in Commonwealth Government and has served on several senior boards and committees in both the Public Sector and Private Institutions, including:

• Member of ASIS International Standards and Guidelines Commission 2007 to 2015.
• Fellow and member of the Governing Board of the Australian Risk Policy Institute (ARPI) as Director, Global Security Risk Policy.
• Chair of the Australasian Council of Security Professionals 2009 – 2012.
• Senior Regional Vice President ASIS International Group 20 2009 – 2012,
• Member of the National Centre for Security Standards from 2006 – 2011.
• Chair of Australian Defence Security Committee 1999 – 2002.

He is currently:

• Chair of the Security Professionals Australasia.
• Chair of Australian Standards Committee (MB25) for Security and Resilience.
• Chair of the International Standards Committee for Risk Management (ISO TC262).
• Convenor Working Group 8 Supply Chain Security of ISO TC292 Security and Resilience
• Member of the Advisory Committee of the Institute of Strategic Risk Management.
• Member of the Cyber Security Standards Taskforce.
• Deputy Chair of the Forum of Australian Security Executives (FASE)

Check out this year’s full list of IFSEC Global Influencers in Security & Fire 2021!