BCC26 · CISO Leadership Awards · 4 November 2026
The CISO Leadership Awards 2026: meet the winners
Seven categories, 28 outstanding nominees and one unforgettable ceremony. On 4 November, Europe’s cybersecurity community gathered at Fira Barcelona Gran Via during the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress to celebrate the leaders shaping a more secure digital future.
Winners announced · 4 November 2026
Seven leaders took home the 2026 CISO Leadership Awards, selected by an independent jury of 10 international cybersecurity experts.
7
Winners
28
Nominees
10
Expert jury members
1
Awards ceremony
The 2026 winners
Celebrating Europe’s cybersecurity leaders
Congratulations to this year’s winners and to every nominee. The CISO Leadership Awards recognise the people, organisations and innovations strengthening cybersecurity in Europe and worldwide, with a focus on operational excellence, resilience, technological innovation and the protection of critical digital infrastructure.
Category 01 · Winner
Global CISO of the Year Award
Recognises the security leader whose strategic vision, business impact and leadership have raised the bar for the CISO role across a global organisation.
Abertis Group
Olga Forné
Global CISO
Leads cybersecurity for an international critical-infrastructure group, turning information security into a strategic business capability built on governance, culture and leadership.
Award presented by Katy Anton, Executive Director of Cybersecurity Architecture, JP Morgan
Finalists
Puig
Susana Calvo Pablos
Global Cybersecurity Director
Grupo Argal
Josep Bardallo
CISO
INTERPOL
Bjørn Richard Watne
Global CISO
CH Media
Christian Froesch
CISO
Category 02 · Winner
Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation Award
Honours initiatives that are redefining digital defence through groundbreaking technologies, novel architectures and forward-looking approaches to emerging threats.
TK Elevator
María Luisa Redondo Velazquez
Global CISO
Leads cybersecurity strategy for 50,000+ employees in 100+ countries, combining board-level leadership with deep expertise in cloud, AI governance and security transformation.
Award presented by Luca Dozio, CISO, Altermaind
Finalists
Straumann Group
Carlos Valderrama
Global Head of Security Operations
ADAM FOODS
Enric Sandoval Balaguer
CISO
Lognext
Jaime Morales Rodríguez de Lope
Head of Cybersecurity
Category 03 · Winner
Women in Cybersecurity Leadership Award
Celebrates women leaders who are shaping the future of cybersecurity through measurable impact, thought leadership and a sustained commitment to the next generation.
Ericsson
Dr. Connie McIntosh
Head of Security
Unifies cyber, product and operational security with data privacy into one business strategy, drawing on a career that began protecting classified national-defence networks.
Award presented by Eva Román, Board Member, Women4Cyber Spain
Finalists
Vodafone Spain
Laura Baus Lerma
CISO
IDIKA (Greece)
Asimina Basdani
CISO & Head of Information Security
AirTrunk
Maryam Shoraka
Associate Director – Cybersecurity (IT & OT)
Category 04 · Winner
Public Sector Cybersecurity Initiative Award
Recognises public-sector programmes that strengthen the security and resilience of the digital services citizens rely on every day.
Barcelona City Council
David Esteban Haro
CISO
“From Cybersecurity to City Resilience”: Barcelona’s programme connecting cyber risk with crisis governance, service continuity and 24/7 operations to protect citizens and public services.
Award presented by Marcos Gómez, CISO, INCIBE
Finalists
Girona City Council
Marc Garcia Lloveras
CISO
Wien Digital (Vienna)
Sophie Janisch-Pryce
Head of Prevention & Continuity
National Cyber Security Agency, Qatar
Mohammed Almannai
Director of Resilience, Risk & Program Delivery
Category 05 · Winner
Operational Technology (OT) Security Innovation Award
Awards intelligent, resilient and future-ready strategies that protect industrial systems and critical infrastructure.
Schneider Electric
Jorge Jimenez
Cybersecurity Governance Lead – Services Operations
Industrialised OT security by embedding IEC 62443-2-4 into daily service operations across 600+ locations in 90+ countries: measurable, auditable and repeatable at scale.
Award presented by José Valiente, Director, Centro de Ciberseguridad Industrial
Finalists
dsm-firmenich
Andres Prieto Anton
Manager D&T Infrastructure & OT Cybersecurity
Keep@live
Victor Merino Ramos
Founder & CISO
Grandvalira Resorts – SETAP365
Francesc Xavier Parrilla Indalecio
CIO / CISO
Category 06 · Winner
Workforce Development & Cyber Culture Award
Celebrates leaders who build talent, skills and a security culture in which people become the strongest line of defence.
TÜV SÜD
Dr. Farell Folly
Global Head, Cybersecurity Competence Center
Two decades of capability building: 1,000+ students educated, around 50 postgraduate researchers supervised and hundreds of military and UN personnel trained.
Award presented by Jon France, CISO, ISC2
Finalists
Plexus Tech
Omar Orta Pedroza
CISO
Raona
Francisco Ramón García Otero
CISO
Mutua d’Enginyers
Jordi Martinez Diaz
CIO
Category 07 · Winner
Lifetime Achievement in Cybersecurity Leadership Award
Honours distinguished pioneers whose career-long contribution has profoundly shaped the cybersecurity profession.
Werfen
Jody Blanchard
CISO
Ph.D., author of two cybersecurity books, U.S. Army veteran and EC-Council Ethical Hacking Hall of Fame inductee, named a Top Global CISO by Cyber Defense Magazine 2023–2026.
Award presented by Holger Spohn, Principal Engineer, Cyber Defence – Advanced Principles, NATO, and Sascha Maier, CISO, SV Group
Finalists
Abertis Autopistas España
Angel Perez Beumala
CISO AND RESILIENCE MANAGER
CO-DIRECTOR OF THE AI SECURITY GROUP AT ISMS FORUM SPAIN
TÜV SÜD
Dr. Farell Folly
Global Head, Cybersecurity Competence Center
Ericsson
Ian Keller
Customer Security Director & Data Privacy Officer
THE JURY: LEADING NAMES in cybersecurity
Ten key figures from the sector bring their knowledge and expertise to this year’s judging panel.
AI & ML · Zero Trust · Cloud & Edge · IoT & 5G · Quantum Security · Supply Chain Security · Governance & Policy · Resilience & Incident Response · Emerging Threats · Privacy & Ethics
FAQ
CISO Leadership Awards 2026: frequently asked questions
When and where were the winners of the CISO Leadership Awards 2026 announced?
The winners were revealed on 4 November 2026 at the awards ceremony held during the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress (3–5 November) at Fira Barcelona Gran Via.
Who won the CISO Leadership Awards 2026?
Global CISO of the Year: Olga Forné (Abertis Group) · Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation: María Luisa Redondo Velazquez (TK Elevator) · Women in Cybersecurity Leadership: Dr. Connie McIntosh (Ericsson) · Public Sector Cybersecurity Initiative: David Esteban Haro (Barcelona City Council) · OT Security Innovation: Jorge Jimenez (Schneider Electric) · Workforce Development & Cyber Culture: Dr. Farell Folly (TÜV SÜD) · Lifetime Achievement: Jody Blanchard (Werfen).
Who were the nominees?
28 cybersecurity leaders from Europe and beyond were nominated across 7 categories. You can see the finalists of each category above.
What are the award categories?
There are seven categories: Global CISO of the Year; Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation; Women in Cybersecurity Leadership; Public Sector Cybersecurity Initiative; Operational Technology (OT) Security Innovation; Workforce Development & Cyber Culture; and Lifetime Achievement in Cybersecurity Leadership.
Who selected the winners?
An independent jury of 10 international cybersecurity experts evaluated all nominations and selected one winner per category.
Can I submit a nomination for the next edition?
Nominations for the 2026 edition are closed. Details about the next edition will be announced on this website.
4 November 2026 · BCC26 · Fira Barcelona Gran Via
Relive the night Europe’s cybersecurity leaders were celebrated
Thank you to the nominees, the jury, our partners and everyone who joined us at the CISO Leadership Awards 2026 ceremony and networking party during the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress.
THE CISO GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2026 NOMINEES
Technology experts, executive and industry visionaries share their experiences and knowledge of cybersecurity technologies and possibilities on our stage.
Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation Award
David Dickson
David Dickson
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David Dickson
David Dickson
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David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
Operational Technology (OT) Security Innovation Award
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
Cyber Resilience & Incident Response Award
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
Third-Party & Software Supply Chain Security Award
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
Workforce Development & Cyber Culture Award
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
David Dickson
David Dickson
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout.It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page.
THE CISO GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2026 WINNERS
Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation Award
Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation Award
Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation Award
Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation Award
Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation Award
Next-Generation Cyber Defense & Innovation Award
ANY QUESTIONS?
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