Absolute Security honors CISOs redefining cyber resilience in an era of rising digital risk
Absolute Security, a recognized leader in enterprise cyber resilience, has officially announced the honorees, winners, and finalists of its inaugural Resilient CISO Award and Trailblazer Awards, marking a significant milestone in how the cybersecurity industry recognizes leadership and innovation. The awards were presented during special events held alongside the globally renowned RSA Conference 2026 (RSAC 2026), bringing together top security professionals, executives, and thought leaders from around the world.
This inaugural recognition program reflects a broader shift in the cybersecurity landscape—one that moves beyond traditional paradigms of threat detection and prevention toward a more comprehensive and strategic focus on cyber resilience. In today’s increasingly complex digital environment, organizations are no longer judged solely on their ability to stop attacks, but on how effectively they can maintain operations, protect revenue streams, and recover quickly in the face of disruption. The awards introduced by Absolute Security aim to highlight leaders who embody this expanded vision.
The Resilient CISO Award, developed in partnership with CyberRisk Alliance and its flagship publication SC Media, specifically recognizes Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) who have redefined the role of cybersecurity within their organizations. These individuals are not only responsible for safeguarding systems and data, but also for aligning security strategies with broader business objectives, ensuring operational continuity, and enabling innovation in a secure manner.
Complementing this recognition, the Trailblazer Awards celebrate security leaders who are driving forward-thinking initiatives and setting new benchmarks for excellence in the field. These awards were curated by a panel of distinguished industry experts in security and risk management, ensuring that recipients represent the cutting edge of cybersecurity leadership.
Elevating the Role of the Modern CISO
The creation of these awards underscores the evolving responsibilities of CISOs in an era defined by digital transformation, cloud adoption, and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence. Today’s security leaders must navigate a landscape where threats are more sophisticated, attack surfaces are broader, and the stakes are higher than ever before.
Cyber resilience has emerged as a critical concept in this context. Unlike traditional cybersecurity approaches that focus primarily on prevention, resilience emphasizes the ability to anticipate, withstand, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. This shift requires a holistic approach that integrates technology, processes, and people—ensuring that organizations can continue to operate even under adverse conditions.
Absolute Security’s awards program recognizes CISOs who have successfully embraced this philosophy, transforming cybersecurity from a reactive function into a proactive and strategic driver of business value.
2026 Resilient CISO Award Honorees
The inaugural class of Resilient CISO Award honorees represents a diverse group of leaders from across industries, each demonstrating exceptional commitment to advancing cyber resilience within their organizations:
- Vince Aimutis, VP, Director of Information Services and CISO, Federated Mutual Insurance Company
- Andres Andreu, CISO, Constella Intelligence
- Sharon Kelley, Executive Director for Information Security and CISO, NJIT
- Allen Ohanian, CISO, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services
- Rinki Sethi, CISO and CSO, Upwind
These honorees have been recognized for their ability to integrate cybersecurity into the core fabric of their organizations, ensuring that resilience is not an afterthought but a foundational principle.
Trailblazer Award Winners
The Trailblazer Awards highlight individuals who are pushing the boundaries of what cybersecurity can achieve. The 2026 winners include leaders from some of the world’s most prominent organizations:
- Andy Albrecht, VP and CISO, Domino’s
- Morgan Bjerke, CISO, Thomson Reuters
- Deneen DeFiore, VP and CISO, United Airlines
- Sebastian Goodwin, SVP and Chief Trust Officer, Autodesk
- Abhishek Jha, Global CISO, Tata Technologies
- Barbara O’Neill, Global CISO, Ernst & Young
- Margarita Rivera, Global CISO, Carnival Cruise Line
- Brad Schaufenbuel, VP and CISO, Paychex
- Chris Tyberg, CISO, Abbott
These individuals have demonstrated leadership not only in defending against cyber threats but also in enabling digital transformation, fostering trust, and driving innovation within their organizations.
Finalists for the Resilient CISO Award
In addition to the honorees and winners, Absolute Security also recognized a distinguished group of finalists whose contributions reflect the depth of talent and expertise within the cybersecurity community. The finalists include leaders from a wide range of sectors, including finance, healthcare, technology, and government.
Among them are professionals such as Krista Arndt of Semperis, Srinivasan Balraj of Muthoot Fincorp, Gary Brickhouse of GuidePoint Security, and David B. Cross of Atlassian. Public sector representation includes Auston Davis from the City of San Jose and Dr. Darren Death from the Export–Import Bank of the United States.
Other notable finalists include leaders from organizations such as Baxter Healthcare, nfactor, iBASIS, and ABS Wavesight. This diverse group highlights the universal importance of cybersecurity across industries and geographies.
Industry Significance and Future Outlook
The launch of the Resilient CISO and Trailblazer Awards comes at a pivotal moment for the cybersecurity industry. As organizations continue to digitize operations and adopt emerging technologies such as AI, the potential impact of cyber incidents has grown exponentially. Downtime, data breaches, and operational disruptions can have far-reaching consequences—not only financially, but also in terms of reputation and customer trust.
In this environment, the role of the CISO has expanded significantly. Security leaders are now expected to act as strategic advisors, working closely with executive teams to align cybersecurity initiatives with business goals. They must also communicate complex risks in a way that stakeholders can understand, ensuring that security is prioritized at the highest levels of the organization.
Absolute Security’s recognition program reinforces the importance of this role, celebrating those who have successfully navigated these challenges and set new standards for excellence. By highlighting best practices and success stories, the awards also serve as a source of inspiration for the broader cybersecurity community.
Advancing Cyber Resilience
Beyond recognition, the initiative reflects Absolute Security’s broader mission to promote cyber resilience as a core organizational capability. This includes not only technology solutions, but also education, collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge across the industry.
As cyber threats continue to evolve, the need for resilient systems and leadership will only become more critical. Organizations must be prepared to adapt quickly, respond effectively, and recover efficiently—ensuring that they can continue to deliver value even in the face of disruption.
The inaugural Resilient CISO and Trailblazer Awards represent an important step in this direction, shining a spotlight on the leaders who are driving this transformation. By recognizing their achievements, Absolute Security is helping to shape the future of cybersecurity—one that is defined not just by defense, but by resilience, innovation, and strategic impact.
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