Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards 2019!

It’s been one week since the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards and, looking back, what an event it was! It’s not often in any industry that you get a chance to properly celebrate the people that do the hard grafting, going above and beyond the call of duty. The Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards do precisely that, intended to shine a light on the individuals and groups who work hard to keep Britain safe from cybercrime and increase awareness of issues in the cybersecurity space.

This year’s event, held at St Bart’s Brewery in London and beautifully compered by Stephen Bonner, partner at Deloitte UK, was a huge success! It was amazing to see winners and runners up alike celebrating the huge achievements they’ve made to the industry, surrounded, of course, by a continuous supply of food and drink! From the second everyone arrived, the atmosphere in the room was captivating. Having spoken to nearly everyone in the room, it’s safe to say that, nominated or not, everyone was there to have a good time and celebrate their peers.

“The Unsung hero awards encompass all the best elements,” said Javvad Malik, member of the trio Host Unknown and winners of the Best Security Awareness Campaign award. “It’s a fun-filled environment where everyone can mingle and interact with their industry peers, all the while celebrating and recognising those who work hard daily, but out of the spotlight. A thoroughly enjoyable evening and I wish more events were like this.”

As a relative newbie to the cybersecurity space, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was such a clear element of pride and comradery that I’ve never seen before, which made it so amazing. The annual ceremony plays host to many old faces, but also invites the up-and-coming young heroes of our industry to mingle and connect with one another. “It’s always exciting to meet the rising stars in the industry as well as say hi to old faces who, year in year out, continue to be champions of best practice in our ever-growing and ever-changing industry,” said Yvonne Eskenzi, co-founder of Eskenzi PR, organisers of the Security Serious Unsung Heroes Awards.

The importance of recognising not only those at the top, who drive innovation and success, but the people who put in the hours to keep the general public safe from cyber threats, cannot be understated and it’s so exciting to be a part of this amazing event. I can’t wait for next year!