CISOs Connect™ Announces Winners of Inaugural CISOs Top 100 CISOs (C100) Recognition

NEW YORK, July 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Esteemed CISO Board of Judges of the CISOs Top 100 CISOs (C100) Recognition, a first of its kind honor given by CISOs Connect™, today announced the winners of the award which commends the preeminent security leaders across the United States. CISOs Connect is an exclusive CISO-only membership community of Security Current.

"I really want to congratulate the winners that we had for the first ever C100 awards," said Chandra McMahon, CVS Health CISO. "I can tell you, having reviewed all of the applicants, which we had many qualified applicants, the winners are truly special in their field and in the work they do."

See the C100 winners here: https://bit.ly/3hKeMc7

The C100 recognition honors the top 100 CISOs across industries who are experienced, proven leaders who share their expertise with others to continue to give back to the industry to further secure and protect organizations in the US and globally.

The Esteemed CISO Board of Judges includes:

Ceridian CISO Colin Anderson
CVS Health CISO Chandra McMahon
Discover Financial Services SVP & CISO Shaun Khalfan
Dollar Tree Stores VP & CISO Kevin McKenzie
Global Private Equity Firm CISO Matt Hollcraft
Higher Education CISO Bob Turner
Kraft Heinz CISO Ricardo Lafosse
Markel Corporation CISO & Chief Privacy Officer Patricia Titus
PLDT Group, ePLDT Group & Smart Communications FVP & Group CISO Angel Redoble
RWJBarnabas Health CISO Hussein Syed
United Airlines VP & CISO Deneen DeFiore
Amazon/Whole Foods Market CISO Sameer Sait

"As a team, we highlighted key attributes that we had identified as being critical to being a leading CISO," said Ricardo Lafosse, CISO Kraft Heinz. "In addition to being a sought-after leader inside an organization, as well as being able to execute, it was critical that they were well-rounded and holistic and give back to the community, back to the industry. The C100 awardees are each security stalwarts. They are the rock in the organization that the business goes to for advice and expertise."

Criteria to nominate were transparent as well as the process by which the Esteemed Board of Judges made the final determinations. Nominations were self-submitted and by third parties on behalf CISOs who met the established criteria.

Criteria included being in the role of CISO (or equivalent) and at an end-user enterprise or organization for at least five years, with involvement and leadership roles in professional organizations, security-related volunteering and activism, as well as teaching and educating future cybersecurity professionals across functions being benchmarks strongly considered amongst others. There was no fee to nominate or be recognized.

The Board of Esteemed Judges in addition to honoring the Top 100 CISOs in the United States have awarded their peer, Angel Redoble, PLDT Group CISO, the CISO Visionary Award. As a leading CISO in the Philippines where PLDT is the country's largest telecom company, Redoble not only works tirelessly to secure his organization but also with the support of his organization, gives back to the community. He teaches and has established training to ensure that the future generation is prepared to take on the task of securing not only their communities but communities globally.

"Thank you so much. This is truly an honor to be recognized by my peers who are the leading CISOs in the United States. And I'd like to congratulate the C100 winners as well," said Redoble. "As a global CISO from the Philippines, taking part in the inaugural C100 awards was an encouraging experience with the cross collaboration amongst the judges and the quality of nominees. This all gives me hope that we can win the war against the growing cyber threats."

As a fundamental part of their mission to support and recognize the CISOs unceasing efforts to safeguard their enterprises and organizations globally, PLDT and Black Kite, Inc. are continuing to fulfill that mission with their instrumental support of the C100 recognition. Also, continuing their ongoing support through the C100 recognition are YL Ventures, Orca Security and rThreat.

"We're excited to support this initiative that honors the extraordinary efforts and contributions of top Chief Information Security Officers. The CISO community is a pillar of the complex and constantly evolving cybersecurity landscape, and as an investor in early stage security, we are massively appreciative of the impact that this community has on the technologies and businesses that are emerging today," said John Brennan, Partner at YL Ventures.

About CISOs Connect
CISOs Connect is an exclusive invitation-only interactive community of trusted cyber peers and subject matter experts. Connected by common interests, this membership community allows cyber experts to share knowledge and expertise through proprietary content, research, and analysis while exchanging information, ideas and collaborating with trusted colleagues to make informed business and technology decisions.

Media contact:
Aimee Rhodes
[email protected] 
201-835-9205

SOURCE Security Current