CISOs Connect™ Expands CISO Recognition Program Globally with Launch of APAC C25™
Peer-judged recognition will honor 25 standout CISOs and equivalent cybersecurity leaders across Asia Pacific
NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CISOs Connect™ today announced the launch of the APAC C25™, a new recognition honoring 25 outstanding Chief Information Security Officers and their equivalents across Asia Pacific whose leadership and impact stand out today and are shaping where the profession is heading.
The inaugural APAC C25TM marks the global expansion of CISOs Connect™ ️CISO recognition programs, building on the C100, which annually recognizes the top 100 CISOs and equivalent security leaders across the United States and Canada and is now entering its sixth year. The APAC C25TM brings that peer-judged, merit-based model to Asia Pacific for the first time.
"Asia Pacific is an extraordinarily diverse region, with security leaders operating across very different markets, regulatory environments and stages of technological development," said Aimee Rhodes, CEO of CISOs Connect™. "What they share is a role that is becoming more consequential to the business at the same time that the environment around them is becoming more complex. We created the APAC C25™ to bring greater visibility to the executives doing exceptional work across the region and to ensure that recognition is based on the substance of their leadership and impact."
- Sandeep Taileng chairs the APAC C25™ Board of Judges, bringing experience across cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, emerging technology and global standards.
- The inaugural APAC C25™ Board of Judges includes:
- Reuben Athaide, Head of Innovation, Application Security & Assurance, Standard Chartered, Singapore
- James Blair, CIO, Northpower, New Zealand
- Hugo Lai, CISO, Temple University Health System, United States
- Ashish Mahajan, Partner, IEEE Standards Association Board of Governors, Member-at-Large, Australia
- Sanjay Menon, Head of Technology Risk & Controls, International, Citi, Singapore
- Irshad Saifi, Global CIDO (CIO & CDO), Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., India
- Sandeep Taileng (Chair), Information Security Leader, State Trustees and Founder, CyberInSpace, Australia
- Vannessa "V" Van Beek, CISO, Fortescue, Australia
Together, the judges bring perspectives spanning critical infrastructure, financial services, healthcare, professional services, AI, cybersecurity, business transformation, global technology standards, emerging technology and technology risk.
The launch comes as security executives' roles are shifting quickly. Artificial intelligence and increasingly autonomous systems are changing how organizations operate and how attacks unfold. Quantum computing is forcing organizations to consider risks beyond traditional planning cycles. At the same time, geopolitical volatility, regulatory complexity, rapid technology adoption and business transformation are expanding both the responsibilities and influence of CISOs and their equivalents.
The inaugural APAC C25TM will establish a benchmark for leadership across the region, recognizing executives who stand out for what they have accomplished, the impact they are making today and how they are leading their organizations through significant technological and business change.
The APAC C25TM will recognize CISOs and equivalent cybersecurity leaders across the region, including Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and other Asia Pacific markets.
Transparent Judging. Defined Criteria. Merit-based.
Like the C100, the APAC C25TM is built around a straightforward principle: recognition should be earned.
Honorees will be selected by an independent, publicly identified Board of Judges using defined criteria focused on leadership, professional impact, business acumen, innovation and influence. The APAC C25TM is entirely merit-based. There are no nomination or application fees, no fees to be selected or recognized, and no financial obligations associated with the recognition before, during or after the selection process.
"The convergence taking place across technology and risk is changing the context in which security leaders operate," said Sandeep Taileng. "AI, quantum technologies, critical infrastructure, geopolitical risk and digital dependency increasingly intersect. Working with CISOs ConnectTM to build the APAC C25TM gives us an opportunity to look across the region and recognize the leaders who are navigating that complexity effectively today while influencing how security and resilience will be approached in the years ahead."
"The strength of this recognition comes from who is making the decisions," said David Cass, President of CISOs Connect™ and CISO of Grayscale Investments. "These are experienced practitioners who know what exceptional security leadership looks like because they live it. That peer perspective is critical to identifying the executives whose work and impact truly stand out across the region."
A Global Community
For CISOs Connect™, the APAC C25TM represents more than the geographic expansion of a recognition program. It reflects the increasingly global nature of the issues confronting CISOs and their equivalents and the importance of bringing together perspectives from different markets, industries and regulatory environments.
The APAC C25TM also extends the broader mission of CISOs ConnectTM: creating opportunities for security executives to learn from one another, elevate the work being done across the profession and build relationships that cross industries, markets and geographic boundaries.
"This is our inaugural APAC C25™, so it is also an opportunity to establish what this recognition will stand for," Rhodes said. "We want the first class to reflect the depth and diversity of leadership across Asia Pacific and set a standard that is meaningful to the executives who do this work every day."
Nominations for the inaugural APAC C25TM open today, November 3, 2026, with the inaugural class of C25 winners announced on January 26, 2027, at CISOs Connect Singapore. Submit here: https://cisosconnect.com/nominate/apac-c25.
About CISOs Connect™
CISOs Connect™ is a global community built for Chief Information Security Officers and senior cybersecurity executives to connect, exchange ideas and learn from one another in a trusted, peer-driven environment. Through its executive community, events, Security Shark Tank®, CISOs Investigate™, C100 and other initiatives, CISOs Connect™ brings together cybersecurity leaders to address the business, technology and leadership issues shaping the profession.
Media Contact:
Amanda Ortiz
201.835.9205
SOURCE CISOs Connect
Share this article