University expertise recognised at annual celebration of national talent
Edinburgh Napier has won two categories at the prestigious Scottish Cyber Awards.
The university was honoured for Best Cyber Education Programme for undergraduate and postgraduate cyber security courses.
The award for Best Cyber Breakthrough also went to the university and spinout Cyan Forensics, which has developed digital forensic technology to combat crime.
To cap a night of success, Basil Manoussos was a finalist for Cyber Evangelist of the Year, The Cyber Academy was shortlisted for Outstanding Cyber Team and former university student Toni Scullion, of St Kentigerns Academy, was named Cyber Security Teacher of the Year.
Professor Sally Smith, Dean of the School of Computing, said: “Excellent to see this recognition from the cyber security community in Scotland. Congratulations to all involved!”
The annual awards ceremony at Edinburgh’s Sheraton Hotel last night, hosted by the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) and now in its fourth year, was a celebration of Scotland’s most dynamic cyber security talent. It attracted more than 300 of the sector’s leaders across business, law enforcement and academia.
This year saw more than 100 applications from across the country, with a considerable number of entries submitted under the categories Outstanding Woman in Cyber and Cyber Evangelist of the Year.
Finance Secretary Derek Mackay delivered the keynote speech, praising nominees for their work protecting and educating the people of Scotland against cyber threats.
Best Cyber Education Programme recognised the work of both our NCSC-certified undergraduate and GCHQ-certified postgraduate programmes in cybersecurity led by Robert Ludwiniak and Rich Macfarlane.
The biggest winner on the night was Emily Beeney, Vice-President in Technology Risk at Morgan Stanley, Glasgow. She was firstly presented with the Outstanding Woman in Cyber accolade, before being announced as the overall Champion of Champions for her inspirational work in cyber security.
Judge Eamonn Keane, Head of Cyber and Innovation at SBRC, said: “The Scottish Cyber Awards has once again cemented the immense talent we have in the cyber security industry in Scotland. It is a chance to showcase the everyday heroes who are demonstrating real leadership and ambition in their ideas, passion and drive to combat some of the issues we face in the current cyber landscape.
“I’m very proud of the achievements highlighted tonight and hope we can continue to inspire future generations into work in the cyber field.”
The awards were backed by global sponsors, with this year’s headline support from Adarma alongside other key partners, CGI, Clydesdale Bank, SQA and SOPHOS.
AWARD WINNERS
Best Cyber Start Up; FullProxy
Outstanding Woman in Cyber; Emily Beeney, Morgan Stanley
Best New Cyber Talent; Maria Khokhar, Seric Systems
Best Cyber Breakthrough; Edinburgh Napier University/Cyan Forensics
Collaboration with Police Scotland; Young Scot
Cyber Evangelist of the Year; Toni MacKenzie and Clara O'Callaghan, Turing Testers
Cyber Security Teacher of the Year; Toni Scullion, St Kentigerns Academy
Leading Light Innovation; Quorum Cyber
Best Cyber Education Programme; Edinburgh Napier NCSC-Certified Undergraduate and GCHQ-Certified Postgraduate Programme in Cybersecurity
Outstanding Cyber Team; Cyber Security Team - Information Services, Strathclyde University
Best Customer Experience (public vote); Check Point Software Technologies LTD
Champion of Champions Award; Emily Beeney, Morgan Stanley Glasgow