CISO of the Year Succesful projects on stage

“The ‘CISO of the Year’ award offers a platform to become visible, to maintain and expand your own network and to exchange ideas with colleagues from different industries,” says Bettina Thurnher, Information Security Responsible.

Bettina Thurnher is the current “CISO of the Year 2023” and has implemented an information security management system (ISMS) in accordance with ISO/IEC 27001 as well as a data protection management system and IT emergency management in the company. She also impressed the high-calibre jury of experts with the creation and annual review of information asset management, licence management and the development of a comprehensive security curriculum for all employees and took home the title.

CIS – Certification & Information Security Services GmbH has been looking for the best Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in the country every year since 2022. The most convincing winning project receives the coveted “CISO of the Year” award in front of around 200 experts at the CIS Compliance Summit.Think outside the box
For potential new applicants, information security expert Thurnher recommends keeping the individual or team-oriented milestones in mind: “For example, present a project that you have personally been involved in in the area of information security. Also explain or reflect on what you have been able to give back to the community. Which networks and initiatives do you participate in? How do you promote young talent in the field of cyber security?”.

You can find the requirements for submission and an overview of previous winning projects here.

Visibility, network and expertise: win-win-win

Every year, the winner is given the opportunity to present their project to an interested audience of experts at the CIS Compliance Summit – THE specialist event in the field of information security, security and other trending topics: “The CIS Compliance Summit was extremely professionally prepared and organised. It was a real experience to receive the award. It was also nice to refresh my own network – especially after the long period of video conferences, now in person again,” concludes Thurnher.