Australia’s leading cybersecurity executives and their teams have been recognised for their achievements at this year’s CSO30 Awards.
Held in conjunction with the CIO50, the CSO30 Australia program is part of Foundry’s global awards program, celebrating the individuals and organisations behind cybersecurity initiatives that are strengthening and transforming how Australian businesses are protected.
Along with their cybersecurity initiatives, nominees were also evaluated based on how they collaborated with and influenced their stakeholders to improve cybersecurity and resilience within the enterprise. Judges also assessed their contribution to the wider cybersecurity community beyond their organisations.
At the gala CSO30 celebration at the Ilumina in Sydney, two individuals were recognised with Business Value and Leadership awards for outstanding contributions to cybersecurity.
In the Business Value category, Abhishek Singh of Adelaide University claimed the top award. Singh was recognised for his work as inaugural Chief Technology & Security Officer of Adelaide University, Australia’s first new major university in a generation. Singh secured three simultaneous live environments through a merger that consolidated 675 applications, unified a 4,000+ km network, migrated 475,000+ users, and deployed 4,500 new devices.
Winner of the CSO30 2026 Business Value Award Abhishek Singh of Adelaide University alongside Cathy O’Sullivan, Editorial Director for Foundry, and Darren Arygle, CEO of the Cyber Resilience Institute.
Foundry
Moet Sela, Senior IT Operations Manager at Catholic Healthcare, was highly commended in the Business Value category for leading a highly ambitious cybersecurity transformation in Australian aged care, protecting older Australians and carrying responsibility for the privacy and safety of thousands of customers and employees.
In the Leadership category, Nathan Morelli, Head of Cyber Security & IT Resilience at SA Power Networks, took the top honour. Morelli led a major capability uplift to protect South Australia’s critical electricity distribution network and meet Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act requirements.
Judges also commended Morelli’s leadership and collaboration across Australia’s critical infrastructure sector. Morelli is a member of Australia’s Cyber Incident Review Board and works closely with the Australian Signals Directorate, Joint Cyber Security Centre and Australian Energy Market Operator to strengthen national cyber resilience.
CS030 2026 Leadership award winner Nathan Morelli alongside Cathy O’Sullivan, Editorial Director for Foundry, and Darren Argyle, CEO of the Cyber Resilience Institute.
Foundry
Highly commended in the Leadership category was Sam Fariborz, who was until recently CISO at David Jones. Fariborz was recognised for leading a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy aligned with the retailer’s digital transformation and customer experience goals, as well as her commitment to creating pathways for women to enter and advance in cybersecurity.
Meanwhile, an emerging leader was recognised with the 2026 Next CISO Award. Nabeel Chaudhary, Cyber Security Manager, Metro Trains Sydney, won this year’s award. The other finalists in this category were Roma Singh, Portfolio Security Advisor, Department of Transport and Planning, and Ahmed Bilal Tari, Manager Information Security, Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
Winner of the Next CISO Award in CSO30 2026 Nabeel Chaudhary, alongside Chirag Joshi, CEO of 7 Rules Cyber, and Cathy O’Sullivan, Editoiral Director for Foundry.
Foundry
CSO30 Australia Awards 2025 honourees (in alphabetical order):
- Alexander An, Cyber Security and Risk Manager, City of Sydney Council
- Mahesh Belagali, Head of Information Security, WottonKearney
- Nick Bellette, Director, Information Security and Cyber Risk, Custom Fleet
- Dan Benporath, Global CISO, APM
- David Buerckner, Chief Information Security and Risk Officer,Probe Group
- Tim Daly, Chief Security Officer – GM Cyber Security, Australian Energy Market Operator
- Tara Dharnikota, Chief Information Security Officer, Victoria University
- Sam Fariborz, CISO, David Jones
- Andrew Fisher, Chief Information and Operations Officer, Clayton Utz
- David Geber, General Manager Information Security & Risk, Rest Super
- Dominic Grunden, CISO, Power and Water Corporation
- Richard Heron, General Manager, Information Security ABN Group
- Andrew Hottes, Former Chief Digital Information Officer Cranbrook School
- Jessica Jones, Head of Cyber Security Grant Thornton Australia
- Dan Maslin, Group Chief Information Security Officer & Head of Infrastructure Strategy, Monash University
- Garrett McDonald, Chief Information Security Officer, Services Australia
- Deniz Molokov, Chief Information Security Officer, Downer Group
- Nathan Morelli, Head of Cyber Security and IT Resilience, SA Power Networks
- Madhuri Nandi, Head Of Security, Nuvei
- Annelle Paemaa, General Manager, Information and Business Systems, Mulpha Australia
- Rolf Samonte, Head of ICT & Cyber Security Metro Trains Sydney
- Moet Sela, Senior IT Operations Manager Catholic Healthcare Limited
- Maryam Shoraka, Associate Director Cybersecurity (IT & OT), AirTrunk
- Abhishek Singh, Chief Technology & Security Officer, Adelaide University
- Sandeep Taileng, Information Security Leader, State Trustees Victoria
- Noel Toal, Chief Technology & Transformation Officer, Repurpose It
- Vannessa Van Beek, Global CISO, Fortescue
- Andrew Webster, Global CISO, BlueScope Steel
- David Worthington, General Manager Digital Security and Risk, Jemena
- Leron Zinatullin, CISO, Constantinople
The CSO30 Australia Awards are part of Foundry’s global awards program and are judged by an independent panel of former CSO30 winners, industry analysts, and Foundry’s global editors.
