The most influential people in cyber security, 2026.
Influence in this field shows in the work, not the follower count. The people below earned recognition from an independent panel. Paul Jackson leads the 2026 cohort.
The recognised influencers and personalities
Drawn from the Influencer and Personality categories across recent editions. Every name below is a real winner of the Cyber Security Awards.
- 1
Paul Jackson · Cyber Security Influencer of the Year 2026
APAC leader for Kroll’s cyber risk and investigations practice, with two decades shaping incident response and digital forensics across the region.
- 2
Fene Osakwe · Cyber Personality of the Year 2025
A Forbes Technology Council member who advises boards on resilient security strategy across finance, telecoms and government; later named Cyber Security Leader of the Year (2026).
- 3
Jim West · Cyber Personality of the Year 2021
Founder of TopCyberPro, mentoring newcomers into the field; recognised again as Cyber Security Advocate of the Year (2026).
- 4
Dr Franck Courbon · Cyber Security Influencer of the Year 2025
Cambridge researcher and founder of Ethicronics, working on hardware security and the integrity of silicon supply chains.
- 5
Tarnveer Singh · Cyber Security Influencer of the Year 2023
A CISO and community voice who writes and speaks widely on practical security leadership and awareness.
- 6
Clement Arul · Cyber Security Influencer of the Year 2021
Founder of Cybertronium, building training and capability across the Asia-Pacific region; later Entrepreneur of the Year (2025).
How this list is built: it contains only real winners of the Cyber Security Awards Influencer and Personality categories, a programme judged by an independent panel. We do not sell placement, and sponsorship has no bearing on who appears. See how winners are chosen.
About this list
Who was named the most influential person in cyber security in 2026?
Paul Jackson, who leads Kroll’s cyber risk and investigations practice across Asia-Pacific, was named Cyber Security Influencer of the Year in 2026 by the independent panel.
How were these influencers selected?
They are winners of the Influencer and Personality categories at the Cyber Security Awards, scored by an independent panel against published criteria. See the methodology page for the full process.
Can someone pay to appear on this list?
No. The list contains only judged winners. Placement cannot be bought, and sponsorship has no bearing on who appears or where.
Why are there names from earlier years?
Influence builds over time, so the list draws on Influencer and Personality winners from several recent editions, with the 2026 winner leading. Note that there was no edition in 2024.