Fene Osakwe
Cyber Security Advisor and Keynote Speaker
The work the panel recognised
Leadership in security is hard to measure, because the best of it shows up as incidents that never happen and decisions that age well. The Leader category looks for people who shape how an organisation defends itself over time, not for a single dramatic save. Osakwe’s record fits that shape. He has worked across financial institutions, telecoms and governments, building security strategy designed to hold up under pressure rather than to look good on a slide.
What sets the work apart is how he carries it into the boardroom. Plenty of strong technical leaders struggle to make directors care about cyber risk until something breaks. Osakwe translates that risk into terms a board can act on, which is how security earns the attention and the budget it needs before an incident, not after one.
Across two editions
His 2026 award sits alongside an earlier honour. In 2025 the programme named him Cyber Personality of the Year, recognition of the public role he plays as a speaker and advisor who brings cyber security to wider audiences. Recognition across consecutive editions is unusual, and the panel judged each on its own merits, against the criteria published for that category.
Recognition that is earned
The Cyber Security Awards are judged on merit. No place can be bought and no citation traded for. Osakwe’s name on this page reflects work the panel could check and stand behind, and nothing else.
Fene Osakwe, in brief
What did Fene Osakwe win at the Cyber Security Awards?
Fene Osakwe was named Cyber Security Leader of the Year at the 2026 Cyber Security Awards. He was also Cyber Personality of the Year in 2025, recognised across two consecutive editions of the programme.
What does Fene Osakwe do?
He advises boards and executive teams on cyber security strategy and resilience, and speaks at international conferences. He sits on the Forbes Technology Council and has worked across financial institutions, telecoms and governments.
Why was Fene Osakwe recognised as a leader?
The panel recognised his record of building resilient security strategy across sectors and of translating technical risk into terms boards can act on. Recognition is judged on merit against the published criteria for the category.
Can a place at the Cyber Security Awards be bought?
No. The Cyber Security Awards are judged on merit. Recognition cannot be purchased, sponsored into existence, or traded for. Every winner earns the citation on the strength of their work.