DynamicCISO Awards and Conference Enters 11th Year as ISMG Recognizes India’s Cybersecurity Leaders

The Annual Event Highlighted Shifts in CISO Responsibilities, Growing Cyber Risk, Regulatory Scrutiny and AI-Driven Threats

Mumbai, India – Information Security Media Group has concluded the 11th edition of the DynamicCISO Excellence Awards and Conference in New Delhi, continuing a platform that has chronicled the evolution of cybersecurity leadership in India for more than a decade amid growing digital risk, regulatory complexity and technology-driven change.

Held in November, the event brought together senior cybersecurity executives, regulators, law enforcement officials and industry practitioners under ISMG’s DynamicCISO banner, an executive-focused initiative designed to foster peer engagement and leadership-level dialogue.

ISMG received an overwhelming response to the call for nominations, with participation spanning sectors such as financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, technology services and critical infrastructure. All submissions underwent eligibility verification before being anonymized to ensure an impartial review process.

A distinguished jury comprising Indian and international experts assessed nominations through a stringent, multi-stage evaluation process. All submissions were anonymized to remove personal and organizational identifiers, ensuring a completely bias-free review. Each nomination was independently evaluated by multiple jury members across several rounds using a comparative scoring framework, with final award recipients confirmed following score consolidation and detailed deliberations.

“This year’s edition reflected the expanding role of CISOs not just as security defenders but as enablers of business innovation and resilience. The quality of nominations, depth of insights and diversity of initiatives were remarkable,” said Geetha Nandikotkur, vice president of conferences for Asia, the Middle East and Africa at ISMG. “The caliber of participants reflects how far cybersecurity leadership in India has matured.”

The DynamicCISO Excellence Awards recognized leadership across a wide range of cybersecurity disciplines, including business resilience, artificial intelligence applications, zero trust security, identity and access management, cloud security, data privacy, and endpoint detection and response. Additional recognitions showcased organizational capability building, IT-OT-IoT security convergence, law enforcement contributions, emerging CISOs and women leaders in security.

Among the senior honors, ISMG presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Lt. Gen. Rajesh Pant, chairman of the National Cybersecurity Association of India, for his longstanding contributions to national cybersecurity initiatives. The Visionary CISO award was presented to Dr. Yusuf Hashmi of Jubilant Bhartia Group, while the ISMG Editors’ Choice Award went to Jacxine Fernandez of Bangalore International Airport.

The awards ceremony was accompanied by the DynamicCISO Conference, which examined cyber risk themes shaping security and governance discussions in Indian organizations, with a focus on readiness, resilience and leadership accountability. In his keynote, Dr. Durga Prasad Dube, global CISO at Reliance Industries, emphasized the shift from reactive security to proactive cyber readiness, highlighting the need for collaboration, threat intelligence and stronger governance as cyber risks grow.

Sessions addressed the cybercrime investigation under India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, leadership-driven cyber readiness and the growing threat posed by deepfakes and AI-generated fraud. The conference closed with a panel on AI governance, focusing on the need for oversight and accountability as organizations accelerate AI adoption.

“From its inception, the DynamicCISO Excellence Awards have been more than a trophy ceremony – it has been a celebration of India’s growing cyber maturity, a space to amplify real-world impact, and a platform to build a community of practitioners who drive transformation,” said Rahul Neel Mani, founding director of Grey Head Media and vice president of editorial and community engagement at ISMG. “They reflect India’s growing cyber maturity and our commitment to building a community that drives meaningful transformation.”

As cybersecurity risks and regulatory demands continue to intensify, ISMG will remain focused on fostering leadership dialogue and recognizing initiatives that demonstrate measurable impact across India’s cybersecurity ecosystem.

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About ISMG
Information Security Media Group (ISMG) is the world’s largest media organization devoted solely to cybersecurity, information technology, artificial intelligence and operational technology. Each of our 38 media properties provides education, research and news that is specifically tailored to key vertical sectors including banking, healthcare and the public sector; geographies from North America to Southeast Asia; and topics such as data breach prevention, cyber risk assessment, OT security, AI and fraud. Our annual global summit series connects senior security professionals with industry thought leaders to find actionable solutions for pressing cybersecurity challenges.

About ISMG Events
ISMG Events is a premier platform for security professionals and practitioners worldwide. Our global, annual events bring together the ISMG Events Community, comprising over 40,000 members, to exchange knowledge, insights and best practices in the field of cybersecurity. The cornerstone of our event portfolio is the ISMG Global Summit Series. These summits take place both virtually and in-person, offering participants a diverse range of topics to explore. In addition to our Global Summit Series, ISMG Events hosts exclusive Executive Roundtables that are closed-door, topic-focused discussions that provide practitioners with a collaborative environment to address today’s most pressing security concerns.