A total of 28 accolades were dished out amid an audience of over 250 people  – including the awards for  'CISO of the Year' and a special recognition.

CISO of the Year was awarded to Heather Lowrie from the University of Manchester, described as a ‘a great beacon’ for others and ‘the sort of person I would like to be when I grow up’ by her peers.

She was also praised for her work in dealing with the June 2023 cyber attack, which was done with minimal fuss, focusing their priorities in the right areas and making the tough decisions - but all with a focus on people and how they were affected and impacted.

A special recognition was also given to Professor Fred Piper, who passed away earlier this year. A noted teacher of cryptography and information security, Piper established the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway University, establishing the world’s first academic faculty exclusively devoted to information security. He was also a noted author and received the first honorary CISSP in Europe in 2002. 

SC's VIP judging panel sifted through hundreds of entries for this year’s awards. Led by our chair for this year, Jenny Radcliffe, the collection of industry practitioners lent hours of their professional expertise and discernment to our accreditation process.

For decades, the SC Europe Awards has sought out and celebrated the best experts in our field, and awards like ours remain essential for allowing talented companies and professionals to benchmark themselves against peers and gain recognition in a crowded market.

See the full list of winners here, while you can see profiles of each winner here.

Also register your interest for the 2025 awards.

Congratulations to all – and see you next year!

Dan Raywood Senior Editor SC Media UK

Dan Raywood is a seasoned B2B journalist with over 20 years of experience, specializing in cybersecurity for the past 15 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes. Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.