The University’s Director of Cyber Security Derek Winter has been recognised with the CISO of the Year award.
UNSW’s Director Cyber Security and Chief Information and Security Officer (CISO) Derek Winter has been recognised for his outstanding leadership and impact in the higher education sector and the broader cyber security industry.
Derek was awarded 2025’s CISO of the Year by CyberDaily, a well-respected news publication with global reach. The CyberDaily Excellence Award is a prestigious accolade presented as part of the Australian Cyber Awards, an annual event organised by CyberDaily to honour outstanding contributions within Australia's cybersecurity sector. This award specifically recognises individuals or organisations that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation and impact in strengthening Australia's cyber and national security capabilities. Derek also received the overall Excellence Award, acknowledging the high esteem in which he’s held both within and beyond the Higher Education sector across Australia and the world.
These awards follow Derek receiving the IT News Benchmark Award in 2024 for Education Sector Cyber Security Leader of the Year.
Chris Hancock (AM), Chief Executive Officer of AARNet (Australia's Academic and Research Network), said, “There are many daily and long-term challenges in the cyber security arena, and Derek has demonstrated a foresight and planning ethos that would place him in the very top tier of his cohort across Australia and globally.”
A cyber security culture shift
In response to an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape, Derek has led the implementation of a multi-faceted program at UNSW, encompassing security operations, governance and risk management, and identity and access management.
The program has led to a cultural shift across the University towards shared responsibility to protect ourselves and the University against cyber security threats; by complying with policies, being cyber aware and reporting incidents.
The culmination of this program saw UNSW successfully achieve the globally recognised standard known as ISO/IEC 270001:2022 certification, to demonstrate to our partners that we have a mature information security governance. This standard is especially significant for our research community.
UNSW IT’s Cyber Security team is now implementing a new three-year cyber strategy, endorsed by the ULT late 2024. This strategy focuses on leveraging our strong foundations in cyber security to support the University’s academic and research missions, addressing the risks associated with artificial intelligence, and managing compliance with increasing legal and regulatory obligations in the areas of cyber security and privacy.
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