This year marks the first ever (ISC)² EMEA Information Security Leadership Awards (ISLA), a chance for our community to recognise fellow information security and management professionals going the extra mile to enhance security across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Overall, we received a staggering number of impressive submissions, over 200, and these were shortlisted down to our finalists by our judges, members of the Europe, Middle East and Africa Advisory Council (EAC) . Winners will be announced at our Secure Summit UK on 12 December 2017. In the meantime, we will be sharing their stories on the blog. Here is the third installment:

Melanie Oldham, Managing Director of Bob’s Business (United Kingdom)

As founder of Bob’s Business Ltd, Melanie Oldham has gained over 10 years’ experience in the cybersecurity sector and has become a reputable and well-respected force within the industry. She also has a degree from Leeds Beckett University and previously worked in operations, event and project management at number of organisations including Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and learndirect.

Bob’s Business provides cybersecurity awareness training and phishing simulation campaigns to a broad selection of clients across multiple sectors. The organisation’s Think Before You Click campaign reduced its clients’ click rate of phishing emails by 40% in many cases; while their cybersecurity awareness training helped a number of clients to gain ISO 27001 certification. Through her work, Melanie has developed the concepts to demystify the subject of cybersecurity through the use of animation and humour – the key approach adopted in Bob’s Business’ content.

Melanie is also committed to hiring women from the local talent pool, with 40% of her employees being female. In addition, Melanie encourages collaboration with like-minded women in the cybersecurity industry through the Yorkshire Cyber Security Cluster, which Melanie founded back in 2015.

Through her passion for the local community and the wider area of Yorkshire, Melanie devotes time and resources to chair the Yorkshire Cyber Security Cluster. The Cluster is an initiative in place to encourage collaboration with like-minded information security evangelists. The aims of the Yorkshire Cyber Security Cluster are to support the members of the cluster by communicating National and International initiatives and trade opportunities, providing a networking platform to share ideas and best practice, encouraging collaboration and identifying partnership opportunities, so that small cyber security specialist businesses in Yorkshire can find new ways to grow. Additionally, it strives to support the British Government’s commitment to Cyber Security (and UK Government’s Cyber Security Strategy) by building cyber security knowledge, skills and capabilities in the region, to make businesses more resilient to cyber-attacks and for the Yorkshire region to be one of the most secure places in the world to do business.

By overseeing the growth of the Yorkshire Cyber Security Cluster, Melanie has positioned herself as the face of the human factor in Yorkshire. Monthly meetings and annual events have allowed her to connect with the local business region and communicate vital information security knowledge and campaign guidance to small businesses that may struggle for resources when it comes to security.