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 sixth installment:

Brencil Kaimba, Security Consultant at Serianu Limited (Kenya)

Over the past twelve months, Brencil has been mentoring university and high school students around Kenya through the programme Cyber Security Training and Awareness for Young People in Kenya. In her current company Serianu Limited, Brencil has also been praised for playing a key role in facilitating a Cyber Immersion Programme, whose aim is to train students on matters relating to cybersecurity. It has involved her drawing from a number of technical skills, ranging from risk analysis, cybersecurity frameworks and penetration testing to internet best practice such as password hygiene and social media. Additionally, through this initiative, Brencil has had the opportunity to mentor young girls on issues including cyber bullying and cybersecurity. Though her involvement, Brencil has been lauded for demonstrating expertise in both technical and non-technical skills in the field. Through her work alone, she has markedly motivated many young girls, in particular, to broaden their horizons and venture into the cybersecurity profession. Further to that, she is the lead Risk Expert at Serianu Limited, managing the company’s talent acquisition and development. She is regarded as a team player by colleagues and successfully collaborates with 14 others to conduct regular training and awareness campaigns within her organisation.

Before taking up her current position, Brencil studied Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Nairobi School of Engineering. She is also a Certified Ethical Hacker and holds the ISO 27001 Internal Auditor and ISO 27032 Provisional Cyber Security Manager, CISA.