Finalists have been announced for the 2026 Women in Security ASEAN Region Awards, now in its seventh year, with nominees drawn from six of the 11 ASEAN nations as well as Australia.
Organisers said this year’s finalists span sectors including banking and financial services, critical infrastructure, law enforcement, defence, consumer goods and managed services.
The awards aim to recognise women who have advanced the security industry across member countries of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN).
According to the organisers, a panel of four judges from the region assessed nominations across 15 categories, including country-by-country awards and security domains spanning cybersecurity, electronics, physical security and management roles.
The Top Women in Security ASEAN Region awards are supported by regional chapters of industry bodies including ISACA, ASIS International, OWASP and the Association of Information Security Professionals (AiSP), as well as professional women in security groups in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
Country and category award winners are due to be announced at a virtual awards ceremony, with adjacent events planned for Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
The 2026 Top 12 finalists, in alphabetical order, are:
- Ts. Dr. Nurul Aisyah Sim Binti ABDULLAH, Director, Audit and Compliance Department, Malaysia National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA
- Dayang Siti Nor Izuana AYOB, Cybersecurity Awareness Trainer, Cyber Security Brunei / ITPSS Sdn Bhd
- Wan Lin CHEW, Senior Assistant Director (Policy) | Associate Faculty (Adjunct), Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore | Singapore University of Social Sciences
- Jasmine GOH, Head of Digital Security Department, Employees Provident Fund (Malaysia)
- Nur MAWADDAH, Director of Urban Cyfluence Lab, Cyfluence Research Center
- Mandhuri NANDI, Head of Security, Nuvei
- Natchaya PASEEROD, Security Operations Manager, Lares Risk Management International
- Nera SCHWARTZ, Senior Vice President, Bank of America
- Yvonne SEARS, Director, Elev8 Resilience
- Neenu Maria THANKACHAN, Head – Consulting Services, Cybertronium Sdn. Bhd.
- Kris VILLANUEVA-LIBUNAO, Executive Director, SmartCT, formerly Deputy Director General, National Security Council
- Dr. Selvarajah VINESHA, Industry Liaison Head of Technology, Head of Cyber Security, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation
