Award winners have been announced for the Top Women in Security ASEAN Region Awards 2026, now in its seventh year.
This year’s finalists included representatives from six of the 10 ASEAN member nations, as well as Australia, spanning banking and financial services, critical infrastructure, law enforcement, defence, consumer goods and managed services.
The awards are intended to recognise women who have advanced the security industry within the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
A panel of four judges from Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Australia scored nominations across 15 categories, including country awards and security domains covering cybersecurity, electronics, physical security and management roles.
The Top Women in Security ASEAN Region awards are supported by regional security industry organisations, including regional chapters of 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.
Announced at a virtual awards ceremony, the 2026 category and country award winners are:
Yvonne SEARS, Director, Elev8 Resilience
Top Woman in Security ASEAN Region (Joint Winner)
Cybersecurity Award
Risk & Resilience Award
Cyber Risk Leader (Open Category)
Dr. Selvarajah VINESHA, Industry Liaison Head of Technology, Head of Cyber Security, Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation
Top Woman in Security ASEAN Region (Joint Winner)
Country Award – Malaysia
Kris VILLANUEVA-LIBUNAO, Executive Director, SmartCT, formerly Deputy Director General, National Security Council
Country Award – Philippines
Security Researcher
Dayang Siti Nor Izuana AYOB, Cybersecurity Awareness Trainer, Cyber Security Brunei / ITPSS Sdn Bhd
Country Award – Brunei
Security Trainer or Educator Award
Wan Lin CHEW, Senior Assistant Director (Policy) | Associate Faculty (Adjunct), Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore | Singapore University of Social Sciences
Country Award – Singapore
Nur MAWADDAH, Director of Urban Cyfluence Lab, Cyfluence Research Center
Country Award – Indonesia
Natchaya PASEEROD, Security Operations Manager, Lares Risk Management International
Country Award – Thailand
Madhuri NANDI, Head of Security, Nuvei
Security Professional Ambassador (Open Category)
Virtual awards ceremony:
All finalists and award winners, including previous years, are listed at https://womeninsecurityaseanregion.com/
