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  • At CommBank we celebrate the people across Australia who dedicate themselves to helping our customers and communities be more cyber secure. We want to acknowledge how all Australians have a part to play in our cybersecurity future.

    And that’s where you come in
     
    There are five categories in total (see below) with the award of $2,000 being given to the winner and $500 for selected runner-ups of each category.

Categories and winners

We extend our congratulations to the winners and nominees of the 2022 CommBank Cyber Community Awards

Rising Star Award

Winner: Vannessa van Beek

Runner-up: Kristin Smith 

The Rising Star award recognises an individual who is at the start of their cyber security career (less than three years) and is already making waves within security. This person shows great potential and dedication, and is likely to have a fulfilling, impactful career within cyber. This person will have recently entered the industry as a new starter, or has undergone a career change into cyber security.

Community Innovator Award

Winner: Linda Cavanagh

Runner-up: Jack Reis

At its core, innovation is the continued process of success. The Community Innovator Award celebrates individuals or start-ups that are implementing projects that improve the cyber industry. These developed projects will solve a problem plaguing the cyber security community, with the resulting outcomes helping to safeguard and enhance the cyber industry as a whole.

Against the Odds Award

Winner: Daisy Wong

Runner-up: Liberty Mudzamba

The Against the Odds award recognises an individual who has shown perseverance in the face of hardship, and has risen to the occasion to pursue a career in cyber. Despite facing misadventure that threatened to disrupt or prevent their continued success, they showed great determination by not giving up in the face of adversity. 

Inspirational Mentor Award

Winner: Dr Ronald Yu

Runner-up: Nivedita Newar

The cyber industry continues to grow and thrive thanks to the unsung heroes who inspire new talent to pursue cyber careers. The Inspirational Mentor award acknowledges the impact an individual has made through a mentoring relationship they actively fostered. This person has shown care and commitment by being a positive role model, and strives to lift up the next generation of cyber talent, whether that be through their interactions with students or via an industry mentoring relationship.

Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award

Winner: Pip Jenkinson

Runner-up: Ramon Martinez-Mendoza

At CommBank, we celebrate diversity. We treat each person with respect, we collaborate, and we embrace diverse perspectives that ultimately allow our customers and community to thrive. The Diversity and Inclusion Champion award recognises an individual who creates impactful change that makes the cyber industry more diverse and inclusive, which may be possible through policy changes, influential projects, or personal contributions.

Things to consider in your nomination

Rising Star Award

  • The nominee embodies the values of care, courage and commitment through their work ethic
  • The nominee demonstrates enthusiasm towards future career prospects
  • The nominee shows great potential to have an impactful career within cyber through strong leadership and innovation skills
  • The nominee has been a key contributor to a significant cyber project that has had a positive impact within their role, company, or the cyber industry itself
  • The nominee demonstrates entrepreneurial skills and is highly motivated to exceed performance expectations

Community Innovator Award

  • The nominee embodies the values of care, courage and commitment by supporting the cyber community through their innovative work
  • The nominee demonstrates entrepreneurial skills in regards to solving a problem
  • The nominee demonstrates a detailed understanding of industry intricacies, and uses this knowledge to improve the wider community
  • The nominee has thought outside of the box to ideate a solution that is creative, valuable and shows great potential
  • The nominee has used the resources at their disposal to establish and develop the project to a meaningful state

Against the Odds Award

  • The nominee embodies the values of care, courage and commitment when overcoming barriers to achieve their goals
  • The nominee clearly demonstrates perseverance and tenacity in the face of adversity
  • The nominee has successfully risen to a difficult challenge that many individuals would otherwise struggle to overcome in order to pursue a career in the cyber industry
  • The nominee was not afraid to fail in order to achieve long-term success, and was highly motivated to rise to the occasion
  • After overcoming hardship, the nominee was able to reach their goals and achieve great personal success​

Inspirational Mentor Award

  • The nominee embodies the values of care, courage and commitment to be a positive role model for emerging cyber talent
  • The nominee has shown outstanding contributions as a mentor, whose actions have had a significant impact on the mentee/s
  • The nominee actively seeks mentoring relationships outside of their day-to-day role
  • The relationships fostered by the nominee has resulted in tangible outcomes for the mentee/s within the cyber industry
  • The nominee actively nurtures relationships that provide psychological and professional support, guidance and encouragement for the mentee/s 

Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award

  • The nominee embodies the values of care, courage and commitment by providing a voice and assistance to diverse or under-represented communities or individuals
  • The nominee goes out of their way to promote inclusivity, and models their day-to-day behaviour to promote acceptance and support of all diverse communities
  • The nominee has delivered tangible improved outcomes for minority groups within the cyber industry
  • The nominee’s actions have had a lasting impact within the cyber space
  • The impact of the nominee’s actions benefit the wider community, rather than a small subset of a diverse community​

Frequently asked questions

  • What are the Commonwealth Bank Cyber Community Awards?
    The Commonwealth Bank Cyber Community Awards were born out of a vision to recognise those people in our community whose actions and behaviours make it a better place. Those who not only may be brilliant academically or have innovative minds, but also those who support others through mentoring, diversity and inclusion; or those who just didn’t know how to give up, irrespective of the challenges they faced.
     
    Who can apply?
    Australian residents aged 18 and older those who fulfil the award consideration criteria.
     
    What are the key dates?
    We welcome submissions from 5 September 2022 and these close on 9 October 2022.

How to apply

  • You’re invited to complete the Cyber Community Award entry form, for the category of your choice. Please submit your response by 9 October 2022.

    Thank you!

Things you should know