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An academic in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, Dr Brett van Niekerk, has received the Winston Hayden Leadership Award for his work in cybersecurity from the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (ICASA).

Van Niekerk was nominated for the award for leading a South African team to victory in an international cybersecurity challenge in January, his leadership of an international working group and participation in numerous other working groups, and his editorship and reviews for international journals, among other activities. He received the Contribution Award in 2018.

ICASA – formerly the Information Systems Audit and Control Association – is an international not-for-profit professional organisation with a focus on IT Audit; IT governance, risk and compliance, information security and cyber security. The organisation has more than 140 000 members in 180 countries.

The organisation provides guidance and manages some of the sought-after professional certifications, such as the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and the Cyber Security Practitioner (CSXP). The South African chapter, the largest in Africa with more than 2 200 members, instituted the awards – presented at their annual conference – to recognise their members for their professionalism and service.

Words: Leena Rajpal

Photograph: Supplied