Susana Pentland and Christina Keing honoured at Women in Security Awards
Susana Pentland of CyberCX and Christina Keing of Deloitte have been recognised at this year’s Australian Women in Security Awards, along with Grant Thornton and Fujitsu for workplace equity.
Pentland, who has been with CyberCX for the past eighteen months, was named the ‘Cybersecurity Champion’ winner for 2026, while Deloitte APAC and global cloud security lead Keing received a highly commended award for ‘Most Outstanding in IT Security’.
Meanwhile, Grant Thornton and Fujitsu were also given highly commended nods for ‘Best Place to Work in Security’, awarded to Australian organisations which lead the way in advancing gender equality and fostering an inclusive workplace as an industry benchmark.
Hosted by Source2Create and now into its eighth year, the Australian Women in Security Awards were established to promote the achievements of women within the industry and encourage the next generation of leaders, while also acknowledging their supporters. This year’s awards featured around 100 finalists across 15 categories now spanning IT, AI, protective, and cybersecurity.
Susana Pentland
In addition to her work as a capability, education & training consultant with CyberCX, Pentland is a researcher, author, speaker and leading public advocate for cybersecurity awareness, particularly as to initiatives which simplify the complex subject matter to make it more accessible and enhance safety among non-technical communities such as kids, seniors, and everyday busy parents.
“I couldn’t have started this meaningful work without the support from colleagues, mentors, friends and family,” Pentland said. “This award reflects every conversation, sacrifice, long days and the doors held open, for me and for others, by the incredible women and role models in this community. Our past doesn’t define us – it’s the launchpad from which we unleash our potential.”
Christina Keing
Having started her consulting career at KPMG in Hong Kong, Keing has since 2018 been rising up the ranks at Deloitte to now serve as Asia Pacific and global cloud security and security architecture lead. She is credited with having grown the firm’s Australian cyber practice tenfold to more than fifty specialists, while leading cloud security programs for critical national institutions.
“For too long, we’ve felt the pressure to shrink to fit spaces not built for us, but change creates a spark,” Keing said. “In security, we obsess over technology. Accepting the award reminded me that what truly makes our industry outstanding isn’t the tools, but the people. For the mentors and supporters who believe in us more than we do ourselves: having someone in your corner changes everything.”
Company awards
Meanwhile, Fujitsu was highly commended for:
“Creating a strong, inclusive workplace, with women strongly represented across the cyber division and in senior security roles, alongside a substantially lower gender pay gap than the national benchmark. Underpinned by blind recruitment, gender-balanced interview panels, and out-of-cycle pay reviews, this sets a clear example of how intentional design can deliver meaningful equity.”
And Grant Thornton for:
“Creating a genuinely equitable, inclusive security workplace with 60 percent women in the cyber team across technical and leadership roles, pay‑equity results where women’s median total remuneration exceeds that of men’s, flexible work practices such as the nine‑day fortnight, board‑endorsed gender equity action, and visible women‑led cyber resilience.”
“I’m particularly proud because this recognition reflects the culture we’ve worked so hard to build,” said head of cybersecurity Jessica Jones, herself a finalist in the IT security category. “One where people feel trusted, supported, included, and empowered to grow. A culture where talented people challenge each other, celebrate each other’s successes, and genuinely enjoy coming to work.”
