In a prestigious recognition of excellence in the field of Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC), Noel Andres M. Perdigon, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of Insular Life (InLife), was awarded the coveted GRC Leader of the Year title at the recently concluded PhilSec Awards 2023.
The Philippines’ foremost cybersecurity awards program, the PhilSec Awards 2023 took place last 06 July 2023 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, drawing luminaries from the cybersecurity community and esteemed jury panel members.
According to the Award organizers, the GRC Leader of the Year Award is given “to the most outstanding professional who displayed sheer magnificence in the field of Governance, Risk, and Compliance and through his competence enabled the best-in-class security for his organization, while also keeping it on the right track for growth & scalability.”
GRC is a blanket term used to describe the strategies and technologies used to manage an organization’s compliance with regulatory mandates and corporate governance standards.
In his acceptance speech, Perdigon underscored the importance of cybersecurity and preparedness, “Give a man a zero-day, and he will have access for a day, but give a man the privilege to phish and he will have access for a lifetime. We have to be vigilant, we have to create the culture of being security-aware, and live it every day so that there will be no zero days and phishing to haunt us.”
His remarkable achievements extend beyond his role as InLife’s CISO. He heads the Information Security and Data Privacy (ISDP) Division and the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Division at InLife. In addition, Perdigon serves as the company’s Lead Sustainability Officer, overseeing InLife’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
Among the award recipients were notable cybersecurity professionals who were recognized for their significant contributions to the field. These accolades included the Cyber Woman of the Year, CISO of the Year, Digital Leader of the Year, and Security Practitioner of the Year (Private Sector).
The distinguished jury panel responsible for selecting the awardees featured prominent thought leaders in the cybersecurity space including Lt. Col. Francel Margareth Taborlupa, the Armed Forces Of The Philippines Philippine Army Battalion Commander; Mary Joy Abueg, President of the National ICT Confederation of The Philippines; Allan S. Cabanlong, Advisor & Former Assistant Secretary of the Department Of Information And Communications Technology (DICT); Col. Joey Fontiveros, Deputy Regiment Commander of the Philippine Army Signal Regiment; and Mel Migrino, Chairman & President of Women In Security Alliance Philippines.
In addition to receiving the GRC Leader of the Year Award, Perdigon was also featured as a speaker at the Philsec 2023 Cybersecurity Summit. In a Fireside Chat entitled “Implementing Information Security Governance and Risk Management to Protect Digital Enterprises,” he, along with National Police College Chief IT Officer Elizalde Duran, delved into crucial topics such as implementing information security governance, risk management to safeguard digital enterprises, and the draft National Cybersecurity Plan 2023-2028 of the DICT. The conversation also touched upon future collaborations between the public and private sectors through possibly establishing Cyber Fusion Centers, an operational concept already in place in other countries. They also discussed the importance of fostering cyber resilience and promoting a society educated in cybersecurity.
Perdigon’s recognition as the GRC Leader of the Year at the PhilSec Awards 2023 is a testament to his outstanding leadership, commitment, and expertise in cybersecurity, risk management, and sustainability. His contributions to the field continue to inspire and set new standards in the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity in the Philippines.