The Cyber Security Awards were established in 2014 to reward the best individuals, teams, and companies within the cybersecurity industry globally.
Excellence and innovation are core themes throughout all categories. The judges come from varied backgrounds and are some of the most well-regarded individuals within the industry.
This year, the awards had nominees from 30 countries and was held in London on November 29, 2023. Dr Fene was nominated in the Cyber Educator of the Year category for his outstanding mentoring and thought leadership achievements.
He was the only Nigerian nominated. At the end of the night, Dr Osakwe was announced as the winner of this prestigious award and inducted into the Cyber Awards Hall of Fame.
Dr Fene Osakwe shot into the international limelight in 2022 when he became one of the youngest to be invited to the prestigious Forbes Council. He mentors graduate, master’s, and PhD students in four Universities in the United Kingdom, Nigeria, the United States and Canada respectively.
His keynotes and conference presentations at some of the biggest cyber security conferences in the world were widely reported as insightful and highly educational by attendees and the press.
Of notable mention are his articles and thought leadership on cybersecurity, which have been extremely insightful to the security industry locally and internationally. One of these articles on artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity was published by Forbes and endorsed and referenced at the 34th Annual Model United Nations conference on October 27, 2023, as a “good article on the effects of AI on cybersecurity.”
Dr Fene Osakwe has been a recipient of other global awards. The New York City Journal listed Dr Osakwe as one of the top 20 coaches to watch out for in 2023; CIOLOOK recognised Dr Osakwe in March 2023 as one of the top global cyber leaders under 40. He was recognised as the Cyber Youth Mentor of the Year in 2022 in Dubai, Exceptional Leadership award at Internet 2.0 in Dubai and won the global book award for his Amazon best-selling book in August 2023 and was listed as one of the top 100 inspiring personalities for 2022 and so many more.
These recognitions have caught the attention of The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM).
In a congratulatory letter to Dr Osakwe, the Chairman and CEO of (NiDCOM) Hon. (Dr.) Abike Dabiri-Erewa noted that the recognition was one the Commission was proud of.
In her words, “The award demonstrates that you have earned a reputation as one of the thought leaders and have made huge and outstanding contributions to the cyber world. We are proud of your achievements and look forward to greater news from you”.
Dr Osakwe is also a philanthropist and gives back to his community in Nigeria through the Feneosakwe Foundation, which has two objectives.
Firstly, to support single moms with scholarships for their children in Africa and then to support families where both parents are out of work. The Foundation presently pays for the school fees of 50 children in Nigeria.