CSM chief named outstanding security exec in Asean

By Digital News Asia December 3, 2014

Five chief information/security officers chosen from 10 Asean countries
Amirudin to kick off CSM’s business transformation programme next year

CSM chief named outstanding security exec in Asean IT’S been a banner year for CyberSecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Dr Amirudin Abdul Wahab (pic), who just days after becoming the first World Trustmark Alliance chairman to be reappointed to a second term, was selected to receive an Asean award.

Amirudin received the Outstanding Chief Information/ Security Officer Award (CSO) in conjunction with the 10th Asean CIO/ CSO Summit and Awards held in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec 2.

The CSO Awards are given to a select few for their contribution to Asean’s peace and security by implementing information security management and business continuity programmes in business enterprises or civic/ government organisations, CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) said in a statement.

Amirudin was selected for the various initiatives he implemented since taking on the CSM role in January, 2013, to strengthen the national specialist centre for cybersecurity, which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The initiatives included setting up new strategic direction by establishing eight National Centres of Excellence (CoE); enhancing public-private partnership by introducing the Industry Collaboration Programme; and intensifying regional and international collaboration through various cybersecurity bilateral cooperation and multilateral platforms.

Amirudin also plans to kick off CSM’s Business Transformation Programme in 2015, which he described as part of a “masterplan” that included the CoEs, for the agency to chart its strategic positioning and future direction.

This is also to ensure CSM is well positioned to play its part in supporting the national agenda, as well as meeting the challenges of tomorrow, sustaining its operation in the long run, and meeting the greater needs of the business and corporate community at-large.

“I am very fortunate to have the support and commitment from the CSM board, management and staff; without which, it would have been impossible to implement any programme or initiative,” he said.

“Therefore, I dedicate this Asean CSO Award to everyone in CSM for the excellent teamwork which is the key ingredient of CSM’s success,” he added.

Under his helm, CSM was appointed the permanent secretariat for the OIC-CERT (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – Computer Emergency Response Team).

The Asean CIO/ CSO Summit and Awards is an annual event. This year, its board of judges selected five chief information/security officers who stood out among their counterparts within the 10 Asean countries. The CSO Awards are organised by International Data Group (IDG).