Top Honors to Citigroup, M&T Bank Corporation and People’s United Bank for Leadership in Information Security

Winners and Finalists announced for the
Information Security Executive (ISE®) of the Year Northeast Awards 2009

ATLANTA - September 14, 2009 - The finalists and winners of the 2009 Information Security Executive (ISE®) of the Year Northeast Awards was announced on the evening of Thursday, September 10, 2009 at the Westin Times Square in New York City. The Awards recognize information security executives and project teams for outstanding achievement in risk management, data asset protection, compliance, privacy and network security. Eligible nominees represented the northeast region including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

John Walp, Corporate Information Security Officer of M&T Bank Corporation, was announced as the Northeast Information Security Executive of the Year in front of his peers during the gala ceremony.  The judges were impressed with his innovation in developing solutions for the bank, his ability to influence his organization and drive change.

Finalists for the Information Security Executive of the Year Northeast Awards were also recognized for their achievements in the industry and were showcased during the awards program. In addition to John Walp, the finalists include:

  • Tim Callahan, First Vice President, Enterprise Technology Risk Management and Chief Information Security Officer - People’s United Bank
  • Mark Coderre, Head of Security Architecture - AETNA
  • Charles De Sanno, Executive Director, Enterprise Technology & Infrastructure Engineering - Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Laz Montano, AVP, Enterprise Infrastructure - MetLife Inc.

As part of the evening’s recognition, Tim Callahan, First Vice President, Enterprise Technology Risk Management and Chief Information Security Officer of People’s United Bank, was announced as the ISE® Northeast’s People’s Choice Award Winner. The award represents the nominee who best exemplifies information security leadership as voted on by the registered attendees.

The Information Security Project of the Year for the Northeast region was awarded to Citigroup for their creative implementation of securing confidential data through email. The executive sponsor of the project, Dan Tigar, Executive Vice President, Global Engineering Head, Security Architecture & Engineering, accepted the award on behalf of the team.

Finalists for the Information Security Project of the Year Northeast Awards were also recognized for their achievements in the industry and were showcased during the awards program. In addition to Citigroup, the finalists include:

  • Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation - Executive Sponsor; Parthiv Shah, Director, Information Security
  • Paychex - Executive Sponsor; Todd Colvin, Director of Enterprise Data Security

"The who’s who of the Northeast region were in attendance, as we celebrated the achievements of these outstanding leaders," said Marci McCarthy, CEO of T.E.N. “All the nominees, finalists, and winners deserved to be recognized for their successes and their contributions to the information security industry”.