Aflac Northern Ireland’s Global Security team has been named Security Team of the Year at The National Cyber Awards 2026, earning national recognition for the expertise, innovation and shared leadership the team brings to protecting Aflac.
The 27-strong team received the award at a ceremony at the Royal Lancaster, London on 28 September, after standing out in a highly competitive category that attracted more than 100 entries.
The National Cyber Awards celebrate excellence and innovation among the professionals, organisations and educators helping to advance cyber security across the UK.
Spanning nine specialist areas, including application security, cloud engineering, penetration testing, identity and access management, and strategic delivery, the Belfast-based team is an integral part of Aflac’s Global Security programme. The team brings together specialist expertise, new ideas and close collaboration to help protect Aflac and support its customers when they need it most.
The team is built around three core values: adaptable, resilient and reinventive. These values represent the foundations of Aflac Northern Ireland, helping the team continually adapt to the changing needs of not just its customers, but technology too, demonstrate resilience and reinvent itself to stay at the top of its game. Everyone is encouraged to lead, share ideas and use their expertise to make a difference.
Judges praised the team’s technical excellence, leadership and community impact, commending its exceptional data-driven focus and compelling results. They also highlighted the team’s responsible disclosure practices. Overall, the judges applauded the team for setting “a gold standard in enterprise security delivery.”
Tom Trainor, Vice President, Head of Cyber Security, Aflac Northern Ireland said:
“Being named Security Team of the Year is an incredible honour and a proud moment for everyone across Aflac Northern Ireland. To stand out among more than 100 entries reflects the exceptional expertise, commitment and impact of our team.
“This team combines deep technical knowledge with a genuine determination to keep learning, innovating and making a difference. Leadership is shared, collaboration crosses every discipline and every person has an important part to play in helping protect Aflac and support our customers when they need us most.
“For the judges to describe our team as setting a gold standard in enterprise security delivery is a tremendous endorsement of what our people are accomplishing from Northern Ireland. This award belongs to the entire team, and I could not be prouder of everything we continue to achieve together.”
The recognition shines a light on the strength of cyber security talent in Northern Ireland and the important contribution the Belfast-based team continues to make to Aflac’s global security programme.