Akintunde Akinbo named IT Personality of the Year at Eko Heritage Awards 2025

By Ayo Omoniyi

UK-based cybersecurity expert Akintunde Akinbo has been honoured with the IT Personality of the Year award at the Eko Heritage Awards, held on July 27, 2025, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to information security, governance, risk, and compliance (GRC).

The award celebrates Akintunde’s growing influence within the global cybersecurity ecosystem, particularly his leadership in building robust security frameworks, advancing AI-driven compliance solutions, and mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

Akintunde is a Senior Information Security Officer with over a decade of experience spanning governance, risk management, compliance, cloud security, and incident response. He holds an MSc in Cybersecurity from Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom, and a BSc in Electrical/Electronics Engineering from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State. Over the years, he has worked across complex regulatory environments, helping organizations align with global standards including ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, NIST CSF, CMMC, FedRAMP and AI Risk Management Frameworks.

A core part of his professional impact lies in audit and compliance optimization. In previous roles, Akintunde successfully consolidated fragmented audit workflows, reducing internal resource utilization by 40 percent and cutting external audit costs by over 50 percent, delivering savings of approximately $60,000. He has also led and supported high-impact security initiatives, including enterprise-wide SIEM implementations and third-party risk management programs focused on strengthening supply chain security.

Beyond corporate delivery, Akintunde has distinguished himself as an innovator at the intersection of cybersecurity and software development. Leveraging his programming background, he has developed AI-powered compliance and audit management tools designed to help organizations automate regulatory processes and improve readiness. He is also building a crisis management exercise platform to support incident response, business continuity, and disaster recovery planning.

The Eko Heritage Awards recognition adds to a growing list of honours received by Akintunde in recent years. He was previously celebrated by The Sun Nigeria for advancing cybersecurity through AI-driven compliance tools and strategic risk management, recognised by PM News Nigeria with the LWB Award for Cybersecurity Excellence, and honoured by Vanguard Nigeria with the CREST Africa Award for Cybersecurity Compliance Leadership.

Equally notable is his commitment to talent development. Akintunde has trained and mentored hundreds of individuals, guiding aspiring professionals into successful careers in cybersecurity while promoting security awareness and resilient organizational culture.

Speaking on the recognition, the Eko Heritage Awards organisers described Akintunde as “a forward-thinking security leader whose work combines technical depth, strategic insight, and innovation to protect modern businesses.”

With this latest honour, Akintunde Akinbo continues to reinforce his reputation as one of Africa’s most impactful cybersecurity professionals, driving innovation, compliance excellence, and sustainable security practices across borders.