Anna Collard, cyber security expert, receives another accolade
South Africa
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08 Jan 2025
Anna Collard, SVP content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa, has been named global ambassador for South Africa by the Global Council for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Global Council for Responsible AI announced the appointment on LinkedIn yesterday, saying, "We are happy to welcome Anna Collard as the Global Council for Responsible AI's global ambassador for South Africa.
"Collard is a visionary leader and passionate advocate for digital wellness, cybersecurity, and inclusivity. Anna, the SVP of Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa, is driving security awareness across the continent."
This is Collard's latest accolade, following her win of the 2023 People's Choice Award at the Cybersecurity Woman of the Year Awards in Las Vegas.
The Cybersecurity Woman of the Year awards program celebrates women's competence, leadership, and impact in the cybersecurity field.
She was chosen from a list of 62 nominees judged in nine categories by an international panel of judges.
Collard, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, is a certified business analyst with multiple security certifications, including CISSP, CISA, CIPP/IT, ex PCI DSS QSA, ISO 27001 Implementer, and auditor.
She was also a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on the Future of Metaverse from 2023 to 2024, and a current board member of the MiDO Cyber Academy Programme, which aims to bridge the cyber skills gap in South Africa's underprivileged communities.
Collard was named an IFSEC Global Influencer in Security in 2022, and in 2020, she earned the ISACA South Africa President's Award and was named one of Africa's top 50 women in cybersecurity.
The Global Council for Responsible AI went on to say: "Anna’s commitment to transparency, inclusivity, and responsible AI innovation perfectly aligns with the Council’s mission to make AI ethical, sovereign, and beneficial for all humanity.
"Her work will contribute to the development of global frameworks that safeguard human and societal well-being while ensuring AI remains a transformative force for good."