Showcasing the elite executives at the forefront of digital defence, CxO Trail highlights the Top 10 CISOs based in the MEA region
As the Middle East and Africa (MEA) rapidly accelerates its cloud-native and AI-driven transformation, enterprise security leaders face unprecedented challenges. From securing multi-country financial infrastructure to defending critical energy assets, the region’s elite Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are redefining risk management and business resilience.
1. Abdulaziz Al-Shafi (Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia)
Abdulaziz Al-Shafi serves as Vice President of Cybersecurity and CISO at Saudi Aramco, directing cybersecurity governance, risk management, and defense operations worldwide.
Based in Dhahran, he oversees the protection of vast enterprise networks and critical operational technology (OT) infrastructure. His leadership is essential in driving cyber resilience, setting high security standards, and defending vital energy assets against evolving global threats.
2. Abeer Khedr (National Bank of Egypt, Egypt)
Abeer Khedr serves as Group Head of Cybersecurity at the National Bank of Egypt and Chair of the Cyber Security Committee for the Federation of Egyptian Banks.
Drawing on more than 20 years in IT governance and risk management, Abeer shapes enterprise security strategies for the banking sector. Her leadership focuses on strengthening cyber resilience, regulatory compliance, and fraud prevention across critical financial systems. She is a multi-award-winning professional and a recognized IFSEC Global Security Influencer.
3. Favour Femi-Oyewole (Access Bank, Nigeria)
Favour Femi-Oyewole is the Group CISO at Access Bank, bringing over 20 years of expertise in cybersecurity, risk management, and IT governance to one of Africa’s largest banking networks.
Specializing in information security governance and fraud prevention within large-scale digital environments, she plays a vital role in securing Africa’s financial infrastructure. Favour is an internationally recognized security leader, honored with the EC-Council Global C|CISO of the Year award and the Forbes Best of Africa Cybersecurity Award of Excellence.
4. Celia Mantshiyane (FirstRand, South Africa)
Celia Mantshiyane serves as Group CISO for FirstRand, directing information security and cyber resilience for a major digital banking network.
Tasked with protecting critical banking services and financial data from ransomware and fraud, she combines technical excellence with visionary leadership. Her impact on the industry was recently underscored by winning CISO of the Year at the 2026 Wired4Women Awards. Alongside her executive duties, Celia is dedicated to fostering inclusion and empowering women in Africa’s cybersecurity sector.
5. Ishaaq Jacobs (Sasol, South Africa)
Ishaaq Jacobs serves as Chief Cybersecurity Officer at Sasol, bringing over 20 years of experience in securing complex enterprise and industrial environments.
Integrating security directly into corporate risk management, he utilizes full infrastructure visibility and artificial intelligence to outmaneuver advanced threat actors. His leadership emphasizes continuous improvement, phishing resilience, and strict governance controls to drive swift incident response and recovery.
6. Mohammed J Abbas (First Abu Dhabi Bank, UAE)
Mohammed J. Abbas serves as Acting CISO at First Abu Dhabi Bank, directing cybersecurity and risk strategy for the UAE’s premier financial institution.
Specializing in proactive risk mitigation, data privacy compliance, and operational resilience, Mohammed ensures the secure flow of cross-border payments within a complex regulatory landscape. He is an award-winning security leader, recently recognized as a premier CISO winner at the Global Security Symposium UA.
7. Justin Williams (MTN Group, South Africa)
Justin Williams serves as Group CISO at MTN Group, directing cybersecurity strategy for a major multinational telecommunications provider reaching over 300 million customers across Africa and the Middle East.
Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience, including senior security leadership at Transnet and consulting at EY, Justin is an expert in enterprise-wide security transformation. His leadership focuses on scaling cyber resilience, governance, and risk management across critical telecommunications infrastructure operating in complex regulatory landscapes.
8. Sarfaraz Muneer (Mubadala Investment Company, UAE)
Sarfaraz Muneer serves as Vice President of Cyber Security Assurance at Mubadala Investment Company, directing security strategy for Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund.
Specializing in cyber resilience, enterprise governance, and secure digital transformation, he ensures robust protection across complex global investment portfolios. An award-winning security leader, Sarfaraz was recognized as a winner at the IDC CISO Excellence Awards 2025 (UAE edition) for his impact on advancing regional security practices.
9. Feroz Khan (TotalEnergies Qatar, Qatar)
Feroz Khan serves as Head of IT Security, Compliance, and Projects at TotalEnergies Qatar, directing cybersecurity and governance for critical energy operations.
Specializing in risk management, regulatory alignment, and secure digital transformation, Feroz ensures operational resilience through strong compliance and a cyber-aware culture. He is an award-winning security leader, recently recognized as a winner of the IDC CISO Excellence Awards 2025 in Qatar.
10. Dr. Harrison Nnaji (FirstBank Nigeria, Nigeria)
Dr. Harrison serves as Group CISO at First Bank of Nigeria, directing enterprise security strategy across a major multi-country banking network in West Africa.
With more than 17 years of experience and a strong engineering foundation, he specializes in managing complex cyber risks and enabling secure digital transformation. His leadership emphasizes robust operational resilience, rigorous compliance, and the development of talent and security awareness as key drivers for scalable African banking.
