TRA’s Cyber Security Director First Bahraini to be Recognized among the top 100 Cybersecurity Leaders in the Middle East

Mobilk - The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Bahrain is delighted to announce that it’s Director of Cyber Security, Dr. Khalid Al Khalifa, has been awarded the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Award  and recognized as one of the top 100 Cyber Security leaders in the Middle East at the Annual Middle East Security Awards Gala held in Dubai on the 11th of April, 2017. 

This award recognizes key cyber security strategists, thought leaders & executives who have played a leading role in securing the Cyber space within their respective organizations and sectors. This prestigious award is supported, recognized, and endorsed by a large number of Cyber Security industry leaders such as ISACA, ISC2, and the CISO Council, and is guided by a rigorous judging process, led by a committee of senior Cyber Security executives from varied business sectors and domains.   

Through this award, Dr Khalid Al Khalifa has been recognized for leading key strategic Cyber security initiatives that continue to play a vital role in securing electronic communication infrastructure and services, in the Kingdom of Bahrain. 

Marking this achievement, Dr. Khalid Al Khalifa stated, “Receiving this recognition would not have been possible without the support of our wise leadership whose empowerment of young professionals gave us the opportunity to make a positive impact.” He followed on by stating “I see this achievement as a team effort, as there are many individuals that have guided and supported me throughout this period. I would especially like to thank the Minister of Transportation & Telecommunications H.E Kamal Bin Ahmed Mohammed for believing and endorsing TRA’s Cyber Security mission, the Chairman of TRA Dr. Mohamed Alamer for his continued support and belief in the critical importance of Cyber Security, and the General Director Mohamed Bubashait whose mentorship, guidance and trust I am truly grateful for. Last but not least I would like to thank my Cyber Security team whose hard work and diligence is the real driver behind the successful execution of the significant security initiatives this industry has witnessed over the past 3 years”. 

Dr. Khalid concluded by stating “As key economic sectors continue to require greater access to internet, cloud and mobile services, reliable and secure communications services will continue to be a critical enabler of digitization and consequently the overall economic growth of the country”.

The Cyber Security directorate was established in 2014 with a mission to ensure that businesses and consumers have access to safe, secure and reliable Telecommunication services, and that the Telecom Sector is adequately protected against the rising threat of Cyber-attacks. The TRA is delighted that the Directorate has achieved this recognition in such a short span of time.