Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the United States, announced that Tim Callahan, senior vice president of Global Security and global chief security officer at Aflac, has been named an SC Awards 2017 honoree in the Chief Security Officer of the Year category. The SC Awards, hosted by SC Media, honor the achievements of companies and information security professionals striving to safeguard businesses, their customers and critical data in North America.

"We are extremely proud that Tim has been honored as CSO of the Year," said Aflac Executive Vice President and General Counsel Audrey Boone Tillman. "At a time when information security is a concern for every business, Tim's strong leadership is vital to safeguarding our customers' valuable private information and ensuring Aflac continues to be an ethical and trusted company."

The SC Awards are determined by two panels of judges comprised of a range of cybersecurity industry luminaries – from current and former CISOs to vendor-neutral consultants or analysts to educators from academic institutions – all members of SC's audience. After averages for each category are tallied, finalists and winners are decided.

Callahan, selected for effectively developing and managing a strong IT security team, manages a group of more than 80 professionals. He provides strategy and vision for the team, empowering them to build their programs. Directing the continuous development of methods and best practices for a leading-edge intelligence program, Callahan fosters a security strategy custom-made for Aflac to protect the personal information of the insurance company's customers.

Finalists were honored at the 2017 SC Awards Presentation held in San Francisco on Feb. 14. For a full list of award recipients, go to https://www.scmagazine.com/awards.