At the 2025 NightDragon Innovation Summit last week, more than 850 cybersecurity industry, government, and innovation leaders came together to discuss how we can advance our industry innovation to discuss how we can work together to address emerging threats and harness the power of AI, cybersecurity, and innovation to strengthen national defense.
In an industry often defined by rapid change, relentless threats, and silent victories, it’s easy to overlook the people at the center of it all — the leaders, mentors, and innovators shaping the future. We closed the event by shining a spotlight on those unsung heroes who, though their tireless dedication, are making our industry stronger, safer, more resilient — and they are opening the doors for the next generation to step in and carry the torch forward.
We introduced three inaugural awards:
- The Leadership Award recognizes an individual who exemplifies the values of our industry and is advancing our cybersecurity capabilities.
- The Empowerment Award to recognize an organization or individual advancing the next generation of cybersecurity workforce and empowering teams to secure our world for tomorrow.
- The Innovation Award to recognize the winner of a popular vote following the Innovation Sprints segment of the event, where 4 companies pitched the audience for 4 minutes each.
Each of these awards represents a pillar of NightDragon’s mission — leadership, community empowerment, and breakthrough innovation. Winners of the Leadership and Empowerment Awards were chosen by nomination of their peers following a call-out for nominations to the cybersecurity community. Meanwhile, the winner of the Innovation Award was voted by popular vote of the audience of the 2025 NightDragon Innovation Summit on site.
Let’s meet our 2025 honorees:
Leadership Award – Valmiki Mukherjee
The Leadership Award recognizes an individual who has set a new standard in propelling the cybersecurity industry forward. This year, we are proud to honor Valmiki Mukherjee, a trailblazer whose impact is felt on a global scale. Val is the founder of the Cyber Future Foundation, one of the few truly neutral communities designed for international collaboration in trusted cyber practices.
“[Val] has dedicated over two decades of his life to global cybersecurity, innovation, and humanitarian impact. Through a combination of strategic foresight, coalition-building between government, industry and civil society and a deep commitment to public good, he has reshaped how cybersecurity is practiced, taught, and advanced across borders,” said one nomination about Val.
Val’s recent initiatives speak volumes about his vision: from the creation of a Center of Excellence for Health Security to a focused push on workforce development, to a Responsible and Secure AI workgroup, and advocacy efforts to address CISO liability — all of which reinforce a fairer, safer environment for cybersecurity’s most critical contributors. Val is a leader not just in title but in service, and we are honored to recognize his exceptional contributions.
With over two decades dedicated to cybersecurity, innovation, and humanitarian progress, Val has consistently brought together diverse stakeholders — from government to industry to civil society — to collaborate on meaningful, mission-driven solutions.
Empowerment Award – Debbie Sallis
The Empowerment Award celebrates someone who is shaping the future of the cyber workforce through community building, mentorship, and opportunity creation. This year’s honoree, Debbie Sallis, CEO of the Cyber Guild, has turned a career in cybersecurity and national security into a force for transformative change. “[Debbie] embodies the spirit of service, leadership, and purpose,” said one nomination. “[She] doesn’t just talk about making a difference — she delivers lasting impact.”
Debbie’s journey began at BAE Systems, but her influence has since expanded far beyond traditional roles. She has dedicated herself to creating platforms that empower the next generation of cyber leaders. Through programs like the RISE mentoring initiative, the “See It to Be It” leadership campaign, veteran job placement programs, and her flagship Uniting Women in Cyber event series, Debbie has built ecosystems of support and inspiration.
Every project she leads is fueled by passion, persistence, and a deep belief in service and community. Debbie doesn’t just advocate for inclusion and empowerment in cybersecurity — she delivers it. We are honored to recognize her enduring contributions to building a more inclusive and resilient cyber future.
Innovation Award – Elisity
The Innovation Award is peer-voted and celebrates a solution on the cutting edge of innovation, including around cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, information warfare, and quantum. At the NightDragon Innovation Summit, four cutting-edge companies participated in live innovation sprints, each presenting their vision in just four minutes: Elisity, Databee, Blackbird.ai, and Sandbox.AQ.
Voted by popular vote, Elisity emerged as the winner of the 2025 Innovation Award. Elisity is transforming how enterprises approach security by delivering identity-based microsegmentation for the modern workplace. By decoupling security from the network and enabling granular access control policies based on user and device identity, Elisity is redefining the enterprise security model. Their approach is a powerful answer to the growing complexity of securing distributed, cloud-first environments.
Moving Forward Together
These awards are more than accolades — they are a reminder of what’s possible when purpose, passion, and innovation converge. We are incredibly proud to honor Valmiki Mukherjee, Debbie Sallis, and Elisity, and we thank them for the example they set for us all.
As we look ahead, let’s continue to champion the voices, innovations, and missions that make our industry not only stronger, but more human. Here’s to those who lead, those who empower, and those who innovate — your work matters, and the future of cybersecurity is brighter because of you.