BCNET cybersecurity leader Antonio Brandao wins ISACA community award

Antonio Brandao, director of cybersecurity services at BCNET, received the 2026 ISACA Community Leadership Award through the ISACA Vancouver Chapter. The honor recognizes his mentoring, teaching and community work across British Columbia’s cybersecurity and higher-education sectors.

Why it matters: - The award spotlights cybersecurity leadership that goes beyond one employer and into the broader professional community. - Brandao’s work touches BCNET member institutions, cybersecurity practitioners, students and researchers facing rising digital risk with limited resources. - The recognition also underscores the value of volunteer mentorship, knowledge sharing and public education in a field short on experienced talent.

What happened: - Antonio Brandao, director of cybersecurity services at BCNET, received the 2026 ISACA Community Leadership Award. - ISACA Vancouver Chapter presented the award. - The honor recognizes sustained, high-impact contributions to the professional cybersecurity community. - Brandao is a member of the ISACA Vancouver Chapter. - The announcement comes after Brandao’s recent promotion at BCNET. - Brandao also serves as an adviser to Operation: Defend the North Vancouver 2026, a national cybersecurity exercise scheduled for October 2026.

The details: - BCNET is a not-for-profit shared services consortium serving 44 post-secondary member institutions across British Columbia. - Brandao’s role at BCNET focuses on improving cybersecurity readiness across the province’s post-secondary and research sector. - His chapter involvement has included volunteer education, mentorship and knowledge sharing. - Brandao has spoken at BCNET CONNECT, BSides Vancouver, the TRU Privacy and Security Conference, VanTUG, siberX and ISACA Vancouver. - His presentations have covered the dark web, threat intelligence, attacker behavior and red-team activity in higher education. - Brandao’s dark web talks explain how stolen credentials are traded online in practical terms. - As a mentor in the ISACA Vancouver Mentorship Program, Brandao supports professionals entering cybersecurity, governance, risk and assurance. - Brandao also draws on his experience as an immigrant from Brazil to support newcomers to the field. - He has advised start-ups, including Cyber Armour. - Brandao organized hands-on learning opportunities such as the BCNET CONNECT Capture-the-Flag competitions. - Before BCNET, Brandao was a former Brazilian Army lieutenant colonel who coordinated operations for 1,500 personnel. - He also spent seven years as a cybersecurity professor at Brazil’s Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras. - His BCNET career advanced from SIEM Systems Administrator to Cybersecurity Architect to director of cybersecurity services. - Brandao’s background includes a bachelor’s degree in military science, a master’s degree in military science, a bachelor’s degree in information systems from Universidade Católica de Santos and honors diplomas from Seneca Polytechnic. - His certifications include CISSP, GCDA and GWAPT. - Brandao has also completed SANS coursework in incident response and threat hunting. - His past experience includes serving as Results and IT Manager for Modern Pentathlon at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and volunteering at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. - Brandao recently published Unlock the Secrets of the Dark Web: Theoretical Instruction and Hands-On Labs, available in Kindle and paperback editions.

Between the lines: - The award reflects a profile built on both technical expertise and community access, not just job title. - Brandao’s mix of military leadership, academic teaching and hands-on security work likely strengthens his credibility with both practitioners and newcomers. - The recognition also suggests ISACA values visible, local leadership that helps expand the cybersecurity talent pipeline.

What's next: - Brandao will continue his advisory role for Operation: Defend the North Vancouver 2026 ahead of the October exercise. - His community education work is likely to reach a broader audience through that effort. - BCNET’s cybersecurity mission will continue to focus on strengthening resilience across British Columbia’s post-secondary and research institutions.

The bottom line: - Brandao’s award marks him as a regional cybersecurity leader whose impact is measured as much by mentorship and education as by technical operations.