Vienna, VA – October 22, 2026 -- Target took three of the top honors at the 2026 RH-ISAC awards: Team of the Year, Cybersecurity Practitioner of the Year for senior threat intel analyst Chris De La Rosa, and a first-place finish in the Sharing & Collaboration Challenge team rankings. The Retail & Hospitality Information Sharing and Analysis Center announced the winners at its Member Celebration Dinner and Awards Ceremony on April 15 in Austin, Texas.
Crocs CISO Lena Taylor wins Peer Choice Award for CISO of the Year
Lena Taylor, CISO at Crocs, received the 2026 Peer Choice Award for CISO of the Year. The award goes to a thought leader whose experience adds strategic value to the wider community.
Target dominates the practitioner and team categories
Target, described as one of RH-ISAC's most active Core Members, won Team of the Year for sharing threat intelligence and contributing to webinars, events and working groups. Kroger placed second and IHG Hotels & Resorts third.
In the Cybersecurity Practitioner of the Year category, Walmart's Faisal Rahman finished second. Nezha Ould Slimane, senior manager of information security at Marriott International, finished third. De La Rosa also won a Working Group Warrior award, alongside Jeff Davidhizar of Crutchfield Corporation and Kyle Smith of IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Palo Alto Networks named Associate Member of the Year
Palo Alto Networks won the Peer Choice Award for Associate Member of the Year. The award recognizes thought leadership, actionable intelligence and other resources offered to RH-ISAC members.
IKEA and Gymshark earn Fast Starter recognition within their first 12 months
The Fast Starter Award went to IKEA and Gymshark. Both have been Core Members for less than 12 months and have become active contributors across RH-ISAC sharing platforms.
Sharing & Collaboration Challenge ranks teams in four size categories
The challenge tracks team participation across RH-ISAC channels and awards points cumulatively. Winners are named in four categories based on team headcount.
- First place: Crutchfield Corporation, IHG Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International and Target.
- Second place: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Staples, Kroger and Lowe's.
- Third place: Kontoor Brands, Williams-Sonoma, Best Buy and Walmart.
In the individual ranking, Wendi Walker of IHG Hotels & Resorts took first place. Nezha Ould Slimane of Marriott International and Brian Ludwig of Staples were also recognized.
Three practitioners share Team Player of the Year honors
Team Player of the Year went to Michael Francess of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Tom Hocker of Kroger and Diego Idi of Casey's.
Booking.com, Skechers and Marcus Corp. recognized for Community Development
The Community Development award rewards members who bring in referrals, give testimonials and join calls with prospective members. The winners are Marnie Wilking and the Booking.com team, Brett Cumming and the Skechers team, and Jared Boulden of Marcus Corp.