This year’s Kim Cameron Award received an unprecedented number of impressive applications from all over the world. Our judges thoroughly enjoyed reading the applicants’ thoughts on the biggest challenges facing our industry. Deciding on the winners wasn’t easy, but we are delighted to announce the incredible members of the 2025 Kim Cameron Award cohort. Please join us in celebrating their achievements!
Thank you to all who applied. The future of our industry is bright.
Sachin Mamoru
Attending: Authenticate
Sachin Mamoru is a Senior Software Engineer specializing in enterprise Identity and Access Management (IAM) at WSO2. With a strong background in IAM security, authentication, and authorization, he has contributed to major open-source projects, including WSO2 Identity Server and Asgardeo. Sachin is passionate about improving security and user experience in identity systems, and his research, IDeploySmart, focuses on AI-driven deployment predictions for IAM platforms. In addition to his technical expertise, he is an active researcher, speaker, and mentor in the security and identity space.
“Winning the Kim Cameron Award is an incredible honor. Kim’s visionary work in identity has shaped the industry, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this evolving space. This recognition fuels my passion for building secure, user-centric identity solutions and driving innovation in IAM.”
Diana Vicezar
Attending: Identiverse
Diana Vicezar is a Product Manager in Microsoft’s Identity and Network Access division, where she works on delivering Microsoft Security Copilot capabilities within Microsoft Entra. With a background in Cognitive Science and a passion for leveraging technology to solve complex challenges, Diana is deeply interested in AI-driven innovations that enhance identity security and empower individuals and organizations globally.
“The Kim Cameron Award is a transformative opportunity to deepen my knowledge, engage with fellow industry professionals, and drive innovation in digital identity. I am truly honored to be part of this community and excited to attend Identiverse, where I can further my learning and contribute to the future of identity.”
Ferdinand Yves Mbarga
Attending: Authenticate
Ferdinand Yves Mbarga is a PhD student and cybersecurity professional specializing in Identity and Access Management (IAM) and decentralized technologies. He is a PhD student at the University of Yaoundé, where his research focuses on blockchain-based biometric fingerprint identity verification. Previously, he set up IAM policies, managed access, and improved security at the Office du Baccalauréat du Cameroun, the body responsible for organizing examinations and issuing baccalaureate diplomas in Cameroon. Passionate about blockchain technology and decentralized identity, he is also Vice President of cmNOG (Cameroonian Network Operators Group) and an active member of the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) and the Blockchain Governance Initiative Group (BGIN).
“The Kim Cameron Award offers me the opportunity to actively participate in the development of inclusive, secure, and interoperable solutions for the digital future. It plays a key role in building trust on the Internet for global security”
Lenah Chacha
Attending: European Identity and Cloud Conference
Lenah is a seasoned engineer, researcher, and project manager with 10 years of experience across a diverse portfolio, including computer networking, software engineering, and cybersecurity analysis and engineering. She has a Master’s in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon University. Her specialty is cybersecurity as applied to emerging technologies and, increasingly, digital identity. Today, she leads research teams working on personal data and PII, cookies and online tracking, and security evaluations for identity systems (IDMS and biometrics hardware). She is an active member and co-author at SIDI-Hub, where she works on cross-border Trust Frameworks and researches use cases for interoperability.
“This award is a wonderful opportunity to advance my interest and curiosity on digital identity on the internet and a foundation of security. At the event, I am eager to learn from mentors, gain inspiration, and contribute to discussions, particularly focusing on low-resource environments.”
Stefan Charsley
Attending: Internet Identity Workshop
After graduating from UCOL with a Bachelor of Information and Communications Technology, Stefan began his career at a local software development company working with a range of clients including hospitals, universities, and local government departments. Stefan then joined MyMahi with a goal of improving learner agency through ownership and control of their data. Since 2021, Stefan and MyMahi have been working to bring equity for young people to the digital identity ecosystems by providing digital IDs, recently adopting SD-JWT VC and OpenID4VP to ensure interoperability.
Winning the 2025 Kim Cameron Award has provided the opportunity for me to attend Internet Identity Workshop 40 and meet my peers from all around the world working in this space, allowing us to share information and learn from each other’s experiences.