It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of our friend and colleague, Denny Wan, a longtime and passionate member of the FAIR Institute community.
If you have been part of our community for any length of time, there’s a good chance you met Denny, perhaps presenting at a FAIR Conference, during one of our online workshops, at a FAIR Institute chapter meeting, or in one of the countless other places where cybersecurity professionals gather. And if you did, you’ll remember his warm smile, his genuine interest in your work, and his remarkable ability to make you feel welcome.
Denny’s contributions to the Institute were exceptional. He served as co-chair of our Sydney Chapter, was an inaugural member of our Standards Committee, and tirelessly advocated for FAIR and the FAIR Institute. (And we mean tirelessly. He regularly joined Zoom meetings with us during the wee hours of his mornings.) Last year, we were proud to honor him with the FAIR Champion Award for the Asia-Pacific region — an honor that surprised no one who knew him.
He was one of the most creative cybersecurity minds we’ve ever known, always pushing the boundaries of our thinking and connecting what we do to the most pressing issues of the day. For example, he got us all thinking about how to apply FAIR and FAIR-CAM to agentic AI, knowing this technology would start to revolutionize how we work and do business.
Denny had an extraordinary gift for building connections between people. He seemed to know everyone, from every corner of the globe, and introduced us to countless thought leaders and professionals who were drawn to his knowledge, generosity, and passion. He introduced us to leaders at so many different organizations (e.g., Risk2Solutions, FS-ISAC, CI-ISAC, itSMF Australia, Trend Micro).
We will miss his many contributions to the Institute and to the profession. But more than anything, we will miss Denny himself. The world has lost a cybersecurity thought leader, a connector, and a wonderful human being. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and the many people around the world who were fortunate enough to know him. May he rest in peace.
