SOFTSWISS information security chief wins Top Global CISOs 2026 award

Evgeny Zaretskov, director of information security at SOFTSWISS Group, has been named a winner of the Top Global CISOs 2026 award. The award is run annually by Cyber Defense Magazine and forms part of the 14th annual Cyber Defense Awards.

Zaretskov was selected from thousands of candidates worldwide, according to the report. The judges recognised his work in translating complex risks for senior leadership, preventing data breaches and losses, meeting regulatory requirements and developing risk programmes with measurable impact.

The award is the second international recognition for Zaretskov this year, after his inclusion in the HotTopics Global CISO 100 of 2026. At SOFTSWISS he leads global cybersecurity strategy across a technology ecosystem serving more than 1,500 brands worldwide.

Gary Miliefsky, editor of Cyber Defense Magazine, said the magazine was pleased to name Zaretskov a winner among a small and select group of information security professionals in the Top Global CISOs Awards 2026, with winners announced at CyberDefenseCon 2026 on 20 October.

Zaretskov said that beyond protecting systems against threats, cybersecurity creates the conditions for companies to operate with confidence, innovate and grow, and that in iGaming reliability begins with security. He said the recognition reflects his teams' commitment to building a secure and resilient technology environment that partners can trust.

SOFTSWISS said security is an essential part of reliability for the company, supporting business continuity, operational resilience and long-term partner trust, which it describes as central values of its positioning as a strategic partner to operators in regulated markets. The company said it has served more than 1,500 brands since 2009 and has more than 2,200 professionals across international locations.

The report also refers to SOFTSWISS's iGaming Trends 2027 report, which it says shows how compliance is being incorporated into product architecture and how reliability increasingly defines the choice of technology partner. The report is available for free download, according to the report.

Cyber Defense Magazine was founded in 2012 by Gary S. Miliefsky and publishes monthly electronic magazines and limited special editions for the RSAC, BlackHat and Cyber Defense conferences, according to the report.