Societe Generale and Wavestone are holding the first innovation awards competition in the banking cybersecurity sector: the “Banking Cybersecurity Innovation Awards”. Security has emerged as a fundamental issue for the banking sector, and especially for its clients.

Cybersecurity at the centre of Societe Generale and Wavestone’s priorities 
With the arrival of new technologies and the emergence of new practices, the instantaneousness of the digital experience and the exponential growth of data production, threats and incidents linked to cybercrime are constantly increasing. Against this backdrop, Societe Generale is measuring the risks of this growing cybercriminality and prioritising the protection of its information systems and the data entrusted to the bank by its clients.

Wavestone, one of Europe's leading consulting firms, is adopting innovative approaches to supporting its clients by identifying and minimising these new risks. 

The “Banking Cybersecurity Innovation Awards” invites European startups and innovative SMEs to submit and promote their cybersecurity solutions. This major open innovation initiative aims to increase contacts and exchanges with ecosystem players in order to co-build security solutions for the bank’s systems and exchanges with its clients and to maintain its role as a trusted third party. 

A jury combining expertise and strategic vision on cybersecurity issues
The jury, selected for its technical and strategic expertise, will choose the winners following the two qualifying stages (written proposal and pitching). It will convene in Wavestone’s innovative and collaborative workspaces and will be comprised of:

Françoise Mercadal-Delasalles, Societe Generale Group Head of Corporate Resources and Innovation
Laurent Goutard, Head of Retail Banking of Societe Generale France
Thierry Olivier, Societe Generale Group Ciso
Pascal Imbert, Wavestone CEO
Reza Maghsoudnia, Wavestone Strategic Development Director
Gérôme Billois, Wavestone Senior Manager Cybersecurity Manager
Guillaume Poupard, Director general of ANSSI
Patrick Duvaut, Director of Research at Telecom ParisTech
Sébastien Couasnon, Journalist and Host of Tech & Co on BFM Business

Prizes will be awarded for three categories at a ceremony to be held on 5 July 2017 at “Les Dunes”, Societe Generale’s new technology park that embodies the Group’s digital transformation: 

Digital Confidence for the Bank: for solutions aimed at ensuring the security of the bank's internal systems, both for the business lines and those related to IT infrastructures.
Digital Confidence for Customers: for solutions aimed at ensuring the security of exchanges between the bank and its customers; these are solutions that are visible to customers or set up on customer terminals.
France Special: for a startup whose head office is based in France and whose capital is held mainly by French persons or entities. 

The three winners will have the opportunity to test their solutions within Societe Generale and to join Wavestone’s startup accelerator programme, Shake’Up.