The 2026 honorees span the breadth of the industry, from physical security and life safety to cybersecurity, risk and crisis management, and occupational health and safety. The list brings together practitioners, technology and service providers, researchers, and academics from 13 countries across six continents.

The 2026 scoring criteria added two new categories

• Expert Witness, recognizing individuals called upon to provide specialized testimony in litigation, insurance or investigations.
• Legislative & Regulatory Testimony, for those who influence policy through formal testimony before legislative bodies, regulatory agencies, or standards organizations.

The additions acknowledge that shaping the industry doesn’t always happen on a stage or through a press hit; sometimes, it’s in a courtroom or hearing room.

The Class of 2026 reflects a healthy mix of continuity and change: 13 honorees are recognized for the third consecutive year, another 14 are returning for their second appearance, and 14 are new to the list. Nineteen of the 41 honorees are from countries outside the United States, and four of those — Austria, India, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay — appear on the list for the first time.

For the second year, Andrew Thorburn, enterprise security and risk manager at Wesco Anixter (formerly Atlas Gentech NZ Limited) in New Zealand, led candidate outreach on behalf of the committee and helped refine the scoring criteria for this year’s field.

“Introducing new categories for 2026 enabled us to identify types of influence previously overlooked,” Thorburn said. “We will keep refining these categories for the program to make sure we include the most important efforts shaping our industry.”

As with past nominees, final scores for this year’s period, May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, were calculated using a proprietary algorithm that weighs factors such as conference speaking engagements, webinar and podcast appearances, authored articles and mentions, academic instruction, awards and honors, board positions, and volunteer leadership. 

LSA reviewed the credentials of hundreds of professionals across the life safety and security fields and invited more than 200 candidates identified as leading voices in the industry to submit evidence supporting their nominations.

“A tie at the very bottom of the list tells you everything about how competitive this recognition has become,” said Becky Lane, CEO, LSA. “Rather than artificially break the tie, we chose to honor both candidates, and I think that decision reflects the spirit of this program.” 

Lane continued, “What strikes me every year is how differently thought leadership can look. Some of our honorees have built decades of visibility in this industry, while others are only now stepping into that role. Both belong on this list.”

Thorburn concluded, “If you’re doing work that’s moving this industry forward, whether that’s on a stage, in a courtroom, or on a podcast, we encourage you to participate. That’s the spirit behind the list, and it’s why we’re opening nominations for 2027 now.”