Mr. NHIs Top Identity Evangelists & Voices
In my very short career, as founder of the Non-Human Identity Management Group, I have been inspired and influenced by so many individuals within the amazing identity community. All of the below individuals and many others have made amazing contributions to the industry over the years and I would highly recommend you follow these thought leaders. Their insights continue to guide how we build and protect digital trust through Identity and Zero Trust practices.
But first who is Mr. NHI?
Lalit Choda
Known in the industry as ‘Mr. NHI,’ Lalit is the founder of the Non-Human Identity Management Group. Through this initiative, he evangelizes and educates the industry and organizations on the risks associated with Non-Human Identities (NHI) and strategies to address them effectively. A sought-after keynote speaker on the subject, Lalit has managed some of the largest global regulatory NHI programs within the financial industry. He has also authored widely recognized white papers and research articles on NHIs, including the widely acclaimed and ground-breaking research report The Ultimate Guide to Non-Human Identities, earning him the reputation as the leading NHI voice and evangelist in the industry.
Martin Kuppinger
Martin Kuppinger is a renowned analyst and the founder of KuppingerCole Analysts, one of the world’s most respected research firms in identity, access management, and digital trust. He is recognized for shaping industry thought around IAM, cybersecurity, and privacy governance. Martin’s insights help enterprises navigate digital transformation securely, with an emphasis on trust, identity standards, and future-forward access strategies.
Ian Glazer
Ian Glazer is a leading identity standards pioneer and co-founder of IDPro, the professional association for digital identity practitioners. With a history of leadership at Salesforce and the Kantara Initiative, Ian drives ethical, interoperable, and privacy-respecting identity ecosystems. His work bridges technical depth and community building across the global IAM landscape.
Henrique Bernardes B. Teixeira
Henrique Teixeira is an influential identity and access management strategist, known for advancing customer identity (CIAM) and Zero Trust frameworks. A former Gartner analyst and technology executive, he combines analytical depth with practical deployment insights. Henrique’s voice is key in helping organizations modernize identity strategies for a perimeterless world.
Eve Maler
Eve Maler is a global leader in digital identity, consent, and privacy technology, best known for co-inventing SAML and contributing to OAuth and User-Managed Access (UMA). As a long-time standards architect and executive, she has driven frameworks that enable user trust and secure data sharing. Eve continues to advocate for a human-centered, interoperable identity future.
Jeff Steadman
Jeff Steadman co-hosts of the Identity at the Center (IDAC) podcast, where he explores the evolving world of digital identity, IAM, and cybersecurity alongside industry leaders. Through his role, he bridges identity, cloud, and risk conversations, helping audiences understand how identity underpins modern security. Jeff’s work promotes identity as a strategic cornerstone of enterprise resilience and cyber maturity.
Jim McDonald
Jim McDonald co-hosts the Identity at the Center (IDAC), offering deep dives into identity, access management, risk, cloud and cybersecurity. With decades of hands-on IAM experience, Jim helps translate complex identity-and-access challenges into accessible, business-driven conversations for a wide audience. His role emphasizes bridging technical detail with strategic insight, making identity a core pillar of security rather than just an infrastructure checkbox.
Martin Sandren
Martin Sandren is an experienced IAM architect and consultant helping global enterprises build scalable, secure, and standards-based identity platforms. Known for his technical depth in SSO, federation, and access control, he bridges architecture and implementation with clarity. Martin is a trusted voice in translating identity theory into enterprise-ready reality.
Pieter Kasselman
Pieter Kasselman is the co-chair of the IETF’s WIMSE working group, focusing on securing machine identities across multi-cloud and hybrid environments. With expertise in SPIFFE, OAuth, and workload identity, he advocates standards-based approaches to manage non-human identities and reduce secrets sprawl. Pieter is an active voice in the identity community, shaping strategies for scalable and secure automated authentication.
Mike Schwartz
Mike Schwartz is host of the Identerati Office Hours show and founder of Gluu, an open-source identity and access management platform. A longtime advocate of open standards like OAuth and OpenID Connect, he has been instrumental in democratizing access to enterprise-grade IAM. Mike’s contributions to open source identity solutions have empowered organizations worldwide to build secure, standards-based ecosystems.
Andrew Hindle
Andrew Hindle is a digital identity community leader and event organizer, best known for his role with the Internet Identity Workshop and Identiverse. His work strengthens global collaboration among identity professionals. Andrew’s leadership fosters dialogue, education, and innovation within the evolving identity ecosystem.
Heather Flanagan
Heather Flanagan is a federation and trust framework expert with a deep background in standards and community governance. She has led identity initiatives through REFEDS, IETF, and other global trust communities. Heather’s expertise lies in building the collaborative infrastructure that enables interoperable identity and federation at global scale.
Jesse Minor
Jesse Minor is an identity governance and risk management professional focused on practical strategies for secure access and compliance. With deep experience in identity lifecycle design and access control, he helps enterprises align identity systems with real-world risk. Jesse’s approach emphasizes measurable outcomes and resilient identity architectures.
Matthias Reinwarth
Matthias Reinwarth is a senior IAM analyst, moderator, and podcast host at KuppingerCole. He connects the identity community through research, interviews, and events focused on IAM and cybersecurity. Matthias is known for translating expert dialogue into actionable insight for practitioners and leaders alike.
Heiko Klarl
Heiko Klarl is an identity and cybersecurity marketing strategist with a unique ability to connect business messaging to technical IAM value. Previously as CMO at iC Consult, he helped define the public voice of identity consulting and modernization. Heiko’s work champions awareness of identity’s central role in secure digital transformation.
David Lee
David Lee is a recognized IAM thought leader, strategist, and the Identity Jedi podcast host, known for engaging conversations on identity, access, and trust. His work explores how identity impacts business, culture, and user empowerment. David bridges the technical and human aspects of IAM, helping leaders make identity innovation relatable and actionable.
Simon Moffatt
Simon Moffatt is an IAM innovator, author, and founder of The Cyber Hut, focusing on actionable research and advisory for identity and access security. His work simplifies the complexity of digital identity, governance, and Zero Trust adoption. Simon blends technical expertise with a pragmatic understanding of business risk and user experience.
Felix Gaehtgens
Felix Gaehtgens was a Senior Analyst a Gartner and KuppingerCole, specializing in IAM, PAM, Machine Identity and security architecture. With a strong technical background and industry influence, Felix translates complex identity concepts into actionable insights. His research has supported global organizations in navigating the evolving identity landscape securely and efficiently.
David Mahdi
David Mahdi is a digital trust strategist and former Gartner analyst who bridges identity, security, and risk management. Now leading initiatives at the intersection of trust, cryptography, and identity verification, he’s a prominent voice on digital trust ecosystems. David helps organizations rethink identity as a foundation of business resilience.
Justin Richer
Justin Richer is a security architect, software engineer, and co-chair of the IETF’s WIMSE working group. With over two decades of experience and contributions to OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, GNAP, and HTTP Message Signatures, he helps define standardized solutions for managing workload identities. At WIMSE, Justin focuses on enabling secure communication between services in distributed and microservices architectures.
Sebastian Rohr
Sebastian Rohr, known as the “IdentiBeer Guy”, is an IAM and compliance expert recognized for his deep technical expertise and business acumen. As a CEO and advisor, he helps enterprises align identity, governance, and regulatory frameworks. Sebastian is a strong advocate for secure digital transformation built on identity-centric security.
Mr. NHIs Top 5 – Covering Broader CyberSecurity
While identity remains at the core of digital trust, the broader cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve faster than ever. Thanks to these 5 individuals for driving awareness, education and innovation across the cybersecurity industry.
Francis Odum
Francis Odum is a cybersecurity researcher and independent analyst, who founded Software Analyst Cybersecurity Research, focusing on identity, cloud, application, and network security. Leveraging his AI/ML background, he builds research insights and also teaches cybersecurity at Maven, educating investors and industry leaders.
Confidence Staveley
Confidence Staveley is a cybersecurity awareness and education leader empowering African communities through knowledge and opportunity. As the founder of CyberSafe Foundation, she advocates for inclusion, safety, and digital literacy. Her work has made her one of Africa’s most influential voices in global cybersecurity advocacy.
Helen Yu
Helen Yu is a cybersecurity and digital transformation strategist with a focus on aligning business growth with security resilience. As a speaker, author, and advisor, she bridges innovation and trust. Helen’s work empowers leaders to adopt security as a driver of sustainable enterprise success.
Dr. Chase Cunningham
Dr. Chase Cunningham, widely known as “Dr. Zero Trust,” is a leading cybersecurity strategist and author shaping Zero Trust adoption worldwide. His pragmatic approach helps enterprises navigate real-world cyber risks through measurable frameworks. Chase combines military intelligence expertise with cutting-edge cybersecurity vision.
Alexandre BLANC
Alexandre Blanc is a cybersecurity leader specializing in threat intelligence, risk management, and enterprise defense strategies. With decades of experience advising organizations on building resilient cyber frameworks, he is a respected voice in the global cyber community. Alexandre promotes practical, people-focused security transformation.
So Who Are The Other Great Identity Evangelists and Voices In the Industry?
After launching a supporting LinkedIn Post on 22nd Oct 2025, there were many additional recommendations, on who should be in a broader list of identity evangelists and voices. Some of these I knew and could have easily been included in the list above, as well as some I don’t know (yet).
So here are all the others great identity evangelists and voices recommended by others :
Steven Rennick
Steven Rennick is a veteran IT and identity professional with over 25 years of experience, spanning desktop support to enterprise architecture. He specializes in non-human identities, authentication and authorization, and Zero Trust frameworks. He is involved in The Identity Underground and a frequent conference speaker, he promotes forward-thinking approaches to IAM. His background bridges traditional IT operations with modern identity security strategy.
Pamela Dingle
Pamela Dingle is Director of Identity Standards at Microsoft, where she drives development of key protocols such as OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, FIDO, and SCIM. With over two decades in IAM, she has implemented large-scale federation and provisioning systems. A founding member of Women in Identity, she’s a leading advocate for diversity and open collaboration in the field. Pamela’s work directly shapes the standards that define today’s digital identity ecosystem.
Rebecca (Becky) Archambault
Rebecca Archambault leads Trusted Identities at Highmark Health, defining identity strategies across workforce, consumer, and partner ecosystems. She chairs the H-ISAC Identity Committee and founded the Western NY Identities Working Group. As a member of the Identity Defined Security Alliance advisory board, she influences industry guidance on identity-centric security. Becky is widely recognized for advancing collaboration and maturity within healthcare and financial identity programs.
Mike Kiser
Mike Kiser is Director of Strategy & Standards at SailPoint, where he focuses on identity governance, privacy, and ethical technology. With two decades of experience across architecture and security strategy, he brings a unique blend of technical depth and narrative insight. Mike is a frequent speaker at major security conferences and active in industry standards efforts. His work explores the human and ethical implications of digital identity systems.
Espen Bago
Espen Bago is the original founder of “IdentiBeer” and is an identity strategist and thought-leader known for his work on improving how organizations communicate about digital identity. He authored “Words of Identity,” a guide to clarifying IAM terminology and fostering shared understanding. Espen has advised public- and private-sector initiatives on identity management strategy. His work emphasizes bridging technical, policy, and linguistic gaps within the IAM ecosystem.
Nishant Kaushik
Nishant Kaushik is CTO at Uniken and a veteran identity technologist with over 20 years in IAM product innovation. A prolific inventor with multiple patents, he’s led engineering and strategy roles at Oracle, Thor Technologies, and SCUID. Nishant serves on advisory boards for identity industry events like Identiverse and RSA Conference. His expertise centers on secure digital experiences, identity innovation, and business-aligned security design.
Erik Wahlström
Erik Wahlström is a VP Analyst at Gartner, specializing in identity and access management, access control, PKI, identity fabrics and Machine Identity. He has contributed to multiple identity standards and previously led architecture and product strategy at numerous organisations. Erik’s research and advisory work shape enterprise adoption of modern identity frameworks. He’s recognized for translating complex identity architectures into actionable enterprise strategies.
Sean Deuby
Sean Deuby is an identity and directory services expert with over 30 years of experience in enterprise and hybrid identity. Formerly at Intel and now an advisor at Semperis, he focuses on Active Directory, Azure AD, and identity resilience. A long-time Microsoft MVP, Sean is also a respected author and conference speaker. His insights help organizations strengthen hybrid identity security and disaster recovery capabilities.
