Cyber CEO forced to stop using esteemed honorary title after demand from Western Sydney University
A cybersecurity expert and CEO has been forced to stop using the term Adjunct Professor by a major Australian university. See how he explains his actions.
A prominent cybersecurity CEO, who lectures others about fraud, has been forced to stop calling himself an adjunct professor after a demand from a major Australian university.
Ahmed Khanji, the CEO of GridWare Cybersecurity, has agreed to stop using the esteemed honorary title after a directive from Western Sydney University.
Mr Khanji is a well-known commentator on cyber safety issues, including fraud and hacking, and advises major companies on security risks.
The moniker is no longer on his LinkedIn profile or official biography.
His biography on the GridWare website previously described him as “an emerging thought leader in cybersecurity, Ahmed is an Adjunct Professor at Western Sydney University and regularly contributes to cybersecurity conversations in Australia”.
A spokeswoman for the university said that “searches of Western Sydney University’s official records, no documents were identified that confirm an appointment of Mr Ahmed Khanji as an Adjunct Professor”.
“Once the University became aware of this claim, it promptly undertook the appropriate enquiries, which led to the individual being directed to remove the claim,” she said.
“Western Sydney University takes the integrity and accuracy of academic titles and affiliations seriously, and was concerned to learn of this incorrect representation.”
Mr Khanji said he was “invited to this role by the University as part of its industry engagement program in 2018”.
“It’s a guest position designed to help students build employment-ready skills and connect academic learning with real-world cybersecurity experience, something I’ve been proud to contribute to over the years and continue to do through guest lectures and student engagement with my company.”
“I used the title in good faith, on the understanding that all the relevant paperwork had been completed. It now appears there was an administrative oversight, and as soon as I became aware of that, I promptly removed the title to comply with University policy,” he said.
More Coverage
Originally published as Cyber CEO forced to stop using esteemed honorary title after demand from Western Sydney University
