22 SEPTEMBER 2026
LA SUCRERIE, WAVRE

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Programme

09:30

Welcome & Introduction

Speakers

Karine Goris

Chair
Cyber Security Coalition

Karine Goris is Chief Security Officer at Belfius. Her approach to security is clearly business-oriented, away from the classic "just throw another security product at it". Goris' credo is "make cybersecurity a business risk", confronting the risks with the working of the company, to make security an integral part of the daily processes of a company, requiring a new understanding whereby the CSO becomes a digital risk manager. For Karine Goris, this is a task, which is in line with her career that started as an IT lecturer at the Thomas More University College, through several "architecture-oriented" positions in order to go deeper into security issues as an information security consultant to finally win her spurs as Chief Security Officer at Belfius. As chair of the security advisory board within the Belgian financial sector (Febelfin) and other advisory boards, but also as a guest-lecturer on information security topics she aims for more cyber safety.

09:45

Keynote

10:20

National Cyber Study 2026

Outlines

The National Cyber Survey 2026 is a comprehensive, nationwide cybersecurity study organised by KPMG Advisory in partnership with the Cyber Security Coalition (CSC) and supported by the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB). The second edition assesses how organisations in Belgium are experiencing and responding to today’s fast‑evolving cyber threats — from AI‑driven attacks and ransomware to phishing, data breaches, and compliance challenges under regulatory frameworks such as NIS2 and DORA.The results revealed at BE-CYBER will help policymakers, CISOs, and business leaders identify priorities, benchmark maturity, and improve collective resilience.

Speakers

Benny Bogaerts

Partner at KPMG Advisory | Head of Cyber & Digital Risk Consulting
KPMG Advisory

Benny Bogaerts started his career at KPMG in 2001 within the IT Advisory practice, where he was involved in a wide range of external and internal IT audits. Over the years, he has developed deep expertise in security governance (including ISO/IEC 27001/27002, NIST and related frameworks), IT GRC, data privacy, security transformation and cyber defence services. He has led and contributed to numerous national and international IT security projects across various sectors, supporting organisations in defining their security strategy, designing architectures and frameworks, and overseeing their implementation. In addition, Benny has extensive experience in managing complex (international) security transformation programmes. Today, he leads the Cyber Security & Privacy practice in Belgium and is an active member of the EMEA KPMG Cyber Competence Centre.

Morning Tracks

Afternoon Tracks

Track 1
The Foundations of Trust

Building Sovereign & Trustworthy Digital Infrastructure

Host

Erik Van Zuuren

Founder
TrustCore.EU

Erik Van Zuuren is actively engaged in several jobs / activities, including: Founder TrustCore.EU Topic Leader ITSE-S2 “Security Practices” at Solvay Brussels School Security advisor and architect at BNP Paribas Fortis - Global Security Advisor/Expert on Trust/eID/eSig/eSeal/Blockchain at Flemish Government Expert / PM regarding (Qualified) Trust Services related guidelines for ENISA Since January 2015 Erik left a big4 to start up TrustCore.EU and is currently active in the roles mentioned in the list above. Erik has years of experience/expertise in amongst others: Governance/Risk/Compliance, eGovernment/eBusiness/eBanking, Trust Services and Trusted/Trustworthy (eco-)systems, Enterprise (Security) Architectures, Service Oriented Architectures and Cloud Platforms, Information & CyberSecurity (Management) etc. Erik's engagements include activities in public sector (Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federal ICT Department (Fedict), the eGov & ICT agency of the Flemish Gov, DG Connect, DG Employment, DG RTD, EC-ISA, etc.) as well as activities in a diverse spectrum of private sector organisations (incl. NBB, ING, KBC, Electrabel Suez, Infrabel, DeLijn, BPost, Euroclear). Erik's achievements include being one of the fathers/authors of the blueprint for the Belgian Personal Identity Card Project (BelPIC) and being one of the fathers of key egov-supporting services at the Flemish government (wide range of (trust-)services with respect to e-identification / e-authentication / authorisation / e-signing / stamping, etc). Currently Erik is focusing on Enterprise (Security) Architecture, on the effects/implementation of the eIDAS-Trust Regulation and on the upcoming Payment Services Directive 2.

Morning Tracks

Afternoon Tracks

Track 2
The United Shield

Growing Local Cyber Capability through Trusted Collaboration

Host

Suyin Aerts


Suyin.be

Suyin Aerts, a former professional ballet dancer and actress, transitioned to an unconventional path by joining her partner’s company, X-Treme Creations. This company specializes in designing, producing, and implementing visual marketing materials for various projects. Suyin’s accolades include the Talent Award of Women in Marketing and Communication (2012) and the Networker of the Year Award in Belgium (2016). As a female entrepreneur, she balances her professional life with a freelance career as a multilingual presenter and journalist for television (Kanaal Z/Canal Z) and event moderator. In 2019, she received the Wintrade Award for Women in the Media (sponsored by Microsoft). With a master's degree in industrial business policy, diverse marketing courses, and an International Trade degree from the International Chamber of Commerce, Suyin remains committed to expanding her vision, knowledge, and creativity. She also earned a digital transformation degree from Vlerick Business School in 2020. In April 2022, Suyin published her first book, “Time for the Creative Generalist” (NL) through LannooCampus. This same publishing house launched her second book called 10 Quintessential Questions, released in English on the importance of asking the right questions and the flow of an interview.

10:40
Track 1
The Foundations of Trust

Inivisible Lifelines – Trust, Sovereignty, and Control in Maritime Digital Infrastructure

Outlines

Outlines

Speakers

Arvid Van Essche

Cybersecurity Director
The Naval Group Belgium

10:40
Track 2
The United Shield

The Road Ahead to a Fully Post-Quantum Internet

Outlines

Outlines

Speakers

Bas Westerbaan

Principal Research Engineer
Cloudflare

Bas Westerbaan, principal research engineer, is Cloudflare’s technical lead on the effort to migrate the company and the Internet at large to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). His work encompasses the entire migration lifecycle, from cryptographic design, engineering, standardisation to large-scale experimentation and real-world deployment. He plays a key role in making the Internet post-quantum secure. A mathematician by trade, Bas’ doctoral research at the Radboud University digital security group focussed on the foundations of quantum theory. There he also contributed to crypto-engineering for various privacy projects. After a post doctoral position at UCL, he made the move to industry. His strong theoretical grounding informs his practical work in cryptographic engineering. Bas is a prolific author of academic papers and blog posts, demonstrating his expertise and thought leadership in post-quantum cryptography and related fields. His publications cover a range of subjects including hybrid KEMs (X-Wing), private SCT auditing, Merkle Tree Certificates for TLS, and the state of the post-quantum internet. He frequently collaborates with other prominent researchers and contributes to standards, underscoring his influence in the cryptographic community.

11:15

Coffee Break

11:35
Track 1
The Foundations of Trust

Sovereignty by Design – How Architectural Choices Determine Who Is In Control

Moderator

Erik Van Zuuren

Founder
TrustCore.EU

Erik Van Zuuren is actively engaged in several jobs / activities, including: Founder TrustCore.EU Topic Leader ITSE-S2 “Security Practices” at Solvay Brussels School Security advisor and architect at BNP Paribas Fortis - Global Security Advisor/Expert on Trust/eID/eSig/eSeal/Blockchain at Flemish Government Expert / PM regarding (Qualified) Trust Services related guidelines for ENISA Since January 2015 Erik left a big4 to start up TrustCore.EU and is currently active in the roles mentioned in the list above. Erik has years of experience/expertise in amongst others: Governance/Risk/Compliance, eGovernment/eBusiness/eBanking, Trust Services and Trusted/Trustworthy (eco-)systems, Enterprise (Security) Architectures, Service Oriented Architectures and Cloud Platforms, Information & CyberSecurity (Management) etc. Erik's engagements include activities in public sector (Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federal ICT Department (Fedict), the eGov & ICT agency of the Flemish Gov, DG Connect, DG Employment, DG RTD, EC-ISA, etc.) as well as activities in a diverse spectrum of private sector organisations (incl. NBB, ING, KBC, Electrabel Suez, Infrabel, DeLijn, BPost, Euroclear). Erik's achievements include being one of the fathers/authors of the blueprint for the Belgian Personal Identity Card Project (BelPIC) and being one of the fathers of key egov-supporting services at the Flemish government (wide range of (trust-)services with respect to e-identification / e-authentication / authorisation / e-signing / stamping, etc). Currently Erik is focusing on Enterprise (Security) Architecture, on the effects/implementation of the eIDAS-Trust Regulation and on the upcoming Payment Services Directive 2.

Panellists

Bart Preneel

Full Professor
KU Leuven

Bart Preneel is a full professor at KU Leuven, where he leads the COSIC research group. He has also served as a visiting professor at five universities across Europe. His primary research interests include cryptography, cybersecurity, and privacy. Preneel has been an invited speaker at over 150 conferences in 50 countries. He received the RSA Award for Excellence in the Field of Mathematics in 2014 and is a fellow of the IACR. Preneel frequently consults industry and government on cybersecurity and privacy technologies and has been actively involved in cybersecurity policy debates. Since 2015, he has been a member of the Board of the Cyber Security Coalition.

Renan Choyer

Responsable de segment technologique
ANSSI

11:35
Track 2
The United Shield

From Innovation to Capability

Moderator

Alex Driesen

CEO
Toreon

Alex Driesen is a Chief Executive Officer at Toreon, an independent consulting firm in cybersecurity & privacy. Alex is also an Independent Board Member at various companies involved in cybersecurity, technology, and venture capital. Alex has a strong background in business transformation, corporate strategy, and executive leadership roles. Alex holds degrees in Computer Sciences, an Executive MBA, and certifications in corporate governance. Alex is dedicated to building cybertrusted organisations, products, and people and has a passion for helping tech companies grow and succeed.

12:25
Track 1
The Foundations of Trust

Transition to Sovereignty – Engineering Secure, Sovereign Digital Infrastructures – by Design, not by Exception

12:25
Track 2
The United Shield

When Coordination Fails – and When it Holds – Collective Resilience under Long-Term Systemic Pressure

13:00

Lunch Break

Morning Tracks

Afternoon Tracks

Track 3
Artificial Intelligence, Reimagined

From Innovation to Trust & Control – Scaling Cybersecurity Entrepreneurship

Morning Tracks

Afternoon Tracks

Track 4
Cyber Humanism

Putting People Back at the Centre of Security

Host

Suyin Aerts


Suyin.be

Suyin Aerts, a former professional ballet dancer and actress, transitioned to an unconventional path by joining her partner’s company, X-Treme Creations. This company specializes in designing, producing, and implementing visual marketing materials for various projects. Suyin’s accolades include the Talent Award of Women in Marketing and Communication (2012) and the Networker of the Year Award in Belgium (2016). As a female entrepreneur, she balances her professional life with a freelance career as a multilingual presenter and journalist for television (Kanaal Z/Canal Z) and event moderator. In 2019, she received the Wintrade Award for Women in the Media (sponsored by Microsoft). With a master's degree in industrial business policy, diverse marketing courses, and an International Trade degree from the International Chamber of Commerce, Suyin remains committed to expanding her vision, knowledge, and creativity. She also earned a digital transformation degree from Vlerick Business School in 2020. In April 2022, Suyin published her first book, “Time for the Creative Generalist” (NL) through LannooCampus. This same publishing house launched her second book called 10 Quintessential Questions, released in English on the importance of asking the right questions and the flow of an interview.

14:00
Track 3
Artificial Intelligence, Reimagined

When Reality Can Be Forged – AI, Synthetic Identity, and the Collapse of Digital Trust

14:00
Track 4
Cyber Humanism

The Cyber Attacker – Putting the Attacker Back into the Human Equation

Speakers

Wim Hardyns

Professor of Criminology and Security
Ghent University

Wim Hardyns is a Full Professor in Criminology at the Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law at Ghent University, and in Security Sciences at the University of Antwerp. He is the Director of the Big Data Policing (BIGDATPOL) research group, and leads a dynamic and rapidly growing research team of pre- and post-doctoral researchers in the field of big data, AI and security. His extensive research has produced numerous projects, high-impact publications in prestigious journals, and ongoing PhDs in this emerging criminology field.

14:35
Track 3
Artificial Intelligence, Reimagined

Who is Allowed to Decide – Redefining Control in an Age of Autonomous and Agentic AI

14:35
Track 4
Cyber Humanism

The Citizen as Victims – Putting Victims Back at the Centre of Cybercrime Response

Moderator

Ann Mennens

CyberAware Programme Manager
European Commission

Ann Mennens is a seasoned cybersecurity and communication professional specialising in cybersecurity awareness and training with a focus on the human factor. Currently, she manages the European Commission's CyberAware Programme within the Cybersecurity Directorate of DIGIT, raising the cyber awareness of the whole Commission staff, highlighting their role in contributing to the safeguarding of the Commission assets and systems, while promoting a safe online experience. She is in charge of training and communication on cybersecurity and oversees the network of Local Informatics Security Officers (LISOs). Ann is the Chair of the interinstitutional Technical Advisory Group on the Human Factor in Cybersecurity for the Interinstitutional Cybersecurity Board, guiding collaborative efforts to enhance cybersecurity awareness raising, training and skills development, enhancing the cybersecurity culture in and among Union entities. Ann was involved in the creation of the Women4Cyber Foundation and is a board member of the Women4Cyber Belgium Chapter. She is a longstanding member of the Belgian Cyber Security Coalition, actively contributing to its Awareness Raising Focus Group, and a member of ENISA's Ad-Hoc Working Group on Awareness Raising and Cyber Hygiene. She is a strong supporter of reskilling in cybersecurity, from any type of background, bringing diversity and increasing gender balance in the cybersecurity sector. Ann was manager of the Belgian Cybercrime Centre of Excellence for Training, Research, and Education (B-CCENTRE) at the KU Leuven (2011-2016), coordinating activities of several academic research groups, public sector bodies and businesses. Before 2011, she was managing several European projects in areas like health, food safety, drugs, justice, transport, law enforcement, crisis management, migration, accession to the EU. Ann holds a master's in European studies and a master's in history from KU Leuven. In December 2025, she was elected Belgium’s Cyber Security Personality of the Year.

Panellists

Monika Kopcheva

Head of Security in the Digital Age
European Commission

Caroline Frère

Head of Department a.i.
FCCU Federal Police Belgium

Commissioner Caroline Frère was appointed Head of Unit a.i. of the Federal Computer Crime Unit in July 2023. In this role she oversees cybercrime investigations, forensic and technical support, cyber intelligence gathering and the Internet Referral Unit. 

Olaf Jonckers

Head of Risk & Compliance
itsme®

Olaf Jonkers serves as the Head of Risk & Compliance for itsme®, where he integrates security and privacy responsibilities. He has extensive experience in online Mobile Identity governance, having established frameworks for ISO27001, GDPR, and eIDAS. Olaf played a pivotal role in the 2017 national recognition of itsme®'s Mobile Identity solution in Belgium, which now has over 7 million users, and is available across Europe. He also contributed to the rollout of the Belgian eID Card solution in 2003 and has over 25 years of experience in Information Security technology, focusing on security governance and personal data management.

Mary Ann Borgers

Administrateur
Neniu vzw

15:25

Coffee Break

15:45
Track 3
Artificial Intelligence, Reimagined

AI in Cyber Defence … Without Losing Control – Guardrails, Agency and Resilience in AI‑enabled Security

15:45
Track 4
Cyber Humanism

The Security Professional – Putting Practitioners Back at the Centre of Defence

16:15

Lightning Talks

Host

Suyin Aerts


Suyin.be

Suyin Aerts, a former professional ballet dancer and actress, transitioned to an unconventional path by joining her partner’s company, X-Treme Creations. This company specializes in designing, producing, and implementing visual marketing materials for various projects. Suyin’s accolades include the Talent Award of Women in Marketing and Communication (2012) and the Networker of the Year Award in Belgium (2016). As a female entrepreneur, she balances her professional life with a freelance career as a multilingual presenter and journalist for television (Kanaal Z/Canal Z) and event moderator. In 2019, she received the Wintrade Award for Women in the Media (sponsored by Microsoft). With a master's degree in industrial business policy, diverse marketing courses, and an International Trade degree from the International Chamber of Commerce, Suyin remains committed to expanding her vision, knowledge, and creativity. She also earned a digital transformation degree from Vlerick Business School in 2020. In April 2022, Suyin published her first book, “Time for the Creative Generalist” (NL) through LannooCampus. This same publishing house launched her second book called 10 Quintessential Questions, released in English on the importance of asking the right questions and the flow of an interview.

Speakers

Océane Dieu

Associate in Criminal Law and Human Rights
VS Lawyers

Océane Dieu graduated summa cum laude from Ghent University with a master's degree in law in 2021. Her thesis on cybercrime and terrorism earned the award for best thesis from the Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (OCAD), and she went on to deepen her expertise in both fields with a second master's degree in the United Kingdom. Océane began her legal career as a trainee lawyer at Stibbe in Brussels, where she joined the corporate criminal law team. In June 2024, she moved to VS Advocaten to further develop her practice in criminal law alongside her interests in cybercrime and human rights. Driven by her interest in the cyber domain, she graduated in 2024 with the Executive Master's in Cybersecurity Management at Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management. She is currently completing a further programme at the Université Libre de Bruxelles devoted to the ethical study of AI and emerging technologies.

Laurène Kaya

Cyber Security Senior Consultant
Wavestone Belgium

Laurène Kaya is a Senior Consultant in cybersecurity at Wavestone Belgium. She specialises in cybersecurity governance, with expertise in cyber maturity assessments and cyber awareness initiatives, and a strong recent focus on NIS2 compliance. Laurène supports organisations in structuring and steering their cybersecurity efforts within regulatory and operational contexts. Building on this experience, she is currently leading a study on cloud governance and sovereign cloud, exploring Belgian organisations’ expectations and needs in this area.

Audrey Stampaert

Co-founder
Enoki

16:55

Wrap-up

Speakers

Karine Goris

Chair
Cyber Security Coalition

Karine Goris is Chief Security Officer at Belfius. Her approach to security is clearly business-oriented, away from the classic "just throw another security product at it". Goris' credo is "make cybersecurity a business risk", confronting the risks with the working of the company, to make security an integral part of the daily processes of a company, requiring a new understanding whereby the CSO becomes a digital risk manager. For Karine Goris, this is a task, which is in line with her career that started as an IT lecturer at the Thomas More University College, through several "architecture-oriented" positions in order to go deeper into security issues as an information security consultant to finally win her spurs as Chief Security Officer at Belfius. As chair of the security advisory board within the Belgian financial sector (Febelfin) and other advisory boards, but also as a guest-lecturer on information security topics she aims for more cyber safety.

17:00

Entertainment Act

17:30

Walking Dinner

An event organised by:

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