Speakers

Kevin de Snayer

VP of IT, Cyber, and EMSEC for Calian Defense and Space

Calian IT & Cyber Solutions

Short bio

Kevin de Snayer

VP of IT, Cyber, and EMSEC for Calian Defense and Space

Calian IT & Cyber Solutions

Kevin joined Calian in 2017 through the acquisition of Secure Technologies Inc. He has over 15 years of experience in the cyber industry, assisting numerous Canadian Federal Government Departments and Private Sector clients to create, edit and build their IT security policy, including the implementation of hardware to enforce the policy. His proficiency of IT/IS Security is based on his technical knowledge of local, wide area, VPN, and Internet network architecture and administration, with years of experience designing, implementing and maintaining enterprise level data networks. He specializes in McAfee (formerly Secure Computing) network security hardware. His experience includes various networking Operating Systems including Unix, MAC OSX, Linux and Windows, firewalls, network security, WLAN and virtual private networking (VPN). He is also a Certified MFE Firewall Instructor.

Vincent Defrenne

Partner, Cyber Strategy & Architecture

NVISO Security

Short bio

Vincent Defrenne

Partner, Cyber Strategy & Architecture

NVISO Security

Vincent Defrenne is one of the founders of NVISO, one of Europe’s leading cyber security firms. He specialises into cyber strategy, and the last few years has helped customers’ middle and top management to prepare or handle cyber incidents. His experience comes from the field, helping factories or hospitals recover from cyberattacks, while helping executives of medium-sized international businesses make threat-based choices for their cyber plans. Vincent also initiated Belgium’s national student CTF, the Cyber Security Challenge Belgium, 11 years ago. He sits on the Resilience Board of Digital Europe, the European digital trade association, and speaks and writes frequently on the matters of cyber resilience and cyber defence.

Peggy Valcke

Executive Board Member

BIPT IBPT

Short bio

Peggy Valcke

Executive Board Member

BIPT IBPT

Peggy Valcke is Executive Board Member at BIPT, where she leads the Legal Service, HR and NetSec departments. She is also part-time Full Professor of Law & ICT at KU Leuven, co-director of imec-CiTiP and member of Leuven.AI. Her main areas of expertise cover media and communications, data protection and data governance, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. She is head of the Belgian delegation in CAI, the Council of Europe’s Committee on AI which prepared and negotiated the Framework Convention on AI, and previously served as Vice-Chair of CAI’s predecessor, CAHAI. She was one of the founding co-directors of the KDM until she joined BIPT in January 2024. Peggy was elected Belgium’s Cyber Security Researcher 2025.

Babette De Decker

Co-founder

Nemesis Breach & Attack Simulation

Short bio

Babette De Decker

Co-founder

Nemesis Breach & Attack Simulation

Babette De Decker is co-founder of Persistent Security Industries, the Belgium-headquartered cybersecurity company behind Nemesis, an AI-driven Breach and Attack Simulation platform. She leads operations, partnerships and investor relations, and has built the company’s MSSP partner network across DACH, BeNeLux and the Nordics. With an academic background in international relations and diplomacy, Babette brings a distinctive perspective to security: bridging the gap between deep technical security operations and the non-technical domain, and thinking beyond conventional boundaries to navigate the organisational, political and technical layers that shape how cybersecurity gets adopted.

Matthias Feys

CTO & Co-founder

ML6

Short bio

Matthias Feys

CTO & Co-founder

ML6

Nathan Pembe

Senior Application Security Consultant

NVISO Security

Short bio

Nathan Pembe

Senior Application Security Consultant

NVISO Security

Ingrid De Poorter

Professor – Managing Partner

Ghent University – DGDM Advocaten

Short bio

Ingrid De Poorter

Professor – Managing Partner

Ghent University – DGDM Advocaten

Prof. Dr. Ingrid De Poorter is an seasoned board member, professor and governance expert with extensive experience at the intersection of technology, regulation and strategic oversight. She serves as an independent director of ING Belgium and IMEC International, where she contributes to discussions on innovation, risk, governance and the responsible use of emerging technologies. She also serves on several audit, risk and remuneration committees and has extensive experience in highly regulated and technology-driven environments. Ingrid is Professor at Ghent University, where she teaches and researches corporate governance, ethics and financial law. In addition, she is Managing Partner of DGDM Advocaten, an innovative Belgian law firm advising organizations on governance, technology, compliance and digital transformation. Her work focuses on how organizations can embrace innovation while maintaining trust, accountability and responsible decision-making in an increasingly digital and AI-driven world.

Saartje Verbeke

Portfolio Director

Guberna

Short bio

Saartje Verbeke

Portfolio Director

Guberna

Saartje Verbeke (PhD) joined GUBERNA in March 2020 as Lifelong Learning Manager and member of the Management Committee. She is also researcher at the Centre of expertise Financial Governance. She is responsible for the development and quality assurance of GUBERNA’s basic training modules and in-house training. She performs research into new trends and evolutions within corporate governance with a focus on the impact of the sustainability transition on the functioning and roles of the board, and translates this research into continuous innovation of the training programme. Saartje worked several years in the academic world. She obtained her PhD at Ghent University in 2011 and continued working as a postdoctoral researcher at Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek Vlaanderen and as a guest professor at Ghent University. Apart from being passionate about good governance, she is an expert in linguistics, Indian languages and political organization of India. “Good governance: bringing structure in common sense”

Sander Noels

Co-founder

Enoki

Short bio

Sander Noels

Co-founder

Enoki

Sander Noels is Co-founder and CTO of Enoki, a company building a next-generation defence system for AI applications. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from Ghent University, where he conducted research at the intersection of machine learning and real-world applications. During his doctoral work, he gained hands-on industry experience as a data scientist at Silverfin, bridging academic research and practical AI deployment. Today, he focuses on advancing the security and robustness of AI systems, helping organisations safely deploy AI in production environments.

Mary Ann Borgers

Administrateur

Neniu vzw

Short bio

Mary Ann Borgers

Administrateur

Neniu vzw

Mary Ann Borgers is the founder and chair of NENIU, a Belgian non-profit organization dedicated to supporting victims of online fraud and promoting digital safety. Drawing on extensive experience in assisting victims of phishing, investment scams, friendship scams, and romance fraud, she is committed to helping people navigate the digital world safely and confidently. She regularly delivers presentations and workshops for seniors, community groups, and professionals on cybercrime prevention, online scams, digital inclusion, and emerging technologies. Through NENIU, Mary Ann combines practical expertise with a compassionate, people-centered approach, focusing on listening, informing, and empowering those affected by online fraud.

Wim Hardyns

Professor of Criminology and Security

Ghent University

Short bio

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.

Bas Westerbaan

Principal Research Engineer

Cloudflare

Short bio

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.

Renan Choyer

Responsable de segment technologique

ANSSI

Short bio

Renan Choyer

Responsable de segment technologique

ANSSI

Laurène Kaya

Cyber Security Senior Consultant

Wavestone Belgium

Short bio

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.

Benny Bogaerts

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

KPMG Advisory

Short bio

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.

Océane Dieu

Associate in Criminal Law and Human Rights

VS Lawyers

Short bio

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.

Olaf Jonkers

Head of Risk & Compliance

itsme®

Short bio

Olaf Jonkers

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.

Caroline Frère

Head of Department a.i.

FCCU Federal Police Belgium

Short bio

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. 

Monika Kopcheva

Head of Security in the Digital Age

European Commission

Short bio

Monika Kopcheva

Head of Security in the Digital Age

European Commission

Suyin Aerts

Suyin.be

Short bio

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.

Erik Van Zuuren

Founder

TrustCore.EU

Short bio

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.

Bart Preneel

Full Professor

KU Leuven

Short bio

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.

Ann Mennens

CyberAware Programme Manager

European Commission

Short bio

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.

Karine Goris

Chair

Cyber Security Coalition

Short bio

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.

Arvid Van Essche

Cybersecurity Director

The Naval Group Belgium

Short bio

Arvid Van Essche

Cybersecurity Director

The Naval Group Belgium

Alex Driesen

CEO

Toreon

Short bio

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.