The CISO community Nederland and the associated CISO Platform Nederland are a reality. The new combination supports Dutch companies’ Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in various industries, non-profit organizations, and the government. Our goal is collaboration, knowledge sharing, mutual support, competence building, cyber security management, and proper positioning of the CISO role in organizations.

CISO Platform Nederland, a non-profit membership association, is affiliated with the CISO community but operates independently and, unlike the CISO community, is not open to security solution providers. A board will be formed in the coming weeks. After that, there will be an initial meeting where objectives will be worked out.

“The CISO role is maturing rapidly. CISOs are increasingly reporting directly to the board. Cybersecurity has become Chefsache, so the time has come for a separate community,” says Dimitri van Zantvliet, Director of Cybersecurity and CISO at NS (Dutch Railways) and one of the initiators.

The new community was presented at CIODAY on November 21. With support from ICT Media, there will be workshops, roundtable discussions, and events, such as the annual CISODAY, held every spring, where a CISO of the Year is chosen. A member-only environment will soon be added to this website to exchange tips and knowledge safely.

“Having built a close-knit CxO community in the Netherlands over the past 20 years, we see that the CISO deserves a place of its own. So it makes sense for it to be represented by an independent community that can act as a separate stakeholder,” said Rob Beijleveld, CEO of ICT Media.

The initiative’s primary goal is to increase cybersecurity maturity in the Netherlands. The community and platform aim to reposition cybersecurity in the boardroom, contribute to knowledge development, stimulate conversation among relevant stakeholders, and create a cybersecurity domain ecosystem that helps security providers shape their roadmaps.