CLS Benelux 2025 - Hannah's on site experience!

Hannah is a part of Cybersecurity Redefined, one of our valued Knowledge Partners. We asked her for an insight to her on site experience, joining us at our Benelux edition of CLS. Take a look here to see the feedback!

I had such a great time at the Cyber Leaders' Summit in Brussels! From my smiling face in the photos you can probably tell how energizing it was. The panels, roundtables, and informal chats were engaging, thought-provoking, and most importantly, fun! ✨

Now, what did I learn this time?
Coming from the compliance side, five lessons stood out during the discussions:

1. Culture eats strategy for breakfast🍳 :
As Veerle Peeters reminded us, no framework, regulation, or risk model works unless the culture supports it.

2. Frame compliance in financial terms and leadership accountability:
Money talks💶, and leadership must own the risk. Senior management buy-in is the key to making compliance real.

3. Break down silos with a shared risk language:
Legal, IT, SMEs, and business must sit at the same table. Everyone holds part of the truth, and efficiency only comes when those perspectives connect.

4. Classify and manage supply-chain risk proportionally:
Start by asking ➡️What type of data does this vendor handle? and How critical are they to our business continuity? Use those answers to define vendor tiers (for example: low, medium, high criticality). This tiering helps you apply the right controls where they matter most. And don’t wait until later, make sure these requirements are already built into the procurement process, so security is considered from the start!!

5. Be ready for incident reporting:
NIS2 requires faster, more consistent reporting. Having processes, governance, and the ability to execute quickly is no longer optional.

One of my highlights was joining Corinna Klempt ’s HackAttack( DHL) simulation. We had to act as criminals trying to cause financial and reputational harm. It’s a super powerful tool for cybersecurity awareness: Fun, accessible, and highly collaborative!!🎲

I’m also grateful to the people who made the summit so worthwhile: the Inclusion in Cybersecurity roundtables, hosted by Cybersecurity Redefined and led by Annika Wägenbauer and myself, were a real highlight; and the reflections I shared with Mrudula Arunkumar, Ph.D. and Veerle Peeters on the value of assertiveness for women in cybersecurity really resonated with me. I also learned a lot from Suzan S.M. and Manon Verdiesen about crisis management, and found Kevin Jones, BSc (Hons), CISSP stories from his career experience especially compelling. Last but not least , thanks to Abi Nichol and the Cyber Leaders Summit team for pulling it all together🦾

Take a look at the original LinkedIn post here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hannah-ratigan-4963951a6_i-had-such-a-great-time-at-the-cyber-leaders-activity-7379148428821438464-dBuM?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAD0efdwBw5xM0tFDfUTkx29cWoZPRvf9ko0

Check out Cybersecurity Redefined: https://www.cybersecurityredefined.com/