Cybersec Europe will be opened on 29 May by Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter. She will deliver an opening keynote at 10:45 am on the Heroes stage in Hall 5 of Brussels Expo. Petra De Sutter is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Civil Service, Public Enterprises, Telecommunications, and Postal Services in the government of Alexander De Croo. In her keynote at Cybersec Europe, and also during the subsequent Q&A session, De Sutter will discuss, among other things, the challenges surrounding cybersecurity in telecom and for the government.
Stop Smishing
One of De Sutter’s initiatives is the so-called Stop Smishing project. This is a collaboration between the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB), the BIPT, and the telecom operators under her responsibility as Minister of Telecom. Since November last year, Telenet and Proximus have been systematically blocking suspicious text messages. This amounts to over 5 million fake SMS messages per month. The sustainability of data centres is also an IT theme that is close to her heart.
Gynaecologist
Petra De Sutter has had a remarkable career. She is a professor of gynaecology at Ghent University and was head of the Reproductive Medicine Department at Ghent University Hospital. She was a member of the European Parliament for the Green party from 2019 to 2020 and has been a member of the federal government since October 2020. De Sutter is the first transgender minister in Europe.
Heroes Stage
De Sutter will not only open Cybersec Europe but also the programme on the Heroes stage, followed by a keynote from Eddy Willems and Righard Zwienenberg. Later on the same day, there will be various start-up pitches and a concluding presentation on ‘choosing the right new cybersecurity technology’. On day 2, the Heroes stage will host the Computable Awards.
Besides the Heroes stage, Cybersec also offers a Mainstage with top national and international speakers. Sessions can also be followed in the Theatres.
