Kay Behnke is CISO of the Year 2026

The award was presented at CISODAY, which drew more than 300 cybersecurity professionals from large companies, the government, and non-profit organizations in the Netherlands.

Kay’s background in (medical) informatics, business administration, and cybersecurity consulting for the government and the private sector, along with his other contributions to the field, have made him a highly well-rounded leader in cybersecurity, according to the jury. “Kay demonstrated to the jury that he possesses a clear vision and a professional approach, and that he is capable of functioning within a large, complex organization where many interests are at stake,” said Martijn de Hamer, jury chair and acting CISO for the Dutch government.

The other two CISOs nominated for the award were Walter van Oostrum (Het CAK) and Wim Sonnemans (Philips). They, too, scored high to very high on nearly all selection criteria, with Van Oostrum’s long and partly informal career path standing out in particular, as well as Sonnemans’ academic background in cryptography and computer crime. “The candidates once again went through a rigorous selection process,” said jury member Lokke Moerel, “and I think we have a winner the community can be proud of.”

With the annual CISODAY and the award, the CISO Community aims to improve the CISO's position within organizations and strengthen mutual cooperation. The ultimate goal is to raise the Netherlands’ cyber resilience to a higher level. The theme of this year’s event was “Ecosystem Resilience.”

Jury member Bart Willemsen, vice president and analyst at Gartner: “Talent shows are everywhere, but this award is different: it’s not a popularity contest, because it’s based on a sound and well-thought-out process to which various experts contribute. This award is a significant boost for a professional group that has long been taken for granted, yet is truly part of the foundation of a healthy organization and society as a whole.”



Cybersecurity Achievement Award

Inge Bryan and Aart Jochem both received a Cybersecurity Achievement Award from Luisella ten Pierik, vice chair of the CISO Platform Netherlands. "These two leaders represent the very best of us: they are the bridge between the technical and the political, between public duty and their own private mission. They have spent many years in the trenches, often during the moments when the eyes of the entire country were on our industry", she said."

Bryan serves on the boards of various organizations (Clingendael, Datenna, KNAW, and TNO) and has previously served as CEO at Fox-IT and director of cyber risk services at Deloitte. Aart Jochem was the first CISO for the Dutch government and previously worked at organizations including the NCSC and Govcert. He is currently CISO at Centric.

Ten Pierik: “Inge possesses a rare gift: the ability to walk into a room full of deep-tech engineers as well as a room full of high-ranking politicians and make both groups feel that they finally understand each other.” Regarding Jochem, she said: “In 2011, when the DigiNotar hack shook confidence in digital security in the Netherlands to its core, Aart was one of the key technical experts at the NCSC who helped weather the storm. That experience has produced a leader who understands that resilience is not a buzzword, but a national necessity.”

The Selection Process

The three nominees for the CISO of the Year Award were selected from a shortlist following the first step in the process: a self-assessment of, among other things, digital maturity and cybersecurity maturity within the organization. The three highest-scoring CISOs then underwent a series of validation interviews and subsequently a research assessment by Lokke Moerel, professor of global IT law at Tilburg University. In addition, the board of the CISO Platform Netherlands provided its feedback to the jury. Finally, the three CISOs gave a pitch and interviewed with the jury during the final jury meeting on May 12.

The jury

The jury comprised chair Martijn de Hamer, acting CISO of the Dutch government; Job Voorhoeve, global digital practice leader at Amrop; Lokke Moerel, professor of global IT law at Tilburg University and senior of counsel at Morrison & Foerster; Florence Mottay, CISO of Zalando and winner of the CISO of the Year award in 2025; Arjen Dorland, member of the supervisory boards of Essent, HMC, and Bovemij; Bart Willemsen, vice president and analyst at Gartner; and Rob Beijleveld, co-founder of the CISO Community Netherlands, CEO of ICT Media / Digital Knowledge Institute, and a jury member for over twenty years for awards including the CIO of the Year Award, the Tech Hero Award, and the CIO Magazine Innovation Awards.