Collaboration Week 2025: Strengthening Bonds, Shaping the Future

Charter of Trust partners unite in Denmark for a three-day deep dive into cybersecurity collaboration.

Collaboration Week 2025 brought together representatives from all Charter of Trust member organizations for an intensive three-day summit hosted in Denmark. This event serves as a cornerstone of our alliance—an opportunity to connect, align, and advance our shared mission of building a safer digital world.

This year’s agenda was designed to elevate our collective efforts in tackling today’s most urgent cybersecurity challenges. From artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to supply chain security, harmonized regulations, security-by-default practices, and future-focused education and advocacy, the sessions sparked meaningful dialogue and strategic alignment across working groups.

What emerged from these discussions was a powerful reminder: coordinated, purpose-driven collaboration is essential to building and sustaining digital trust. The impact of our joint efforts continues to grow as we share expertise, synchronize our actions, and lead by example.

A heartfelt thank you to Danfoss for hosting this year's event and offering an inspiring behind-the-scenes tour of their data centre. Their hospitality and commitment to innovation set the perfect tone for our discussions.

Strengthening Global Cybersecurity: Charter of Trust’s Thematic Dinner at MSC
At this year’s Munich Security Conference, the Charter of Trust hosted its annual Thematic Dinner, focusing on the theme: “From Cyber Fences to Defences: Reversing Cyber Policy Fragmentation.”

With cybersecurity at the forefront of global security discussions, the event brought together high-ranking representatives from NATO, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the European External Action Service, national cybersecurity authorities, military leaders, and parliamentary officials. Their expertise contributed to a series of insightful discussions on strengthening international cyber resilience.

Key Takeaways from the Discussion

The increasing threat of cyber-attacks and disinformation poses a significant risk to economies and democracies. There is an urgent need for a coordinated and robust global response to mitigate these threats and establish clear consequences for malicious cyber activities.

Public-private cooperation plays a crucial role in cyber defence. The private sector possesses essential technological capabilities that must be leveraged to enhance the security of information systems, economic infrastructure, and democratic institutions.

Artificial intelligence is emerging as a critical battleground in cybersecurity. Protecting critical infrastructure with quantum-cryptographic security will be essential to counter evolving cyber threats effectively.

This event marked the conclusion of an exceptionally productive month for the Charter of Trust, which included:

This dinner was the perfect end for a very successful month in which the Charter of Trust held its Board of Directors meeting electing new co-chairs, the Security by Default working group published its sixth report (available on our website) and held a high-level panel discussion at Hashtag#MCSC, and several CISOs and CSOs from the Charter of Trust Partners published a playbook talking about cybersecurity and hybrid threats.

Cyber Resilience Took Center Stage at Munich Cyber Security Conference 2025

The Charter of Trust is proud to have organized a panel discussion on cyber resilience at this year's edition of the MCSC, bringing together some of the brightest minds in cybersecurity for a high-impact panel discussion: "A Practitioner’s Guide to Resilient Infrastructure Today & Tomorrow."

A Power-Packed Session

The session kicked off at 10 AM with Dr. Sumit Chanda, Group CISO at Eviden and Co-Chair of the Charter of Trust, introducing the alliance and setting the stage for an insightful discussion.

Next, the Charter’s latest report, "Security by Default in View of Major Cybersecurity Regulations," was presented by Sudhir Ethiraj, Global CSO & CEO Business Unit Cybersecurity Services (CSS) at TÜV SÜD. This report provides critical insights into aligning security practices with evolving regulatory landscapes.

One of the highlights of the session was a keynote from Mikko Hyppönen, Chief Research Officer at WithSecure and a global leader in the fight against cybercrime. With decades of experience at the frontlines of cybersecurity and IoT security, Mikko offered a compelling perspective on the rising threats we face today.

Joining him on the expert panel were:

- Lars König, Technical SOC Lead at Allianz

- Natalia Oropeza, Chief Cybersecurity Officer at Siemens

- Sudhir Ethiraj, Global Head of Cyber, TÜV SÜD

The panel, moderated by Dr. Ralf Schneider, Senior Fellow and Head of Cybersecurity & NextGenIT Think Tank at Allianz and Co-Chair of the Charter of Trust, explored the evolving cyber threat landscape and strategies for building resilient digital infrastructure.

Key Takeaways from the Experts

🔹 Mikko Hyppönen: "Cyber attacks aren’t just bad luck; they target vulnerabilities. Ransomware gangs have grown into cybercrime unicorns, while nation-state attackers focus on espionage and sabotage—with North Korea being the only country using cybercrime for financial gain. In today's world, data is the most valuable asset, and if data is the new oil, AI is the new refinery."

🔹 Sudhir Ethiraj: "Security by Default is more than just products—it’s about processes and organizational strategy. The Charter of Trust has set baseline cybersecurity requirements aligned with global regulations and OECD standards. Our biggest challenge? The explosion of overlapping cybersecurity regulations worldwide, none of them harmonized. We work together to bridge this gap."

🔹 Natalia Oropeza: "You cannot protect everything equally. Identify your most critical infrastructure—factories, IT applications, and business-driving processes—and prioritize their defense. Assume breaches will happen and prepare for infrastructure disruptions."

🔹 Lars König: "Understanding an adversary’s intent is crucial. Cyber threats range from espionage to financial attacks and pure disruption—each requiring a different response. The good news? We have more infrastructure and visibility than our adversaries. Our NetWatch community deploys attack sensors worldwide, tracking attackers in real time to take proactive action."

A Call to Action

This discussion made one thing clear: cyber resilience is a collective effort. To stay ahead of threats, organizations must collaborate, innovate, and implement proactive defense strategies.

With over 60 industry leaders in attendance, this session was a milestone in strengthening the global external engagement of the Charter of Trust, which remains committed to leading the charge in securing the digital future.

CyberTrust Talk Returns to Brussels

Following the resounding success of its inaugural event, the CyberTrust Talk is making a much-anticipated return for its second edition. This exclusive gathering brings together renowned experts, influential industry leaders, and key policymakers to delve into some of the most pressing issues in the world of cybersecurity. The focus of this year’s event is centered on “Bridging the Regulatory Gap – Industry Challenges and Solutions for Aligned Cybersecurity Regulations Globally.”

With an increasingly interconnected world, harmonizing cybersecurity regulations has become a critical challenge. This event provides a platform for exploring innovative solutions and fostering dialogue on how to address these challenges effectively. Participants engage in the exploration of real-world case studies and actionable approaches designed to bridge the regulatory divide, particularly between Europe and the United States.

The CyberTrust Talk is more than just a discussion—it is a unique opportunity to engage with leading minds who are shaping the future of cybersecurity. Guests hear from distinguished speakers offering their expertise and perspectives, as well as gain insights into the latest trends and strategies shaping global cybersecurity policies. Beyond the thought-provoking conversations, the event also provides a space for meaningful networking, with a standing lunch offered during the first half of the day to encourage connections among attendees.

This year’s exceptional lineup of speakers includes Christiane Kirketerp de Viron, Acting Director at DG CNCT of the European Commission; Paul Timmers, Research Associate at the University of Oxford; Jean-Marc Leclerc, Director of IBM EU Policy; and Sudhir Ethiraj, Global Head of Cybersecurity Office at TÜV Süd. The discussions will be guided by the experienced moderation of Dr. Sumit Chanda, Global CISO at Eviden and Chair of the GEE Working Group of the Charter of Trust. Opening remarks will be delivered by Jeremy Rollison, Senior Director of Microsoft European Government Affairs, setting the stage for an inspiring and impactful afternoon.

The Charter of Trust hosted the first edition of its CyberTrust Talks series on:

AI & Cybersecurity: A Double-Edged Sword

Date: Thursday, 7th December
Event: Lunch event (12:00-13:30 CET)
Location: Microsoft Centre, Rue Montoyer, 51, 1000 - Brussels

The event, moderated by Dr. Sumit Chanda, Global CISO at Eviden and Co-Chair of Advocacy and Communications Taskforce of the Charter of Trust, addressed the complex and evolving relationship between AI and cybersecurity.

An introductory speech was delivered by Charter of Trust Partner Microsoft's Jeremy Rollison, Head of EU Policy and Senior Director of EU Government Affairs.

The discussion featured esteemed panelists:

Natalia Oropeza, Chairwoman of the Charter of Trust & Global Chief Cybersecurity Officer & Chief Diversity Officer, Siemens AG
Christian D'Cunha, Head of the Cyber Coordination Task Force in DG CONNECT of the European Commission
Dr. Eric Vetillard, Lead Certification Expert at ENISA
Dr. Christoph Peylo, AI Task Force Lead of the Charter of Trust & Chief Cybersecurity Officer at Bosch
Dr. Jochen Friedrich, Technical Relations Executive at IBM

The event provided a platform to explore threats and opportunities at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, as well as the implications of upcoming EU legislation and new governance approaches.

This first edition was a great success with over 90 people attending in-person and online. The key takeaways were:

• AI is shifting the paradigm and changing the whole concept of the computation and cybersecurity​
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• The technology opens great opportunities but also poses significant risks, which we need to better understand and learn to prevent​
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• The AI Act is an important milestone in making AI safe and trustworthy, but its implementation may pose challenges for the industry​

• Charter of Trust, as an alliance of global leaders in cybersecurity and AI, can play an important role helping business to ensure trustworthiness of AI and increased cybersecurity

On October 19th 2023, we hosted our latest webinar to discuss how Charter of Trust's approach helps improving cybersecurity by establishing a culture of security by default in businesses’ production chain and using a Secure Development Lifecycle approach.

At the occasion of its fifth anniversary and on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference 2023, the Charter of Trust hosted on 17th February 2023 a hybrid discussion from Munich with Charter of Trust Partners, Associated Partners and other cybersecurity experts on ‘Driving Cybersecurity in Times of Conflict and Crisis’.

(Re-)watch the recording of the event at the link below: