The Netherlands moves goods and people for much of Europe, through its seaports, shipping lines, warehouses, and public transport networks. The six CISOs below protect organizations at the heart of that movement, and their routes into security are some of the most varied in the field. One studied genetics, worked as a lab analyst, and taught Krav Maga before becoming a shipping company’s CISO. Another spent more than two decades in insurance risk management. A third has lectured on auditing at Nyenrode Business University since 1998, and a fourth started in a finance department and a reception desk before rising to lead security at the Port of Rotterdam. Two are based in Delfzijl, protecting a shipping group and a seaport in the country’s northeast.
Zmarai Nisar – CISO, Royal Wagenborg
Zmarai Nisar worked as a student assistant in genetics at the University of Groningen and as a chemical analyst at Bioclear before moving into IT. He spent four and a half years as a system administrator and security officer at Exception, then advised clients as a cybersecurity adviser and shared security officer at Qbit Cyber Security, alongside a contract implementing a new identity and access management system at Aegon Asset Management. Nisar became CISO of Royal Wagenborg, a shipping, towage, and logistics group in Delfzijl, in January 2021. His work balances people, technology, and organization: one day he writes policy, and the next he is aboard a ship checking whether the controls work in practice. He runs an awareness program with practical tests, supports disaster recovery and business continuity planning, and works with the privacy officer to protect sensitive data. He also founded Cyber Dome Consulting in 2023, and taught Krav Maga for two years and co-ran a bushcraft survival course business.
Monique Ruiter – CISO & Head of Risk Management, Keolis Nederland
Monique Ruiter spent nearly 13 years at ABN AMRO Verzekeringen, moving from operations into product management and quality and risk management. As overall program manager, she led the calculation and payment of compensation to all holders of the company’s unit-linked and pension policies, working with the Dutch financial markets authority. At Delta Lloyd she directed the group-wide Solvency II implementation, a program of more than 400 people, and took part in the board’s discussions with De Nederlandsche Bank. Over eight years at TVM verzekeringen, she designed the company’s full risk management cycle, set up risk and compliance for its Belgian branch, and as key function holder reported on the risk profile across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and France to the board and the audit and risk committee. After a sabbatical spent writing, Ruiter became CISO and head of risk management at Keolis Nederland in March 2026, responsible for information security, cybersecurity, and risk management across the public transport operator’s critical mobility processes. She is a member of SER Topvrouwen, a network of board-ready women in the Netherlands.
Maarten Mennen – CISO, Nunner Logistics
Maarten Mennen started in ICT at Philips and spent six years as a financial auditor at EY. He worked as a senior EDP auditor at Rabobank and led the internal audit department of SNS Bank, then headed internal audit at health insurer CZ with a focus on Solvency II. Since 2011 he has been a director in RSM’s risk advisory practice, focusing on IT audit, ISO 27001, and data protection, and he led the privacy program for medical data at Achmea’s Zilveren Kruis health insurance division. Mennen has served as CISO of Nunner Logistics at its Helmond headquarters since January 2021. He has lectured on accounting information systems, auditing, and risk management at Nyenrode Business University since 1998 and at Maastricht University since 2007, and holds RA, RE, CISA, CRISC, and C|CISO credentials.
Ruud van Oorschot – Global CISO, Vanderlande
Ruud van Oorschot started as a repair engineer and LAN/WAN specialist before leading ICT at Solid Semecs. He spent nearly eight years at the Municipality of Veghel, moving from system administrator to CISO, while running his own information security practice and taking interim security roles at Heijmans and the Province of North Brabant. He joined Vanderlande in 2018 as a senior cybersecurity specialist and moved through solution security architecture to CISO and group lead for information security in 2022, then led the cyber defense organization as senior group leader. Van Oorschot became Global CISO of Vanderlande in May 2025. His work centers on security governance and OT security, where safety, uptime, and legacy technology meet modern threats, and on building a consistent, risk-based approach to overlapping global compliance requirements.
Ruben van den Berg – CISO, Port of Rotterdam
Ruben van den Berg spent more than seven years at Ipse de Bruggen in finance administration and reception before working on the implementation of a financial management system. After studying at the Rotterdam School of Management, he spent four and a half years at KPMG as a consultant in governance, risk, and compliance technology. He joined the Port of Rotterdam in 2021 as cyber security and risk officer, became manager of cybersecurity, risk, and IT compliance in 2024, and was named CISO in January 2026. He has served on the advisory board of FERM Rotterdam since 2023.
Miroslav Končalović – Corporate Information Security Officer, Groningen Seaports
Miroslav Končalović began as a security and privacy trainee at Breinstein, advising Hanzehogeschool Groningen and serving as information security officer for the Municipality of Groningen. At Sopra Steria he worked as a senior cybersecurity consultant, including roles as information security officer at the Instituut Mijnbouwschade Groningen and security expert at the University of Groningen. He served as CISO of the Municipality of Westerkwartier in 2025 before joining Groningen Seaports in Delfzijl as corporate information security officer that August. Končalović believes security belongs to everyone, and focuses on supporting and empowering colleagues to build the port’s collective resilience while looking for new methods to stay a step ahead.
Keeping the Gateway Secure
These six CISOs show how many routes lead to protecting Dutch logistics and transport. Nisar and Končalović secure the northeastern ports and shipping lines from Delfzijl, while van den Berg leads security at the Port of Rotterdam. Van Oorschot brings deep technical and OT experience to warehouse and parcel automation, and Mennen and Ruiter carry decades of audit and risk management into logistics and public transport. Together they help keep one of Europe’s most important gateways moving safely.
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John Kevin Hao is a news and feature writer covering cybersecurity, technology, and business targeted for professional audiences.