Gerco Kanbier is Chief Information Security Officer at Nederlands Loodswezen, the organisation responsible for pilotage across all Dutch ports. In this role, he works at the sharp end of the GPS disruption problem: pilots are often the first to notice when positioning signals behave strangely, seeing ships appear where they’re not. This operational perspective – where systemic risks become visible before they’re officially reported – is central to the session. Gerco brings over 20 years of experience in information security through Trust in People, his independent advisory firm focused on information protection. His philosophy centres on trust as the foundation for security: building relationships and transparency rather than control and compliance. He previously served on the Board of Advisors at Ferm Rotterdam, giving him insight into both the operational and governance sides of port sector resilience. Beyond cybersecurity, Gerco is co-founder and CEO of Genlumina, a biotech startup developing light-activated precision cancer treatments – reflecting his broader drive to use technology for societal impact. He holds a degree in Computer Science from Leiden University. In this session, Gerco provides the operational reality check: what systemic risks look like from the bridge of a pilot vessel, and why signals that exist locally never make it into official statistics.
