Ask an ASIS Champion: Insights from Jeroen van der Vaart
Ahead of GSX 2022, the GSX Daily team reached out to ASIS members around the world to learn more about the security challenges they’ve faced in the past two years, the educational sessions they’re looking forward to in Atlanta, and advice they have for their security peers.
Here are some insights from Jeroen van der Vaart, CPP, director, Group Security & Resilience, Booking.com, and a member of the ASIS Benelux Chapter and CSO Center. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
GSX Daily: What area of security do you work in?
Jeroen van der Vaart: The mission of Booking Holdings is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world; we are making it easier for everyone to experience the world safely. As the Group Security & Resilience (GSR) team, we service all Booking Holding brands (six primary consumer-facing brands—Booking.com, KAYAK, priceline, agoda.com, Rentalcars.com, and OpenTable) where we define, develop, implement, and manage all aspects of corporate security and resilience tasks protecting our employees, facilities, assets, and company reputation. In support of Booking holdings mission, we as the Group Security & Resilience team think about protecting our employees and customer’s trust every day.
GSX Daily: What has been the biggest security challenge for you in the past two years?
Jeroen van der Vaart: The COVID-19 crisis has now become, for better or for worse, “business as usual.” Though in the recent two years we’ve heavily focused our efforts in helping the board of management make timely and informed decisions. Navigating this pandemic, we strongly focused on keeping our staff safe and healthy while at the same time we navigated to keep business disruptions as limited as possible via our business continuity embedded plans and crisis management command structure.
Alongside our daily assessment of ongoing geopolitical events, we can’t deny the increased threat of ransomware. Therefore, we increased our preparedness and resilience capabilities specific to withstanding, responding to, and recovering from, a major ransomware incident similar in nature to recent impactful attacks on corporations and government organizations throughout the world.
GSX Daily: What security topic are you most looking forward to learning about at GSX 2022?
Jeroen van der Vaart: In the ever-evolving security risk landscape, I believe keeping connected throughout the security industry and staying up to date with domain knowledge will contribute to implementing effective security resolutions. The corporate security and business resilience topics covered in the GSX 2022 agenda will help me compare approaches and reflect on strategies to best prepare for the unexpected. Even more important, connecting with peers from leading global companies and sharing best practices on common challenges is what makes it invaluable. GSX is all about learning from each other and connecting.
GSX Daily: What networking activity at GSX 2022 are you most looking forward to?
Jeroen van der Vaart: Out of the several great connection points, I personally am looking forward to the social activities to catch up with friends and peers. After joining virtual conferences and connecting via many Zoom calls, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to connect in person again.
GSX Daily: What advice do you have for first-time GSX attendees?
Jeroen van der Vaart: Set a clear objective for yourself of what you would like to achieve when you end your GSX 2022 journey. Setting a clear objective helps you navigate the many educational session available.
GSX Daily: What’s a book, podcast, poem, or movie that’s influenced your work or your life that you would recommend to others?
Jeroen van der Vaart: After reading the book Team of Teams by Stanley A. McChrystal, I’ve discovered the podcast No Turning Back. World class leadership lessons from the most cutting edge thought leaders on leadership of our time. It gives great insights in how leaders deal with every day (leadership) challenges. One to try.
