I help organisations navigate critical security challenges through interim leadership, operational transformation, and human-centred approaches.
Specialising in: Interim CISO roles | Security operations leadership | Incident response | Strategic transformation
Based in Amsterdam | Working across EU
Who I work with
I work with three types of organisations:
Between leaders – You need interim security leadership while searching for a permanent hire, or experienced hands to stabilise operations during crisis
Building or transforming capability – You’re scaling security operations, building incident response capability, or transforming teams from reactive to proactive
Need outside perspective – You have security leadership but want strategic counsel, operational review, or specific project expertise
My background spans incident response (Fox-IT, Verizon, Deloitte), security transformation (Deloitte, building and leading 50+ person teams), and government and enterprise relations (Microsoft National Security Officer for the Netherlands). I’m equally comfortable leading technical operations teams and briefing boards – bringing hands-on operational credibility with strategic perspective.
Core services
Interim CISO / security leadership
Step in as security leader during transitions. Executive leadership, operational oversight, crisis management, and hiring support.
Engagement: 2-4 days/week | 3-12 months
Incident response & security operations leadership
Lead IR/SOC teams through crisis or capability building. Hands-on operational leadership, not just process design.
Engagement: 3-4 days/week | 6-12 months | Scales to full-time during crisis
Security transformation & operational improvement
Transform security from compliance burden to business enabler. Strategic direction and operational improvements.
Engagement: 3-6 months | Phased delivery
Scope: Operational transformation (SOC, IR, engineering) OR strategic transformation (culture, governance) OR both.
Strategic advisory / advisory board
Ongoing counsel without full-time commitment. Quarterly strategic reviews, operational assessments, on-demand advisory.
Engagement: 4-8 hours/month | Ongoing
Structure: Monthly retainer or equity compensation
Additional expertise
Beyond core leadership, I support focused projects:
- Incident response readiness – Capability assessment, tabletop exercises, playbook development
- Security culture – Behavioural science, human-centred design, beyond compliance training
- Resilience & crisis – Safety-II principles, crisis management frameworks
- CISO coaching – One-on-one leadership development
- Compliance strategy – NIS2, DORA, GDPR (foundation, not checkbox)
- Operating model – Team structure, processes, technology architecture
- Workshops – Strategy, threat modelling, crisis simulation
- Speaking – Keynotes on human-centred security, resilience, transformation
What makes my approach different
Operational credibility meets strategic perspective
Led IR teams responding to incident by nation-state actors, criminals or insiders (Fox-IT, Verizon, Deloitte), analysed thousands of incidents (Verizon DBIR), built 50+ person teams (Deloitte), briefed government leaders and boards (Microsoft NSO).
Human-centred
Security designed for how people actually work. Applies to operations teams (sustainable processes) and end users (usable controls).
Resilience-focused
Systems that adapt and recover under pressure. Safety-II principles from aviation and nuclear industries.
Evidence-based
18+ years leading operations, responding to incidents, building teams, transforming organisations.
Experience highlights
Microsoft (2020-2024) – National Security Officer for the Netherlands
Deloitte (2012-2020) – Director, Cyber Risk Services (50+ person teams)
Verizon (2008-2012) – Incident response, co-author Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR)
Fox-IT (2006-2008) – Incident response and digital forensics leadership
Education: MBA (Chicago Booth) | MSc AI (Groningen)
Engagement models
Depending on your needs, we can structure engagement as:
Interim/part-time leadership – 2-4 days/week, 3-12 months
Strategic project – Defined scope, 2-6 months
Ongoing advisory – Monthly/quarterly counsel
Crisis response – Immediate availability, scaled to situation
Workshops & speaking – One-time or recurring
Let’s talk
Whether you need interim leadership, strategic transformation, or outside perspective on a specific challenge, I’d be happy to explore how I can help.
Email: jelle@totaalcyber.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelleniemantsverdriet/
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands