During a festive presentation in the Sanders building of Erasmus School of Law on Monday 31 August, Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize, and Florence Mottay, Global Information Security Officer of Ahold Delhaize, received the first Cyber Security Annual Report (CSAR) Index trophy from Index founders Bernold Nieuwesteeg and Eva Eijkelenboom. With the CSAR Index trophy, the multinational receives this years' highest appreciation as a listed company, for their cybersecurity transparency and the way it deals with cybersecurity challenges.
The CSAR Index is a collaboration between the Centre for the Law and Economics of Cyber Security (CLECS) and the International Center for Financial Law and Governance (ICFG), two research institutes connected to Erasmus School of Law. Hélène Vletter-van Dort, board member of ICFG, emphasizes the importance of cybersecurity transparency in the board room. The CSAR Index aims to provide an overview of the degree of this transparency that listed companies display in their annual report.
When drafting the CSAR Index, Nieuwesteeg noticed there is a lack of information regarding the security of data within organisations. “There is no legal obligation to be transparent about cybersecurity. However, disclosing openness about this holds a lot of benefits. These benefits include distributing extensive documentation on how to protect your data and what measures regarding data breaches are used. This way, organisations can acquire knowledge on the methods and mistakes of other organisations.”
Sharing knowledge about cybersecurity is one of the things Ahold Delhaize deems absolutely necessary. Muller, who holds a master’s degree of Erasmus School of Economics, states: “Cybersecurity is critical to the trust of our customers, suppliers and associates. But it can also be very abstract. As our industry is becoming increasingly digital, it is crucial that we continue to explain the importance of a safe digital space.”
Ahold Delhaize’s Global Information Security team is therefore committed to pushing for more awareness, Mottay added. “We want to continue to educate and promote transparency, both within our company and towards our customers and other stakeholders.”
