• Digital Trust Forum and Charter of Trust to merge
• Bosch and Deutsche Post DHL Group join Charter of Trust
• Associated Partner Forum further growing with CyberNB, Cyber Peace Institute, Cyber Readiness Institute and Global Cyber Alliance

The Charter of Trust (CoT) and the Digital Trust Forum (DTF) are to join forces and merge under the Charter of Trust banner to form a joint initiative for greater cybersecurity and digital trust. With this the Charter of Trust also intends to devote more attention to the topic of trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) in the future.

The CoT was launched at the Munich Security Conference in February 2018 by Siemens and eight partners from the industrial sector. The DTF was formed in Berlin in May 2019 as an initiative of Bosch. With that Bosch will also join the CoT. The world’s leading logistics company Deutsche Post DHL Group has decided to join the cybersecurity initiative in addition, bringing the number of Charter of Trust members up to 17 four years after it was first signed.

“Overcoming reservations and building up trust will be crucial success factors in digital business – and this is more effective with the two initiatives working together. In addition, Bosch brings to the Charter of Trust its deep expertise in artificial intelligence,” said Dr. Tanja Rückert, Chief Digital Officer at Robert Bosch GmbH and a new member of the Charter of Trust’s Board of Directors.

“Cybersecurity is the key to building people’s confidence in digitalization,” said Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO Digital Industries. “And we’re significantly stronger if we work together to make our networked world more resilient. By merging the two initiatives, and by bringing on board our new partners, the Charter of Trust will gain even greater diversity and broaden its perspective to cover different industries and countries.”

“As a company, we inherit a long tradition of secure and fast transport of confidential information. But for us as a company, privacy of letters no longer applies exclusively to the postal service. In the digital environment, we also effectively protect our customers’ information along the entire supply chain. By becoming a new member of the Charter of Trust, we want to embrace exchange on supply chain security, because ultimately security incidents may have severe implications on all parties involved,” said David Thornewill, Group CISO of Deutsche Post DHL Group.

Over the last four years, the Charter of Trust has already launched a wealth of measures to enhance cybersecurity – including “Security by Default”, which takes cybersecurity into account right from the design phase and provides products with preconfigured security measures. In addition, the CoT partners have defined established baseline requirements for their suppliers in order to further enhance cybersecurity along supply chains. The main focus in the next phase will be to implement a cross-industry approach to the evaluation of supply chain security. In this context, the growing Charter of Trust community will provide mainly small and medium-sized enterprises with information, training and other resources.

At the Munich Security Conference in February 2018, Siemens and eight partners from industry signed the world’s first joint charter for greater cybersecurity. In addition to Siemens and the Munich Security Conference, the signatories include AES, Airbus, Allianz, Atos, Bosch, Dell Technologies, Deutsche Post DHL Group, IBM, Infineon Technologies AG, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NTT, NXP Semiconductors, SGS, TotalEnergies and TÜV SÜD.

The CoT initiative also collaborates regularly with various global authorities and scientific institutions to drive forward the topic of cybersecurity internationally and achieve harmony across national borders and organizational boundaries. Furthermore, the CoT initiative has created the Associated Partner Forum, which institutions such as Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the Spanish National Cryptologic Center (CCN), TU Graz and the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering GmbH (HPI) have joined. The Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity, Cyber Readiness Institute, CyberNB, Cyber Peace Institute, Global Cyber Alliance and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry (METI) and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC) have also recently signed up as associate partners.

The global economy is beginning to realize that increased networking goes hand in hand with an escalating risk of cybercrime: the Allianz Risk Barometer found that companies around the globe consider cyber risk as their number one threat in 2022.

Siemens, AES, Airbus, Allianz, Atos, Bosch, Dell Technologies, Deutsche Post DHL Group, IBM, Infineon, MHI, MSC, NTT, NXP, SGS, TotalEnergies and TÜV SÜD

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Charter of Trust elects new co-chairs of the Board of Directors
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Charter of Trust elects new co-chairs of the Board of Directors

We are honoured to announce that Dr. Ralf Schneider, Senior Fellow and Head of Cybersecurity and NextGenIT Think Tank at Allianz and Dr. Sumit Chanda, Chief Operating Officer at Atos Group Security have been elected as new co-chairs of the Charter of Trust during our last Board of Directors meeting in Munich.

The Partners and Associated Partners thanked Natalia Oropeza, Global Chief Cybersecurity Officer at Siemens, for her engagement and steady leadership during her term as Chairwoman. In her tenure, the Charter of Trust underwent important internal and external changes. What first stands out is the smooth integration of the four working groups, which made the Charter of Trust more agile, leaner and more efficient. It is also safe to say that the alliance has never had such a high level of exposure externally, due to the Charter of Trust partners continuous dedication to the mission of the alliance.

In the spirit of industry collaboration, Natalia Oropeza expressed her support to our new Co-Chairs and said how “incredibly proud of what we have achieved together, welcoming new partners, strengthening our structure, and elevating the Charter of Trust's impact on the global cybersecurity landscape. Collaboration has been at the heart of our success, and I am confident that Dr. Sumit Chanda and Dr. Ralf Schneider as Co-Chairs, the Charter will continue to drive meaningful progress towards a more secure digital world."

For the first time in its history, the Charter of Trust will be co-chaired. Dr. Ralf Schneider from Allianz and Dr. Sumit Chanda from Atos who have decades of experience in the world of cybersecurity and have been active within the alliance for several years now. Both unite an intrinsic motivation to foster inter- and intra-sector collaboration as well as the continuous sharing of knowledge between the Partners and Associated Partners of the Charter of Trust.

For the next year the co-chairs aim to amplify the number of Partners and Associated Partners. This growth, however, should still preserve the unique features of the Charter of Trust as a large practitioner organization with member from all over the world. Expanding into new sectors and new countries is a key target for the new leadership team, so that the Alliance can continue to engage with stakeholders at the highest level.

Dr. Sumit Chanda underlined that “The Charter of Trust’s role is to promote a safe and trusted digital work.  Its unique partnership blend of large organisations, working across 190 countries, and across several sectors, has enabled it to make significant progress under the leadership of Mrs. Natalia Oropeza.  I would like to thank her for these great achievements.  Along with Dr. Ralf Schneider from Allianz, we welcome the opportunity to build on her work as the Co-Chairs of Charter of Trust.”

Ralf Schneider added that “In dynamic times with more risks, more uncertainty, and more unknowns, we as the Charter of Trust step up – to provide stability, promote reliability, and foster trust. This is our mission today and tomorrow.”.
February 12, 2025
Charter of Trust Board of Directors Meeting 2025
icon External Engagement

Charter of Trust Board of Directors Meeting 2025

The Charter of Trust has kicked off its most pivotal week of the year with a high-level meeting of its Board of Directors in Munich. This influential gathering brought together key decision-makers to reflect on the past year’s successes and set the strategic direction for the future of global cybersecurity.

Under the leadership of Chairwoman Natalia Oropeza, the Charter of Trust has strengthened its internal structure, successfully integrating new Partners and Associated Partners while enhancing collaboration through four dedicated working groups. Externally, the alliance has made a significant impact, engaging global audiences through media, conferences, panel discussions, and key industry events.

Looking ahead to 2025, the Charter of Trust enters a new chapter with a co-chair leadership model. Dr. Sumit Chanda, Global CISO at Eviden, and Ralf Schneider, Head of Cybersecurity at Allianz, will take the helm, bringing a dynamic vision focused on building resilient ecosystems, harmonizing frameworks, and advancing cybersecurity education.

A special thank you to Benedikt Franke, Vice-Chairman & CEO of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), for his insightful keynote on the evolving cyber threat landscape and the vital role the Charter of Trust plays in shaping global cybersecurity solutions.

With a bold vision for 2025, the Charter of Trust continues to drive innovation, collaboration, and trust in the digital world.
February 12, 2025
Chairwoman Natalia Oropeza in Brandeins Magazine
icon External Engagement

Chairwoman Natalia Oropeza in Brandeins Magazine

We're thrilled to announce that our Charter of Trust Chairwoman Natalia Oropeza has been featured in the annual IT edition of the brand eins magazine!

In an interview with Dorit Kowitz, Natalia dives deep into the pressing issues facing the cybersecurity landscape, explaining how the Charter of Trust bundles the expertise of different businesses across several regions to stay resilient in the face of evolving threats. As Natalia Oropeza says: "We all win if cybercrime doesn’t win."

Here are three key insights from her interview:
🔑 Collaboration is essential: No single organization can tackle cyber threats alone. The Charter of Trust is a prime example that businesses nowadays are more transparent when it comes to attacks and that sharing information in this field can be beneficial.
🔑 Addressing the digital skills gap: The Charter of Trust is working to address the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals by encouraging diversity and actively promoting opportunities for women to join the field.
🔑 Unified regulations: Harmonizing global cybersecurity standards will reduce vulnerabilities, helping businesses and governments combat threats more effectively.

The full interview is available here: https://lnkd.in/gRm6ZDGC
October 19, 2024