Swiss Security Awareness Day 2025

Marcus Beyer has more than 20 years of experience as a communicator, change manager, moderator, social engineer and consultant in the field of IT and information security. Internal (project) communication with a focus on information security, IT and/or BCM processes is his métier, security awareness his mission. He has been responsible for the security awareness & training programmes at Swisscom (Schweiz) AG for almost 4 years and actively promotes the change process towards a stable and sustainable security culture within the company. He is a member of the Advisory Board at Hoxhunt, on the board of the Swiss Internet Security Alliance (SISA) and is the host of the ‘SecurityAwarenessInsider’ podcast.

Melanie Knieps is a researcher with a background in psychology who focuses on the social aspects of cybersecurity at the Digital Society Initiative of the University of Zurich. She is leading the "Cyber Resilience Network for the Canton of Zurich" (CYREN ZH), which aims to protect the self-determination of Zurich as a business location and its population by establishing a task force of civilian first responders for the digital space. The project also seeks to strengthen cooperation between various actors in the canton of Zurich and provide new training and education opportunities in the field of cybersecurity.

Melanie is also a postdoctoral researcher in the NRP-77 project "Promoting trust in cybersecurity through ethics and law," which aims to provide valuable data, insights, and recommendations regarding the non-technical aspects of cybersecurity. Her particular interest lies in identifying the factors that can promote knowledge exchange among cybersecurity experts, such as trust and other organizational components.

Katja Dörlemann is a Security Awareness Expert at Switch. She supports the Swiss education, research and innovation community and Internet community in dealing with the human factor in information security. She promotes knowledge sharing and networking among experts in the field to advance the topic of security awareness. Additionally, she is a board member of the Swiss Internet Security Alliance. Katja has been gaining experience in the field of security awareness for almost 15 years and holds a PhD in General and Comparative Literature from the University of Zurich.

Tom Kleiber is the managing director of Switch. He has devoted himself to the ICT industry and the education community for 30 years. As an entrepreneur and digitalisation consultant, he held positions as the CEO and founding member of Zetamind AG as well as various leadership positions in large corporations such as Microsoft, Siemens and Alcatel.

Joakim has been working in cybersecurity for more than fifteen years with an interest in cybercrime and user-perspectives on cybersecurity. During his PhD he researched the effect of providing security tips during users routine activity (such as phishing tips when reading email). Even if that seemed efficient the main outcome of the research was the need for an increased focus on usable security routines, not least from a cognitive perspective. His current research focus is on how cognitive abilities impact users abilities to act securely, and how to develop cognitively avaliable security practises.

Dr. Karen Renaud emphasizes a human-centered approach to cybersecurity, advocating for systems that naturally integrate security measures in a way that aligns with human behavior and expectations. She focuses on making security interactions straightforward yet effective, emphasizing the importance of understanding and addressing the mental models users hold about security.

Sascha Maier serves as the CISO at SV Group in Zurich, a leading gastronomy and hotel management organization with divisions spanning community restaurants, public catering, hotel management, and digital solutions. Prior to this, he dedicated over a decade as the Head of IT & Cyber Resilience at IWC Schaffhausen, the renowned luxury watchmaker, overseeing comprehensive IT and information security across all its locations. In addition to his industry roles, Maier contributes as a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and the Swiss Cyber Institute.

Guided by the motto "You can achieve anything, you just need the courage," and inspired by Lucius Annaeus Seneca’s words, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity," Lia Fey embarked on a new career after completing her training as a dental assistant and serving in the military. She became a Data Protection Officer at a rehabilitation clinic, taking her first step into the field of information security. Recognizing that security awareness and the implementation of sustainable security cultures are fundamental pillars of information security, she spent several years as a Customer Success Manager, helping clients implement these practices in their organizations through phishing training and eLearning. After building the enterprise customer support and assuming a leadership role, she moved to Kaufland e-commerce. There, she took on new challenges as the Team Lead of the Information Security Team, further share and deepening her expertise in the field.

Céline Neubig has been developing educational Escape Games and Serious Games for museums and the field of security awareness for many years through her own company. Since spring 2025, she has been Co-Head of the CAS Games & Play in Virtual Spaces at Zurich University of the Arts. Her professional background lies in exhibition design; she studied Game Design and completed training in museum education.

Fatma Geisler is the Managing Director of thefuturepast and a certified Information Security Officer. She advises organizations on handling digital violence, particularly hate mail and harassment, and supports the establishment of internal contact points for affected individuals. Her focus is on developing effective awareness strategies and ensuring the secure interaction between humans and technology. Previously, she served as Special Assistant to the Executive Board at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). She is a member of the Dialogue Committee for the BSI project "Dialogue for Cyber Security" and has been an honorary judge at the Berlin Regional Court since January 2024.

Christoph Geisler is CEO of thefuturepast in Berlin and a trusted advisor to organizations navigating the complex space between law, leadership, and technology. A former executive, lawyer, mediator, and certified IT security officer, he brings deep experience from both strategic and operational perspectives. Christoph helps leadership teams make sense of cybersecurity risks – without jargon, but with clarity, structure, and focus. His mission: to turn cybersecurity from a technical issue into a strategic priority at the top of the organization.