Profile of Prof. Dr. Ir. Henk Jan Jansen details his extensive background as an international IT executive, CISO, and cross-industry interim manager. His career bridges high-level academic frameworks with hands-on technical execution across complex corporate landscapes.

🎓 Academic Foundations & Certifications

  • Doctoral Background: He holds a PhD/Doctorate in Business Information Technology and Engineering. He also holds a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) focused on Company Psychology and People Management from the University of Liverpool.

  • Legal & Business Degrees: He possesses a master's degree encompassing national and international law, business management, and risk management.

  • Security & Project Credentials: He maintains elite industry certifications including CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), CIPM (Certified Information Privacy Manager), IPMA-A®, Prince2, ITIL, and a Six Sigma Black Belt.

💼 Career Evolution & Industry Footprint

  • Early Milestones: He initiated his career journey in information security within the military sector.

  • Industry Versatility: Over a 30+ year trajectory, he has directed IT and cyber operations for the automotive sector (notably serving as Senior Technical Project Manager for the Infosys BMW account), healthcare, public federal governance, and financial institutions.

  • Recent Interim Leadership:

    • Served as an Interim Information Security Officer at Brand New Day in Amsterdam, orchestrating critical self-assessments and gap analysis against DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and EBA ICT guidelines.

    • Has operated as an Interim Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for regional education centers and via his freelance company, HJ INTERIM.

🛠️ Core Functional Specializations

  • Regulatory Compliance: Mastery of regional framework integrations, prioritizing strict GDPR deployment across infrastructure blueprints.

  • Complex Transformations: Frequently brought in for ambiguous corporate environments or high-stakes business consolidations where the structural path forward is undefined.

  • Educational Outreach: Regularly trains information security courses at various colleges and universities, contributes to security literature, and speaks at global forums like the Digital Defence Forum.

🧠 Professional Philosophy & "Ambiguous" Problem Solving

Dr. Jansen often targets unstructured corporate environments. His personal freelance mission through HJ INTERIM centers on specific strategic goals:

  • The "Big Picture" Fit: He explicitly specializes in high-stakes assignments where executives know a solution is required, but the actual problem statement or internal situation is highly ambiguous or poorly defined.

  • Sustainable Independence: His stated consulting approach is to engineer a system or security architecture so effectively that the client company can run it completely independently after his departure.

  • People-Centric Growth: He operates on the dual belief that technical systems only succeed when paired with psychological alignment and active "business change" management.

🛡️ Deep Technical & Security Focus

While many executives operate purely at the governance level, Dr. Jansen's portfolio balances high-level enterprise design with granular technical execution:

  • CIAM & Architecture: Extensive history architecting Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) setups, integrating secure cloud migrations, and managing Identity and Access Data Security.

  • Privacy by Design: He is a vocal proponent of building "Privacy by Design" (PbD) directly into system architecture rather than treating privacy and GDPR compliance as an afterthought or a reactive troubleshooting measure.

  • Financial Resilience Execution: During his recent tenure at Brand New Day, his deliverables included creating high- and low-level designs for IAM/PAM authentication (including MFA/WMA/2FA), patch management lifecycles, and drafting comprehensive Business Continuity Management (BCM) crisis plans.

📊 Methodological Toolkit

His execution style relies heavily on blending highly rigid project management frameworks with agile deployment:

  • IPMA-A® Lead: Holds the elite International Project Management Association Level A credential, designating him as a Certified Projects Director capable of steering complex portfolios. []

  • Process Optimization: Utilizes Six Sigma Black Belt methodologies alongside ITIL and Agile Scrum to eliminate waste and optimize workflows between IT departments and core business stakeholders.

  • Trilingual Operations: He conducts audits, technical writing, and corporate turnarounds seamlessly across Dutch, German, and English.

👥 Peer Assessment & Workplace Style

According to peer testimonials and professional recommendations from his project history:

  • Direct Communication: Described by colleagues as an "authentic, genuine, and outspoken character". He is known to challenge business stakeholders directly if he believes a technical strategy is flawed.

  • High-Velocity Delivery: Peers note his ability to deliver substantial structural overhauls in incredibly compressed timeframes without rushing or compromising precision.

  • Cross-Cultural Adaptability: Due to his international work history, he is frequently brought into high-stakes, explosive projects involving critical infrastructure that cross multiple regional and cultural lines.