Tom, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Currently I have the privilege of leading the Incident Response Team for EMEA at Check Point, based in Belgium, where I live with my wife and two daughters. My journey into cyber security started in 2011, but before that, I served in the Belgian infantry combat forces. That experience taught me discipline, adaptability, resilience, and above all, the importance of teamwork and cohesion. In high-pressure environments, a well-oiled team can achieve things that seem out of reach. That mindset has stayed with me ever since and plays a huge role in how I lead today.

In 2011, I began an IT education within the Belgian military, followed by two years working as a network engineer deploying and maintaining secure networks for military and government agencies. A turning point came when I participated in a capture the flag competition organized by the Military Intelligence Service.

After placing in the top ranks, I was invited to join the ranks of the Cyber Division. For me this was a milestone moment where my deep-dive journey into cyber security really began.

I had the opportunity to work on high-stakes, complex cases, attend advanced training around the world, and help build out the military’s SOC and IR capabilities. Not long after, I was selected to join the digital forensics (DIGFOR) team, where I developed hands-on skills in deep dive forensics supporting cyber espionage, APT cases, and counter-terror investigations. It was intense work, and it brought me to a skill level I hadn’t even imagined for myself at the time.

Eventually, it was time to spread my wings. Check Point crossed my path unexpectedly, and I started out in a channel pre-sales role. Not long after, I was noticed by the head of the global Incident Response Team and invited to join. Another dream came true.

I started as an incident response analyst on the team and, after a year, was asked to lead the EMEA IR team. Since November 2021, I’ve been focused on growing and evolving that team: improving workflows, building services, supporting clients, and contributing to the broader Check Point organization wherever I can.

What led to your decision to join Check Point?

After several years working in classified cyber operations, I started to feel it was time for a new challenge. I wasn’t actively looking, but Check Point showed up at exactly the right time.

What drew me in wasn’t just the reputation or global reach of the company. After years of working in that classified cyber operations world and seeing cyber challenges from a specific perspective, I was genuinely curious about how organizations across the globe were experiencing cyber security challenges: what they were up against, how they were responding, and how I could play a part in helping them. I wanted to understand that from the inside out.

Joining Check Point gave me the opportunity to do just that and to play a small but meaningful role in helping companies improve their capabilities and resilience. That combination of learning, impact, personal development and purpose drew me over the line.

What is your current role and what does a typical day look like for you?

As Incident Response Lead for EMEA, I’m responsible for managing, improving and growing the IR team, delivering both reactive and proactive support to organizations across the region. We handle a wide variety of incidents, from ransomware and data breaches to targeted intrusions, and help companies recover quickly while also ensuring they come out of it stronger and better prepared.

In addition to the day-to-day incident handling, I’m closely involved in supporting the broader sales process, and I’m always looking at how we can deliver more value to customers through our services and proactively identifying ways to strengthen their security posture.

No two days are ever the same. Priorities can shift in a matter of minutes, and what starts as a quiet day can quickly escalate into high-pressure crisis management. In those moments, I’m fortunate to be able to lean on an amazing, highly skilled team we’ve built – people who are sharp, passionate and driven, can think outside of the box and are calm under pressure. That makes all the difference.

Other days are more strategic, where I’m focused on service development, process improvement, team mentoring, or cross-functional collaboration between various teams.

I’m also very intentional about my own development as a leader. I continuously look for ways to grow and improve myself, how I support my team, and how I can create an environment where they’re motivated to do the same and thrive. That growth mindset is something I try to instill across the team. (You’ll need to ask them if I’m succeeding.)

What are you most proud of personally and professionally?

For me, personal and professional life flow into one another. I don’t see them as separate. It’s not that I live to work, it’s just that I’ve been fortunate to build a life filled with the things I deeply care about and am passionate about.

When I look back, I’m proud of the full journey, every part of it. From my time in the combat forces to the work in the Cyber Division, to Check Point, and now leading the EMEA IR team, each step has shaped who I am. But it’s not just the work. I’m equally proud of the personal path I’ve followed along the way. I’ve spent nearly every bit of free time chasing experiences that make me feel alive, keep me grounded, and remind me what really matters: mountaineering in alpine conditions, teaching outdoor survival as an instructor, soaring above the mountains while parapenting, diving deep below the surface and exploring underwater life.

Each experience out there, far from screens and pressure, stripped things back to what really matters. It reminds me to stay present, to stretch what I believe I’m capable of, and to truly feel alive while doing it. You only get one life. I don’t want to waste it.

Each one of those chapters, whether on the job or out in nature, has added something meaningful. And along the way I’ve had the privilege to meet, live, and work with incredible people. Watching our team grow, building something together, and supporting customers and communities when it matters most, that’s something that sticks with me.

It kind of fits with that I’ve always been drawn to a life of service. Helping people who can’t help or defend themselves, being useful in moments that count. That’s the thread running through almost everything I do.

And if I’m completely honest, my proudest moments are the ones where I see those values reflected back in my daughters – in how they move through the world, how they treat others, and how they face their own challenges. That’s when it all really comes full circle.

What can we find you doing outside of work?

When I’m not behind a screen or in the middle of a cyber incident, you’ll probably find me off the grid, literally. Whether I’m behind my drum kit (which I only started playing 5 months ago), tinkering in my growing woodworking workshop, hiking deep into the mountains, or diving beneath the surface, I’m always chasing that feeling of being fully unplugged from the digital world and connected to something real.

Spending time with my family is just as important, whether we’re relaxing at home or traveling together to experience the world and its cultures. Sharing those moments with my wife and daughters helps me stay grounded and reminds me what all of this is really for.

All of that, being in nature, the craft, the stillness, the adventure, the time with family – that’s my reset button. That’s where I go to gain clarity and recharge.

Interested in joining Check Point? Check out our open roles here.

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