This year we’re celebrating GlobalSign’s 25th anniversary since its founding in 1996. Each month in 2021, we’ll be introducing you to a member of the GlobalSign team – representing countries from all over the globe, departments from Product Management to Compliance to Customer Support, and with years of service from one to 25…these are the people working hard behind the scenes to bring industry-leading PKI and identity solutions to the world.
Today we'll be turning the spotlight on one of GlobalSign's hard-working Compliance Officers, Eva Van Steenberge!
GS: What is your role here at GlobalSign?
Eva: I am a Senior Compliance Officer.
GS: How long have you worked for GlobalSign?
Eva: I've passed the 8 year mark a few months ago. It's incredible how quickly time goes by.
GS: Where do you call home?
Eva: There used to be this old commercial for Stella in Belgium, which had as a tag-line "Home is where my Stella is." I feel the same way (but not necessarily with beer). Home is where the people I love are: Husband. (Honourary) Relatives. Cat. Sometimes it's the places you visit where you leave a piece of your heart. Maybe a concert or a sports stadium (Go Cymru!). Or maybe where you harvest our home-grown vegetables. If you mean a specific location, I live in a sleepy village near the beautiful city of Canterbury.
GS: What is the best part of your job?
Eva: The people.
GS: How would you describe the GlobalSign culture in one word?
Eva: Dynamic.
GS: What makes GlobalSign unique?
Eva: The people.
GS: Is there a year that stands out in your mind from your tenure at GlobalSign, and can you share one of your most memorable moments from that year?
Eva: In January of 2020, we threw an impromptu Lunar New Year celebration for a colleague who unexpectedly couldn't go to visit their parents due to COVID-related travel restrictions. Little did we know that we would all be affected in a major way a few weeks later. The office in the UK was told to work from home weeks before an official lockdown. GlobalSign was prepared thanks to great business continuity plans and looked after the health and wellbeing of all the employees (including making sure we kept well-connected, relaxed and fed). This was made possible, without compromising on service, because of dynamic group people who genuinely care about each other and the industry we are in.
GS: What would you consider your biggest work accomplishment so far?
Eva: When I look around the office(s), and I speak to people, I am always so proud that my colleagues, regardless of the department they are in, care so deeply about compliance - even when the sometimes it means having to say "no." Knowing that they will rise to the occasion when needed. I like to think that I'm playing my part in supporting that "compliance enthusiastic" environment.
GS: There have been plenty of changes in the CA and identity services industry over the course of the last two-and-a-half decades. What’s one of the most significant changes you’ve witnessed during your time with the company?
Eva: The most significant changes aren't any individual changes. It's the change in maturity, both of our industry and of GlobalSign as a company. From visionaries seeing opportunities for making lives better, the dawn of a mostly self-regulated industry, to it becoming a well-regulated part of people's daily lives. It's a fascinating story.
GS: What security tip have you learned since working at GlobalSign that you didn’t know before you started?
Eva: You can click on the padlock to find out more about who owns a website. The importance of two factor authentication. Password manager.
GS: What makes you most excited about the future of tech/security?
Eva: There are so many different use-cases where technology can make our lives better, easier and more secure. In our industry specifically, the endless possibilities in leveraging verified identities in all areas of life, to the benefit of all. That's pretty exciting.
GS: What does GlobalSign’s 25th anniversary mean to you?
Eva: A silver anniversary in a very quickly moving world is a great milestone. Looking forward to see where GlobalSign will be at the Gold and Diamond anniversaries. Many happy returns!
Thanks for sharing, Eva. Here's to many more fun (and delicious) office celebrations in the near future.
