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 are featuring VP of Strategic Sales EMEA Ronald De Temmerman who has been with the company 18 incredible years!
GS: What is your role here at GlobalSign?
RDT: My current role is VP Strategic Sales & Alliances EMEA, while I’ve gone through different roles in my time here.
GS: How long have you worked for GlobalSign?
RDT: About two decades (although it doesn’t feel that long).
GS: Where do you call home?
RDT: No doubt my real home is with my beloved family in Belgium, although they often say that my home seems with GlobalSign – guess the truth will be in the middle. 😊
GS: What is the best part of your job?
RDT: Interactions & people – both external, with partners or customers, as well as with the growing number of colleagues in GlobalSign… Being able to help, being part of that creative atmosphere, whether in the forefront or silently in the back supporting.
GS: How would you describe the GlobalSign culture in one word?
RDT: Inspired.
GS: What makes GlobalSign unique?
RDT: Diversity, camaraderie, its people.
GS: Is there a year that stands out in your mind from your tenure at GlobalSign?
RDT: Every year has been particular in its own way. That also typifies GlobalSign, it’s never boring. What stands out for me is the two different GlobalSign settings I have gone through: The "legacy" one was the pure Belgian GlobalSign company during the Ubizen period, including the transition in Cybertrust, with later a more US-driven culture.
Also 2007, the time GlobalSign got a new shareholder (GMO). Back then in my role as GM of Belgium working very closely with a new directors team from the UK and Japan, that was all a rather special time for me.
GS: Can you share one of your most memorable moments from that year?
RDT: My early days in GlobalSign, working with Paul Brown & Johan Sys (two of a kind), remains a nice memory. As part of a small team we had a very productive chemistry while needing to "secure" 101 different things... I'm still amazed how we got GlobalSign through those times and storms, all with a retained individuality and recognition in the market. They were different times!
In 2006-2007, we were entering a total new era for GlobalSign, helping transitioning many aspects of our business to a new collaborative UK-BE setting while (remote) working with a Japanese team, fine-tuning new systems, etc. The introduction and integration in a mix of new cultures and working dynamics stands out – also my first visit to Japan 15 years ago. Most of it was a challenge and it remains a memorable experience.
GS: What would you consider your biggest work accomplishment so far?
RDT: In the early days of my career at GlobalSign, I was solely responsible for ALL Sales and built up a pretty large customer base, many of which are still with us. Some of that is probably due to my dedication to this company, taking on a very hands-on approach, as if it were my own company. But guess I was also lucky to be at the cradle of a new era, together with driven directors, allowing me to setup a strong group of extraordinary people (mostly in BE), some of whom have already built a great career here. Seeing this further mature is very nice.
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?
RDT: I always believed in the unique interplay between CA and secure identities, with PKI as a framework. Most significantly is maybe the non-change. In early 2000 some people were saying "PKI is dead" but look at today – it couldn’t be more embedded, and in all kinds of environments. PKI still works on same principles, and while digital certificates may have changed to be more of a commodity these days – moving to a shorter lifetime – the intrinsic value gains more importance in times when we all have different identities and these need to be secured. It is the power of a trusted identity which makes it relevant and important in all times.
GS: What security tip have you learned since working at GlobalSign that you didn’t know before you started?
RDT: There isn’t one in particular. There are many security disciplines – or even some level of online distrust – that have simply become a mindset, a natural behavior I guess.
GS: What makes you most excited about the future of tech/security?
RDT: Tech is ever more life impacting, with an urge for automation, where creativity makes the difference. For me this needs nuance and protection (through verified identities). But scratch the surface of any technology project, and you’ll find some very human problem being solved in hopefully clever and secure ways. That’s both the challenge and the excitement.
GS: What does GlobalSign’s 25th anniversary mean to you?
RDT: It is of course thanks to our shareholder, GMO, this GlobalSign has grown stronger for 25 years now. I believe it is the "GlobalSign family spirit" that made the real difference, next to many customers and partners who gave us their trust. Having my share in this incredible journey makes me proud as well as grateful…and time flies when you’re having fun. 😊
What a perfect way to sum up the GlobalSign journey the past two decades - and big thanks you, Ronald, for being such an instrumental part of it!
