Good morning, Ladies & Gentlemen.

It’s such a great feeling to see so many familiar faces in the audience.

It tells me that you actually enjoyed and saw value in our last year’s edition.

So let me just start by saying that I wish to THANK YOU (from the bottom of my heart) for once again saying “YES” to our invitation!

I would like to say THANK YOU also to those of you who have responded to our invitation for the first time. Having you today is another very important achievement for us.

When I look at you today, I realize that one of our dreams – to create an international, knowledge-sharing community – is already becoming a reality! You are the very special members of the CYBERSEC community.

The first edition of CYBERSEC was recognised as one of the best European cybersecurity conferences in 2015. It raises the bar for us even higher to keep making significant progress every year. And we’ve put a lot of effort into making this year’s edition even better.

So here we are again, in the heart of Kraków, today, together! And by “WE”, I mean over six hundred participants, more than one hundred speakers, senior officials, investors, acclaimed experts & practitioners in the field of cybersecurity.

Within the next two days, we will make a collective effort to help shape sound cybersecurity policy proposals that are of crucial importance to our world, to succeed in unfolding the 4th industrial revolution.

If we fail to protect our ICT infrastructure and if we fail to stay ahead of cybercriminals, there will be no digital global revolution.

To do so, we truly need holistic solutions and multistakeholder cooperation.

At the same time, at CYEBRSEC, we believe that cyberspace does not only impose challenges on our security and prosperity but also creates opportunities for our economy and society. This year’s edition of CYBERSEC will cover them both…

Over the coming two days we have scheduled for you: – like a year ago –  8 breakout sessions, 4 panel discussions and few special sessions in 4 thematic streams, but we are also introducing new formats:

• CYBERSEC for SENIORS and CYBERSEC for YOUTH – dedicated to build cybersecurity awareness and knowledge in the society
• CYBERSEC START UP DAYS with CYBERSEC INVESTORS’ PROGRAM aim at boosting cutting-edge cyberinnovations that will contribute to European cybercapabilities.

Today, we are also happy to launch in Kraków the CYBERSEC HUB and our, yet ANOTHER dream, is to make this beautiful city a place which connects people who want to forge secure cyber future. We invite all of you to support this initiative.

Ladies and Gentlemen, history is repeating itself. Today, we can see a testimony to this fundamental truth, with new, fascinating cyberchapters being written in the front of our eyes.

And therefore, I look forward to repeating myself, year to year, at this magnificent place, when I say “It is my great HONOUR and a TRUE PLEASURE to welcome you to CYBERSEC