07.06.2024 - A steering committee has been set up to manage the National Cyberstrategy (NCS) implementation process. It supports the federal, cantonal, business and academic bodies concerned in implementing the NCS in a targeted and effective manner. The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) appointed the members of the steering committee and informed the Federal Council of the appointments at the latter's meeting on 7 June.
On 5 April 2023, the Federal Council approved the National Cyberstrategy and decided that, as with the first two strategies, a steering committee (NCS SC) should be set up. As a cross-cutting issue, cybersecurity affects many areas. The NCS should therefore be managed by a committee that brings together a variety of skills and promotes cooperation between the various stakeholders.
NCS steering committee tasks
The NCS SC is responsible for the strategic groundwork for the NCS, which involves the following:
- It reviews the NCS at least every five years, plays a role in developing it and presents any proposed changes to the Federal Council.
- In consultation with the players listed in the NCS, it draws up priorities and schedules for implementing the measures it contains.
- Where necessary, it proposes additional measures to the Federal Council.
- It reports annually to the Federal Council, the cantons and the public on the implementation of the NCS.
The Federal Council may decide to amend or add to the strategy if necessary.
NCS steering committee composition
To ensure that the NCS SC can make a balanced assessment of how the NCS is being implemented, it is made up of representatives from the cantons, the federal government, business, civil society and academia. The chair is held by a person from outside the Federal Administration. The representatives of business, civil society and academia are appointed on the basis of their strategic expertise in a specific area of cybersecurity. The departments, Federal Chancellery and cantons appoint their own representatives.
The DDPS has appointed the following representatives of business, civil society and academia to the NCS SC:
Chair:
- Dr sc. ETH Maya Bundt, independent board director
Representatives of the business community:
- Christian Grasser, Managing Director, asut
- Sandra Tobler, CEO, futurae technologies
- Dr Eric Nicolas, CEO, WiseStratEdge
Civil society representatives:
- Dr Christian Folini, cybersecurity engineer
- Charlotte Lindsey-Curtet, Director of Public Policy at the Cyber Peace Institute
Representatives of the academic community:
- Dr Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Deputy Head of Research and Teaching at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich
- Marcel Freyschmidt, PhD student at the Institute of Insurance Economics, University of St Gallen
The NCS SC meets at least four times a year. Its meetings are presided over by the chair, while the administrative tasks (secretariat) are assumed by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
