Despina Spanou
Deputy Director General, Cybersecurity and Trust , European Commission
Despina Spanou is the Deputy Director-General in charge of the Directorate for Cybersecurity and Trust in the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content, and Technology (DG CONNECT) of the European Commission. She was previously the Head of the Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas (2019-2024), covering security, migration and asylum, health, skills, education, culture, and sports. She is a Founding Member of the Women4Cyber initiative and advocate for the need for more cybersecurity experts in Europe. She also teaches EU Cybersecurity policy at Harvard Kennedy School. She is a member of the Athens Bar Association and holds a PhD in European law from the University of Cambridge.