Koen Gijsbers
Associate Partner
He/Him
Life at FGS Global
Helps FGS and our clients with stakeholder strategies for defence, security, and related digital aspects (IT and cyber security)
Life Pre-FGS Global
Was the Director General of NATO's digital agency (NCIA) and CIO of the Netherlands MoD. Lead concept development to digitize forces at Allied Command Transformation in the US. Commanded operational army units, e.g. the 11 Air Assault Brigade and led an operational mission in Kosovo.
Life Beyond FGS Global
Holds non-executive board mandates and teaches board members in digital risk management, He appreciates sports a lot, having been Olympic athlete (400m, 4*400m running) and chairman of the Dutch national champion baseball club. He and his wife Rixt have one son who currently works at NATO.
Koen Gijsbers is an advisor for governments and companies, both at the board and executive level. He has over 40 years of experience working in the public sector, both as a military leader and as a civil senior executive. His military career built his leadership experience, through all levels up to commanding the 11 Air Assault Brigade, with infantry and helicopters. His technical background is based on a solid study of civil engineering as well as many years of leadership as a Combat Engineer. He was deployed to operational missions, including leading the humanitarian relief effort in South Kosovo in 1999 and supported the digital capability of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan for many years.
In the IT and cyber domain, Koen led NATO’s transformation of communications towards the concept of Netcentric Operations and drove change in the NLD Ministry of Defense as CIO. As General Manager of the NATO Communications and Information Agency, he helped optimise NATO’s IT and Cyber capability and services during five plus years.
Koen holds a BS in civil engineering of teh Royal Military Academy in Breda and a Masters Degree in Military Art and Science of the Command and General Staff College in Ft Leavenworth, Ks, USA.
In addition to his professional career, Koen was a highly successful athlete. As an Olympic athlete, he ran 400m and relays and was part of the European team at the World Cup in 1981; today, he volunteered as President of Amsterdam Pirates Base- and Softball Club, who were European Champion in 2016 and four times national champion during his period. Koen has worked and lived in the US, Belgium, and his home base is The Netherlands. He is married to Rixt anf they have one son.
