Despina Spanou is the Head of the Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission overseeing the European Union’s policies on security, migration, health, skills, education, culture and sports as well as interfaith dialogue and the combat against anti-semitism.
She has a leading role in coordinating all areas under the heading of the EU Security Union, ranging from counter-terrorism, organised crime and cybersecurity to hybrid threats.
Previously, she was Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity at the European Commission. In this capacity, Ms Spanou was responsible for the European Union’s cybersecurity policy and negotiated legislation such as the Cybersecurity Act. Ms Spanou has served as a member of the management board of ENISA, and of the Steering Board of the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU Institutions, bodies and agencies (CERT-EU). 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.
Despina Spanou joined the European Commission in 2003 and has since held various senior level posts; she had previously practised law with a US law firm. She holds a Ph.D. in European law from the University of Cambridge.