Farewell to Kees Groeneveld and a look into the cyber future

At the FHI Federation Congress, policymakers and technology entrepreneurs were treated to diverse visions of the cyber world of today and the future by two inspiring speakers. During the conference, extensive attention was also paid to the farewell of former FHI director Kees Groeneveld, up to ministerial level. The opening words for the sessions under the theme 'Living in the Cyber World, our adventure journey between pitfalls' were by futurist and IT entrepreneur Yori Kamphuis. In his richly visualized speech, the futurist talked about the blessings that technology can bring. From reading the brain, which makes it possible to move artificial arms, to the possibilities of new DNA technology. At the end of his session, Kamphuis received questions from the audience, after which the futurist urged politicians to quickly increase their knowledge in the field of technology so as not to fall far behind the technology that is developing rapidly. FHI said Kamphuis already in the run-up to the conference. Sidney Vollmer, writer and creative thinker, saw both benefits and risks in his vision of today's cyber world. Under the heading 'digitalism', he cited the controversies surrounding privacy and ICT giants such as Facebook and Google, and analyzed the smartphone addiction of modern people. Vollmer argued, among other things, that more women are needed in the technology world and states that governments should pursue a more restrictive policy towards ICT giants instead of a facilitating role. Citizens must also regain full ownership of their data.

Farewell Kees Groeneveld

The FHI Federation Congress concluded with the retirement of Kees Groeneveld. After 27 years of service, he received a souvenir in the form of a bronze sculpture. Groeneveld gave an extensive word of thanks to the audience. The farewell was graced by a personal speech by Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Carola Schouten. She spoke about the role that the former FHI director played at the start of her Chamber career. Kees asked her to participate in panel discussions and company visits with the members of FHI. She has always experienced the human way in which Kees Groeneveld informed Schouten about developments in the international and Dutch tech industries as special.