The 2026 Youth Security Conference.
European Horizons is hosting its 2026 Youth Security Conference on May 9th 2026. As European Horizons' Leiden Chapter's flagship event it embodies our mission to educate students and connect them with industry and government professionals who can speak from their experience, offering insights that simply cannot be found in a classroom.
As the conference draws nearer, Leiden University students can find released information about the conference here and on our socials. In the mean time we encourage you to read about last year's conference!
Do you work in security or an adjacent sector?
Want to engage with motivated, internationally minded students? We are welcoming involvement through speaking opportunities and tables at our networking hour, designed to connect recruiters and professionals with an attending body of vetted students eager for hands-on experience.
Individuals, companies, agencies, and other organizations are encouraged to contact us with the inquiry button below.
Keynote Speaker
Rob Bertholee
Lieutenant General (ret.) & Former head of the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD)
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Rob Bertholee headed the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) from 2011 through 2018. During an unprecedentedly turbulent period, he and his team transformed the AIVD from a target for budget cuts into an indispensable dialogue partner for the government and the business community. In doing so, he explicitly promoted international cooperation between the various intelligence and security services. During his military career, he studied in the United States, was deployed to the former Yugoslavia and Afghanistan, and served in various staff and operational roles in the Netherlands and Germany. After one and a half years as Vice-Chief of Defence and nearly four years as Commander of the Land Forces, he concluded a period of over 36 years in uniform. Today, he is, among other things, a member of the Advisory Boards of the Dutch Data Protection Authority and of the District Court of The Hague. He is also active in The Alphen Group, an independent international think tank.