Two days of sharing insight and collaboration

21.05.2025

It was a privilege to welcome so many distinguished colleagues, partners, and new collaborators to the Cyber Capacity Building Workshop, jointly hosted by World Economic Forum Cybersecurity and Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) on 19-20 May .

The workshop brought together a remarkable group of cybersecurity professionals, policymakers and private sector leaders and educators for two days of focused discussions on issues: cyber talent shortage and international collaboration in disrupting cybercrime.

Mr. Marash Dukaj, Minister of Public Administration of Montenegro, who opened the event with a keynote, following the welcome speech by Gilles Schwoerer, Head of WB3C, emphasized the urgency of strengthening cyber capabilities across the Western Balkans. This was followed by insights from a high-level panel featuring:
-Dušan Polović, Ministry of Public Administration, Montenegro
-Ivan Boskovic, e-Commerce Association of Montenegro
-Jelena Zelenovic Matone, European Investment Bank, and
-Rob Rashotte, Fortinet (Canada),
who bring vast experience and knowledge from their global operations.
The panel was moderated by Natasa Perucica, World Economic Forum, Lead for capacity building at the WEF Cybersecurity Centre.

The programme continued in two parallel tracks:
🔹 Stream 1 focused on building and retaining cybersecurity talent, with speakers from Accenture, Check Point, Université de Troyes, Fortinet, National Cybersecurity Authority of Saudi Arabia, and the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

During the workshop, the World Economic Forum also presented two key publications that offer practical insights into developing the cybersecurity workforce:
Strategic Cybersecurity Talent Framework
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eZ9mFTyt
Growing Cyber Talent Through Public-Private Partnerships
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gQ8xczpM

Both publications highlight proven approaches, success stories and lessons from global partnerships that are highly relevant for the Western Balkans and beyond.
🔹 Stream 2 explored operational collaboration against cybercrime, with contributions from Europol EC3, Sekoia.io, Standard Chartered, and the World Economic Forum’s Cybercrime Atlas Initiative.
Across both streams, discussions were practical and constructive—examining the realities of cyber workforce shortages, the anatomy of current threats, and the importance of trust and cross-border cooperation.
Gilles Schwoerer, provided a brief overview of the Centre’s three pillars—cybersecurity, cybercrime, and cyberdiplomacy—emphasizing the importance of partnerships in advancing this collaborative effort.

A sincere thank you to all speakers, contributors, and participants for your openness and energy throughout the workshop. We are especially grateful to our partners at the World Economic Forum for their support in building cyber resilience of the Western Balkans.

Downloads:

WEF_Strategic_Cybersecurity_Talent_Framework_2024-(1).pdf

Other news and events

Upcoming

Regional Conference on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference and Disinformation

This regional conference intended for governments, media and civil society brings diverse perspectives on the growing hybrid threats of fake news, disinformation, manipulative and malign narratives that have the power to undermine democratic processes, trust in media and institutions and overal societal resilience and cohesion. Understanding, detecting, preventing, responding, debunking, investigating and prosecuting such manipulations will be the task of our panels, case studies and interactive exercises aimed at supporting governemnts and societies to tackle this challenge. The conference will feature 30 prominent speakers from the EU and the WB region from various departments, sectors and industries.

CTI for Critical Infrastructure Training Completed

Last week at WB3C, we wrapped up a four-day training on Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) focused on the energy sector and government infrastructure, led by Ljuban Petrovic.

Working with SOC, CSIRT and CERT teams from across the region, the training reinforced a simple point: CTI only matters when it informs decisions. When it helps prioritise. When it changes how teams prepare and respond.
The sectoral focus proved its value. Energy infrastructure comes with its own risk landscape, and the discussions reflected that reality—specific, operational, and directly relevant.

We are continuing this work in September, building on what started here.
Because strengthening resilience is not a one-off effort. It is something that develops over time, through practice, exchange, and trust.

What is Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) — and why does it matter?

Simply put, CTI is about turning information into insight, before a threat happens.

Not just collecting data on threats, but understanding who is behind them, how they operate, and what that means for your own systems.
Without that understanding, cybersecurity remains reactive. With it, organisations can anticipate, prioritise and respond with purpose.

Next week at WB3C, we will be running a four-day regional training on Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI).
The training is designed for SOC, CSIRT and CERT teams, as well as IT professionals working within critical entities—specifically the energy sector. The choice is deliberate.

We are taking a sectoral approach to cybersecurity capacity building. Because threats are not abstract—they target specific systems, infrastructures and vulnerabilities. And the energy sector, as a backbone of economic and societal stability, requires tailored, operationally relevant skills that reflect its real risk landscape.
Over four days, participants will cover:
💡 understanding CTI in the context of critical infrastructure
💡 analysing threats and assessing their impact
💡 translating intelligence into actionable outputs

All week, we will be working closely with cybersecurity professionals from across the region’s energy sector—moving from concepts to application, and building capabilities that can directly support operational decision-making.
This is where CTI becomes operational. Protecting our energy infrastructure means protecting our economy, our security and our livelihood.

Image: Patrick https://lnkd.in/diYnZEgB