25 Years of GlobalSign – All Eyes on Sanne

This year we’re celebrating GlobalSign’s 25th anniversary since its founding in 1996. Each month in 2021, we’ll be introducing you to a member of the GlobalSign team – representing countries from all over the globe, departments from Product Management to Compliance to Customer Support, and with years of service from one to 25…these are the people working hard behind the scenes to bring industry-leading PKI and identity solutions to the world.

Today we are featuring vetting superstar Sanne Spiessens. Keep reading to learn more about her experience at GlobalSign and check out our interactive website for more 25th Anniversary updates.

GS: What is your role here at GlobalSign?

SS: Interim US Regional Vetting Manager.

GS: How long have you worked for GlobalSign?

SS: Since March 3rd 2014, so 7 years, 5 months, 13 days. 🙂

GS: Where do you call home?

SS: Originally from Belgium, my home is now Canterbury, UK.

GS: What is the best part of your job?

SS: Spending each day with my GS-family, working toward one common goal: to be the best CA in the world!

GS: How would you describe the GlobalSign culture in one word?

SS: Intriguing.

GS: What makes GlobalSign unique?

SS: The different nationalities that make up our company. Never a dull moment!

GS: Is there a year that stands out in your mind from your tenure at GlobalSign?

SS: That would be 2020. The amount of work, sweat, tears, heartfelt emotion, that every one of us has put into last year was literally awe-some. I have never been so proud to belong to our company.

GS: Can you share one of your most memorable moments from that year?

SS: The moment that everything started going downhill [with Covid-19]. I remember walking around our building in Maidstone, UK, after 5pm, with our HR manager, telling the few remaining people that we would have to be self-isolating, because the pandemic was real and it was at our figurative doorstep.

GS: What would you consider your biggest work accomplishment so far?

SS: There is not one specific thing that sticks out to me but assisting management to help the EMEA team thrive as they are, and now doing the same thing with the US team just strikes a chord. I love seeing people reach their full potential, and as a team find our own identity.

GS: There have been plenty of changes in the CA and identity services industry over the course of the last two-and-a-half decades. What’s one of the most significant changes you’ve witnessed during your time with the company?

SS: No longer being able to use WhoIs direct match for domain validation. That is a change made, where the bell is still echoing around the courtyard. A close second, where we are still needing to see a lot of the results, is the change of reduced validity for certificates. But it is what it is, changes will always be made – it is how we deal with them that will define us as a company, and as the best CA in the world!

GS: What security tip have you learned since working at GlobalSign that you didn’t know before you started?

SS: Do not leave any passwords in a notepad file…or on your phone…or on a post-it. I have a notoriously bad memory, but I managed to commit all my passwords to muscle memory luckily. 🙂

GS: What’s something you’re working on right now that you can’t wait to share with others?

SS: The US TEAM! We are continuously making improvements everywhere and becoming more efficient. They have been taking it all in stride! I cannot wait to see where we will go together!

GS: What does GlobalSign’s 25th anniversary mean to you?

RDT: It is technology, it is forever growing and expanding… Again, who knows where we will end up, but we will end up there together, of that, I am sure!

We are, too. Thanks, Sanne, for sharing your enthusiasm and positive outlook with us all.