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Major General Pierre Ciparisse

Born in Namur in 1972, Major General Pierre Ciparisse became Commander of the Belgian Cyber Force on 19 September 2025. After graduating from the Royal Military Academy as a polytechnical engineer, he served as instructor in satellite communication systems, deployed in Albania with AFOR II, and later commanded the Para-Commando Signal Platoon. He held several key positions at the General Intelligence and Security Service (SGRS), including Head of Technical Collection, and played a central role in major modernisation programmes such as BEST (BElgian Soldier Transformation). He also commanded the 4th CIS Group, supporting both international operations and national security missions. From 2021 onwards, he was deeply involved in building Belgium’s Cyber capabilities, first as head of the SGRS Cyber Directorate and later as Deputy Commander of the newly created Cyber Command, before taking full command of the Cyber Force in 2025.

Paul is Defra’s Chief Technology Officer, leading the Architecture, Data, Information  and Innovation (ADII) team, providing overall technology strategy and direction for Defra including AI strategy.

Prior to joining Defra he worked in the private sector in architecture and technology leadership roles in a variety of private sector companies such as BT, Cognizant, McKesson and HCL.

Most recently he spent the last seven years working for Astellas, a Japanese pharmaceutical company. He has also spent time living and working in Denmark and the US, and has worked in multiple sectors including defence, retail, healthcare and life sciences.