Aknostic x Sustainable IT Netherlands Meetup

For our second meetup of the year, we are partnering up with Sustainable IT Netherlands, a group of passionate individuals who aim to bring together professionals who want to learn about building more sustainable software and making the IT field more sustainable overall.

Join us on June 26th for an evening of thought-provoking talks and networking with peers who share your passion for sustainability and IT!

Event information

Date: June 26th
Time: 18:00 to 21:00
Location: Aknostic office, Oudegracht 233, 3511 NK, Utrecht
Parking: ParkBee Lange Nieuwstraat, or Parkeergarage Springweg (€€€)
Networking drinks: Stay after the discussions to connect with fellow attendees

Timeline

18:00: Walk-in, light dinner & networking
18:45: Brief welcome by Aknostic & Sustainable IT Netherlands
18:50: Talk by Corina Milosoiu "Green IT, One Byte at a Time"
19:00: Panel discussion "Making digital sustainability actionable"
19:45: Pitches
20:00: Speed Debating
20:15: Drinks & Networking
21:00: End of event

Panel discussion

Participants: Ekaterina Smid Gankin, Dr. Melanie Rieback, Tai Sassen-Liang
Description: We'll hold a panel discussion where the public can participate!

About the participants:

• Ekaterina Smid Gankin works for the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management on strategic circular procurement, building collaboration at both national and international levels. Through the Circular and Fair ICT (CFIT) Pact—a global, procurement-led initiative—she drives circularity, fairness, and sustainability in the IT sector. Drawing on her diverse experience in both public institutions and the private sector, Ekaterina connects policy development with market practice, helping organizations shape procurement standards that drive progress in sustainable IT.

• Dr. Melanie Rieback is the CEO and co-founder of Radically Open Security, the world’s first non-profit penetration testing company. A former cybersecurity researcher and one of the most influential women in tech, she champions transparency, ethical hacking, and open-source security. Her visionary approach is redefining cybersecurity and ethical entrepreneurship.

• Tai Sassen-Liang has been working in the IT field for more than 15 years. Starting as a software developer, his concern for technology's impact on society and the environment has led him to a career as a Digital Ethicist at IKEA, where he sets guidelines for the responsible adoption and usage of emerging technologies.

Pitches

Our goal is to connect people around Sustainable IT. To build more connections, we would like to offer the stage to everyone who wants to share something. Note that we will timebox each pitch to 2 minutes exactly!

Note that we're meeting in the spirit of community, so commercial pitches might be less appreciated. :)

Green IT speed debating

Participants: Everyone!
Description:
The goal of Sustainable IT Netherlands has always been to connect people, companies and ideas to build a more sustainable tech sector. In this meetup, we want to experiment with a new format to achieve this goal by allowing all attendees to network based on the panel discussion & pitches. We'll hand out conversation points so you have an easy way to start a conversation. From there, you can learn something new, build your sustainable IT skills and help your organisation contribute to a more sustainable world!