Announcing the Kiwa Trust in Digital Partner Program. Today Vinçotte International sa is proud to announce the launch of the Kiwa Trust in Digital Partner Program, VILVOORDE, Belgium, January 29th, 2026 Today Vinçotte International sa is proud to announce the launch of the Kiwa Trust in Digital Partner Program, a new initiative designed to help organizations use digital technologies safely and securely, while staying compliant, and build Trust in Digital for a better AI-driven tomorrow. Through the Partner Program, Kiwa and its partners will build deeper insights, share knowledge and best practices, and increase awareness of the key domains that underpin digital trustworthiness: cybersecurity, data protection, artificial intelligence, and the critical interface with functional safety. First partner announcement. The first partner to join the Kiwa Trust in Digital Partner Program is Equans Digital Belux, a specialist in digital transformation for manufacturing and critical industrial sectors, including energy, nuclear, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Together, Kiwa and Equans Digital Belux will deliver end-to-end support, from training and first-time-right design to OT cybersecurity expertise, independent verification, and certification - helping organizations accelerate digital transformation with confidence. Why Trust in Digital matters now. As AI develops at unprecedented speed, organizations are discovering that it depends on high-quality data, connectivity, sensors, and the convergence of the physical and digital worlds. While this unlocks significant value, it also introduces new risks, responsibilities, and regulatory expectations. For more than 150 years, Vinçotte part of the Kiwa Group, has helped customers gain reassurance that products and industrial processes are safe. Since 1872, that mission has been rooted in independent inspection and control, originally driven by the need to prevent steam boiler explosions. Today, the rapid diffusion of software and connected technology confronts society with a modern version of the same fundamental question: Is this safe to use, and what are the consequences if it fails? Building an ecosystem for digital trust. The speed at which new technologies and new regulations reach the market has reinforced a clear reality: Vinçotte International sa must be more efficient and more collaborative in building and sharing know-how. Digital transformation and AI implementation do not happen in isolation. Through the Trust in Digital Partner Program, Kiwa is building an ecosystem of expert partners across Industrial AI, Industry 5.0, cybersecurity, data governance, software quality and AI. Together, the ecosystem supports customers end-to-end: from strategy and design to assurance and certification. As part of the program, Kiwa will train partner teams and their customers and work side-by-side with the ecosystem to turn proven expertise into practical, industry-specific playbooks and customer journeys, delivering concrete outcomes across safety, cybersecurity, compliance, and trusted AI. Customer benefits include: * Direct access to top experts across safety, cybersecurity, data, and AI; * Role-based, industry-specific training for engineering, operations, and governance teams; * Clear test and certification pathways, from gap analysis to independent assurance for asset owners, system integrators and product suppliers; * Reference architectures and control objectives to accelerate secure-by-design delivery; * Assurance cases and integrated safety-security reference models for cyber-physical systems, such as cybersecurity HAZOP/FAT/SAT; * Best practices for integrating industrial security into information security management systems; * Readiness and compliance assessments mapped to applicable standards and regulation. Leadership perspectives. Patrick Coomans, initiator of the Kiwa Trust in Digital Partner Program, said: "Our customers are under tremendous pressure from competition and regulation. They're expected to do more with less, protect the company from cybersecurity incidents, keep pace with fast-moving regulatory frameworks, and at the same time deploy new technologies like agentic AI and autonomous systems. Trust in Digital is about helping them move forward with confidence." Carlo Hoeyberghs, OT security leader at Equans Digital Belux, added: "Equans Digital turns digital transformation into reality, securely and compliantly. Kiwa brings deep compliance expertise and hands-on guidance through the regulatory landscape. Together, we deliver what organizations need to make digital transformation succeed: trust in digital." Michel Vandegard, Commercial Director of Vinçotte - a Kiwa company: "This partner ecosystem lets Vinçotte International sa bring a true 360° assurance approach. It allows customers to innovate with confidence and move faster, with clearer accountability and measurable confidence in safety, cybersecurity, and compliance. Rollout and participation. The Kiwa Trust in Digital Partner Program will be rolled out in phases, starting in Belgium and Luxembourg. Organizations interested in joining can contact Patrick Coomans. Kiwa is seeking reputable expert partners with a proven track record in domains that strengthen the trustworthiness of digital technology across critical and asset-intensive sectors, including critical infrastructure, data centres, energy, process industries, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, logistics, automotive, aviation, oil and gas, and the built environment. About impartiality. Impartiality and independence are fundamental to the Kiwa Trust in Digital Partner Program. Kiwa will always preserve the independence of its conformity assessment activities and will not certify its own work or the work it has designed or delivered. All partners commit to avoiding conflicts of interest. Partner contracts in Belgium and Luxembourg are established with Vinçotte Academy NV. Media contact: Michel Vandegard, Phone: +32 477 72 63 10. e-mail: [email protected]