Sjouwerman presented with prestigious international entrepreneur award in Washington, DC
KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today announced that its CEO Stu Sjouwerman was recognized with the 2024 Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award. 
The Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award honors an entrepreneur who has made a substantial and positive contribution to the United States-Dutch economic relationship, exemplifying the best of both worlds. Chosen by an awards committee, the recipient is an innovative industry leader who combines entrepreneurial drive with a transatlantic focus. The Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award is part of a new effort to celebrate the values that the Netherlands and the United States have shared for more than 400 years, including Freedom, Justice, and Entrepreneurship.
Sjouwerman was selected because as Founder and CEO of KnowBe4, he embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of the Freddy Heineken Award. Additionally, KnowBe4’s contributions to strengthening cybersecurity aligns with the importance of this issue as a priority for the Netherlands and the United States.
“I am originally from the Netherlands, born and raised in Amsterdam,” said Sjouwerman. “I made my way to the U.S. to pursue my dreams as a high-tech entrepreneur in 1994, but did not forget my Dutch business DNA. I build companies. KnowBe4 is my fifth startup, and the second cybersecurity one I built from the ground up here in the U.S. Although I have been a U.S. citizen for many years now, I still have deep roots in the Netherlands and I highly appreciate this recognition of The Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award, with special gratitude to The Dutch Embassy, the Dutch Caucus, the Netherland-America Foundation and all their corporate partners.”
Sjouwerman was presented with the award on April 10, 2024 in Washington, DC at the residence of Ambassador Tazelaar as part of Dutch Tulip Days, an annual event where the embassy brings together representatives from government, business, and the defense sectors to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the Netherlands and the United States.
For more information on the award and photos from the event, visit the Kingdom of the Netherlands website. For more information on KnowBe4, visit our blog.
About KnowBe4
KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 65,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. The late Kevin Mitnick, who was an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4’s Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as their last line of defense and trust the KnowBe4 platform to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.
