Frank Robben

Frank Robben (16/3/1961) obtained a master of laws degree at the University of Leuven (1984). He specialized in legal informatics and social security during his study in Leuven and afterwards at the University of Tübingen and the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Social Law in Munich (1985). He postgraduated in computer auditing at IPO Antwerpen (1987) and in business administration at the University of Leuven (1992).

Currently, Frank Robben is general manager of the Crossroads Bank for Social Security, an institution he conceived and founded. The Crossroads Bank for Social Security elaborates the eGovernment strategy within the Belgian social sector and co-ordinates the eGovernment projects in that sector, such as the social security portal. The overall eGovernment program of the Belgian social sector has received a Good Practice Label within the eGovernment Good Practice Framework of the European Commission. The Crossroads Bank for Social Security received a first Belgian eGovernment Champion Award in December 2004, a prestigious United Nations Public Service Award for eGovernment in June 2006, a European Public Service Award in October 2007 and a second Belgian eGovernment Champion Award in December 2008.

Frank Robben is also co-founder and general manager of the eHealth-platform, a brand new public institution elaborating and managing a platform that supports electronic service delivery in the health care sector. For information security and privacy protection reasons, the eHealth-platform is strictly separated from the Crossroads Bank for Social Security.

Furthermore, Frank Robben is strategic advisor at Fedict, the Belgian federal public service responsible for the elaboration and co-ordination of eGovernment in the Belgian federal administration. In that function, he developed the concept of the electronic identity card and the company register, and he worked out the general information security and privacy protection policy of the Belgian federal government.

Frank Robben is also CEO of Smals, the most important ICT-service provider in the Belgian social security sector.

Frank Robben is a member of the Belgian Privacy Commission, the steering committee of the Belgian federal public service for administrative simplification and the Dutch Commission about reduction of the administrative burden for citizens.

Frank Robben is the Belgian representative in various commissions and working groups of the EU relating to eGovernment, ICT and social security, and a member of the Management Board of the e-Forum, a forum for European e-Public Services.

Finally, Frank Robben is co-founder of and researcher at ICRI (Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and Information Technology) at the University of Leuven. He is a member of the editorial board of the Belgian Review of Social Security and wrote more than 100 publications relating to eGovernment, management, ICT-law and social security.

Frank Robben was elected Flemish public manager of the year 2005.