Dear colleagues, I am pleased to share the news that Jaap Akkerhuis has been appointed Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion,  one of the Netherlands’ highest civilian honours for people who have provided outstanding service to society. Throughout his career, Jaap has been a deeply engaged and longstanding member of the RIPE community. He co-founded and chaired the DNS Working Group, bringing together operators and shaping collaboration around DNS operations in RIPE. He is a great source of expertise and has always been happy to share his knowledge. More details on his well deserved recognition, including his broader contributions to the development of the Internet, are available on NLnet Labs, who nominated him for the award: https://blog.nlnetlabs.nl/dutch-internet-pioneer-jaap-akkerhuis-knighted-for... Congratulations to Jaap for being recognised not only for his technical achievements but also for his longstanding commitment to collaboration and knowledge sharing within the global Internet community. Mirjam Kühne RIPE Chair