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Gunter Van Craen - CDIO at Bekaert - Embracing Digital Transformation
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Belgium Dec 4, 2025 Invitation Only Physical english
CIONET is committed to highlighting and celebrating female role models in IT, Tech & Digital, creating a leadership programme that empowers and elevates women within the tech industry. This initiative is dedicated to showcasing the achievements and successes of leading women, fostering an environment where female role models are recognised, and their contributions can ignite progress and inspire the next generation of women in IT.
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International Dec 9, 2025 Public Virtual english
The CIONET Awards 2026: Part 1, the premier celebration of excellence in digital mission and leadership. During this event the spotlight falls on two of the most critical arenas in modern enterprise: Applications & Architecture and Data & AI. Prepare for a dynamic session where each nominee will present their groundbreaking achievements.
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Netherlands Dec 9, 2025 Invitation Only Physical english
Digital transformation and ongoing economic uncertainty are intensifying the pressure on IT leaders to do more with less. In this environment, gaining precise control over IT costs—while continuing to deliver effective, efficient, and innovative technology operations—is more critical than ever. At this exclusive CIONET Executive Roundtable, hosted in partnership with It’s Value, we will explore how Technology Business Management (TBM) principles can help CIOs and IT leaders make data-driven financial decisions that drive measurable business value. Key Discussion Themes Turning data insights into smarter IT investment decisions Setting priorities for cost optimisation and maximising ROI Quantifying and communicating the business value of IT initiatives Evaluating the principles of FinOps and the implications of public, private, and hybrid cloud environments for cost management Embedding effective change management to drive adoption and alignment Achieving tangible business outcomes from AI initiatives while maintaining fiscal discipline The evening will also feature a fireside chat with Sunil Anand, Global Head of Technology Business Management at National Grid. Sunil will share practical lessons and key milestones, retracing the National Grid cost management journey. This dinner offers a unique opportunity to: Exchange experiences with peers facing similar challenges Gain insights from TBM experts and industry practitioners Reassess your own IT financial strategy in a relaxed, collegial setting Join us for an evening of insight, discussion, and connection—designed to help you strengthen IT’s role as a true business value driver.
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Italy Dec 10, 2025 Invitation Only Physical italian
Questa roundtable esclusiva offrirà a CIO, CISO e Leader di ITOps/Engineering un confronto diretto per individuare le migliori strategie di Innovazione che, attraverso l'observability, ottimizzino il Return of Investment.
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Belgium Dec 11, 2025 Country Members Physical english
Imagine being able to monitor, simulate, and optimise an entire city, factory, or supply chain in real time. Next-generation digital twins are making this vision a reality, transforming how we manage and understand complex systems. By creating dynamic virtual replicas of physical assets and processes, digital twins allow organisations to predict issues, optimize performance, and make data-driven decisions with unprecedented accuracy.This event will explore how digital twins are being used across industries to revolutionize the way we operate and maintain large-scale, intricate systems—whether it’s the infrastructure of a smart city, the efficiency of a factory floor, or the resilience of global supply chains.Examples of Digital Twins in Action:Smart Cities: Urban planners can use digital twins to simulate traffic flow, monitor energy usage, or predict the impact of weather events on infrastructure. This enables cities to optimize resources and improve the quality of life for their citizens.Factories of the Future: Manufacturing plants are leveraging digital twins to monitor equipment in real time, prevent downtime, and optimize production lines. With predictive analytics, factories can avoid costly breakdowns and improve overall efficiency.Supply Chain Management: Complex supply chains, spanning continents and industries, can be modeled as digital twins to track shipments, simulate disruptions, and optimize logistics. Businesses can reduce inefficiencies and respond faster to market demands.Key Themes:Real-Time Monitoring and Simulation: How digital twins provide real-time insights into complex systems, allowing for dynamic response and optimization.Predictive Power: Leveraging AI and data analytics, digital twins help organisations predict and mitigate issues before they happen, from equipment failures to supply chain bottlenecks.Scalability Across Ecosystems: Digital twins aren’t limited to individual assets—learn how they can be scaled across entire ecosystems like smart cities or global supply chains for maximum impact.Building Trust and Security: With digital twins handling critical infrastructure and sensitive data, what are the security and governance frameworks needed to ensure trust in these virtual systems?Why You Should Attend:Next-generation digital twins are no longer just a concept—they are revolutionizing industries by offering a new way to manage complexity. Whether you’re looking to optimize a city, factory, or supply chain, this event will provide practical insights into how digital twins can transform your organisation’s operations and drive future innovation.
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Netherlands Dec 11, 2025 Invitation Only Physical dutch
Navigating tommorrow's threatscape: Cybersecurity insights for digital leaders. Op 28 november in de 3D Makers Zone in Haarlem.
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How DiscoverCars saves €128k annually and upskills agents with generative AI
Learn why Carla, DiscoverCars’ chatbot, is a valuable member of their support team who simultaneously saves agents 110 hours per week while also improving their CSAT.
DiscoverCars is an online platform that provides rental car bookings.
They serve customers around the world in 19 languages.
A team of 66 agents provides support to customers with the help of their bot, Carla.
DiscoverCars offers support via email and chat. Ultimate seamlessly integrates with their support stack and with Zendesk, their CRM.
With growing consumer demand but limited resources, DiscoverCars was looking to speedily scale their support in a cost-effective way.
UltimateGPT, our generative AI-powered automation solution, was easy to use and quick to get started. Carla is now considered a valued member of the team.
DiscoverCars wanted to scale their support in order to better serve their customers and to meet the demands of seasonal travel spikes. The problem was that, with business busier than ever, they had limited resources to continuously hire and train new support staff. Endorsed on Zendesk's list of top CX automation providers, they chose Ultimate as the best solution to meet their support needs. Guleysha Hasanova, DiscoverCars’ Automation and Helpdesk Manager, was instantly impressed by the intuitive dialogue builder and how our AI tools provided quick time to value without requiring a ton of technical know-how.
Thanks to their stellar Customer Success Manager, Frances Naguit, within just two months their chatbot, Carla, was fully operational. As Guleysha recalls, “Frances was the best teacher. She took us from baby steps to the advanced level on Ultimate. She helped me to see that I could easily manage our bot without prior technical background.” But the benefits didn’t stop there. Carla is now a valued member of the team who does the work of 1.5 agents. She is helping them to clear their ticket backlog, and saves their human agents an average of 110 hours a week. All of this has resulted in an improved CSAT score, which has jumped from 68% to 73% since launching their bot.
Frances Naguit
Customer Success Manager, Ultimate
Automation has helped DiscoverCars to tackle their ticket backlog and meet seasonal spikes, all without having to hire and train new agents.
Ultimate’s AI solution was easy to learn and accessible without needing previous technical know-how. It also seamlessly integrated with their existing CRM, Zendesk.
DiscoverCars now offers round-the-clock support thanks to Carla. Since getting started with automation, they’ve seen their CSAT increase too.
Thanks to an personalized onboarding experience with a dedicated CSM, DiscoverCars was able to launch their bot – and reap the benefits of automation – both quickly and easily.
“We are a support team of 66 members, but with Carla we are 67. She’s already an agent here, and we even want to promote her! We expect her to take on the work of 4 or 5 agents in the coming years.”
Guleysha Hasanova
Automation and Helpdesk Manager, DiscoverCars
Having already tried and loved Ultimate’s generative AI offering, UltimateGPT, they’re excited to continue using it as it evolves further. Right now, the latest version is powered by GPT4. They feel so confident in the capabilities of this generative AI solution that they’ve also decided to proudly feature Carla on the front page of their website, rather than gated behind a login. As a forward-thinking business, they know that automation will continue to help future-proof their CX.
Gunter Van Craen - CDIO at Bekaert - Embracing Digital Transformation
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Raul Jimenez - Transforming Data and AI Governance at Sika
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Carla Milovanov - Navigating Transformation: Insights from Landal's CIO
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Claudio Balbo - Senior Director and Head of IT Architecture at Intesa Sanpaolo - Revolutionizing Core Banking
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Angélique Bidault-Verliac - CDPO, SNCF Connect & Tech - Data, AI, and Customer-First Transformation
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Rajat Dhawan - Group Chief Digital & Technology Officer at Soho House - How Data & AI Enhance Member Experiences
The role of the CIO has evolved from managing systems to shaping outcomes: growth, resilience, and competitive edge are now won or lost in the technology arena. Today ’ s CIOs must balance stability with innovation, control costs while attracting scarce talent, and modernise legacy infrastructure while adopting emerging technologies.
As AI transitions from a specialised tool to an all-pervasive force, understanding its profound implications for our human lives is no longer merely academic but an urgent imperative for social well-being and strategic preparedness.
Geopolitical tensions have dominated the headlines for over two years now. In this context, the cyber threat landscape is also evolving rapidly. The protection and security of critical infrastructure – both physical and digital – is becoming increasingly important.
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