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Kalman Tiboldi - CTO & Founder at GemOne-TVH - Simplify or Die: Why Complexity Is the Real IT Challenge
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Germany Aug 27, 2025 Country Members Virtual german
Die neuen geo-politischen Veränderungen und unvorhergesehene wirtschaftliche Anforderungen stellen Digital Leader vor neue Herausforderungen. Immer öfter wird in den Vorstandsetagen die Frage gestellt, wie der (IT) Betrieb sicher und ungestört weiter funktionieren kann, wenn regionale Rechenzentren und Infrastrukturen plötzlich nicht mehr verfügbar oder nur teilweise noch einsatzbereit sind. Der CIO muss für diese neue Welt resiliente Strategien parat haben, die für Business Continuity in bisher nicht vorstellbaren politischen und wirtschaftlichen Szenarien ermöglichen.
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Belgium Aug 28, 2025 Country Members Physical english
With the theme “The Power of Connection,” we’re embracing the essence of meaningful connections within IT and beyond. To honour our tradition, expect an unforgettable evening featuring keynote presentations, open bars, a summer BBQ, and a special experience designed to bring our vibrant community together.
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Belgium Aug 28, 2025 Country Members Physical english
A special celebration marking 20 years of CIONET—two decades of empowering digital leaders and driving innovation in the technology landscape. This exclusive event will bring together our members to reflect on the incredible journey we've shared and look ahead to the future of digital leadership.Featuring keynote presentations from visionary CIOs, industry pioneers, and founding members, we’ll explore how far we’ve come and what lies ahead in the ever-evolving world of technology. Together, we will honour the contributions of our members who have shaped CIONET’s legacy while offering insights into how the community will continue to lead in the years to come.This is more than a celebration—it’s an opportunity to reconnect, reflect, and recharge with your fellow digital leaders. Don't miss this exclusive experience packed with inspiring talks, networking opportunities, and special recognitions that highlight the best of CIONET’s history and future.Let’s celebrate the past, present, and future of the digital community you helped build.
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Germany Sep 9, 2025 Country Members Physical german
Vom ersten Use Case zur strategischen Neuausrichtung CIONET lädt bereits zum vierten Mal zu einem exklusiven Roundtable für CIOs und Digitalverantwortliche aus Logistik und Handel ein. Im Mittelpunkt des Abends steht die Frage, wie Unternehmen ihre KI-Initiativen erfolgreich skalieren und aus ersten Use Cases echten strategischen Mehrwert schaffen. Microsoft 365 für Frontline Worker: Moderne Tools, die Mitarbeitende im Tagesgeschäft entlasten ServiceNow für Prozessintegration: Automatisierte End-to-End-Workflows – vom Schadensfall bis zur Retourenabwicklung KI-gestützte Disposition und Planung: Mit smarten Algorithmen zur optimierten Supply Chain Digitale Lieferketten und letzte Meile: Transparenz, Effizienz und Kundenzentrierung durchgängig gedacht
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Belgium Sep 13, 2025 All Members Physical english
Join us for a wonderful ride. The ride is accessible to all levels of riders and doesn't require extensive technical skills. More information will follow soon. Looking forward to ride together!
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MERGE increases operational efficiency and innovation with Jasper
MERGE has proven AI frees up time to focus on strategic thinking and creative ideation. Jasper empowers them to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently, ultimately driving better results for their clients.
As a revolutionary marketing and technology agency, MERGE was quick to see an opportunity to enhance its workflow using generative AI. Leading this digital charge was Mark Wollney, the Senior Vice President of Operations. To stay competitive in the changing marketing landscape, MERGE adopted AI as a supporting tool to empower creativity and productivity and deliver accelerated value to its clients.
The initial task was to single out the departments that could gain the most from the AI integration. The journey started with the launch of a pilot program involving initial testers from the writing, studio, and strategy teams.
Early results showed that employees across the board were empowered with more time back in their day, enhancing their productivity. As word spread about Jasper’s capabilities, it became clear that the potential went well beyond these teams and could impact the entire org.
MERGE shifted its focus to implementing and developing AI use cases tailored to address key challenges for CMOs, including enhancing customer experiences, refining content creation and personalization, analyzing market trends, and optimizing operations for better decision-making and growth acceleration.
MERGE assembled six groups of Jasper super-users across 20 different job functions to perform AI discovery on its primary platform. Jasper fits within a diversified technology strategy that includes multiple tools and approaches. The AI Council meets bi-weekly to record new use cases, propose innovative ideas, and discuss the strengths and limitations of AI systems, encompassing emerging trends in AI evolution.
Monthly, the council discusses potential AI use cases, sharing adopted ones within the organization and eventually with clients. Beyond these meetings, employees regularly share best practices in a group Slack channel as AI evolves daily. Simultaneously, they bring creative AI ideas to their Jasper partners, who then filter the most innovative solutions and workflows back to the Council. The AI Council also oversees the establishment of tool governance and requirements, aligning with their commitment to accountability and ethical practices.
MERGE’s bottoms-up approach to adoption is becoming a best practice across industries. They encouraged each user to identify their own challenges and explore how Jasper could address them. As Mark put it, “We’re not just integrating AI into our existing workflows. We’re exploring AI’s capabilities to define entirely new ones.”
Employees from different departments readily took up the tool, discovering new ways AI could make their work more productive and strategic. MERGE saw immediate value:
Mark's goal was to enable employees to focus their energies on high-impact, strategic work rather than repetitive routine tasks. The team saw a significant decrease in time spent on tasks like research, content creation, and responding to RFPs (Requests for Proposals) with Jasper’s Brand Voice and Google Search integration.
The AI-enabled employees at MERGE continued to share their Jasper experiences and insights via internal communication channels and developed a renewed culture of cross-functional collaboration and continuous learning.
Through their findings, MERGE has proven AI frees up time to focus on strategic thinking and creative ideation. It empowers them to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently, ultimately driving better results for their clients. Following the pilot's triumphant success, MERGE aims to integrate 50 more daily users and inspire other department leaders to tap into the power of Jasper.
MERGE is positioning itself at the forefront of technological innovation. They are committed to exploring and implementing AI solutions that drive growth, improve performance, and deliver exceptional value to their clients.
Wollney summarizes their approach to AI by stating “This isn't just about staying relevant in a rapidly evolving industry; it's about leading the way. It's about being progressive, proactive, and prepared for the future. With AI, we are not just keeping pace with change; we are driving it.”
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
Company Size: Enterprise (200+ employees)
Industry: Agency
Kalman Tiboldi - CTO & Founder at GemOne-TVH - Simplify or Die: Why Complexity Is the Real IT Challenge
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Isabelle Droll - CIO for Airline, Corporate, Hotels & Resorts and Sustainability at TUI - Data, Diversity, and Destinations
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Sharon Prior - CIO in transition - How Great Tech Leadership Begins with Business Thinking
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José Antonio López, Group CIO at TOUS - Jewels, Data & AI: Inside the Digital Transformation of TOUS
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Tom Tanghe - General Manager ITC EMEA at Daikin Europe - Reinventing the CIO Role
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CIOFEST 2025 - From Order Taker to Proactive Disruptor
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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