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Belgium 13-11-2026 Squad Only Physical English
Many IT capabilities are essential and difficult to fund through a simple project ROI. The challenge is showing why architecture, governance, resilience, cybersecurity maturity, data foundations, and AI readiness deserve investment before the gap becomes expensive. Three pressure points make the case harder. - Shared value means the benefit often sits across several teams, while the budget sits in one place. - Timing creates friction because the cost is immediate while the value appears over time. - Risk translation is needed so business and finance leaders understand the consequence of delaying the investment. The working question is simple: how do we turn foundational IT capabilities into credible investment cases that link cost, risk, business value, and future flexibility? If you are building these cases internally, let’s compare how others are positioning value, risk, and timing.
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Belgium 19-11-2026 All Members Physical English
Public organisations are re-evaluating the digital foundations on which critical services depend. Cloud strategy is increasingly shaped by questions of operational control, legal exposure, supplier dependency, interoperability and long-term resilience. For public-sector leaders, the issue is not only where workloads are hosted, but how much strategic control remains over the technologies that support essential public services. This is where European cloud initiatives, sovereign infrastructure and open-source technologies become strategically important. Together, they can increase transparency, preserve portability and reduce dependency on individual providers. But they also raise practical questions around maturity, procurement, integration, support models and long-term sustainability. Open source brings a specific dimension to this discussion. It claims to better support transparency, interoperability and strategic autonomy, but it is also requiring clear governance, security controls and operational support. The opportunity is to understand where open technologies can strengthen the public-sector technology stack, where commercial platforms remain essential and how both can coexist within a coherent European digital strategy. Three questions shape the discussion: Which parts of the public-sector technology stack require stronger European control? What role should open-source technologies play in reducing dependency and strengthening transparency? Which governance and procurement decisions will determine whether a sovereign cloud strategy succeeds? Bringing these perspectives together can define where sovereign cloud and open technologies create strategic value, identify the decisions that deserve executive attention, and establish practical principles for strengthening Europe’s digital foundations while preserving flexibility and innovation. See you at the table?
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Belgium 24-11-2026 Country Members Physical French
Créativité vs. Chaos : Quelle est la gouvernance minimale ? Le défi principal est d'équilibrer le risque et le rythme du changement. Les équipes métier adoptent de nouveaux outils d'IA et low-code de leur propre chef, créant une véritable créativité mais aussi un risque massif et non géré. Cette discussion se concentre sur l'établissement de voies simples et sûres pour l'innovation, en débattant de la gouvernance minimale qui protège la réputation de l'entreprise tout en évitant l'erreur d'écraser les initiatives utiles dans l'ombre. Questions clés d'Échange entre pairs : Où l'innovation de l'ombre aide-t-elle plutôt que de nuire, et comment éviter de l'écraser ? Quelle est la gouvernance minimale qui protège la réputation tout en maintenant la vitesse, et à qui appartient-elle réellement ? Comment les pairs ont-ils réussi à transformer les efforts initiaux de l'ombre en services officiels soutenus sans perdre la confiance de l'entreprise ? Comment pouvons-nous rendre plus facile d'innover de manière responsable que de simplement agir en franc-tireur ?
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CIONET Trailblazer: CISO: The Shift from Prevention to Resilience: Turning Visibility into Execution
Published on: January 28, 2026 @ 9:48 AM
CIONET Trailblazer: AI Transformation: Bridging the Cultural Divide to Achieve Competitive Advantage
Published on: December 17, 2025 @ 9:16 AM
Helping Hello bank! greet customers with personalised video messages
This mobile-only bank needed a standout experience to better connect with customers.
Overview
The rise of digital banking is shaking up how we spend and save. Mobile apps mean we’re never more than a tap away from our money. And this close connection means digital banks know more about us. So they can better offer products and service that we need.
Hello bank! is a brand that believes customer experience should be at the centre of digital banking. Owned by BNP Paribas, it has branches in six countries, with three million customers across Europe. Determined to better connect with customers, we helped the Czech branch of Hello bank! create custom messages with BT Personalised Video from Idomoo.
The challenge
Hello bank! believes the simplest solution is the smartest one. They know their customers live busy lives. So they’re committed to making sure their mobile app is easy to use. And that their products and services are straightforward to understand.
But the company also recognises that their customers are all individuals. Each with their own needs and interests. So rather than communicate with them with a one-size-fits-all message, the Czech branch wanted their messages to resonate on a personal level.
On the recommendation of BNP Paribas, who we’d worked with before, the Czech branch contacted us. They asked if we could provide a tech solution that was simple to use but could give them the level of customisation they needed.
In the spirit of our key values, we were looking for a smart and simple solution that would impress our new clients, greet them in a personal way and leave them with the idea that we care about each and every single one of them.”
Gábina PithartováBrand & Customer Experience Division Director
The solution
To help Hello bank! speak directly to their customers, we recommended BT Personalised Video. This product pulls in personal profiles and other data into a video template. The content is then tailored to the customer, for example, addressing them by name. And the video can end with a call to action directing them to the bank’s web page or app.
A video would also deliver the bank’s message in a format that’s easy for digitally-native customers to consume, wherever they are. It’s also a great medium for explaining complex subjects like personal finance in an engaging and easily understandable way.
While the underlying technology is always the same, Personalised Video still gives our clients creative freedom to tell unique stories as well as stamp them with their branding.
The result
We helped Hello bank! run two campaigns using Personalised Video. The first went to a large number of its customers, raising awareness that they could now earn cashback on ATM withdrawals and shopping. The second campaign greeted new customers with a welcome message, helping the bank form close ties with clients as soon as possible.
Our automated interface worked with the bank’s CRM system, so we could get the personal profiles we needed and quickly scale for mass mail-outs.
We also provided support to the local design agency that created the videos. We advised them on best practice for working with Personalised Video, and how to upload it to the platform.
Our Personalised Video offered a complete solution. To encourage the bank’s customers to watch these videos, friendly SMS reminders were automatically sent out if a recipient didn’t open an email within two days of receiving it. So Hello bank! achieved open rates of around 60 per cent. More importantly, Personalised Video helped Hello bank! achieve the one-on-one connection they wanted with their clients.
Almost 50,000 clients have been addressed by the welcome video campaign. We maintain high standards of communication by welcome phone calls. While we talk to our new customers, some of them spontaneously mention – and appreciate – the surprisingly personal “video candy” we have sent them. It seems the personalised video was the missing piece of our on-boarding process as our NPS for new clients grows month by month.”
Gábina Pithartová, Brand & Customer Experience Division Director
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CIONET’s Cyber Circle: a new three-event programme exclusively focusing on the most urgent, complex, and high-impact challenges in cybersecurity today. Launched in 2026, this initiative brings together CISOs, CIOs, and senior IT executives with a strong interest in cybersecurity for three curated gatherings each year. As part of CIONET’s trusted executive community, the Cyber Circle provides a confidential, peer-driven environment to exchange insights, share real-world experiences, and address evolving cyber threats. Each session is designed to foster strategic dialogue, strengthen resilience, and elevate cybersecurity as a core driver of business value.
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The Telenet Business Leadership Circle powered by CIONET, offers a platform where IT executives and thought leaders can meet to inspire each other and share best practices. We want to be a facilitator who helps you optimise the performance of your IT function and your business by embracing the endless opportunities that digital change brings.
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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. Our mission is to shine the spotlight a little brighter on female role models in IT, Tech & Digital, and to empower each other through this inner network community.
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