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Belgium 13-11-2026 Squad Only Physical English

Building the Business Case for New IT Capabilities; How to justify investment when value is strategic, shared, or only visible over time.

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.

Belgium 19-11-2026 All Members Physical English

Europe’s Digital Foundations

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?

Belgium 24-11-2026 Country Members Physical French

Les Rencontres: Innovation de l'Ombre

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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PB Leiner: Preserving Gelatin Expertise with AI-Powered Craftsmanship

PB Leiner, a global leader in gelatin and collagen solutions and part of Tessenderlo Group, faced a looming knowledge gap. Their production of high-quality gelatin relies on the intricate art of blending different batches to achieve consistent product characteristics. This delicate process depends heavily on the expertise of seasoned craftsmen with years of experience. With some of these experts approaching retirement, PB Leiner sought a way to capture and transfer their invaluable knowledge to the next generation of workers.

Solution:

Recognizing the need to preserve their unique craftsmanship, PB Leiner turned to AI. Instead of replacing their skilled workforce, they chose to augment it with an AI-assisted blending system.

Here's how it works:

Knowledge Capture: PB Leiner collaborated with their expert blenders to gather extensive data on batch characteristics, blending techniques, and quality outcomes. This valuable knowledge, accumulated over years of experience, was translated into a format suitable for AI training.
AI as Apprentice: This data was used to train an AI algorithm, effectively creating an "AI apprentice" that learns from the masters. The AI identifies patterns and relationships between gelatin properties and optimal blending strategies, mimicking the decision-making process of the experienced craftsmen.
Collaborative Blending: Rather than replacing human expertise, the AI acts as a guide. It analyzes the properties of each batch and provides recommendations to less experienced workers, assisting them in making informed blending decisions.
Continuous Improvement: Crucially, the current craftsmen play an active role in refining the AI model. They review the AI's recommendations, provide feedback, and fine-tune its performance, ensuring it accurately reflects their expertise before they retire.

Results:

By embracing a collaborative approach to AI implementation, PB Leiner has achieved significant benefits:

Knowledge Preservation: The AI system acts as a repository of expert knowledge, ensuring the continuity of PB Leiner's high-quality standards even after the retirement of their most experienced craftsmen.
Enhanced Consistency: AI-assisted blending helps maintain consistent product quality, meeting the stringent demands of PB Leiner's clients in the food, pharmaceutical, and technical industries.
Upskilling the Workforce: The AI system empowers less experienced workers to develop their blending skills, fostering a more knowledgeable and adaptable workforce for the future.
Smooth Transition: The collaborative approach ensures a smooth transition of knowledge and responsibilities, minimizing disruption to operations during the retirement phase.

Key Takeaways:

PB Leiner's success story highlights the potential of AI to not just automate tasks but also to preserve and transfer critical expertise. By embracing a human-in-the-loop approach, they have ensured the continuity of their craftsmanship while empowering their workforce for the future. This case study serves as an inspiration for other organizations seeking to leverage AI for knowledge management and skills development.

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