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Welcome to CIONET Belgium

Realise your ambition! Connect with your local community of digital leaders.

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Upcoming Events

 
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Belgium 28-8-25 Country Members Physical english

20 Years CIONET - CIONET Belgium: Summer Festival

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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Belgium 28-8-25 Country Members Physical english

Summer Festival - Advisory Board

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.

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Belgium 2-9-25 All TRIBERS Virtual english

What Does It Cost to Host an App? ; A practical guide to calculating hosting costs across infra, licenses, and operations

You’ve been asked a simple question: “What does it cost to host this application?” But the answer is anything but simple. The platform sits across multiple data centres. The app spans a few VMs, shares a backup system, uses licensed monitoring, and touches five different teams. Your CMDB should help, but it’s rigid, outdated, or incomplete. And yet, you still need to provide a number, clear, explainable, and grounded in reality.

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Upcoming TRIBE Events

 
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August 5, 2025 Squad Session Invitation Only Virtual polish

AI Act – praktyka stosowania na rynku polskim

AI Act – dyrektywa unijna regulująca wiele zasad wykorzystania AI w modelach biznesowych- już obowiązuje na polskim rynki. Ciekawe są prawdziwe i realne przypadki jej stosowania. Spójrzmy na temat od strony regulacyjnej, czyli prawnej. Ale zobaczmy praktykę aktywnej w temacie kancelarii prawnej. Zaprosiliśmy mecenaskę Aleksandrę Maciejewicz z kancelarii Lawmore, która od dłuższego czasu jest niezwykle aktywna i praktykuje w tym temacie. Poznamy podstawę prawną, praktyczne case’y i opis sytuacji oczami prawdziwego praktyka.

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August 6, 2025 Squad Session Invitation Only Virtual polish

DORA: wszystko, co chcielibyście wiedzieć, a baliście się zapytać

Michał Kulesza, adwokat, partner w departamencie technologicznym kancelarii Rymarz Zdort Maruta i szef zespołu regulacji ICT, przeprowadzi nas przez kluczowe wątki rozporządzenia i zmierzy się z pytaniami zgłoszonymi przez uczestników. Omówimy zarówno krytyczne aspekty na początku wdrożeń, jak i dostrajanie zmian na poziomie organizacyjnym i strategicznym. Masz konkretny temat, który warto poruszyć? Zgłoś go w trakcie rejestracji. Zamiast czytać między wierszami DORA – porozmawiajmy o tym wprost.

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August 7, 2025 Squad Session Invitation Only Virtual polish

Automated Systems Testing

Duże tempo developmentu i dokonywanych zmian wymaga nowej klasy testowania. Jakość systemów obserwowana na produkcji będzie pochodną skuteczności tego procesu. Duże nadzieje wiążemy z platformami wspierającymi testowanie i opartymi na AI. Sesja ta pokaże, gdzie jesteśmy w poszukiwaniu takich rozwiązań i gdzie ewaluuje myślenie szefów testów i ich rozwiązania organizacyjne.

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CIONET Partner Updates

CIONET Partner Updates

Recent Cases

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Nurturing H.Essers' growth ambitions

Workday implementation gives the transport, warehousing and logistics giant a clear picture of HR worldwide and enables it to integrate acquisitions more effectively.

Aiming realistically high

Established in 1928 by Henri Essers, H.Essers has grown substantially over the years, via both autonomous growth and a number of strategic acquisitions. Its aim is to become THE global reference in its strategic markets, namely pharmaceuticals, chemicals, infrastructure and parts. H.Essers was responsible for the European distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in 2020/2021.

For the immediate future, the firm’s predominantly focusing on the European market. Today, it has more than 6,600 employees spread across 19 countries in Western and Eastern Europe.

Aiming realistically high
 

One single HR truth

That spread can make it challenging to get a clear picture of its human resources (HR) footprint and assure it’s being managed in the most effective way. “To be able to continue to grow and achieve our ambitions, we really need one single HR database, one single HR reporting tool, as far as possible one single recruitment process and so on, rather than each location having its own payroll, procedures, time and attendance recording processes, etc.” explains Mike Dautzenberg, Chief Human Resources Officer, H.Essers. “With one tool, it’ll also be much easier to integrate acquisitions,” he adds, That’s especially true when it comes to different titles or roles.

“I feel that everytime we approach a new element within the system, PwC has an expert on it who can help guide us.” 

Mike DautzenbergChief Human Resources Officer, H.Essers

Operating optimally from a people perspective
 

Operating optimally from a people perspective

To give it that big picture of HR, H.Essers opted to implement Workday human capital management software. “For two years, we looked around the market to find the right solution. Our organisation’s very complex and we needed a tool that all our employees could use, from blue collar up, whenever and from wherever, and that would provide the benefits we were looking for. We decided that Workday would best suit our needs,” Mike Dautzenberg says. 

With one single HR platform, H.Essers will also be able to standardise working practices and procedures in all locations in which it operates and be able to put a global HR strategy in place. To help it implement the platform, H.Essers opted to work with PwC.

 

Keeping it simple, staying on track

As to why H.Essers opted to work with PwC for this project, he notes, “PwC proved to be very down to earth. The PwC people demonstrate the same values as we have in H.Essers; they keep things simple and are very positive. They’re very entrepreneurial. They’re people we feel we can rely on. A plus point was that they’re based close to us and speak our language.” He went on to say that the two firms work together in partnership to find solutions; “we have a good, open relationship where communication is very clear. The team knows what’s important to us and we support each other in reaching our goals. They really go the extra mile to make sure we get where we want to be.”

In COVID-19 times, with physical meetings not possible, Mike Dautzenberg was impressed that they managed to keep the cooperation positive and implementation on track. “Despite PwC not being able to be on site as planned, the project progressed as planned, thanks to the good relationship we have and our ability to continue to cooperate, albeit remotely.”

 

Specialists in every domain

Workday covers many aspects of human capital management and Mike Dautzenberg is impressed that PwC can offer a specialist on each topic: “I feel that everytime we approach a new element within the system, PwC has an expert on it who can help guide us on that specific area. On top of which, the team stays on top of deadlines and makes sure we make decisions that respect those deadlines.” That includes dealing with and helping resolve issues with third-party suppliers.

Specialists in every domain
 

Calling on glocal skills

PwC’s global network also comes into play. One of the important modules of Workday for H.Essers is learning and development (L&D) as the firm needs to be able to track and report on required certifications. The PwC Network has already implemented the Workday L&D module for many clients and the Belgian team didn’t hesitate to reach out for support. “That we were able to call on global support, tailored to our own specific situation was invaluable,” Mike Dautzenberg says. And he goes on, “Workday gives our managers the insights into their people that they need to grow and develop their talent pools. Before, this was more based on instinct. With Workday, we’ve hard data to back it up.”

To date, PwC has helped H.Essers implement Workday for all master data of its core HR  and L&D activities. “This was a massive challenge. At the beginning, much of the data to be input was either incomplete or out of date,” Mike Dautzenberg recalls. 

Leveraging an ongoing partnership
 

Leveraging an ongoing partnership

With phase one complete, phase two involves the introduction of time and attendance recording, absence management, talent and performance management, recruitment, advanced compensation and expenses and more. Again, the module will go live in all countries at the same time. 

But Mike Dautzenberg doesn’t expect the relationship with PwC to end there: “We plan to continue to grow via acquisition, which means continually introducing new people and teams to Workday. We expect PwC to be by our side to show us how to do this effectively and to continue to keep us up to date with evolutions to make sure we’re always getting the best out of our investment. PwC’s proven to be a true partner that can support us when we’ve questions and concerns - they simply put us in touch with the experts that can help.”

Partners

CIONET Circles

CIONET Business Circles

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Healthcare Circle

Digital Transformation is redefining the future of health care and health delivery. All stakeholders are convinced that these innovations will create value for patients, healthcare practitioners, hospitals, and governments along the patient pathway. The benefits are starting from prevention and awareness to diagnosis, treatment, short- and long-term follow-up, and ultimately survival. But how do you make sure that your working towards an architecturally sound, secure and interoperable health IT ecosystem for your hospital and avoid implementing a hodgepodge of spot solutions? How does your IT department work together with the other stakeholders, such as the doctors and other healthcare practitioners, Life Sciences companies, Tech companies, regulators and your internal governance and administrative bodies?

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Telenet Business Leadership Circle

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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Les Rencontres

Découvrez la dynamique du leadership numérique aux Rencontres de CIONET, le programme francophone exclusif de CIONET pour les leaders numériques en Belgique, rendu possible grâce au soutien et à l'engagement de nos partenaires de programme : Deloitte, Denodo et Red Hat. Rejoignez trois événements inspirants par an à Liège, Namur et en Brabant Wallon, où des CIOs et des experts numériques francophones de premier plan partagent leurs perspectives et expériences sur des thèmes d'affaires et de IT actuels. Laissez-vous inspirer et apprenez des meilleurs du secteur lors de sessions captivantes conçues spécialement pour soutenir et enrichir votre rôle en tant que CIO pair. Ne manquez pas cette opportunité de faire partie d'un réseau exceptionnel d'innovateurs numériques !

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Female Leadership Circle

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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Check out our latest news

Testimonials

Geert Goethals
Geert Goethals
CIO
Sibelga
Bahadir Samli
Bahadir Samli
CIO
ING Belgique
2-Feb-29-2024-11-35-00-9309-AM
Bart Kerkhofs
Vice President & Head of IT
Bridgestone EMIA
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Michał Paprocki
Group CIO
Euroclear
1-Feb-29-2024-11-34-59-8990-AM
Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer
Chief Information Officer
NATO
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Annick Faes
Vice President IT and CIO Medical Devices EMEA
Johnson & Johnson
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Piet De Ceuleners
Global IT Director
Melexis
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Dirk De Bevere
Large Enterprise Sales Leader
Telenet Business
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Stef Schampaert
Country Managing Director BeLux
Red Hat
CIONET Belgium - Advisory Board Member - Geert Lejon
Geert Lejon
Vice President Head of Belux / Head of Comms Benelux
Cognizant
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Kevin Ledegen
Group IT director
SDWorx
Gunter-Van-Craen_Small
Gunter Van Craen
Chief Digital & Information Officer
Bekaert
Thomas Kessler
Thomas Kessler
Partner | CIO Programme Leader
Deloitte
Emmanuel Gob
Emmanuel Gob
CIO
DPD
pascal pauwels
Pascal Pauwels
CIO
Colruyt
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Koen Segers
Managing Director Belgium and Luxembourg
Dell Technologies
benoit dewaele
Benoît Dewaele
Group IT Directo
Vandemoortele
Dirk Deridder-1
Dirk Deridder
CTO - Technology Services & Practices
SMALS
Thierry Driesens
Thierry Driesens
CIO
TVH
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Koen Vandaele
CIO
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Liesbet D'hoker
Managing Director
Kyndryl BeLux
steven-vermeulen
Steven Vermeulen
CIO
Digitaal Vlaanderen
Jack Hamande
Jack Hamande
Director General Digital Transformation
Federale Overheidsdienst Beleid en Ondersteuning
Tom Tomczak
Tom Tomczak
Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)
NRB
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Cassandre Laurent
Directeur général
Agence du Numérique
an swalens
An Swalens
Head Of IT (CIO)
National Bank of Belgium
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Elke Laeremans
Chief Digital & Supply Chain Officer at Casa International
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Koen Van Loo
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Peter Sany
Peter Sany
Executive Advisor
Zoom
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Steven De Haes
Dean
Antwerp Management School
Marleen Thorré
Marleen Thorré
Head of Digital EMEA
Mitsubishi Chemical Group
christel-plessers
Christel Plessers
Head of IT European Markets
Mercedes-Benz Europe

Team

Luc Hendrikx
Luc Hendrikx
CEO
Inès De Bien
Inès De Bien
Partner - CCO
1-Feb-08-2022-10-22-08-68-AM
Daniel Eycken
Partner - COO
Hendrik Deckers
Hendrik Deckers
Founder - MD
Untitled design (1)-2
Jelte Scheys
Tribes Sales Director Belgium
foto Herman
Herman Roelandts
Tribe Master
Joseph Antoun
Joseph Antoun
Senior Program Director
1-Dec-16-2021-02-15-57-02-PM
Eman De Sutter
Program Manager
4-Feb-08-2022-10-22-09-03-AM
Shelly Deracourt
Program Manager
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Charlotte Coen
Partner Success Manager
Untitled design (1)-Nov-22-2023-08-56-42-6802-AM
Ivana Bradvica
Junior Event Manager
ML B-W-1
Martine Lefevre
Financial Controller
Vlera Berishaa (1)
Vlera Berisha
Junior Community Manager
Phaedra Vanhaeren
Phaedra Vanhaeren
Programme & Event Manager

Contact us

Would you like to know more about CIONET Belgium, membership or partnership opportunities? Do you have feedback or any other question? Send us a message!