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Belgium 01-10-2026 Squad Only Virtual english

Letting Teams Build Safely with Low-Code, No-Code, and AI Tools. ; How to enable business-led development while keeping security, architecture, and support under control.

Low-code, no-code, and AI tools are giving business teams more ability to build solutions themselves. The challenge is setting the right boundaries before fast local solutions become important operational assets. Three pressure points need attention. - Boundaries must be clear: teams need to know what they can build alone and what requires IT, security, or architecture review. - Supportability matters when a quick solution becomes business-critical. - Risk control remains necessary around data access, compliance, security, process dependency, and maintenance. The working question is simple: how do we enable business-led development while keeping security, ownership, and support under control? If you are trying to enable this safely, let’s compare approaches with others facing the same balance.

Belgium 06-10-2026 All Members Physical english

The Token Trap: Reclaiming Control of Enterprise AI

As enterprise AI transitions from experimental Proofs of Concept (POCs) into real implementations, digital leaders are encountering a shared challenge: consumption-based public cloud token billing models do not fit neatly into traditional IT budgeting. Daily token consumption can rise unexpectedly, pushing expenses through the roof while arbitrary caps quickly kill momentum for innovation. For many CIOs, this raises an open strategic question: How do we keep costs under control while further stimulating innovation? During this interactive CIONET roundtable, we will explore among peers how to navigate AI tokenomics. Rather than treating public cloud LLMs as the default path, we will investigate how different execution environments, ranging from hybrid cloud setups and targeted on-premise models to specialised edge hardware, can help balance cost with performance. This session is intentionally designed as an open peer-to-peer exchange; a space to compare notes, challenge current ways of working and architectural setups, and discuss practical approaches to building predictable, scalable AI models.

Belgium 08-10-2026 All Members Physical english

The Permanent (R)evolution

Every large organisation has been through a major transformation, and most through several. The word transformation is misleading because it suggests a beginning and an end. But organisations that do well are the ones that have given up on the idea of arriving and realise that constant change has become the new norm, and missing a single cycle leaves you permanently behind. This evening, two leaders will share how they think about this, coming from opposite directions. John Porter led Telenet through a sustained period of reinvention spanning the pandemic, a full reorganisation into tribes, M&A, and a shift to a performance driven culture. Along the way, the IT department was dissolved and technology was embedded inside autonomous tribes that run as small businesses. There is no CIO at Telenet. It is Telenet Group’s purpose to become a digital-first, customer-centric organisation. To deliver on this ambition, it has embarked on a transformation journey built on three pillars: (i) the implementation of a scaled-agile operating model (organisation), (ii) the acceleration of digitisation and automation underpinned by optimised IT systems, platforms, and strategic technology partnerships (digitisation), and (iii) a performance leadership culture focused on accountability, ownership, and a change mindset (culture). Kris Vervaet, on the other hand, has just become CIO at KBC, the bank whose mobile app has been ranked best in the world three times and whose AI assistant Kate now handles 70% of customer queries on its own. But Kris is no ordinary CIO: he ran DPG Media Belgium as CEO, and KBC went looking for someone who has led transformation rather than someone who manages technology. So while one organisation got rid of the CIO role, the other reinvented it, and both are thriving. The conversation will range across organisational and IT redesign, the rise of digital-first customer experience, the impact of AI on how every business is run, and the harder questions of culture, talent and leadership. The question for every leader in the room is what that tells you about your own role, your own operating model, and the pace at which you are prepared to keep evolving.

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E.ON democratizes data analytics for 12,000 employees, generates key reports in minutes instead of days

E.ON provides networks and energy infrastructure to 48 million customers across Europe. This is a big responsibility, and the company needs up-to-date data to make strategic decisions. Since the second half of 2023, E.ON employees have been using Power BI for this purpose.

Power BI had a clear advantage over other tools in terms of interoperability with the Microsoft 365 platform. We face no obstacles in getting data to the right place. - Lars Hesse: Data Analyst, E.ON Energie Deutschland GmbH

Saving time and adapting to business needs

When he began his current role, Jan Finke, IT Service Owner, Business Intelligence and Visualization Technologies at E.ON Digital Technology GmbH, was tasked with advancing and scaling E.ON’s existing internal Power BI platform service. According to Finke, Power BI stood out as a great fit for a large, multifaceted company like E.ON and has since become the most in-demand data visualization product compared to the company’s alternative solutions. “Power BI is a particularly good match for us because we’re distributed across Europe but all share the same goal of developing our business,” explains Finke. “To do that, we need to make data-driven decisions.” Adds Lars Hesse, Data Analyst at E.ON Energie Deutschland GmbH, “Before, we had to present data either by showing it in Excel or creating a PowerPoint slide. And despite all our efforts gathering and compiling data, the reports didn’t always reflect the most up-to-date information.”

Hesse and his team also use the insights from Power BI to work more productively. “In the case of Power BI, the productivity comes with the automation,” he says. For example, to create monthly recurring reports, Hesse and his colleagues use a Power BI template that already includes E.ON branding and helps boost efficiency with automated updates to standard datasets. “This is a big change compared to how we did these reports in the past,” says Hesse. “It’s much more efficient to use Power BI to automatically update recurring reports with the latest data rather than manually creating those reports like we did in the past.”

Working with Power BI to report content from within PowerPoint has proved to be another popular efficiency gain. “After we adopted Power BI, we discovered things we never dreamed of, such as the interoperability of the tool with PowerPoint,” recalls Hesse. “We now create PowerPoint presentations that incorporate live data. This was a major step toward becoming a leading-edge company that moves at the speed of business with the latest data always available.”

The centralized, flexible nature of Power BI suits E.ON well, especially considering that more than 65,000 employees use Teams as their go-to productivity platform. “Power BI had a clear advantage over other tools in terms of interoperability with the Microsoft 365 platform,” says Hesse. “We face no obstacles in getting data to the right place.”

Microsoft Teams appealed to E.ON decision-makers because they can adapt it to meet a variety of needs. “We have several hundred subsidiaries,” says Finke. “Depending on the business unit, technology requirements are quite different. We have very small units with just a few dozen employees who focus on innovation, and we have units with thousands of employees who operate on a totally different scale.”

E.ON uses Teams to balance standardization—an efficiency booster for any organization—with the level of customization that helps individual business units achieve their specific goals. Iury Fillies Santos, IT Service Owner, Collaboration Services at E.ON Digital Technology GmbH, says, “When it comes to making certain functionality available in Teams, like the ability to record a meeting, we can be precisely scoped and deliver services or features for just one segment of users. This helps us deliver the business value for local units while maintaining a centralized approach and overarching outlook as a service owner.”

Sharing the benefits of data analytics with thousands of employees

Adopting Power BI inspired Hesse and his colleagues to launch a new data democratization effort at E.ON. “A big focus for my team is preparing datasets for internal audiences and training colleagues how to use Power BI to dive deeper into relevant data,” says Hesse. Today, the E.ON group has more than 1,400 active Power BI Premium workspaces, and enthusiasm for the solution is gaining momentum. Hesse continues, “It’s quite easy for employees of all experience levels to create a report in Power BI once they know a few basics.” He and his team also use the personalize visuals feature to create user-friendly reports that allow for a manageable level of customization. “We use the personalize visuals feature in Power BI to help focus on certain areas of interest and work more efficiently with a curated view of the data,” he says.

Most of the employees’ Power BI training takes place within the Teams platform. “For the E.ON Energie Deutschland GmbH segment of the business, we set up a team called ‘Self BI Hub’ where anyone with knowledge of or interest in Power BI can gather to learn more,” says Hesse. “We now see more and more people joining this journey and using Teams to share their success stories. It’s no longer just individuals looking for solutions to their use cases, it’s a community learning from each other.”

It’s quite easy for employees of all experience levels to create a report in Power BI once they know a few basics. - Lars Hesse: Data Analyst, E.ON Energie Deutschland GmbH

Combining Microsoft 365 tools for a highly interoperable, efficient experience

By combining Teams and Power BI, E.ON has created a richly interoperable, efficient experience for colleagues collaborating around data insights. “Using Power BI and Teams together brings even more value,” says Finke. “Teams helps connect the right people in our business while Power BI is the tool they use to support the right decisions.” E.ON employees save time by working on data visualization from within the Teams platform. They no longer need to switch between applications. “We find it’s easiest to use the Power BI app in Teams and begin collaborating with colleagues right within that window,” says Hesse.

Working together in the Teams platform also makes it easy to maintain a high standard of security. “We use Microsoft Entra ID groups to manage who has access to certain teams in the platform, and by default, we use that same method to control who has access to Power BI reports within Teams. It’s much easier than maintaining permissions some other way,” notes Hesse.

Using Power BI and Teams together brings even more value. Teams helps connect the right people in our business while Power BI is the tool they use to support the right decisions. - Jan Finke: IT Service Owner, Business Intelligence and Visualization Technologies, E.ON Digital Technology GmbH

Powering a more sustainable business with timely data

E.ON’s sustainability goals are directly tied to the company’s ambition to become more data driven. Finke explains, “The energy business is changing. We have a much more decentralized energy production that requires the energy network to adapt and learn how to use our grids effectively.” It comes down to making choices grounded in reliable insights and using data to conserve resources. “Making decisions based on timely data is a powerful way to reduce waste,” Finke continues. “We use Power BI to focus our resources in the right direction and deliver a positive business impact.”

After employees’ initial success with Power BI and Teams, E.ON is incorporating even more apps into the Teams platform and continuing to promote a culture of data-driven decision-making. “We see usage of the Power BI app in Teams increasing every day,” says Fillies Santos. “We also have a huge app catalog, and employees spreading the word about the benefits of adding applications to the Teams environment.” Whether it’s using data to allocate resources more thoughtfully, empowering employees with insights into their unique business areas, or collaborating more efficiently, E.ON has embraced a new way of working that matches the future-focused nature of the business. “We now see Power BI and Teams ase essential to how we work today,” says Finke.

We use Power BI to focus our resources in the right direction and deliver a positive business impact. - Jan Finke: IT Service Owner, Business Intelligence and Visualization Technologie, E.ON Digital Technology GmbH

Technologies

Microsoft Entra ID Microsoft Power BI Microsoft Teams

CIONET Business Circles

Cyber Circle

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.

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.

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 !

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.