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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 23-9-25 Squad Only Virtual english

Cybersecurity Without the Burnout ; Refocusing effort when alerts, threats, and pressure won’t stop

Security teams are overwhelmed. Too many tools. Too many alerts. Too few people. And now, increasing pressure from the board to protect everything, everywhere, all the time. Expect honest reflection, shared strategies, and a conversation that cuts through compliance noise and focuses on what to do when your team is stretched and your risk is rising.

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Belgium 23-9-25 Invitation Only Physical english

Reclaim the cloud : Powering Belgian Finance with Sovereignty

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the financial services industry in Belgium faces a critical juncture regarding its cloud adoption strategy. While the allure of cloud computing – with its promise of scalability, agility, and innovation – is undeniable, the unique regulatory demands and paramount need for data sovereignty present significant challenges. This CIONET roundtable, aims to bring together Digital Leaders from the Belgian financial sector to discuss how to navigate these complexities. We will explore how financial institutions can leverage cloud technologies while ensuring complete control over their data, maintaining compliance with stringent European regulations like GDPR and DORA, and mitigating geopolitical risks.

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Belgium 24-9-25 Invitation Only Physical english

Bridging the Unbridgeable: IT Meets M(i)OT ; Converged infrastructures demand converged security

As smart devices proliferate across operational environments — from sensors on factory lines and GPS trackers in logistics fleets to wearables in healthcare and connected systems in smart cities — the integration of Managed IoT (MiOT) is accelerating. But with it comes a surge in cybersecurity risks. No longer isolated or air-gapped, OT systems are becoming fully networked, remotely accessible, and deeply entwined with IT. This creates a vulnerable, highly complex digital mesh, one where a single compromised device can trigger physical, financial, and reputational consequences.

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Upcoming TRIBE Events

 
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September 23, 2025 Squad Session Squad Only Virtual english

Cybersecurity Without the Burnout ; Refocusing effort when alerts, threats, and pressure won’t stop

Security teams are overwhelmed. Too many tools. Too many alerts. Too few people. And now, increasing pressure from the board to protect everything, everywhere, all the time. Expect honest reflection, shared strategies, and a conversation that cuts through compliance noise and focuses on what to do when your team is stretched and your risk is rising.

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September 30, 2025 Squad Session Squad Only Virtual english

Technical Debt: When to Pay It and When to Walk Away ; Making smart trade-offs between progress, maintenance, and risk

Everyone has technical debt. The question is what to do with it. Refactor now? Wait for the next feature? Build on it and hope it holds? If you’re tired of debating whether to clean up or move on, this session helps you frame the debt conversation in a way that supports both speed and stability.

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October 2, 2025 Squad Session Squad Only Virtual english

The Career Path of the Architect ;Great architecture begins with great architects

Architecture doesn’t happen in diagrams. It happens in minds, seasoned, curious, sharp minds that understand how the pieces fit. But who’s shaping these minds? Who’s growing the next generation of digital architects? If you’re responsible for complex systems, and for the people designing them, this session is for you.

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CIONET Partner Updates

CIONET Partner Updates

Recent Cases

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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

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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

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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

 

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
Untitled design (1)-Apr-01-2022-10-58-34-57-AM
Michał Paprocki
Group CIO
Euroclear
1-Feb-29-2024-11-34-59-8990-AM
Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer
Chief Information Officer
NATO
Untitled design-Nov-22-2023-08-42-05-3178-AM
Annick Faes
Vice President IT and CIO Medical Devices EMEA
Johnson & Johnson
Piet_De_Ceuleners
Piet De Ceuleners
Global IT Director
Melexis
1658251930890
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
Kevin_Ledegen
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
Delen Private Bank
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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
1726588748718
Cassandre Laurent
Directeur général
Agence du Numérique
an swalens
An Swalens
Head Of IT (CIO)
National Bank of Belgium
Untitled design (2)-Apr-01-2022-10-58-34-68-AM
Elke Laeremans
Chief Digital & Supply Chain Officer at Casa International
CIONET Belgium - Advisory Board Member - Koen Van Loo
Koen Van Loo
CIO
Group S.
Peter Sany
Peter Sany
Executive Advisor
Zoom
CIONET Belgium - Advisory Board Member - Steven De Haes
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
bauduin cor
Baudouin Corlùy
Chief Market Development Officer
LCL Data Centers

Team

Luc Hendrikx
Luc Hendrikx
Partner - 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
Partner - Founder
Untitled design (1)-2
Jelte Scheys
Tribes Sales Director Belgium
foto Herman
Herman Roelandts
Tribe Master
Joseph Antoun
Joseph Antoun
Senior Programme Director
1-Dec-16-2021-02-15-57-02-PM
Eman De Sutter
Programme Manager
4-Feb-08-2022-10-22-09-03-AM
Shelly Deracourt
Programme Manager
Untitled design (5)-Sep-01-2022-02-47-55-60-PM
Charlotte Coen
Partner Success Manager
Untitled design (1)-Nov-22-2023-08-56-42-6802-AM
Ivana Bradvica
Programme Manager
ML B-W-1
Martine Lefevre
Financial Controller
Vlera Berishaa (1)
Vlera Berisha
Community Manager
Phaedra Vanhaeren
Phaedra Vanhaeren
Programme 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!