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Belgium 27-8-26 AB Members Physical english

Summer Festival: Advisory Board

CIO agendas are crowded: cost pressure, cyber, regulation, talent, data, AI, vendor dependency, business expectations. Most organisations are trying to do too much at once, and the “must-do” work often blocks the strategic work. CIONET only creates value if its agenda matches what CIOs truly need, in the right format, at the right time. The challenge Pick the few priorities that matter most for 2027, then translate them into a clear CIONET agenda. Outcome we leave with A ranked CIO agenda for 2027, and a directly aligned CIONET programme outline (themes, formats, cadence), with a shortlist of speaker and case targets.

Belgium 27-8-26 Country Members Physical english

Summerfest: From Story to Habit

How to align people, shift routines, and prove value Technology transformations often fail not because the tools don’t work, but because people don’t change their work habits. Boards want proof of value, executives want business outcomes, IT wants clarity, and employees want ease. Between these expectations, the CIO’s role is no longer just to deliver platforms; it is to tell the story that motivates people and turn that story into daily habits. This session will explore: The narrative: how to craft a simple, repeatable story that explains the “why” behind change for every stakeholder. From story to routine: practical ways to embed new behaviours through manager rituals, team incentives, and visible leadership. Reskilling and new expectations: preparing teams for evolving roles, from cross-department collaboration to AI-enhanced workflows. Measuring what matters: showing progress in speed, quality, and resilience — not just in licences bought or trainings completed. The aim is to equip CIOs with a leadership toolkit: a story that unites, habits that endure, and proof that convinces even the toughest boardroom.

Belgium 8-9-26 Invitation Only Virtual english

What an AI Architect Actually Does in Practice; Skills, responsibilities, interfaces, and career moves behind one of the most misunderstood emerging roles.

The AI architect role is becoming more visible, and the scope varies across organisations. The challenge is defining what the role owns, where it sits, and how it works with existing architecture, data, security, risk, and business teams. Three pressure points need clarity. - Role definition matters because the position can span solution architecture, data architecture, governance, integration, security, vendor selection, and business process design. - Interfaces matter because the role must connect teams while respecting existing responsibilities. - Skills matter because technical depth needs to be combined with judgement around controls, delivery choices, and operational boundaries. The working question is simple: how do we define the AI architect role so it becomes useful, credible, and connected to delivery? If this role is emerging in your organisation, let’s compare how others are defining it and where they are placing it.

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HDI Accelerates Development and Delivers Mobility With OutSystems

HDI is one of the premier providers of life insurance and non-life policies in Italy. Looking for new ways to accelerate development, HDI assessed OutSystems, and within just 4 weeks after adopting the platform, the team was able to launch a brand new web app with rapid updates and streamlined interfaces.

"We needed a system that could help our agents process and sell policies more easily—even when they’re out in the field. With OutSystems, we were able to enhance and simplify the UX of our core systems to deliver this."Stefano Fini, CIO, HDI

The Need for Development Speed

Challenge - Like many organizations, HDI had used a set development process for some time. Working in a waterfall structure, the insurance provider built its systems in a combination of .NET and Java.

While this was useful for developing its core systems, HDI’s IT department found that traditional development methods were putting the brakes on development and iteration. More importantly, these tried and tested methods were making it almost impossible to deliver the truly mobile applications that frontline agents and customers were demanding.

To deliver mobile applications—and a more engaging, smoother user experience—to its customers, HDI needed a new approach to software development.

Faster Development in Low-Code

Solution - To find the best solution, the HDI IT team spoke with the insurer’s infrastructure partner Almaviva. Almaviva’s experts suggested that HDI try OutSystems, a low-code platform they had previous experience with.

The HDI development team began testing the OutSystems platform. They quickly became confident that it could help accelerate development times and make it easier to deliver mobile-enabled applications.

Another key benefit was that the OutSystems platform offered a lower barrier to entry than conventional coding languages. With this, the team at HDI was confident that it would be easier to engage and onboard younger programmers as the business grows.

At the same time, the HDI team decided to augment its low-code platform with a new approach to software altogether. By shifting from its existing waterfall workflows to an Agile development methodology, the team looked to respond to user feedback faster than ever before.

"We feel low-code provides a faster development time (and of course faster delivery). It also gives us the opportunity to engage younger programmers. It’s easier to onboard new people without needing to train them in specific skills like Java, .Net, and other high-level languages."Stefano Fini, CIO, HDI

Initially, three developers were allocated to work with OutSystems. They were joined by technical leads from Almaviva, as well as some of the OutSystems team from Portugal. This cross-organizational team began working on a new application to help agencies sell policies on mobile devices.

Called the EasyMob app, the OutSystems-developed application represents the first time HDI has delivered a web-based solution that can be easily accessed on a mobile device. The project broke new ground and empowered agents, and helped train HDI developers in how to get the most out of the OutSystems platform.

An Intuitive Sales App in Just 4 Weeks

Results - While initially hesitant about changing their workflows, the HDI development team quickly became excited about the possibilities enabled by OutSystems. In particular, they appreciated the ability to take control of their own code, from initial development right through to deployment.

Within 4 weeks, the development team had completed the first module of HDI’s new EasyMob app—and delivered a truly mobile-friendly, intuitive web-based platform to agents. With enthusiastic support from within HDI, Stefano Fini, CIO at HDI, is planning to grow the OutSystems development team.

Because OutSystems supports extensive integration through APIs, the HDI development team was able to focus entirely on refining the frontend user experience for EasyMob. The team then left the API to handle integration with HDI’s insurance premium calculation systems.

The launch was a success, with agents enjoying an easy-to-use tool for premium calculations and policy sales. And thanks to HDI’s new agile development approach, the team has been able to rapidly update the EasyMob app since then to incorporate user feedback—and continuously optimize the user experience. Using OutSystems has been a win-win for HDI. Users appreciate rapid updates and more streamlined interfaces. And HDI’s developers enjoy being able to work and deploy faster than ever before thanks to the automation built into the OutSystems platform.

"Our end users have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly we’re able to make improvements to EasyMob. What might have taken a few days in traditional platforms takes half the time for us to do in OutSystems."Stefano Fini, CIO, HDI

In the future, Stefano intends to train more programmers to use the OutSystems platform. This is something he anticipates will be much easier than having to train new coders in traditional development platforms.

And of course, the HDI team intends to continue updating the EasyMob application to better support its users over time.

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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.