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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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Helping Hello bank! greet customers with personalised video messages

This mobile-only bank needed a standout experience to better connect with customers.

Overview
The rise of digital banking is shaking up how we spend and save. Mobile apps mean we’re never more than a tap away from our money. And this close connection means digital banks know more about us. So they can better offer products and service that we need.

Hello bank! is a brand that believes customer experience should be at the centre of digital banking. Owned by BNP Paribas, it has branches in six countries, with three million customers across Europe. Determined to better connect with customers, we helped the Czech branch of Hello bank! create custom messages with BT Personalised Video from Idomoo.

The challenge
Hello bank! believes the simplest solution is the smartest one. They know their customers live busy lives. So they’re committed to making sure their mobile app is easy to use. And that their products and services are straightforward to understand.

But the company also recognises that their customers are all individuals. Each with their own needs and interests. So rather than communicate with them with a one-size-fits-all message, the Czech branch wanted their messages to resonate on a personal level.

On the recommendation of BNP Paribas, who we’d worked with before, the Czech branch contacted us. They asked if we could provide a tech solution that was simple to use but could give them the level of customisation they needed.
In the spirit of our key values, we were looking for a smart and simple solution that would impress our new clients, greet them in a personal way and leave them with the idea that we care about each and every single one of them.”

Gábina PithartováBrand & Customer Experience Division Director

The solution
To help Hello bank! speak directly to their customers, we recommended BT Personalised Video. This product pulls in personal profiles and other data into a video template. The content is then tailored to the customer, for example, addressing them by name. And the video can end with a call to action directing them to the bank’s web page or app.

A video would also deliver the bank’s message in a format that’s easy for digitally-native customers to consume, wherever they are. It’s also a great medium for explaining complex subjects like personal finance in an engaging and easily understandable way.

While the underlying technology is always the same, Personalised Video still gives our clients creative freedom to tell unique stories as well as stamp them with their branding.

The result
We helped Hello bank! run two campaigns using Personalised Video. The first went to a large number of its customers, raising awareness that they could now earn cashback on ATM withdrawals and shopping. The second campaign greeted new customers with a welcome message, helping the bank form close ties with clients as soon as possible.

Our automated interface worked with the bank’s CRM system, so we could get the personal profiles we needed and quickly scale for mass mail-outs.

We also provided support to the local design agency that created the videos. We advised them on best practice for working with Personalised Video, and how to upload it to the platform.

Our Personalised Video offered a complete solution. To encourage the bank’s customers to watch these videos, friendly SMS reminders were automatically sent out if a recipient didn’t open an email within two days of receiving it. So Hello bank! achieved open rates of around 60 per cent. More importantly, Personalised Video helped Hello bank! achieve the one-on-one connection they wanted with their clients.
Almost 50,000 clients have been addressed by the welcome video campaign. We maintain high standards of communication by welcome phone calls. While we talk to our new customers, some of them spontaneously mention – and appreciate – the surprisingly personal “video candy” we have sent them. It seems the personalised video was the missing piece of our on-boarding process as our NPS for new clients grows month by month.”

Gábina Pithartová, Brand & Customer Experience Division Director

Partners

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.