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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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One new contact centre. Thousands of happy citizens

We’re helping Falkirk Council hear more from its citizens.

Overview
Falkirk Council gets a lot of calls. Everything from bin collection questions to planning requests.
The organisation looks after 160,000 residents, so the phones ring hundreds of thousands of calls every year. They needed a phone system that could keep up.

The challenge
The Council’s ageing PBX wasn’t giving anyone what they wanted. More than 60,000 citizen calls every month were getting the engaged tone. Agents didn’t have the information they needed when they picked up. And with no call management data, nobody could see how the teams were performing – or how many more agents they needed. The team already used our technology, so they came to us for help. They needed a system that could help agents out by taking callers’ details before an agent even picked up a call. One that gave agents all the tools they needed when they picked up. And one that helped the team manage and plan more easily. We knew we could help.

The solution
The answer’s in the cloud
The new system, Cloud Contact next generation (NGCC), uses cloud apps and management tools to give the team more control over their calls. Falkirk citizens now only have to call one number to access council services. CRM integration speeds up call handling – so callers reach the right person, faster. It even prioritises based on urgency, with emergency calls going through before bin collection queries. And it includes call recording, which helps with training and resolving disputes. A new menu queue system takes callers’ information the moment they dial and tells them when they’ll be connected. That means no more engaged tones. It’s more reliable so agents know they’ll always have the tools they need, when they need them. Plus, because the system is cloud-based, they can add more devices from anywhere – as long as it has an internet connection. So they can flex everything up when they get busy. And with real-time reporting, they can see exactly when that is.

The result
NGCC is putting smiles on people’s faces. Citizens get through faster. Agents can do their jobs more easily, boosting their morale. While Falkirk Council has a solution it can rely on, giving it the confidence to invest in improving the service further. The call centre teams can now see call data for different departments, making it easier to dial resources up and down when they’re needed. And they were able to use this data to show councillors the real challenges of handling such a wide range of questions and requests. This helped Falkirk Council hone its strategy. The data showed that the team needed more people picking up phones for specific areas. Fortunately, bringing in 40 extra agents was a breeze thanks to the system’s flexibility. And if things change in the future the local authority is ready to react.

Technologies

Webex Contact Center

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.