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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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Applying AI to help students find a career path they love

Working Eye is a startup headquartered in the UK that has turned traditional careers advice into a personalized AI-driven discovery experience using interactive cognitive technology and multimedia to help every pupil, student and working adult make better career decisions in the ever-evolving world of work.

When and how did you choose your career? Did you ever doubt whether you’d selected the right path?

“I’ve raised four children and guided each of them through subject selection at school, as well as further education, and job selection. Each time I observed the same challenges: they received minimal career guidance in school and there was no single source of knowledge to help them explore career paths that were unfamiliar to me personally,” explains Peter Cayless, Founder and CEO of Working Eye.

Cayless found that the existing guidance available to students was too broad-brushed and it came too late in the subject selection process. Students did not have a way to explore their options independently and thoroughly early on in their journey. In fact, studies have shown that 96% of graduates switch careers by the age of 24 and half of all graduates follow a career path that does not relate to their degree (source: New College of the Humanities [link resides outside of ibm.com]). In both cases, the main reason given was that they had little idea of what was really involved in the job before they took it. This led Cayless to launch Working Eye (link resides outside of ibm.com), an AI-driven career discovery platform that aims to inspire people by helping them discover themselves and all the possibilities for a career they will love.

Working Eye’s career discovery platform (link resides outside of ibm.com) is designed to be a digital coach that facilitates a student’s career exploration process. The assistant poses discovery questions to the student in natural language and then guides them on a highly unique exploration process that helps them identify a potential career path that is tailored to their specific needs, strengths and priorities. As the assistant guides the student through this dialogue process, it presents various pieces of written and video content which help the student better understand the career that is best suited to them and shows them how to get started on that path. All of this is powered by IBM technology. “IBM watsonx Assistant is the backbone of the chat between the user and the platform, while IBM Watson Discovery is the backbone of finding the right material, collating it for the student,” says Alan Joenn, Chief Operating Officer of Working Eye. The platform’s primary source of data is a government website called the National Career Service Database, as well as the video content created by the Working Eye team.

During its initial pilot of the platform, the Working Eye team tested the digital coach with approximately 1,500 students, parents and teachers. The platform received a 100% approval rating in school panels and 48% parental uptake. “We like to refer to Working Eye as a hand to hold throughout your working life. It is a beautiful example of how AI can work for good. AI isn’t necessarily going to take your job. It has the potential to help you get the job you want,” adds Cayless.

100%

approval rating in school panels during initial pilot

48%

parental uptake during initial pilot

“

We like to refer to Working Eye as a hand to hold throughout your working life. It is a beautiful example of how AI can work for good. AI isn’t necessarily going to take your job. It has the potential to help you get the job you want. ”

Peter CaylessFounder and CEOWorking Eye

About Working Eye Ltd.

Technologies

IBM Watson Discovery IBM Watsonx Assistant

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.