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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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How HyperJar slashed first response times by 94% with AI

As a mobile banking app, HyperJar's customers expect a UX that's quick and convenient. They turned to Ultimate's automation platform to deliver on this promise — and it's paying dividends.

HyperJar at a glance

The customer

HyperJar is a free, prepaid debit card and money app designed for everyone.

The market

They serve customers in English, across the UK.

The support team

HyperJar has a support team of 33 agents.

The channels

HyperJar offers support via chat in the mobile app and on desktop. They manage queries through their CRM, Zendesk.

The situation

They were looking to automate industry-specific use cases so agents could focus on providing the best possible support, based on a balanced approach between AI and humans.

The solution

With Ultimate, they found an automation platform tailored to the finserv industry. They use API integrations to automate common queries so agents are free to focus on the more complex ones.

Getting started with Ultimate

As an innovative finserv company, HyperJar was looking to cash in on their automation potential in order to stay ahead of the competition in their industry. Jake Samson, Systems Manager at HyperJar, said it best, “There’s no running from it, AI is here. You have to embrace it or you’ll fall behind.” After seeing some demos and comparing our competitors on G2, we shined as the best option for them.

With our extensive experience working in the finserv industry, we aligned with their commitment to make life simple and convenient for their customers by using AI to provide faster and more accessible support. Together, with their Customer Success Manager at Ultimate, Kasia, they mapped the most impactful use cases for automation – such as replacing lost cards and checking card delivery status – while still making it easy for customers to escalate to an agent when needed. Of the onboarding journey, Jake recalls, “It was a really smooth process. It’s a very user-friendly platform. It was a very structured training program, and we went live within the first 4 weeks.”

And because they were committed to automating each use case in a gradual way, they weren’t banking on seeing such impressive results so quickly. They’ve already cut their first response times (FRT) by 94% – all while maintaining a 97% CSAT score. With CX automation, customers can have speedier support and their agents are freed up to provide a human touch where needed.

“Everywhere I go, I recommend Ultimate as the platform you need to go with when you’re deciding to automate. As our Trustpilot reviewers say, ‘it’s a bot that actually knows what to do!’”

Jake Samson
Systems Manager, HyperJar

First contact resolution rate: 90%

CSAT score: 97%

Reduction in FRT: 94%

AI use case spotlight #1: Eliminating escalations for replacing lost cards

Replacing cards accounts for 16% of queries at HyperJar. Before automation, doing so required a 15-20 minute conversation with a human agent – not counting wait times.
This repetitive request proved to be a perfect use case for automation. With the help of our finserv-specialized API integrations, they were able to fully automate it within a few weeks.
HyperJar has completely eliminated agent escalations on this intent, and cut the time to resolution to under 2 minutes – contributing to an 90% overall reduction in FCR.

AI use case spotlight #2: Enabling agents to provide more human CX

Right from the outset, HyperJar knew their goal was to find the sweet spot by offering excellent customer service through CX automation while maintaining a human touch where needed, such as when resolving payment disputes.
Our approach to automation still makes it easy for customers to reach an agent as needed by designing smart escalation paths, rather than centering a deflection at all costs approach.
Because they were able to automate their most repetitive tasks, agents are free to provide that little bit of extra care to customers and to go the extra mile on complex queries. Since automating, HyperJar has maintained a stellar 97% CSAT and 4.7 stars on Trustpilot.

The success story

Instant Zendesk integration

The fact that our automation solution fits seamlessly into their CRM was a deal maker for HyperJar. Our one-click integration with Zendesk enabled them to get started with automation quickly and easily.

Insightful analytics

Our comprehensive analytics help HyperJar to pinpoint their top use cases for automation. This data also enables them to better understand their customers by making it easier to monitor conversations more closely.

Industry-leading results

HyperJar knew that automation was key to getting a leg up on competitors by providing the best possible CX. They’ve managed to achieve better operational efficiency, boasting a 94% reduction in FRT since automating, and a 42% automation rate overall.

Improved customer experience

HyperJar has achieved a 90% FCR by automating repetitive intents, and agents now have more time to focus on providing faster support on their more complex queries. They have maintained a 97% CSAT since launching their bot.

Next on their automation journey

After so much success with automating the lost card use case, HyperJar is now looking to automate six more of their most common customer intents such as checking card delivery status.

Ultimate is a platform that grows with them as their automation journey coincides with the evolution of their product. For example, they've recently begun issuing customer vouchers and rewards, and were able to automate this process right from the start.

They are also curious to try our generative AI-powered chatbot, UltimateGPT, as a way to capture the long tail of customer queries and enhance the conversational TOV of their bot as they continue to design new dialogue flows.

Technologies

Ultimate: Chat automation Zendesk: A CRM Platform

Partners

CIONET Business Circles

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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.

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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 !

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.