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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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Akbank increases customer engagement by up to 70% with Jasper

By leveraging generative AI, Akbank transformed their marketing strategy, ensuring consistency, engagement, and efficiency.

"Jasper enables us to accelerate our creative processes and structure ideas more effectively, significantly enhancing our brainstorming capabilities and overall content strategy."

Akbank

Digital Marketing Team

The Challenge: Enhancing Content Creation

Akbank, a leading financial institution, strives to deliver the best to its customers, driving the need for ongoing enhancements and system improvements. Leading the innovation within the company, Akbank LAB builds the future of finance by creating new products and services. The team partners with fintechs and tech companies to test innovative banking solutions.

In the competitive environment, Akbank recognized the challenge of maintaining a consistent and engaging content strategy. Their digital marketing team was dedicated to creating high-quality content to connect effectively with customers. This led to the need for a solution to enhance customer engagement and generate captivating campaign content strategies, all while ensuring operational efficiency.

The Solution: Harnessing Jasper's Multifaceted Features

Akbank’s team identified an opportunity to leverage generative AI and chose Jasper as a result of its marketing-specific focus. Akbank LAB initiated a proof-of-concept test run with their digital marketing team to enhance content creation and efficiency. As part of this, Jasper was primarily used to craft engaging and personalized push notification and SMS marketing campaigns, ensuring each message resonated with recipients while aligned with Akbank's brand voice.

By collaborating with their dedicated Customer Success Manager, the Akbank team broadened its understanding of generative AI’s capabilities. They mastered key features like prompt writing in Jasper Chat to brainstorm and create the full campaigns, brand voice for consistent messaging, and the knowledge base to host comprehensive information about their banking products. Automating these tasks enabled Akbank to respond quickly to market trends and customer needs, significantly boosting its overall marketing efficiency and effectiveness.

Achieving Tangible Results: Time Efficiencies and Higher Engagement Rates

Akbank compared Jasper’s outputs to the previous systems across multiple use cases and found Jasper consistently more efficient. Their dedicated efforts paid off with a remarkable 3% increase in response rates and a 40% reduction in content creation time across ten campaigns within three months.

Beyond these impressive numbers, Jasper proved invaluable for sparking creativity and generating fresh push notification and SMS campaigns. This collaboration addressed Akbank’s dedication to perfection in content development and set the stage for future growth. By leveraging AI, they transformed their marketing strategy, ensuring consistency, engagement, and efficiency.

Founded in 1948, Akbank is a premier Turkish bank offering a comprehensive range of services, including corporate, investment, commercial, SME, and retail banking, as well as private banking and payment systems. Serving over 13 million active customers, Akbank’s innovation center Akbank LAB leads digital transformation through investments in cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain, Web 3.0, generative AI, and advanced analytics, providing customers with next-gen solutions. Demonstrating a solid commitment to sustainability, Akbank aims to provide 800 billion TL in sustainable financing by 2030 and achieve a net-zero carbon footprint by 2050. Recognized internationally, the bank has received prestigious awards for its excellence in digital innovation and sustainability initiatives.

Headquarters: Istanbul

Company Size: Enterprise (1,000+ employees)

Industry: Finance

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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.