On May 8th, digital leaders gathered at the elegant Restaurant Den Burgh in Hoofddorp for a thought-provoking evening of discussion, insight, and connection on The Journey of the CIO: Tackling Technology Debt & Embracing Innovation. Co-hosted by CIONET Netherlands with experts from Kyndryl and AWS, this exclusive CIO Vision Dinner brought together a diverse group of IT executives to explore the evolving challenges shaping the digital enterprise.

Navigating a Shifting IT Landscape

The evening opened with warm welcomes from Herman van Bolhuis (Founder, CIONET Netherlands), Suhail Shahid (Director Mainframe Modernization Leader at Kyndryl) and Siva Perinkolam (GTM Leader Mainframe Modernization EMEA at AWS) setting the stage for a rich discussion. As CIOs and technology leaders wrestle with aging infrastructure, cultural resistance, and constrained budgets, the urgency to balance legacy modernization with future-forward innovation has never been greater.

Throughout the evening, a consistent theme emerged: transformational leadership is essential for progress. The complexity of managing technology debt is not just a technical issue—it’s an organizational challenge that requires strategic alignment, cultural change, and executive sponsorship.

Roundtable Insights: Key Themes Explored

The open discussion format fostered candid exchanges around several key areas:

• Technology Debt & Innovation: Leaders shared strategies for modernizing core systems without disrupting mission-critical operations. Many highlighted the value of incremental change—using cloud-native principles and automation—to reduce risk while building agility.
• Legacy Meets Cloud: There was broad agreement that hybrid IT is here to stay. CIOs discussed integration patterns, tooling challenges, and how to bridge legacy systems with modern cloud infrastructure.
• Security, Compliance & Geopolitics: With regulations tightening and global uncertainty on the rise, data sovereignty and local hosting are front-of-mind. Solutions like air-gapped protection, immutable storage, and anomaly detection were recognized as vital for resilience.
• Performance & Applications: Leaders emphasized the need for seamless operations and discussed how AI-driven optimization is helping them anticipate performance issues before they arise.
• Cultural Transformation: Perhaps most compelling was the dialogue around organizational culture. As one participant put it, “Technology isn’t the biggest blocker—people are.” Driving change across silos and securing buy-in from all levels was seen as the linchpin for innovation success.

What's on the Minds of CIOs?

Attendees shared honest reflections. Some key insights:

Top Challenges Identified:

• Lack of leadership support or clear strategic direction
• Outdated systems that are too complex or costly to replace
• Resistance to change within teams or organizational culture
• Limited budget or resources to invest in innovation
• Lack of ability from the business side to clearly articulate requirements

Current Approaches to Tech Debt & Innovation:

• “We have a clear strategy and actively invest in modernizing systems and processes.”
• “We address tech debt reactively, only when it becomes a critical issue.”
• “Innovation efforts exist but are siloed or lack alignment across teams.”
• “There is little to no formal approach—tech debt and innovation are not prioritized.”

Final Reflections

This CIO Vision Dinner proved that while the challenges are complex, the shared commitment to modernization, resilience, and innovation is strong. CIOs are actively seeking practical, aligned, and sustainable paths forward. The need for trusted partnerships, like those with Kyndryl and AWS, was clear, especially as organizations prepare for what’s next in an uncertain world.

As one participant summarized, “The key takeaways came from hearing the lived experiences of peers and understanding what’s really working in the field.”

Thank you for joining us

A heartfelt thank you to all our guests, speakers, and co-hosts for making this dinner a memorable and impactful evening. We hope the conversations sparked new ideas and valuable connections.

If you'd like to learn more about the solutions discussed or explore how your organization can tackling technology debt and still embrace innovation, don't hesitate to reach out!