Esmeralda Waterreus - CIO at Pharming & former VP, Global Head of Enterprise Portfolio Group at Philips - The New CIO Playbook

What happens when you take an organization with 600+ siloed projects and 150+ decision-makers and distill it down to a laser-focused, value-driven engine? 🚀

Meet Esmeralda Waterreus, the current CIO at Pharming and former VP & Global Head of the Enterprise Portfolio Group at Philips and a nominee for the European CIO of the Year at #CIONETAwards2026.

Esmeralda stepped into a massive challenge: transforming how a global giant invests in digital. By shifting the accountability from IT back to the business and moving from annual budgets to a quarterly "agile cadence," she didn't just cut noise—she tripled cost savings and drove massive top-line growth.

Hendrik Deckers, Founder of CIONET, sat down with Esmeralda in Amsterdam to uncover the "human side" of high-stakes digital transformation in this latest #LeadershipDeepDive.

What you’ll find in this episode:

  • The 96% Success Rate: By discontinuing 75% of existing projects and focusing only on what delivered true patient and consumer value, Esmeralda’s team at Philips boosted on-time delivery from roughly 50% to a staggering 96%. 📈
  • Predictive over Reactive: Esmeralda believes the future of AI isn't just in delivery—it’s in prediction. AI will help leaders decide what to build before a project even starts by calculating where the most value lies. 🤖
  • The "Umbrella Effect": A leader’s job is to provide trust and protection. Esmeralda uses the "umbrella effect" to shield her teams from corporate noise, allowing them to focus, experiment, and—most importantly—be brave enough to fail. ☂️

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Let’s see who takes home the trophy! 🥂

Published on 05.01.2022


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