Year End Event

F2F event

17.00 Welcome & Registration

17.45 The Priorities of CIO’s/Digital Leaders at CIOforum by Peter Vermeylen, Chairman CIOforum and CIO UZA

18.00 Wings of Change – Elevating IT to the Next Level, Igniting Innovation and Inclusivity by Isabel Van Mele, CIO KBC

Dive into innovative technologies and (IT) strategies reshaping the financial industry. Learn how KBC is transforming customer obsession in end-to-end frictionless user experiences. Discover how inclusivity and sustainability are the driving forces behind the next level IT strategy at KBC.

Isabel has gained many years’ experience in various sectors and hence possesses a unique blend of authentic transformational leadership skills, strategic business acumen, and profound expertise in data and IT architecture. Before joining KBC in 2021, she worked as Chief Technology Officer at IBM and Chief Data Officer at ING. Given her track record, it’s no coincidence that in October 2020, she was selected as one of the 50 most inspirational female executive leaders and role models in Tech @Belgium.

18.45 Break

19.00 Innovation & Inclusion: a Yin Yang by Françoise Chombar, Chairwoman and co-founder of Melexis

Innovation and inclusion are complementary and interdependent and necessary for sustainable business growth. Diversity and inclusion in teams drive innovation and have a positive impact on the economy and society. This is why we need more women and more colour in STEM. But what can we do now to make an impact on this?

Françoise Chombar is Chairwoman and co-founder of Melexis. She served as the CEO of Melexis for 18 years (from 2003 to 2021). She is currently a member of the Board of Umicore, Soitec, Smart Photonics, Antwerp Management School and Mediafin and as investor in some start-ups / scale-ups. She is also president of the STEM platform, an advisory board to the Flemish government, aiming to encourage young people to pursue a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics education. Françoise Chombar’s long-term commitment to actively advocating more STEM and diversity and inclusion is driven by her profound belief in their positive societal impact. Ms. Chombar holds a Master’s Degree Applied Languages (Dutch, English, and Spanish) from Ghent University.

19.45 Closing and networking opportunity with food and drinks

21.30 End of the Event

Event partners

Founded in 2007, Exertum provides tailormade services for the technical management of SAP environments in Belgium and Luxembourg. Its merger in May 2023 with the French company Business At Work, allows Exertum to broaden its offering both technically and functionally and to support clients in all phases of their transformation projects. www.exertum.com

Flexso has been co-innovating with its customers since 2004. As a leading SAP Gold partner, we provide businesses with end-to-end solutions that help them maximize the value of their SAP investments. That’s how we support them on their road to digital transformation, guaranteeing the ultimate peace of mind. By combining the best solutions with the best people, Flexso has built a solid reputation in the market, which is reflected by the many valuable long-term partnerships we cultivate with customers, partners as well as employees. www.flexso.com

Gumption brings together digitally inspired entrepreneurs from over 20 companies into one ecosystem. Gumption helps clients grow and innovate through digital transformation based on co-creation. It has expertise in business process optimisation and automation, digital infrastructure, brand and customer experience, and data-driven organisation. As an entrepreneurial platform, Gumption financially, strategically and operationally supports entrepreneurs in the ecosystem, allowing them to focus 100% on their customers, employees and solutions. Gumption has +800 employees and eight Benelux offices. www.gumption.eu