Benelux CIO Community
Executive Summit

Join this exclusive evening hosted by the Governing Body, this dinner is a can’t-miss opportunity to connect with your peers prior to tomorrow’s Executive Summit.

Zero trust transformation is not a straightforward, linear process. Modern CIOs and CISOs must navigate a complex balance between technological advancement and the need to simplify and secure IT environments. The explosion of AI and recent technological disruptions served as a wake-up call to many organisations to scrutinize progress towards zero trust principles – for users, devices, and workloads. How can leaders take advantage of this momentum to accelerate their zero trust and AI-enabled transformation?

Join this session to learn:

• How a zero trust approach to IT can help secure organisations’ resources reliably and cost-effectively
• How to foster a cultural shift within the organisation, ensuring employees and leadership understand and embrace zero trust principles
• How to manage the complexities of AI integration to create robust security frameworks

As digital transformation, innovation and technology advance at a staggering pace, organisations need to rapidly adapt and ‘look beyond’ the horizon to remain relevant, competitive and proactive. With the need to transform technologies, culture and organisational structures in a sustainable way, CIOs must evolve their strategies, competencies and technology roadmaps to ensure they are well placed to deal with the changing obligations and opportunities.

Join this CIO panel as they discuss:

• Looking at longer term planning for emerging technologies, like AI, to remain relevant
• Preparing for what the IT leadership role will entail in the coming years
• Elevating the CIO role for influence across the C-suite and beyond

As technology and security leaders face intense competition for skilled employees worldwide, it is crucial to seize the opportunity to create pathways for talent from underrepresented groups. By recruiting individuals who can enrich your company culture and bring fresh perspectives, you can cultivate a vibrant organisational culture and nurture future leaders.

Join this session to explore:

• Increasing visibility and providing growth opportunities for underrepresented groups
• Establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion benchmarks using a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures
• Implementing effective internal and external initiatives that prioritise representation and nurture the pipeline of diverse talent

An organisation like NATO faces intricate geopolitical dynamics, diverse member nations, and evolving security threats. In order to enable rapid adaptation to the ever-changing threat landscape and manage effectively, leaders at NATO must develop cohesive decision-making and collaboration to ensure strategic alignment.

Join Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer and Mario Beccia, CIO and CISO of NATO as they discuss:

• Mastering the art of negotiation, impactful communication and building compelling business cases
• Exploring the power and potential of a strong, harmonious IT and security partnership
• Assessing the effectiveness of cyber defence through threat adversary emulation

**Exclusively for Gartner EXP Clients**

In the fast-paced and dynamic realm of modern enterprises, CIOs play a pivotal role in building forward-thinking organisations that can rely on evolving technology and thrive in the digital age. The value optimised IT journey is a strategic framework that enables organisations to align their IT investments with business goals, drive innovation, and deliver tangible value. Developing trust in this model is crucial for its successful implementation and long-term sustainability.

Join this exclusive EXP boardroom to discuss:

• Establishing clear communication channels and transparency to enable a seamless partnership between IT and business functions
• Implementing robust governance mechanisms to ensure accountability and instil confidence in technology initiatives
• Cultivating a culture of collaboration and continuous learning to empower IT teams to drive innovation and adapt to business needs

Every year, Gartner Futures Lab chooses a big provocative topic, relevant across industry and region. This year, it is the future of Leadership. Executive leaders are increasingly under pressure, pulled in extreme opposite directions. They lead organisations that are increasingly hybrid in nature, requiring different leadership styles. And then, AI is coming for the boardroom, the next digital transformation. What does that mean for the role of the executive leader?

Join this interactive keynote to:

• Examine executive leadership practices of today
• Discover how leadership could evolve in the years to come
• Explore distributed versus centralised leadership