CIONET

While the energy from CIOFEST on Leadership in Agentic Era is still buzzing in Milan, Warsaw, Antwerp, Barcelona, Amsterdam and Munich, we are keeping the momentum going with a masterclass in pragmatic innovation. We are thrilled to have used the opportunity to interview Paolo Magnani, CIO Europe, Middle East & Africa at DHL Supply Chain.

Paolo’s philosophy is simple yet powerful: "If I can help someone else avoid the mistakes we've made, I'm already succeeding." At DHL, the transition to Agentic AI isn't about chasing "fancy" technology—it's about a dual-track strategy that balances high-speed innovation with industrial-grade safety. In this candid discussion, Paolo breaks down the DHL blueprint for scaling AI - watch the full interview to find out:

🤖 Why DHL keeps deterministic flows in RPA but uses Agentic AI for complex, multi-step orchestrations;
🏗️ Why you don't need a new enterprise, but a "legible" one;
🛡️ Why Paolo uses a "least privilege" scope for AI Agents;
👥 How upskilling programs are preparing teams to work alongside their "digital colleagues".

The CIOFEST conversation continues! Our final stop is London on May 14th—you can still register to be a part of this pivotal discussion.
🔗 https://www.cionet.com/events/ciofest/5

As we catch our breath from an incredible week of CIOFEST 2026 across Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, and Italy, one message is echoing through the halls of digital leadership: The Agentic Era isn’t just coming; it’s already operational.

To help our community navigate this massive shift, we are thrilled to launch an exclusive interview with one of Europe’s most pragmatic tech pioneers: Kurt De Ruwe, CIO at AkzoNobel. Kurt isn't just experimenting with AI; he is scaling it. At AkzoNobel, they have moved far beyond simple chatbots to a "Silicon Workforce" that executed 1.5 million agentic tasks last year alone. From automating complex offboarding processes to providing real-time intelligence for customer service, Kurt’s team is redefining what it means to be an "Agentic Enterprise." Watch the full interview to find out how Agentic AI is reshaping customers, platforms and leadership!

Are you ready to move "Beyond Pilots"? The conversation continues! On April 28th, CIOFEST heads to Barcelona, and on May 14th, we land in London. Join us to hear more from leaders like Kurt as we redefine leadership in the Agentic Era.

🔗 Register for Barcelona & London: https://www.cionet.com/events/ciofest/5

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. ☂️

🏆 Join the Celebration of Top Digital Leadership!
Want to hear more from the leaders redefining the digital landscape? Don't miss the big reveal of the winners!

📅 When: 25 March 2026
📍 Where: London
Register here: https://www.cionet.com/events/cionet-awards-2026-part-3

Let’s see who takes home the trophy! 🥂

What happens when you take the "Challenger" mindset of Revolut and plug it into a global banking giant like Santander? ⚡️

Meet Felipe Peñacoba Martinez, the CEO of PagoNxt Payments Hub. After helping scale Revolut to over 50 million customers and securing its status as a "significant bank" supervised by the ECB , Felipe has returned to his roots to lead one of the most ambitious transformations in the financial world.

Hendrik Deckers, Founder of CIONET sat down with Felipe to uncover how he bridges the gap between "move fast and break things" and "highly regulated global banking" in the next #LeadershipDeepDive interview.

Here are three "Golden Nuggets" from our deep dive:

- The "Hammer and Nail" Trap: Don't look at AI just for the sake of it. If you start with the solution before you've defined the problem, every tool looks like a hammer and every project looks like a nail. 🔨
- The 80% Rule: At Revolut, Felipe saw how AI-powered chatbots now resolve 80% of customer queries instantly. That’s not just cost-saving; it’s a total reimagining of customer satisfaction. 🤖
- The "Lucky" First Time: Getting it right on the first try is often just luck.
Felipe argues that you learn more from failing three or four times because then you actually understand why it eventually works. 📈


Felipe is a nominee for the European CIO of the Year at #CIONETAwards2026, and his insights on cloud-native architecture, talent acquisition, and digital transformation are a masterclass for any tech leader.



🏆 Join the Celebration!

Want to hear more from the leaders redefining the digital landscape? Don't miss the big reveal!

📅 When: 25 March 2026 📍 Where: London

👉 Register here to join the CIONET Awards 2026

https://www.cionet.com/events/cionet-awards-2026-part-3

Let’s see who takes home the trophy! 🥂



#DigitalLeadership #Fintech #CIO #CTO #Innovation #BankingTransformation #PagoNxt #Revolut

Is your CIO a "Swiss Army Knife" or just a cost center? If you're still viewing IT as a back-office "black magic" shop, you're already behind. Meet Michał Paprocki, Group CIO at Euroclear and a #CIONETAwards2026 nominee, who is fundamentally redefining the role of the modern digital leader. Michał isn't just "running systems"; he's managing 35% of the total workforce and oversight of 40% of the cost base for a global settlement house moving the GDP of Belgium twice a day. How does he do it? By becoming the "Great Enabler." 🚀 The Euroclear Transformation Masterclass:

D² FMI Strategy: Moving beyond traditional settlement into a "Data and Digital" powerhouse using blockchain and AI to satisfy evolving client needs.
The "Obeya" Method: Implementing a visual management "cockpit" for the entire Executive Committee to ensure total transparency and strategic alignment.
AI for the People: Rolling out Co-pilots to every single employee with a bold target of 20% productivity savings.
Digital Native Bonds: Launching a production-grade blockchain platform that issued a €1 billion digital bond for the World Bank.

💡 Michał's Secret Sauce for Leadership: Michał recruits for two non-negotiable traits: Curiosity and Courage. As he puts it (channeling his inner Master Yoda), "You must unlearn what you have learned." In a world of generative AI and quantum leaps, complacency is the only true knockout criterion. 🏆 Witness the Future of Digital Leadership Want to hear more about how the world's top digital leaders are pivoting from infrastructure to innovation? Listen to the full #LeadershipDeepDive interview!

#CIONET #DigitalLeadership #CIO #CTO #Innovation #FinTech #Blockchain #AI ​​#Euroclear #Leadership #CIONETAwards2026 @CIONET Belgium