CIODAY2025 – Leading Forward, Together
This year’s CIODAY brings together people who move the needle: leaders building durable digital strategy, operators shipping at scale, and innovators who know where the next risks and opportunities sit. The through line is clear: sovereign AI, cyber resilience, governance, scale, and talent. The emphasis is on what works in practice: lessons from the front line, followed by interactive formats that help you turn those lessons into action.
The morning starts where scale meets speed. Gerhard van der Bijl shows how Ahold Delhaize scales technology and drives efficiency across its brands, underscoring the need for innovative co‑creation in a fast‑moving landscape. His technology leadership is required to innovatively co-create. Next, Art de Blaauw outlines the Dutch central government’s digitalisation journey, followed by Dimitri van Zantvliet (NS & CISO Platform Nederland) on cyber resilience and practical insights into board–CISO and tech leader–CISO collaboration. After that, CISO of the Year 2025 winner Florance Mottay explains how Zalando secures GenAI and shares perspectives on safeguarding agentic AI. A fireside with Carlo Ruiz (Nvidia) and Miguel Alvarez (Orange Business) shifts the focus to digital sovereignty.
The closure of the morning plenary session is with Arjen Dorland. He will stress the need for tech leaders to build and maintain relationships with their supervisory board. There is lots of improvement opportunities in most organisations. Arjen will explain what corporate development is needed and provide actionable insights. Following his presentation Arjan will reflect on mentimeter responses related to corporate governance mechanisms.
After lunch Martijn Botermans shows how Rituals weaves AI into retail DNA, strengthening the brand while sharpening operational focus. Hannes Bogaert (MARIN) brings insights from the Seven Ocean Simulation Centre, both sustainability and sovereignty will be addressed. SAP’s Stephan de Barse and Frank Forndron then zoom in on sovereign AI driven transformations.
The program pivots into an interactive debate as four track leaders, Albert Plugge, Erik Beulen, Hylke Sprangers, and Suzanne Janse, set the scene with short, pointed pitches. Participants move into 15 minute table dialogues, each anchored by two clear statements. Mentimeter captures the signal in real time, and each track closes with a short reflection so insights do not evaporate.
Following this debate Michael Moesman (Kyndryl) will address observability as a prerequisite to innovate. Björn Weidenmüller (T Systems) stays with the sovereignty theme and maps the organisational and architectural moves required to make autonomy achievable in practice. EVG Start bridges generations by pairing young professionals with seasoned tech leaders for an honest conversation about what it really takes to grow into leadership: skills, mindset, support structures, and the feedback loops that make growth stick. This is an important topic, as we need to ensure that the next generation of tech leaders is capable to lead. Finally, Friso Westra walks through how ABN AMRO processes high volumes of global transactions within a tightly regulated landscape.
Beyond the main stage, you can join interactive breakouts designed for open peer exchange with practical insights you can apply the next day, shared across sectors. We will end together by celebrating the CIO of the Year and the Tech Hero Award over good food and live music. Join the community on 25 November for sharp insight, real conversation, and tangible progress.
See you on 25 November!
Register for CIODAY2025