Speakers

Stijn Bijnens, CEO of the Proximus Group, started his career by creating the network security company NetVision (renamed Ubizen later on). In 2008 he was appointed CEO of the Limburgse Reconversie Maatschappij (LRM). Before joining Proximus, he was the CEO of the Belgian ICT company Cegeka since 2019, where he managed to position the company to be one of the leading ICT companies in Belgium and Europe.

Fabrice De Windt is a senior executive with more than 25 years of experience in the IT and telecom industry. As Proximus NXT Lead, he drives the company's growth strategy, focusing on innovation for customers and on continuously enhancing how Proximus NXT operates and delivers value.

Stijn Ilsen is a satellite engineer at Redwire Space with over 20 years of experience in the European space industry. He played a key role in major missions, including PROBA 3, where he acted as Flight Director during its successful launch in December 2024. Combining deep technical expertise with real-world mission experience, he brings a unique perspective on innovation, leadership and the power of “moonshot thinking” to turn ambitious ideas into reality.

Anne-Marie Covemaecker leads Managed & Customized Services at Proximus NXT. With over 25 years of ICT experience, she has managed complex outsourcing, public sector transformation and strategic customer environments for organizations including the Belgian Federal Government, Flemish Government, NATO and Defence. As strong advocate of SIAM, she combines operational excellence with people-centric leadership, business insight and expertise in digital transformation, workforce evolution and talent development.

General Manager at Nipro Europe, John Gesquiere leads innovation and digital transformation initiatives that help shape the future of healthcare. With decades of experience across engineering, R&D, product management, and executive leadership, he combines technology vision with a sharp focus on customer value.

Jannes Labaere is CIO of Plopsa Group and a seasoned IT leader with extensive experience in digital transformation, IT strategy, and service management. He is passionate about turning complex challenges into practical solutions that create measurable business impact.

Since joining Fortinet in 2003, Filippo has played a key role in shaping the company's global technical strategy and customer engagement model across the Enterprise and Telecommunications sectors.
Filippo leads the CSE team, a group of highly knowledgeable, senior experts across all the product lines and business verticals, who are engaged with key customers in cutting edge projects internationally.
With over 25 years of experience in telecommunications, IT, and cyber security, Filippo brings deep technical expertise and a global perspective to his role. His position provides him with unique access to executive conversations across regions, enabling him to share critical insights into industry trends, emerging challenges, and shifting security priorities worldwide.

Frank Callewaert is a technology and thought leader who has over 30 years of experience at the CxO level in an international public sector context. He has been working at Microsoft for 26 years and is part of the company’s Technology Officers community. As a CTO, Frank connects Microsoft’s technology vision with the needs of government and enterprise customers. He anticipates technology trends for the European Union Institutions, Agencies, and Bodies, as well as the Belgian and Luxembourg Customers.

Jan Heijdra is the Field Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Security & AI at Cisco Benelux and Leading Cisco's Critical National Infrastructure team in The Netherlands . In this dual leadership capacity, Jan serves as a trusted executive advisor to C-level leadership, critical infrastructure operators, and enterprise architects navigating the convergence of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and regulatory transformation. With extensive expertise spanning Sovereign AI, AI Security & Governance and European digital resilience mandates (including the EU AI Act, NIS2, and the Cyber Resilience Act), Jan is at the forefront of a team designing resilient, future-ready architectures for Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). A prominent international keynote speaker and thought leader, Jan is renowned for translating complex architectural, geopolitical, and regulatory shifts into actionable commercial and technical strategies that protect innovation and ensure digital sovereignty.

Veerle Delerue is CIO at FOD Financiën / SPF Finances, where she leads the organisation’s digital transformation, technology strategy, and innovation initiatives. She is committed to harnessing technology to deliver secure, efficient, and citizen-centric public services while driving modernisation across the Belgian federal administration.

Raf Peeters is Cybersecurity Practice Lead at Proximus NXT. He leads a team of security specialists helping organisations enhance cyber resilience, manage evolving threats, and accelerate secure digital transformation. With deep expertise in cybersecurity strategy and managed security services, Raf is a recognised voice on cyber resilience and security innovation.