Agenda 2026 - CIOmove

How to Get to Brussels

Reserved seats are available on the following trains:

London, leaving at 11:04 a.m. from St. Pancras Station. Your team captain on the Eurostar train (ES9126) is Professor Art Langer. He will meet with his team at 10:00 a.m. in front of the security gate. Remember, you must still pass through security and immigration. Just follow Art. He has traveled through the English Channel Tunnel one hundred times.
Frankfurt, leaving at 10:35 a.m. from the main station (Hauptbahnhof). Your team captain on train ICE 16 is our CIOmove editor, Stanislaw Rahm. He will wait for you at the reserved seats in railcar 28.
Cologne, leaving at 11:43 a.m. from the main station (Hauptbahnhof). Stanislaw Rahm is also your team captain on train ICE 16 (ICE 16 is the train that comes from Frankfurt). He will wait for you at the reserved seats in railcar 29.
Paris, leaving at 11:55 a.m. from Gare du Nord. Your team captain on the Eurostar ER9435 train is Ursula Soritsch-Renier, the CDIO of Saint-Gobain. Ursula and her husband, James, will meet you on the train.
Alternatively, you could fly into Brussels, which would make two other participants happy: Jochen Goettelmann, CIO of Lufthansa, and Henning Krueger, CIDO of British Airways. Henning or Jochen will buy you a drink at the bar later.

Until 2:00 p.m. – Check-in at the Hotel Amigo, Rue de l’Amigo, 1000 Brussels
3:00 p.m. – Guided tour of the European Parliament
A behind-the-scenes look at how Europe’s legislative heart operates.
4:30 p.m. – Introduction: “Decision-Making at the EU” by Stefan Borst, Former Editor, Focus Magazine in Brussels

5:15 p.m. – Keynote: “Challenges and Responses for AI and IT Security” by Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer, Inaugural CIO of NATO

6:00 p.m. – Panel discussion: “The Strategic Role of Europe in IT, Security & AI” by Stefan Borst & Horst Ellermann
8:00 p.m. – Welcome reception
Networking evening in the Brasserie Surréaliste, Place Du Nouveau Marché Aux Grains, 23, 1000 Brussels

10:00 a.m. – CEPS Think Tank: “The Eurostack Initiative – What’s in It for CIOs?”
10:30 a.m. – World Café discussion about:
- “Buy European” – Industrial Policy or Market Distortion?
  - 1. European preference must be measurable, not ideological.
  - 2. Reference frameworks beat new certifications.
- Security, Certification & Trust – Can EUCS Create a Market?
  - 1. Immunity from extraterritorial law is a core, unresolved concern.
  - 2. Certification must reduce risk, not just signal alignment.
  - 3. Cyber resilience depends on the weakest links.
- Data Protection, Data Act & Data Spaces – From Law to Usability
  - 1. Sector-led data spaces are essential – but only if governance is clear.
  - 2. Interoperability matters more than central control.
  - 3. Regulatory overlap is becoming a cost factor.
- Architecture, Federation & Scale – How can EuroStack Actually Work?
  - 1. Mapping dependencies before declaring sovereignty.
  - 2. Harmonisation beats national solutions.
  - 3. Financing federation requires long-term instruments.
12:43 p.m. – Departure of Eurostar from Brussels Midi
2:05 p.m. – Arrival of Eurostar in Paris, Gare du Nord
Until 3:00 p.m. – Arrival and check-in at the hotel Melía Paris, 3 Boulevard de Neuilly, 92400 Courbevoie, La Défense France
3:00 p.m. – Arrival at the Headquarters of Saint-Gobain
Tour de Saint-Gobain, 12 Place de l’Iris, 92400 Courbevoie

3:15 p.m. – Keynote: “Transforming a 360year old company for solutions, sustainability and AI” by Ursula Soritsch-Renier, CDIO, Saint-Gobain

4:00 p.m. – CIO Session 1: Innovation
Peer-moderated discussions across the innovation track
5:00 p.m. – Deep dive discussion
7:30 p.m. – Reunion with companions
Rooftop reception at the Saint-Gobain tower
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Companion program:
- Morning: City tour with chocolate factory and café in Brussels
- Afternoon: Seine boat trip

10:00 a.m. – Bus departure
10:45 a.m. – Arrival at Columbia University, Paris Campus (Montparnasse)
11:00 a.m. – Warm welcome by Prof. Art Langer, Columbia University
11:15 a.m. – Keynote: “Digital Sovereignty at Crédit Agricole” by Emmanuel Sardet, Group CTO Crédit Agricole
12:00 p.m. – Keynote: “Digital Sovereignty at EDF” by Martine Gouriet, Director Digital Transformation at EDF, and IT manager of the Year 2025 in France, elected by Le Monde Informatique
12:45 p.m. – Lunch at Columbia Campus
1:30 p.m. – CIO Session 2: Integration
2:30 p.m. – Deep dive discussion
4:00 p.m. – Coffee break
4:30 p.m. – CIO Session 3: Intelligence
6:00 p.m. – Reunion with companions
Garden reception (Flying Buffet)
8:00 p.m. – Return to Meliá Hotel
Enjoy a scenic evening transfer through Paris – with stopovers at the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Élysées for unforgettable views.
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Companion program:
- Morning: Perfume workshop and visit of the Fragonard museum
- Afternoon: Shopping around Galeries Lafayette