Thursday, June 25, 2026 – Welcome Day in Brussels
| Time | Program item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 11:04 a.m. | Departure of the London delegation | Departure of the London delegation from St. Pancras Station on Eurostar service ES9126. Professor Art Langer, your team captain, will meet the group at 10:00 a.m. at the Eurostar security gates and assist with security and immigration before boarding. |
| 10:35 a.m. | Departure of the Frankfurt delegation | Departure from the main station (Hauptbahnhof) on ICE 16. Stanislaw Rahm, CIOmove editor and your team captain, will meet you at the reserved seats in carriage 28. |
| 11:43 a.m. | Departure of the Cologne delegation | Departure from the main station on ICE 16, which continues from Frankfurt. Stanislaw Rahm is also your team captain on ICE 16. He will wait for you at the reserved seats in carriage 29. |
| 11:55 a.m. | Departure of the Paris delegation | Departure from Gare du Nord on Eurostar service ER9435. Ursula Soritsch-Renier, CDIO of Saint-Gobain and your team captain, will join you on board with her husband, James, and coordinate the group during the journey. |
| Until 2:00 p.m. | Individual check-in | Hotel Amigo (Rue de l’Amigo 1, 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. | Keynote: “Decision-Making at the EU” by Gregor Peter Schmitz, Editor-in-Chief of “Stern” magazine and Stefan Borst, former Brussels correspondent and editor at “Focus” Magazine. | What can we expect in Brussels? Horst Ellermann spoke with Gregor Peter Schmitz, editor-in-chief of „Stern“, to find out. |
| 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 and Horst Ellermann | |
| 8:00 p.m. | Welcome reception – Networking evening | Brasserie Surréaliste (Place Du Nouveau Marché Aux Grains, 23, 1000 Brussels) |
Friday, June 26, 2026 – From Brussels to Paris
| Time | Program item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | CEPS Think Tank: “The Eurostack Initiative – What’s in It for CIOs?” | CEPS – Our Experts at the European Union |
| 10:30 a.m. | World Café discussion: 1. “Buy European” – Industrial Policy or Market Distortion? – European preference must be measurable, not ideological. – Reference frameworks beat new certifications. 2. Security, Certification & Trust – Can EUCS Create a Market? – Immunity from extraterritorial law is a core, unresolved concern. – Certification must reduce risk, not just signal alignment. – Cyber resilience depends on the weakest links. 3. Data Protection, Data Act & Data Spaces – From Law to Usability – Sector-led data spaces are essential – but only if governance is clear. – Interoperability matters more than central control. – Regulatory overlap is becoming a cost factor. 4. Architecture, Federation & Scale – How can EuroStack Actually Work? – Mapping dependencies before declaring sovereignty. – Harmonisation beats national solutions. – Financing federation requires long-term instruments. | |
| 12:40 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 360-Year-Old Company for Solutions, Sustainability, and AI” by Ursula Soritsch-Renier, Chief Digital & Information Officer (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 |
Saturday, June 27, 2026 – Paris Academic Day
| Time | Program item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Bus departure | |
| 10:45 a.m. | Arrival at Columbia University | Columbia University (4 Rue de Chevreuse, 75006 Paris) |
| 11:00 a.m. | Welcome Address by Professor Art Langer, Columbia University | |
| 11:15 a.m. | Keynote: “Digital Sovereignty at Crédit Agricole” by Emmanuel Sardet, Group Chief Technology Officer, Crédit Agricole | |
| 12:00 p.m. | Keynote: “Digital Sovereignty at EDF” by Martine Gouriet, Director of Digital Transformation at EDF and IT Manager of the Year 2025 in France (awarded by Le Monde Informatique) | |
| 12:45 p.m. | Lunch at Columbia Campus | |
| 1:30 p.m. | CIO Session 2: Integration | Peer-moderated discussions across the innovation track |
| 2:30 p.m. | Deep-Dive Discussion | |
| 4:00 p.m. | Coffee break | |
| 4:30 p.m. | CIO Session 3: Intelligence | Peer-moderated discussions across the innovation track |
| 6:00 p.m. | Reunion with companions | Garden Reception (Flying Buffet) |
| 8:00 p.m. | Return to Meliá Paris La Défense | Enjoy a scenic evening transfer through Paris – with stopovers at the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Élysées for unforgettable views. |
Sunday, June 28, 2026 – Closing Day in Paris
| Time | Program item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00–8:00 a.m. | Morning activities | Guests can choose between an optional yoga session at the hotel or a running session in Paris. |
| 7:30–9:00 a.m. | Breakfast | Breakfast at the hotel before departure preparations begin. |
| 9:00–9:30 a.m. | Luggage shuttle | Luggage collection and transfer. |
| 9:30 a.m. | Hotel check-out & meeting point | Check-out and gathering point in front of the hotel / in the lobby before the group departs. |
| 9:30–11:30 a.m. | Special experience | Guests choose between three different Paris experiences: a vintage 2CV tour, the “Tour de CIO’s” by bike or e-bike, or a relaxed tuk-tuk tour. All routes lead to Les Invalides. |
| 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Pétanque in the park | A friendly outdoor pétanque session at Les Invalides, offering a distinctly French group activity. |
| 12:30–2:00 p.m. | Lunch in the park | Picnic-style lunch in the park before departure. |
| 2:00 p.m. | End of event & departure | Guests collect their luggage and depart. |