European CIO Xchange

European CIO Xchange

The CIO's New Mandate – Empowering People, Driving Value, Leading with Resilience​

18 Oct – 20 Oct 2026 Barcelona, Spain
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Today’s CIO plays a central role in business strategy and enterprise leadership. No longer focused solely on IT operations, CIOs are driving digital transformation, aligning technology investments with business goals, and building resilient, adaptive organizations in the face of constant disruption. As AI and automation move from experimentation to enterprise adoption, CIOs face a dual challenge: unlocking new business value while ensuring strong governance, security, and risk management. With Agentic AI rapidly reshaping operating models, CIOs must balance innovation with transparency, ethical oversight, and operational control. This new mandate requires rethinking talent, collaboration, and technology governance — enabling CIOs to lead responsible AI adoption, deliver measurable outcomes, and strengthen organizational trust and resilience.

Overview

Technology leadership is central to enabling innovation, governance, and growth as AI accelerates digital transformation. Today’s CIO must integrate AI and emerging technologies responsibly, harness data for actionable insights, and support data-driven and agentic AI initiatives across the enterprise—while balancing strategy, risk, communication, and people as part of the C-suite.

Join fellow CIOs, technology leaders, partners, and IDC analysts to exchange best practices, build meaningful connections, and collaborate on leading successful transformation in the age of AI agents.

Speakers

Thomas Meyer
Keynote Speaker

Thomas Meyer

SVP, IDC WW Research

IDC

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Jennifer Thomson

Jennifer Thomson

Associate Vice President Global Services Insights

IDC

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Carla Arend

Carla Arend

Associate Vice President, Research, Cloud in Europe

IDC

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Andrea Siviero

Andrea Siviero

Senior Research Director, AI-fueled Business Strategies

IDC

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Ewa Zborowska

Ewa Zborowska

Research Director

IDC

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Marc Dowd

Marc Dowd

Vice President, Executive Advisory

IDC

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Louise McKeever

Louise McKeever

Government CIO

Ireland

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Jeroen Scheer

Jeroen Scheer

CIO

ANWB

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Luise Bang

Luise Bang

Former Digital Executive

Bombardier, Airbus & Vodafone

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Ibrahima Ndiaye

Ibrahima Ndiaye

CTO

RATP Group

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Murat Gölcü

Murat Gölcü

CIO

Villeroy & Boch Fliesen

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Agenda

European CIO Xchange

Day 0

16:30

Group Innovation Challenge

18:30

Networking Dinner

Day 1

07:00

Exercise and Breakfast

08:30

IDC Welcome

Keynote
08:45

The CIO’s New Mandate: Empowering People, Driving Value, Leading with Resilience

Thomas Meyer | IDC

SVP, IDC WW Research

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Thomas Meyer
09:10

Building the Resilient Enterprise: Vision for CIO-Led Transformation

09:30

Strategic Shifts: Navigating Change and Leading Transformation

Luise Bang

Luise Bang

Former Digital Executive, Bombardier, Airbus & Vodafone

09:45

Connecting the Dots: How Secure Networks Empower People and Enable Growth

10:00

Coffee, Networking, 1:1 Meetings

10:30

The Bonus Is in the Blueprint: Rethinking Architecture for the AI-Driven Enterprise

Ibrahima Ndiaye

Ibrahima Ndiaye

CTO, RATP Group

10:45

Intelligence at Scale: Partnering for Smarter, More Resilient Operations

11:00

The Human Side of Digital: Putting People at the Heart of CIO Strategy

11:15

Group Innovation Challenge

12:00

Networking Lunch

13:00

Roundtable Discussions

14:00

Coffee, Networking, 1:1 Meetings

14:30

Workshop 1

15:15

Coffee, Networking, 1:1 Meetings

15:45

Identity at the Core: Governing Access in the Age of AI and Hybrid Work

16:00

Resilient by Design: Building the Connected Foundation for the New CIO Mandate

16:15

Group Innovation Challenge Presentations

18:30

Welcome Drinks and Gala Dinner

Day 2

07:00

Exercise and Breakfast

08:30

Setting the Stage: Day 1 Highlights & Day 2 Welcome

08:45

From Resilience to Results: Turning Strategy into Enterprise Impact

09:00

Accelerating Value: A Partner Perspective on the CIO’s Transformation Journey

09:15

Empowering People, Driving Value: Leading Complex Transformation at Scale

Louise McKeever

Louise McKeever

Government CIO, Ireland

09:30

Coffee, Networking, 1:1 Meetings

10:00

Workshop 2

10:45

Change break

10:55

Workshop 3

11:40

Change break

11:50

Leading with Purpose: A Partner’s View on Value-Driven CIO Leadership

12:05

The New CIO Playbook: Journey, Execution, and Bold Choices

Jeroen Scheer

Jeroen Scheer

CIO, ANWB

12:20

Co-Creating the Future of Enterprise Technology

12:30

IDC Key Takeaways and Closing

13:00

Networking Lunch and Departure

What our attendees say

Industry leaders and global influencers shared their experiences on overcoming challenges and seizing new opportunities. Their insights provided practical perspectives and valuable lessons that continue to inspire and guide our community.

Transformation doesn’t happen in isolation. The CIO Xchange brings together technology leaders who are redefining how innovation, data, and people connect to drive business value

Nikolaj Friis Kroyer, Hartmann Packaging

Must attend event of the year for CIOs

Francisco Pastor, JCDecaux

A memorable event with an organisation that highlights the important topics for a
CIO while also providing space for informal peer-to-peer exchanges throughout the
day. I appreciated both the formal and informal discussions which bring great ideas
and useful practical solutions

Stephan Mariotto, Fidal

Best IDC conference I have attended to date. All speakers and all sessions were
great. I sometimes find the fireside chat format a little dull and contrived but all the
sessions here works really well.

Mark Dooley, RSS Global

Extremely valuable experience to participate in the IDC CIO Xchange. Great
sessions, variety of form and interaction with peers and partners

Carina Harders, Lantmännen Unibake

Everything was perfectly organized, right audience and content

Antonio Arranz, LVMH

2025 Video Highlights

Our Partners

Want to become a partner? Contact Us!

Venue

Eurostars Sitges, Barcelona

Av. Camí de Miralpeix, 12, 08870

Sitges, Barcelona, Spain

Knowledge Hub

EMEA Enterprise Networking: Strategies for 2025 and Beyond

Despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, inflationary pressures, and energy cost volatility, the outlook for networking investments in EMEA is positive. ok for networking investments in EMEA is positive.

Read more

Key Takeaways: IDC European CIO Xchange 2025

The enterprise technology landscape is undergoing a pivotal transformation, moving from the chaotic “GenAI Scramble” of 2024, characterized by widespread proof-of-concept (POC) projects, to a more deliberate “AI Pivot” focused on achieving scale and measurable business value in 2025. Discussion at the CIO Xchange reveals a consensus that success in this new era hinges on a disciplined fusion of strategy, foundational readiness, and robust governance.

Read more

The Agentic Business Future: Driving Resilience, Sovereignty, & Innovation

In this year’s session — The Agentic Business Future — we’ll explore how organizations can harness AI, automation, and sovereignty to drive resilience, innovation, and growth in an increasingly complex environment. But success in this future depends on more than technology: it requires foundational readiness, robust governance, and a human-centered approach.

Watch the recording

Contact Us

Gian Carlo De La Paz

Gian Carlo De La Paz

Senior Event Manager, IDC

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Kikki Godskesen

Kikki Godskesen

Event Sponsorship Sales Europe, IDC

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