Speakers

At MarTech ’25, you’ll receive fresh insights and hands-on advice from experts in their fields. Our speakers are thinkers and doers alike, making a real impact every day in marketing and technology.

Steven Van Belleghem

Steven Van Belleghem is an internationally recognised thought leader in customer centricity, digital transformation, and marketing technology.
Karen Van De Woestyne

Karen Van De Woestyne is General Manager Transform & Ecosphere at KBC, where she applies over 30 years of leadership experience across business development, marketing, procurement, and change management.
Peter Hinssen

Peter Hinssen is a Belgian serial entrepreneur, author of 6 bestsellers, and an international speaker on innovation, technology, and leadership.
Clarissa Filius

Clarissa Filius is Team Lead SEO, CRO and Marketing Automation at iO. She is known for her expertise in local SEO and her deep focus on GEO.
Jeroen Baert

Jeroen Baert is a computer scientist, stand-up comedian, and science communicator.
Karolien Vanherp

As Marketing & Data Lead at iO, Karolien Vanherp connects strategy, technology, and marketing to optimise clients’ content production.
Tom Van Mierlo

Tom Van Mierlo is partner and co-founder of iO, an expert in business development and growth. An avid trendwatcher, but more importantly a true trend implementor.
Geert Van Mol

Geert Van Mol is a Belgian digital strategist, former Chief Digital Officer at Belfius and author of the book Rebel Rebel.
Kim Smets

Kim Smets is a senior executive with over two decades of experience driving commercial growth and transformation in the telecom industry.

Steven Van Belleghem

Steven Van Belleghem is an internationally recognised thought leader in customer centricity, digital transformation, and marketing technology.

As an author, he has written international bestsellers such as When Digital Becomes Human, The Offer You Can’t Refuse, and A Diamond in the Rough. At MarTech '25, Steven will not only take the stage as a speaker. He will also guide the day and keynotes as a moderator.

The Customer Experience Renaissance

In my keynote speech, I will demonstrate how AI not only accelerates processes, but also fundamentally changes the way customers make choices. We are at a tipping point: customers are increasingly using AI platforms for their entire decision-making process. This requires companies to reinvent the customer experience: ultimate convenience, new emotional value, and a renewed focus on the basics of excellent service. It is a story about technology and humanity – how we can create a renaissance of customer focus together.

Karen Van De Woestyne

As General Manager Digital Transformation & Data, Karin Van Hoecke plays a crucial role in driving innovation and data-driven transformation at KBC. Under her leadership, among other initiatives, AI assistant Kate has evolved to swiftly handle millions of interactions, effectively closing the gap between digital expectations and customer experience.

In 2023, Karin received the Woman in Technology – Bank/Financial Institution award at the Banking Tech Awards. The following year, she was named CDO of the Year 2024.

Peter Hinssen

Peter Hinssen is a Belgian serial entrepreneur, author of 6 bestsellers, and an international speaker on innovation, technology, and leadership.

As the founder of nexxworks, he helps organisations navigate in the ‘Never Normal’ era. He has worked with companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft, and teaches at several international business schools, including London Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management.

Navigating the Never Normal: the Uncertainty Principle

We live in a world where disruption has become the rule rather than the exception. Markets shift overnight, technologies accelerate beyond imagination, and customer expectations evolve at lightning speed. In The Uncertainty Principle – Navigating the Never Normal, Peter Hinssen explores how leaders and organizations can thrive when predictability disappears. Drawing on stories from history, business, and technology, Peter shows how uncertainty can be turned into an advantage. Rather than resisting change, the winners of tomorrow will be those who embrace volatility, reframe risk as opportunity, and build cultures that adapt as fast as the world around them. This keynote is not about fearing the Never Normal—it’s about mastering it.

Clarissa Filius

Clarissa Filius, Senior SEO specialist, is renowned for her expertise in local SEO. She works as Team Lead SEO, CRO, and Marketing Automation at iO, where she is also exploring the emerging field of GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation).

With an impressive career of 10+ years, Clarissa delivers results for global brands, making her a respected authority in her field.

The future of SEO: How brands in the Benelux are successfully leveraging AI Search

Search is no longer just about search engines; it's about the way people discover things — across every possible platform or medium. AI search engines such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude are dramatically changing the way people search for—and find—your business or brand online. So, traditional SEO alone will no longer suffice. The alternative? Discover it during the talk of Clarissa.

Jeroen Baert

Jeroen Baert is a computer scientist, stand-up comedian, and science communicator.

He combines technology and humour on stage, sharing his insights on innovation and AI through keynotes, podcasts, and television appearances. He is a regular panellist on the podcast Nerdland and frequently speaks on technology and the impact of digital innovation.

Keynote: ‘A.I.’

What is the impact of AI on our society and the way we work and gather information? What does the future of AI technology look like? How can you use AI wisely at this moment? You will find answers to all these questions in this lecture, in which Jeroen Baert takes an informative and entertaining look at the current buzz surrounding AI in a humorous and critical way.

Karolien Vanherp

As Marketing & Data Lead at iO, Karolien connects strategy, technology, and marketing to help clients make their content production more efficient and effective.

She focuses on improving digital processes and provides tailored solutions that enable marketers to grow without compromising on quality, allowing brands to thrive in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Content supply chain: maximum impact for complex content and campaigns

There is increasing pressure on organisations to deliver tailored, high-quality content and impactful campaigns. How can your organisation deliver consistent and engaging brand experiences efficiently and without increasing costs? By integrating your technology, stakeholders, and business processes into an automated environment, your organisation can offer hyper-personalised brand experiences while significantly reducing operational costs and time-to-market.

Tom Van Mierlo

As Senior Digital Strategist and Partner at iO, Tom Van Mierlo's professional journey started more than 15 years ago at Intracto.

Skilled in business development and growth, he specialises in turning strategic challenges into detailed digital plans to grow your business.

Intent-driven personalization: ready for the future of digital discoverability?

Will you actually still need a website in the future? And when everyone soon consults their own AI-curated version of the internet: how do you ensure that your organization can still be found? In this power talk, Tom Van Mierlo takes you into the future of intent-driven personalization. Not a theoretical story, but practical insight into the transition that's already taking place. Discover how you can prepare your digital ecosystem today for the world of tomorrow.

Geert Van Mol

Geert Van Mol is a Belgian digital strategist, former Chief Digital Officer at Belfius and author of the book Rebel Rebel.

He led the digital transformation at Belfius, which resulted in the award-winning Belfius app, and was later co-CEO at the project developer Steenoven. Van Mol is known for his vision on digital innovation and his ability to combine music and business.

⚡ Rebel Rebel – The Rock’n’Roll Guide to MarTech 🤘

Like the best musicians, the greatest marketers have always been rebels. It’s not about surviving the endless labyrinth of MarTech tools. Anyone can play the instruments — the real question is: what sound do you want to play? The sound of today and tomorrow. Digitally, live, in true connection with people.Marketing is on the first to ride the wave of AI. And with AI, mediocrity is dead: average campaigns vanish, only bold ideas and rebellious creativity survive and scale. Geert Van Mol — digital rebel, ex-CDO of Belfius and author of Rebel Rebel — shows how Music Thinking turns stacks into beats that dance, riffs that rock, and create business impact and claim marketing’s seat in the boardroom. 🔊This is about impact with soul, loud, alive.

Kim Smets

Currently Vice President Data & AI, he combines leadership in Data & AI with a background in marketing to create strategies that generate measurable business impact.

He is leading a company-wide Data & AI transformation – turning innovation into measurable business impact across marketing, customer service, and technology.

Data & AI. Impactful CX. – Turning intelligence into experiences that matter

This keynote is about creating real impact for our customers through better experiences — powered by data and AI.
It’s about how we turned challenges into progress, using intelligence to improve every step of the customer journey.
It’s a story of focus, execution, and making a real difference.

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