Empowered CFO’s Drive the Resilient Organisations of Tomorrow

Steven Van Belleghem is an international keynote speaker. These past years Steven has given more than 1,000 presentations at events in over 40 countries. His core expertise is the future of customer centricity. The combination between customer-centric thinking, the latest technologies and the human touch is the guiding principle in Steven’s stories.

Steven is an entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of inspiration agency Nexxworks and social media agency Snackbytes. As an investor he is also involved in the fast-growing digital agency Intracto and AI scale-up Hello Customer. Finally, Steven is also on the board of directors of Plan International. In addition to his entrepreneurial activities Steven is also a part-time marketing professor at the Vlerick Business School and a guest lecturor at London Business School. His opinion is often shared in media like Forbes, Warc, The Guardian,…

Steven has authored five international bestsellers and has sold more than 130,000 books. His work has been translated into seven languages and he is the recipient of a variety of awards (most innovative marketing book, best marketing book, best international business book).

Keynote

This last decade has been characterized by the introduction of 4G, social media and mobile services. These technologies have given rise to a new minimum in terms of customer experience. Customers expect ease of use, friendly and empathic staff, omnichannel services and competitive prices.

In the years to come, customer experience will reach a whole new level. Naturally, technology (5G, quantum computing, robotics and AI) will play a key role in customer expectations, but it goes way beyond that. Invisible and automatic interfaces will become a necessity but the ultimate ease of use will no longer be enough to come out on top.

Automation is but the first step. But what if customers start to have expectations that go beyond convenience? In addition, companies will have to play an active role in their customers’ life journey. As a company how can you help consumers’ dreams come true and eliminate the obstacles in their day-to-day lives?

And finally, companies have the opportunity to tackle concrete world problems together with the customer.

The world is facing unprecedented challenges: climate, healthcare, government budget deficits, mobility… How can a company involve its customers in the solution to these problems? The combination of automation, being a partner in consumers’ lives and solving actual social issues will be the guiding principles for the successful business of the next decade. For consumers, the combination of all these elements constitutes an offer they can’t refuse.

Boundless curiosity and a passion for people – this perhaps best describes Elke. This unique combination quickly led to a flourishing academic career. With a PhD in psychology, Elke held various positions at the universities of Harvard, St Andrews, Maastricht and Rotterdam, where she attracted international attention with her solid research work. But she was drawn to the business world. Triggered by her scientific insights about mental resilience, she started the company Better Minds at Work. This international consultancy company focuses on increasing mental resilience, energy and productivity of employees and now consists of about thirty psychologists, doctors and consultants.