CIO OF THE YEAR: NOMINEES

Elke Laeremans
CIO/COO at Torfs

Elke Laeremans has been CIO at shoe retailer Torfs since 2018, and has a clear customer focus. ‘Being a people person and working for a truly customer-oriented company, it is my responsibility to focus on the fine balance between operational excellence and continuous improvement whilst empowering and taking care of our employees and putting the customer at the heart of everything we do’, she says.
Elke Laeremans started her career as a software developer twenty years ago and has since held just about every possible role. In 2001 she entered the world of CRM as a functional analyst/developer, after which she shifted towards project management and business consulting: bridging the gap between business and IT is a clear common thread in her career. Since 2011 Elke has taken on different roles in general IT management.
In 2018 she took charge of IT at shoe retailer Torfs. To add to the challenge, she also became chief operating officer in the turbulent year of 2020, alongside her job as a CIO. This combination makes her capable of handling all the challenges of the digital age.
‘As head of Operations and IT I am in the unique position to lead and organize the backbone of our organization, making sure Torfs gets the right structure, processes and technology to support our business and to drive sustainable growth. I oversee the day to day operations of our IT, logistics and e-fulfillment departments. We create a caring environment with room for personal growth so everyone feels empowered to keep on wowing our internal and external customers.’
Elke Laeremans is also the coach of the project management office, and thus facilitates a transverse, agile project organization, in order to meet strategic goals and keep up with the rapidly changing expectations. ‘Why do I love my job? Because it’s not just about technology or organizational structure. It’s about customer love and finding the right balance.’ Duly noted.

Wim Nagels
CIO at DPD

Since 2019 Wim Nagels has been CIO at DPD in a dynamic, high growth business environment under rapid change. He is a passionate, entrepreneurial IT executive supporting business with developing IT & digital strategies. He’s experienced in detecting challenges and opportunities, finding solutions and thinking outside of the box: skills which were clearly needed in the past two years at parcel delivery specialist DPD.
Wim Nagels is a strong financial business leader with a clear focus on customers and consumers. He sets an example with his risk-based understanding and support of the business. He is able to see where DPD is headed and position his IT and security departments to help get the company there. He builds and promotes strong teams to head in that direction, and he also motivates his teams to reach departmental KPI’s as quickly as possible.
‘Don’t just think of DPD as a parcel delivery company. For me, DPD is gradually becoming a data company that is delivering parcels’, he says. Behind that catchphrase is a clear strategy that gives DPD the necessary flexibility to react quickly and in an agile way. ‘My task within DPD is to move from a support organization to a critical business enabler, and I’m proud to have realized some initiatives that bring us exactly in that business enablement position.’
In total, Wim Nagels has almost 25 years of IT experience in various roles. He started his career as a helpdesk engineer, network administrator and database administrator. Before joining DPD he already had global IT director responsabilities at Ontex, a global manufacturer of hygiene products, and earlier at A.Schulman, a manufacturer of plastic compounds. In 2012 he was named ‘ICT Manager of the Year’ for large organizations.

Sophie Marchal
CIO at AXA Belgium

Quality of service, customer experience, partners and employees are the top priority for Sophie Marchal, CIO at AXA Belgium. ‘We focus on three aspects: availability and performance of the applications, which includes the necessary security to protect our users; the user experience, which must be tailored to the customer and constantly improved; and of course modernizing the applications but also moving our Infrastructure to the Cloud’, says Sophie Marchal: ‘Those are the basic elements before we can begin to innovate.’ 

Since September 2018, as CIO at AXA Belgium, she has been working with her teams to deliver solutions that customers, partners and employees enjoy using. With infrastructure increasingly becoming a commodity, Sophie Marchal believes IT should evolve from a support function towards developing solutions in close collaboration with the business, for example, through agile teams.

‘IT revolves around people. AXA has understood this well. We are lucky to have highly experienced employees, whom we encourage to exchange knowledge with the youngest recruits. We also encourage internal mobility; I am living proof of that myself’, states Sophie Marchal. All of the IT professionals at AXA Belgium make a difference by contributing to the company and improving the lives of customers, partners and employees. ‘We act for human progress by protecting what matters!’, she says.

Sophie Marchal is an industrial engineer in Micro-Electronics and went on to earn an MBA from KU Leuven. She started her career in 1993 with Alcatel Space & Defense. After working in the telecom sector (KPNO & Telenet), Sophie joined Axa Tech in 2006, where, after holding various positions, she was appointed general manager from 2013 to 2017. Since September 2018, she has been leading the IT department of AXA Belgium.

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