HotTopics Studio: Amsterdam

Join us as we hear from Edwin van der Sar as he reflects on a career defined by resilience, leadership, and performing under pressure - both on the pitch and in the boardroom. From elite sport to executive leadership, this fireside chat explores what it takes to build high-performing teams, navigate setbacks, and lead with composure when it matters most.

Many organisations are generating a wealth of AI ideas but failing to translate them into meaningful action. While use cases continue to multiply, few are actually implemented at scale - highlighting a growing gap between ambition and execution. In many cases, strategy is moving faster than delivery, raising questions about whether AI initiatives are truly creating impact.

Are we actually transforming the business - or just dressing up indecision as innovation?

AI was meant to democratise innovation. Instead, it may be democratising risk. As generative AI spreads across every function of the enterprise, organisations are losing control over how data is used, decisions are made, and accountability is managed. Employees are adopting AI faster than governance can keep up — often outside IT oversight entirely.

This session explores the new reality facing technology leaders: AI is no longer a controlled transformation programme, but a decentralised power shift. Leaders will debate what AI maturity actually looks like inside executive teams — where the variance is often surprising — alongside what happens to traditional organisational design when agentic teams become the norm, and the junior talent pipeline question that few organisations are ready to confront.

Be a part of engaging, honest, and thought-provoking conversations with your peers, exploring the ideas and challenges shaping today’s HotTopics communities.

As AI accelerates product development, governance frameworks are struggling to keep pace - and the EU Cyber Resilience Act is about to expose exactly where they fall short. With new obligations forcing organisations to take responsibility for security across the entire lifecycle, leaders are being pushed to reconcile speed, scale, and accountability in ways they haven’t before. This session invites an honest conversation about the cracks already showing: unclear ownership, reactive security, and whether “secure by design” is a reality - or just something we say to stay compliant. So the real question is: are we building responsibly - or just hoping regulation doesn’t catch up too quickly?

Built by leaders, for leaders, the HotTopics Global C-suite Awards are shaped by those who understand what leadership really takes. This year, we’re proud to bring that vision to Europe for the very first time . Join us to celebrate the winners across our global CIO, CISO and CDO categories, who have bee recognised by a global network of 20,000+ executives.