Peter Vermeylen

It’s important to continuously challenge everyone intellectually while supporting them in their personal growth.”

With his passion for digital transformation, technical innovation and change management, Peter Vermeylen is right at home as CIO at UZA, Antwerp’s university hospital. That’s because this organization is currently facing a crucial transformation in the field of ICT. “I see this nomination primarily as a recognition for our entire ICT team,” says this enthusiastic award candidate.

What does inspirational and coaching leadership mean to Peter Vermeylen?

“Before you can adopt a coaching approach as leader, you and your team have to create an environment in which such a leadership style also has an impact. That’s why, first and foremost, I make sure that my people understand how their work contributes to the hospital’s mission, because commitment and a clear direction are essential in achieving measurable results.”

“Secondly, I continuously work on a culture of trust and transparency, so that every employee dares to take initiative and to speak up. In an organization where many people have been working for a long time, this means listening a lot to what is going on within the team. I think it’s important to continuously challenge everyone intellectually while supporting them in their personal growth.”

“Finally, as a coaching leader, it’s important to give sincere honest feedback. With a forward-thinking mindset, in which you look at mistakes as learning opportunities. And of course, you have to dare to delegate responsibilities.”

Which personal achievements is Peter most proud of?

“UZA is at the beginning of an important transformation process to provide better support to the hospital. When I started there in June 2023, I gave myself 6 months to set up a support system for this and to align the collaboration within the ICT department with those changes. We are evolving from a support team, organized based on technical competencies, to a team that pays more attention to ICT governance and business alignment.”

“Meanwhile, the ICT department is much more of a strategic business partner, helping to determine the operation of the hospital. We are better aligned with the organization’s priorities, with more focus on ICT architecture and an ICT solutions team organized around end-to-end processes. And importantly, the integral team has committed itself to going through this transformation.”

“In the healthcare sector, we are currently seeing an explosion of digitization opportunities. That’s why we remain focused on building a high-performance team within which people dare to take ownership. As CIO, it’s an important challenge for me to maintain the right balance between employees with experience in the healthcare sector, tech-savvy experts, and project and program managers who successfully manage entire projects.”