And the nominees are …

This award candidate for the ICT & Digital Coach of the Year believes in the power of close collaboration between business and IT and sees it as his job to help develop talent.

In a challenging landscape of decommissioning and modernisation, Bahadir Samli successfully navigated his tech teams through rough waters. By showcasing excellent people management skills, he succeeds in building an open culture and a ‘care and dare’ attitude in his teams.

As CTIO at the National Lottery, Piet Van Petegem is proud of the fact that, thanks to its employees, his organisation succeeds in returning 100% of the profits to society. The sophisticated IT solutions set up by his department help make this possible. Piet's guiding principle is his "genuine interest in novelties and lifelong learning".

As CEO of District09, the ICT partner of the City of Ghent, Stefan De Smet encounters the various challenges of an urban environment on a daily basis. "They require a mindset of continuous improvement, agility and creativity," he says.

Stijn Stabel believes that technological evolution is no longer the goal in this rapidly changing digital landscape. "It's about giving people the power and strength to build meaningful relationships with technology."

Coaching leadership seems to be Nicolas Van Kerschaver's calling. He refers to collaboration, empowerment and continuous learning as the keys to success.

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.

For Guy Wuyts, coaching leadership within IT is inextricably linked to a strong corporate culture of involvement, respect and equality. More than ever, he succeeds in getting his international IT teams to work in direct connection with the business.

Giving direction and setting clear goals are some of the key elements that a coaching leader must constantly be vigilant about, according to An Swalens. "I like direct feedback, looking critically at ourselves and the results, expressing conflict and striving for ambitious achievements."

Skyhaus' impressive track record, which includes AI company ML6 under its wings, is due in part to founder Nicolas Deruytter's vision on people management. It’s certainly for good reason that he has been nominated for this year's ICT & Digital Coach of the Year award. "In order to be relevant and agile in the rapidly changing world of AI, we apply a number of fixed principles. Everything we do, we base on those principles."