Rich in content, yet easy to digest – this was our first Rise & Shine session
At the end of April, we hosted the very first edition of Rise & Shine, our inspiring breakfast session aimed at startups, scale-ups and SMEs. Because if the morning sets the tone for the rest of your day, you might as well make the most of it – and that’s exactly what we did! In a sun-drenched location near our office, our guests kicked off the day with fresh insights into finance, HR, marketing, and technology – and of course, a delicious breakfast. Couldn’t make it? No worries, we’ve bundled the key takeaways for you below.
Economic and financial outlook: what does the future hold?
Admittedly, the first presentation may have been a bit heavy for an empty stomach. Bart Van Craeynest, Chief Economist at Voka, painted a clear picture of the economic challenges and opportunities ahead for Belgium – and the world at large.
Anyone who’s read a newspaper since 2020 knows things haven't always been looking bright. But despite global uncertainties, such as geopolitical tensions and the potential economic impact of Trump’s policies, there are signs of hope: dropping energy prices, interest rate cuts, and a modest recovery in purchasing power.
At the same time, Bart pointed to deeper structural issues like labour shortages and mounting fiscal pressure. Still, his message remained hopeful: Flanders has strong assets – from strategic location and innovation capacity to a highly entrepreneurial ecosystem with global players across various sectors.
To fully realise this potential, reformations are essential. We need to invest in productivity, digitalisation, sustainability, and smarter policymaking – and AI is one of the most important gamechangers for future-oriented growth.
AI: From hype to reality
In his session, our Technology Lead Tom Celis took us beyond the buzz around artificial intelligence. No sci-fi, just a grounded look at how generative AI is already delivering real strategic value – even for SMEs.
Tom illustrated how AI has evolved from predictive analytics to tools that can generate not only text, but also images, code, workflows, and even strategic scenarios. And that opens doors. When you integrate AI smartly with business data, true added value emerges.
He shared practical examples: from document generation and contract review to HR bots and video search powered by natural language processing.
The core message? Companies that start experimenting now – even on a small scale – lay the foundation for long-term innovation. Especially now that AI offers both tactical and strategic applications.
Tom’s advice was clear: it’s moving fast. Don’t sit back. Learn, experiment, and build – step by step. AI is no longer a hype – it’s a lever for companies that want to lead the way.
How digital revolutions are reshaping marketing
AI is no longer a hype – it’s fundamentally transforming the way we do marketing.
In his talk, our Lead Marketing Strategist Kasper showed how artificial intelligence already adds tangible value, even for smaller companies. From smart power tools to autonomous factories: marketing is evolving rapidly from manual craftsmanship to scalable, intelligent systems.
That opens up opportunities. Think of tools that automatically personalise emails, generate hundreds of SEO pages, or accelerate video production from hours to minutes – with impressive results.
But the evolution doesn’t stop there. Kasper showed us we’re entering the next phase: end-to-end automation, where AI agents can design, run, and optimise campaigns on their own.
Sounds powerful – and it is. But also risky. Because if AI runs the show without human direction, we risk ending up in a world of soulless spam and generic content.
His message was clear: embrace AI as a smart machine, but don’t lose your soul. It's precisely human creativity, emotion and strategic intuition that make brands truly stand out. As Kasper put it: “Always be the master woodworker in the AI factory.”
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Bang for your buck: AI and finance
Our CFO, Nick Van Meerbeeck, served us a solid dose of insights into the future of finance – specifically: how AI is redefining the role of finance professionals. From number crunchers to strategic copilots.
He emphasised that AI can drastically automate repetitive and error-prone tasks like data gathering and cleaning. The result? More room for human-added value such as interpretation, scenario thinking and decision-making.
The focus is shifting to skills like data storytelling, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic insight.
Smart monitoring systems also allow companies to anticipate changes more quickly. And when it comes to investment decisions, AI is a powerful tool to objectively map out scenarios and risks.
But, as Nick concluded: strategic intuition and human judgement remain essential for sustainable growth.
HR in motion: transparency, reporting and realism
Last but not least, our HR Lead Cindy Van Eester explained how recent federal measures and EU directives are reshaping the rules for employers.
One of the biggest changes? The European Pay Transparency Directive. While not all parts apply to every organisation, elements like the ‘right to information’ apply to all employers – including SMEs. This means employers must offer transparent pay policies based on objective and gender-neutral criteria.
Other themes Cindy touched upon included copyright rules, mobility budgets, pension reforms, sick leave and reintegration, and flexible working schedules – all impacted by policy changes from the Federal and Easter Agreements.
The common thread? HR is increasingly a balancing act between compliance and competitiveness. If SMEs want to attract and retain talent, they need to do more than just pay fairly – they must also offer transparent, strategic, and workable policies. And that doesn’t have to be complicated: with the right insights and guidance, every organisation can take steps in the right direction.
Next time insights with breakfast?
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