Saskia Van Uffelen

Speaker
Dutch
French
English
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Who is Saskia Van Uffelen?

Saskia has spent over 25 years working in the ICT and telecom business. She was also appointed as ‘Digital Champion’ to represent Belgium at the European Commission. In 2011, Data News crowned her as ICT Woman of the Year. And she has been a role model ever since: not only as top manager and digital ambassador, but also as a female entrepreneur who is able to combine a busy job with a family and five children. Saskia is a staunch believer in a new way of working, whereby the qualities of all generations – babyboomers and generations X, Y and Z – are fully utilised.

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    Digital transformation for creative daredevils

    Saskia is the Belgian and European ‘Digital Champion’ and spends her days working on our journey towards the digital transformation. We are at the dawn of a completely new digital society, and this revolution will have consequences for industries and organisations. In a fully connected world, jobs and their content will change drastically. The massive impact of artificial intelligence is incalculable at the moment. Customers are becoming more demanding and expect you to respond faster.

    “However, digitalisation is not a threat, but a liberation”, says Saskia Van Uffelen. “You can only survive if you adapt. And that’s something that companies and organisations must do.” She tells you how to be flexible in the disruptive times we are living in. Creativity will be the most important skill for the future. Digitalisation can only become a launch pad to economic prosperity and greater personal wellbeing if people are able to think innovatively.

    Everyone in control

    Saskia, Corporate Vice President Benelux for French group Gfi, passionately exhorts companies to organise themselves differently. She explains how managers can transform the differences between generations into a powerful advantage. “Our companies must aim for a flat organisational structure, in which the decision-makers of today allow themselves to be assisted by the generation of tomorrow”, says Saskia.

    She believes that it is important for younger generations to be given full responsibility, right up to the boardroom. “Too often, older people will seek reasons for not following the ideas of younger people. My generation automatically clings to the world of yesterday.” But Saskia thinks that all the generations will be important in the world of tomorrow: older people for their experience and younger people for their innovation and digital competencies.

    Burnout: an issue for employers and employees

    Every day, we CEOs place a heavy load on our employees. And still we insist on piling tasks and objectives on top. More and more, under pressure from the competition. But at a certain point, the limit is reached and it stops. As far as Saskia is concerned, employers and employees are both responsible for burnout. The top manager uses this inspiring keynote to share her insights.

    Daring for the future

    Saskia is very critical of the old business culture. How long can you still manage your organisation, team or life without making any fundamental changes? And in particular: how long can you prevent others from overtaking you, by just clinging to your method and staying in your comfort zone?

    Our society is changing and is calling out for a new model. We live in a digital age, where everyone and everything is connected, where competition no longer comes from the sector, and where customers, users and citizens are in the driver’s seat. Data is gold, and sharing is the new having. The digital age requires a new approach and a new model.

Thanks for the inspiration and your great energy. The perfect way to conclude a two-day event! Amazing!

Hannes Vanhaverbeke

Project manager Cultuurconnect

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Everyone in control! A powerful and inspirational keynote, presented by a strong woman. Saskia refreshes your ideas on generation management and shares her personal experiences and approach. She uses recognisable characters, such as Jos, Martine, Hadifa and Thibault, to present a powerful story that everyone in the hall quickly recognises. In short, I would recommend her to everyone!

Dirk Maegerman

Leadership Coach @ KBC Corporate Banking

Everything went really well and the reactions were very positive! Saskia is a very captivating speaker.

Danielle Huyghebaert

Agfa Materials

The presentation by Saskia Van Uffelen went very well. It met all our expectations. Coordination took place in advance with our CIO. During the presentation, she interacted well with the audience. She also answered questions satisfactorily afterwards.

Chris Engels

Project manager for EDF Luminus

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