Registration & Welcome Coffee

Opening speech

Moderator: Yugo Neumorni, CIO Council President

Title Session: 

Synopsys:

Speaker: Dan Cîmpean, Director - Directoratul Național de Securitate Cibernetică

Title Session: How AI Changes the IT Operating Model to Drive Success

Synopsys:

• From CIO as IT Leader to CIO and business co-leaders
• From Delivery Execution to Collaborative innovation
• From Technical expertise to Creativity
• From Functionality to Trust

Speaker: Peter Green, Executive Partner, Gartner

Title Session: "Cybersecurity and data protection – from prevention to recovery"

Synopsys: Transform your cybersecurity strategy with Dell: strengthen your ability to protect critical assets, rapidly detect advanced attacks, respond to incidents in a coordinated manner, and recover operations with minimal impact on business continuity.

Speaker: Ionut Rosca, Data Protection Solutions Specialist, Dell Technologies

Title Session: The Cybersecurity Blind Spot in the NIS2 Era

Synopsys: As digital transformation accelerates, securing the AI-powered workplace has become a critical challenge for IT leaders: enabling innovation while protecting data and operations. With hybrid work, mobility, and cloud adoption reshaping organizations, endpoint security, secure document workflows, and access control are more important than ever. Canon addresses these challenges through secure, AI-driven technologies that protect information across the entire document lifecycle, enhance operational efficiency, and proactively identify vulnerabilities—delivering scalable and intelligent solutions tailored to the evolving needs of Romanian enterprises and public institutions.

Speaker: Petronius Secareanu, General Manager, Canon Romania

Title Session: The Architecture of Trust: AI-Driven Cyber Resilience

Synopsys: As the threat landscape shifts toward machine-speed attacks, traditional defense mechanisms are becoming obsolete. For the modern CIO, the integration of AI is no longer optional—it is the foundation of institutional resilience. This session explores the transition from manual oversight to autonomous security ecosystems.

Speaker: Silviu Sofronie, Director, Adversary Intelligence Bitdefender

Coffee Break 

Title Session: "From Intelligence to Resilience: The art of staying ahead of cyber risks"

Synopsys:In an era where cyber threats grow in sophistication and speed, reactive security is no longer enough. This session covers what it takes to identify threat actors before they strike, how to manage supply chain exposure, and why cyber crisis exercises are the difference between a plan that looks good on paper and a team that actually knows what to do under pressure.
Resilience is not about avoiding attacks. It is about seeing them earlier, preparing more deliberately, and knowing exactly what to do when the moment comes.

Speaker: Alexandru Andreescu - Services Business Development Director - Cyber Security & Fraud Solutions Mastercard

Title Session: 

Synopsys:

Speaker: Charis Stengos, Managing Director Quento Romania (Qualco Group)

PANEL 1 – From Compliance to Resilience: Operationalizing NIS2 & DORA

As NIS2 and DORA move from regulatory frameworks to operational reality, organizations across Europe are shifting from compliance-driven initiatives to building true resilience. Yet, many still struggle to translate regulatory requirements into effective governance, measurable risk reduction, and real incident readiness. This panel brings together leaders from finance, critical infrastructure, and regulatory bodies to explore what implementation really looks like in 2026—what works, what doesn’t, and whether regulation is genuinely strengthening resilience or simply increasing complexity.

Main topics:

1. Are organizations truly more resilient today, or just more compliant on paper?
2. What has been the hardest part of implementing NIS2/DORA: technology, processes, or people?
3. How do boards actually measure cyber resilience beyond ticking regulatory boxes?
4. Where do you see the biggest gap today between regulatory expectations and operational reality?
5. Will regulation keep pace with emerging risks like AI and supply chain attacks—or is it already lagging behind?

Panelists: 

• Cristian Rebegea, CISO, CEC Bank 
• Gabriel Dinu, Deputy Director, National Cyber Security Directorate of Romania
• Andrei Avadanei - Director general Bit Sentinel 
• Cristian Goiceanu, Chief Security Officer, Banca Comerciala Romana - Erste Bank
• Eros Kilinc, Head of Solution Consulting CEE, ServiceNow 

Moderator: Calin Rangu VicePresident, CIO Council Romania

Networking lunch

PANEL 2 – Trust Under Attack: AI, Disinformation & the New Cyber Battlefield

In 2026, cyber threats are no longer limited to systems and data—they directly target trust. AI-driven disinformation, deepfakes, and influence operations are increasingly used by cybercriminals and nation-state actors to manipulate markets, damage reputations, and destabilize institutions. This panel explores how organizations can defend not only their infrastructure, but also their credibility, leadership, and public trust in an era where truth itself can be engineered.

Main topics:

1. If a perfect deepfake of your CEO appears tomorrow, do you have a response plan?
2. Who owns the risk of disinformation in an organization—the CISO, the CEO, or communications?
3. Can technology realistically detect and stop AI-generated manipulation at scale?
4. How do you protect trust in your brand when the attack is psychological, not technical?
5. Are we entering a phase where cyber defense must include media, perception, and influence management?

Panelists: 

• Cristian Vasiliu CISO SII Romania 
• Cristian Cucu, Honorary Board Member, CIO Council
• Marcel Chiriac, CIO Council member
• George Lazar, VP, Program Manager, Deutsche Bank, CIO Council member
•  

Moderator: Bogdan Tudor, VicePresident, CIO Council Romania

Title Session: "Surviving Information Confrontation– Talking Geopolitics with Your Board"

Synopsys: In an era where cyber threats are increasingly shaped by political confrontation, this session will explore how executives and board members are now being forced by new legislation to confront the complexities of digital risks in a broader strategic context. For operational cyber defenders the challenge is considerable - not only do they need to raise cyber risk literacy and speak the language of CFOs, they have to put their work in a geopolitical context. What does it mean for businesses to be between the cyber front lines?" 

Speaker: Alexander Klimburg

PANEL 3 – Resilience by Design: Can Organizations Survive the Next Cyber Crisis?

Cyber incidents are no longer a question of “if,” but “when”—and increasingly, “how severe.” In this environment, resilience is defined not by the ability to prevent attacks, but by the ability to withstand, respond, and recover under pressure. This panel examines how organizations can embed resilience into their architecture, processes, and leadership culture, ensuring continuity in the face of large-scale disruptions, ransomware, or systemic failures.

Main topics:

1. In the first 24 hours of a major cyberattack, what actually breaks first—technology or decision-making?
2. Are most organizations prepared to operate without core systems for 48–72 hours?
3. What does “good” crisis leadership look like during a cyber incident?
4. How do you measure resilience in a way that boards truly understand and act on?
5. Is it time to accept that some attacks cannot be prevented—and design organizations accordingly?

Panelists: 

•  Octavian Ichim, CEO, Schwarz Digits Romania
•  Florina Mondana Neag, IS Manager, EoN Romania, CIO Council member
•  Dan Rosca, ISG Technology Consulting Manager, Dell Technologies
•  Lucian Moroeanu, Head of Digital Finance Hub, Groupe Renault Romania, CIO Council member
•  

Moderator: Yugo Neumorni, President, CIO Council Romania

CONCLUSION & Prize Raffles