In a letter published by L’Echo and De Tijd, Laurent Hublet shared his concerns regarding the direction taken by the government in relation to the digital emancipation of Belgium.
‘Digital Minds’ is a think tank created in 2021 by the Secretary for Digitalization, Mathieu Michel. The group composed of 22 digital and tech experts is part of the ‘SmartNation’ strategy aiming at advising the government in terms of digital progress.
Laurent Hublet’s resignation from the ‘Digital Minds’, serves as an alarm signal for the government and the entrepreneurial community: the tech world is facing a turning point and the direction taken today will have repercussions over the next 10 to 20 years.
With the tech potential hosted in Belgium, Laurent Hublet is pleading for an ambitious strategy of digital sovereignty to maintain the competitiveness of the Belgian Tech ecosystem.
Join us over lunch and learn more about the Belgian digital ecosystem and the concrete actions needed if we want the digital future to be Belgian.
SPEAKER:
Laurent Hublet is an entrepreneur and philosopher. He co-founded and runs BeCentral, one of the largest digital campuses in Europe, located in the central station of Brussels. He also co-founded BeCode, a free programming school in Charleroi, Liège, Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels. In parallel, Laurent is vice-dean in charge of lifelong learning at Solvay Business School.
From November 2014 to February 2018, Laurent was responsible for Digital Belgium, the digital strategy of the Belgian federal government, in the cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. The meetings and discussions of this period, as well as older passions, led him to embark on societal entrepreneurship in education.
Laurent is also an investor in a dozen start-ups and a columnist for L’Echo and La Première.
INTERVIEWER:
Paul Gérard is the editor-in-chief of L’Echo. He has just launched Yaka!, a program to boost the entrepreneurial spirit in French-speaking Belgium.
In Wallonia and Brussels, a new generation of entrepreneurs is bursting with energy and ambition. They know no boundaries, they want to become champions in their field. They dare to think big. With Yaka!, the platform where they connect and learn from each other, L’Echo helps them to realize their ambitions.
Timing:
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12:00 > Welcome
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12:30 – 13:30 > Conference + Q&A
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13:30 – 14:00 > Light Lunch
Speakers
Laurent Hublet
Paul Gérard
Register for the event
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