Johannes Van Tongelen

Strategy advisor to C-Level teams and boards. Practical CIO leadership for the mid-market, with AI as the sharp end of it. Operating Group CIO at Gosselin Group. Founder, BIITS.

Antwerp Metropolitan Area

About

Most companies do not have an AI problem. They have a decision problem. Too many options, too much noise, and no reliable way to tell a real opportunity from an expensive distraction. That is the work I do. I help C-Level teams and boards turn ambition into a strategy they can govern, fund and execute. Not a deck that survives one budget cycle. A position your own people can run, that audit, the regulator and the next CFO review can stand behind. I advise from the same chair my clients sit in. The idea behind BIITS, my advisory practice, is symbiosis: business and technology working as one system, each making the other stronger. With a human touch, because no strategy survives if the people meant to run it do not believe in it. If you are weighing where technology and AI fit in your business, and you want an honest read rather than a sales pitch, bring the situation. You will leave with the next two steps. Start at www.biits.be

Experience

  • Group CIO at Gosselin Group
    Nov 2021 - Present · 4 yrs 8 mos

    Transformation-driven CIO and interim executive with 30 years of international experience across logistics, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. I specialize in stabilizing complex environments, enabling business growth, integrating acquisitions, strengthening cybersecurity, and turning IT into a scalable business enabler. My work consistently focuses on aligning technology strategy with business value, operational resilience, and data-driven decision making. Across growth, turnaround, and integration contexts, I have led enterprise transformations covering digital platforms, legacy modernization, cloud and infrastructure strategy, cybersecurity and compliance, cost discipline, and organizational redesign. I am particularly experienced in acquisition-driven environments where speed, governance, and continuity are critical. My leadership style combines strategic clarity with hands-on execution. I lead through influence rather than hierarchy, align diverse stakeholders across cultures and functions, and build organizations that continue to perform beyond interim mandates. Industries include logistics and transportation, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, banking, and social insurance.

  • Owner at BIITS Consultancy
    Jan 2019 - Present · 7 yrs 6 mos

    BIITS is my independent advisory practice. I help C-Level leaders and boards make confident technology and AI decisions: what to invest in, in what order, and how to govern it. The principle is symbiosis: the business and its technology working as one system, each making the other stronger. With a human touch, because no strategy survives if the people meant to run it do not believe in it. What I bring: Strategy and roadmap: a sequenced, fundable plan, not a wish list AI governance and audit-readiness: human-in-the-loop by design Independent advisory for boards making high-stakes technology bets More at www.biits.be

  • IT Director at Xerius
    Jun 2020 - Dec 2021 · 1 yr 7 mos

    Repositioned IT from a fragmented support function into a governed, business-aligned service organisation in a regulated environment. Built a 60-FTE IT services organisation with clear accountability across delivery, operations and support. Delivered a 3-year IT strategy and roadmap aligned with business and regulatory priorities, with SDLC and lightweight PMO governance. Reduced operating costs by 12.5% through sourcing discipline and contract renegotiation.

  • EMEA IT director (ad-interim) at Nitto EMEA NV
    Dec 2019 - Jul 2020 · 8 mos

    Stabilised multi-country EMEA operations through crisis, held 99.5% uptime, and onboarded the permanent CIO.

  • Deputy IT Director Change & Support at Argenta
    Jan 2019 - Dec 2019 · 1 yr

    Argenta, Deputy IT Director Change & Support (2019) Led a bi-modal IT transformation in a regulated environment, reducing QC costs by 20%. Delivered GDPR compliance through data anonymisation and pseudonymisation.