KBC Insights: Customer-centric FinTech Innovations in the Banking and Insurance Sectors

In September 2022, the Chief Information Officer and Senior General Manager of KBC Group Isabel Van Mele visited the office of KBC Global Services in Varna. On the first day of her visit, she did an exclusive lecture in the KBC Collab Space at the Technical University presenting the customer-centric FinTech innovations in the banking and insurance sectors developed by KBC. Apart from the students in our internship program who attended the lecture, a wider audience of tech enthusiasts in Bulgaria had the chance to watch it live online. 

Isabel gave her easy-to-understand and visually-rich insider perspective to the driving forces behind the renown financial institution on its journey to the next level in technological innovations. Now, you can also watch the lecture on demand to learn more about the following exciting topics:

  • KBC as a market leader in bank-insurance services
  • KBC's international IT team structure
  • KBC's global strategy
  • The innovation development framework at KBC
  • The making of KBC's AI-driven digital personal assistant KATE
  • Data management best practices
  • KBC's indicators and factors for successful innovation
  • KBC's programmable money Kate Coin
  • The next steps in KBC's innovation journey

Looking for new career opportunities?

If working for an international bank-insurance market leader on customer-centric fintech innovations excites you, KBC Global Services has space for your talent!
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About Isabel Van Mele

Isabel Van Mele holds a Master's Degree in Mathematical Physics from the University of Ghent and a Master's Degree in Biomedical & Clinical Engineering from the KU Leuven. After graduating, she started working as a researcher at the KU Leuven, before going on to head up a European research project on multimedia communication for people with a disability, to improve their lives and well-being. It was in this position that Isabel learned to listen to people with specific requirements, discovered the importance of user-friendly interfaces and experienced the strengths of a multidisciplinary and international team. One of the partners in the project was Orange and, after five years, Isabel ended up moving to KPN Orange (currently Base) where she worked as Team Leader and Solution Architect, and also developed her passion for building IT infrastructure.

In 2004, she moved to IBM Global Business Service where she became the first female Executive Architect Manager in the Benelux. As a Solution Architect, she was responsible for end-to-end solutions, managing them from concept to production. During her time at IBM, she worked for numerous clients, including Electrabel, Proximus, Euroclear, Delta Lloyd and the Crossroads Bank for Social Security, and learned the importance of listening to what the customer wants.

In 2014, she took up the post of ICT Director for Projects & Development at DPG Media (De Persgroep Media Group), before joining ING Bank two years later. She has been Chief Data Officer and International Tribe Lead Data Management at ING Belgium and ING Netherlands since 2018, managing 300 employees in Brussels, Amsterdam and Bucharest.