Exclusive for: All Members & Guest Members of the M&A Community
Location: Polestar Brussels South
Date & Time: 03 December 2026 15:00
AI is already finding its way into M&A. But what does it mean for your work, which applications deserve your attention, and where can it add real value? Join the M&A Community Belgium for an afternoon of fresh perspectives, practical examples and open discussion.
Program
15.00 - 15.30: Registration & refreshments
We welcome you in Brussels with coffee, tea, and plenty of opportunities for networking.
15.30 - 15.35: Welcome & opening
A word of welcome and introduction of topic by M&A Community Belgium.
15.35 - 16.00: Smarter choices, greater impact
AI is changing how businesses operate, compete and create value, with important implications for M&A. But with new tools appearing constantly, where should you focus your time and budget and how do you decide what deserves a place in your workflow?
In this keynote, Helen Lu, Associate Professor of Accounting and AI at Vlerick Business School, places AI within the broader landscape of technological change, exploring its impact on business models, competitive advantage and M&A. Drawing on her own research and practical experience, she considers how to choose the right tools, process complex information efficiently and keep costs under control.
Rather than claiming to have all the answers, Helen shares the important questions M&A professionals should be asking, about their own use of AI, the businesses they assess and the assumptions behind investment decisions.
With Helen Lu, Associate Professor of Accounting and AI at Vlerick Business School
16.00 - 16.30: Turning challenges into solutions overnight
What if you could turn a business challenge or your customers' needs into a working AI solution overnight? At Dentons, one of the world’s largest global law firms, this is becoming a reality.
By combining AI, hackathons and rapid prototyping, Dentons is helping its professionals to become creators of technology rather than simply users. The results are remarkable: working AI solutions, a dramatic increase in AI adoption and an entirely new approach to solving business challenges.
Leading this transformation is Břetislav Šimral, recently named Legal Intrapreneur of the Year at the FT Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards 2026.
In his presentation Břetislav will take us behind the scenes of Dentons' AI journey, sharing how experimentation, collaboration and a willingness to challenge established ways of working can transform a professional services organisation.
With Břetislav Šimral | Europe Innovation & Intelligence Director, Dentons
16.30 - 16.50: Break
16.50 - 17.10: Ask your data room
What if you could simply ask your virtual data room a question and get the answers you need in seconds, without searching through hundreds of documents?
AI is rapidly transforming the virtual data room from a secure document repository in that helps dealmakers work faster, identify risks and make better-informeddecisions.
At the forefront of this transformation is Ansarada, a global provider of AI-powered king technology.
In this practical 20-minute showcase, Willem van Aalst will demonstrate how Ansarada is integrating AI directly into the M&A process. From intelligent document search and automated summaries to AI-assisted Q&A, sensitive information redaction and insights into buyer behaviour.<
With Willem van Aalst | Regional Growth Director, Ansarada
17.10 - 17.30: AI Agents reinventing legal due diligence
For decades, legal due diligence has relied on teams of lawyers manually reviewing coial liabilities and compiling findings into lengthy reports.
Belgian legaltech innovator Jurimesh is challenging that approach.
Its AI-powered platform deploys specialised AI agents to analyse entire virtual data 0 legal risk checks, identify missing information and inconsistencies, and turn findingsinto structured, source-referenced due diligence reports.
In this practical 20-minute showcase, Jorrit Willaert, Co-Founder and CEO of Jurimeshc AI is transforming one of the most labour-intensive stages of the M&A process.Discover how intelligent automation can dramatically accelerate due diligence, reduce repetitive work and give dealmakers faster access to the insights that matter.
With Jorrit Willaert | Co-Founder & CEO, Jurimesh
17.30 - 18.00: The Case for Starting from Scratch
What if the biggest obstacle to AI transformation isn't the technology, but the business model itself? While traditional organisations are investing heavily in AI tools to improve existing processes, Belgian startup Duely is taking a radically different approach: building an AI-native leound up.
No traditional hierarchy of partners, associates and juniors. No dependence on billable hours. Instead, AI engineers and legal experts work side by side, using proprietary agentic AI technology to deliver legal services across the entire M&A transaction process.
And the early results are compelling. In just six months, Duely has worked on 22 projects across Europe and beyond delivering its services faster and at a lower cost.
In this provocative session, Michiel Van Lerbeirghe, Co-Founder and CEO of Duely, chaoach to AI adoption. He will explain why simply adding AI to traditional workflows maynot be enough, how AI-native businesses can fundamentally rethink service delivery, and why the next generation of professional services firms may look nothing like today's.
A thought-provoking perspective on the future of M&A advisory, the economics of pdisruptive potential of starting with a clean sheet.
With Michiel Van Lerbeirghe | Co-Founder & CEO, Duely
18.00 - 20.00: Drinks, snacks & networking
Join us for drinks, snacks and networking.
