IN-PERSON

Chicago CIO Executive Summit

May 14, 2025 | Convene at 233 South Wacker (Willis/Sears Tower)

May 14, 2025
Convene at 233 South Wacker (Willis/Sears Tower)

APPLY TO PARTICIPATE

Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Chicago's top CIOs to tackle shared business challenges and critical priorities facing your role today. Participate in this one-day, local program with peer-driven topics and interactive discussions with your true C-level peers.

Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CIOs today:

Leveraging AI to Unlock Transformative Business Value and Growth

Navigating an Evolving Cybersecurity, Risk and Governance Landscape

Collaborating with the C-Suite to Enable Technology, Innovation and Efficiency

Chicago CIO Governing Body


The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CIOs, For CIOs®.

Governing Body Co-Chairs

Rita Fisher

Reynolds Consumer Products
CIO and EVP, Supply Chain

Ron Guerrier

Save the Children
CTO

Rajeev Khanna

Aon Corporation US
Global Chief Technology Officer

Laura Kohl

Morningstar
CIO

Mike Parisi

ITW
VP CIO

Jane Possell

CNA
EVP, Chief Information Officer, Analytics, Operations

Gagan Singh

Ascension
Chief Information Officer

Tom South

Northern Trust
CIO

What to Expect

Interactive Sessions

Hear from CIO practitioners and thought leaders on how they're solving critical challenges impacting your role today in Keynote sessions, and join smaller, interactive discussions with your peers in Breakout and Boardroom sessions.

Community Networking

Make new connections and catch up with old friends in casual conversations during dedicated time for networking designed to better acquaint you with your Chicago CIO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, one-on-one setting through Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Agenda


May 14, 2025

8:00am - 8:30am  Registration & Breakfast

8:30am - 9:15am  Keynote

Opening Comments & Keynote

Details coming soon.

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Cybersecurity Under Siege — The Salt Typhoon Threat

Clarence Foster headshot

Clarence Foster

BISO

T-Mobile for Business

In the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups pose significant risks to global networks and sensitive data. Among these, Salt Typhoon stands out as a formidable adversary. Clarence Foster shares insights into the threat actor’s methods and the broader implications of its activities on global cybersecurity and national security frameworks.

Join this session to:

  • Explore effective APT defense strategies
  • Uncover the hidden threat of Salt Typhoon and learn how to safeguard against its sophisticated cyber-attacks
  • Fortify defenses and protect critical infrastructure from these advanced threats

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Strategic Approaches to Master Cloud Costs

Kate Prouty headshot

Kate Prouty

CIO

Akamai Technologies

 A recent study shows businesses are spending $1.2M–$24M annually on public cloud services, prompting organizations to reevaluate strategies to address the key challenge of cost management and inefficiencies. By using the right tools, securing executive support, and adopting a modern PaaS approach, companies can effectively manage cloud costs and reduce resource sprawl.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Strategizing solutions to manage costs.
  • Improving overall cloud performance
  • Facilitating the transition from cloud-friendly to cloud-native

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Ensuring Trust and Security in Modern Communications

Communications technology is a vital component in the IT ecosystem that CIOs must prioritize for safeguarding. Adopting a comprehensive approach to security, compliance and privacy minimizes risks associated with business communications and helps maintain trust and integrity in your critical systems.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Strengthening organizational security through robust data protection measures
  • Achieving compliance by aligning with key regulatory standards
  • Enhancing data privacy by protecting and managing user data responsibly

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

AI-Ready Data — From Strategy to Impact

The business benefits of AI are compelling, and many organizations are looking to maximizing their IT environment, data architecture, and processes to capitalize. How can CIOs enable the business and ensure data is AI-ready?

Join this boardroom to discuss:

  • Assessing and evolving current data strategy for AI use cases
  • Overcoming key challenges such data silos, security, and scalability
  • Leveraging data strategy to maximize AI’s business impact

10:25am - 11:10am  Networking Break

10:35am - 11:00am  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

11:10am - 11:55am  Breakout Session

Breakout session Hosted by Cloudflare

Details coming soon.

11:10am - 11:55am  Breakout Session

Building a Strategy for an AI-First Business

Ravi Malick headshot

Ravi Malick

SVP & Global CIO

Box

The future of business is rapidly evolving — a future where AI agents are part of the workforce, almost any process or workflow can be automated, and customers expect better, more intelligent experiences across their unstructured data. Whether that means automating loans or onboarding employees faster, applying intelligence to your unstructured data can be a pathway to stay ahead of the competition.

Join this interactive session to explore:

  • Practical approaches to building an unstructured data strategy
  • Robust content workflows and use cases for AI-first businesses
  • Tips for optimizing while balancing your AI and security strategies

11:10am - 11:55am  Executive Boardroom

Accelerating ROI with AI

Balaji Subramaniam headshot

Balaji Subramaniam

AI Regional Leader - Strategy & Operations

Lenovo

No business leader invests in technology for its own sake—they seek measurable improvements in productivity, agility, and business outcomes. AI is no different, but its rapid evolution can make it difficult to determine where to start and how to scale. The key to unlocking ROI lies in identifying high-impact use cases, optimizing AI adoption, and ensuring teams have the right tools and skills to drive sustainable value.

Join this boardroom to explore:

  • How to choose AI use cases that generate revenue, enhance productivity, and establish clear KPIs for ROI tracking
  • Navigating the evolving AI ecosystem to align technology investments with business priorities
  • Building and educating teams to support AI adoption, streamline implementation, and drive long-term impact

11:10am - 11:55am  Executive Boardroom

AI in Action — Identifying High-Impact Use Cases to Accelerate Value

Carlos Alves headshot

Carlos Alves

Co-Founder & Chief Client Partner

OutSystems

The pressure is mounting to embed AI across the business to maintain a competitive edge, and capitalize on efficiency gains. Many executive teams are eager to rush into implementation and the pressure is on CIOs to deliver value from these investments quickly. In a world where AI is becoming easier to implement and the velocity of change keeps increasing, how can CIOs ensure they deliver engaging AI-powered solutions to maximize ROI without losing control of AI?

Join this boardroom to discuss:

  • Developing a clear AI strategy aligned with business goals with a focus on high-impact use cases with measurable value
  • Seamlessly integrating AI into existing workflows to drive organizational change
  • Identifying key investments that can accelerate the value of AI, such as low-code platforms

11:10am - 11:55am  Executive Boardroom

The CFO-CIO Alliance for Advancing IT Impact

Michael Perica headshot

Michael Perica

CFO

Rimini Street

As digital business priorities touch every part of the enterprise, the collaboration between CFOs and CIOs is indispensable for optimizing technology investments and spurring innovation. Effective partnership is key to synchronizing financial strategies with technological progress and maximum business impact.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Fortifying the CFO-CIO alliance to facilitate data-driven IT ROI decisions
  • Align IT investments with financial strategies and implementing projects with measurable business outcomes
  • Bridging business and technology priorities to support, optimize and transform for enterprise-wide success

11:55am - 12:30pm  Lunch Service

12:30pm - 1:05pm  Keynote

Securing Data Flow in the AI-Quantum Era

Mike Anderson headshot

Mike Anderson

Chief Digital & Information Officer

Netskope

Sensitive data movement can be risky but restricting it outright can create operational and security challenges. In an era of agentic AI, generative AI, and emerging quantum computing, organizations need security frameworks that protect data while ensuring agility. This session explores how modern security platforms enable secure data flow, adapt to diverse use cases and prepare for the post-quantum encryption (PQE) shift.

Join this keynote to learn:

  • How to choose the right secure access method for each use case
  • Why security must be adaptive to risk, user behavior and AI-driven interactions
  • How to prepare for post-quantum encryption and its enterprise security impact

1:05pm - 1:30pm  Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

From Tech Exit to Tech Equity — Addressing Women's Attrition in Technology

Gartner research predicts by 2028 there will be at least a 25% decline of women in IT leadership roles. How can we work to reverse this decline and create a supportive community in Chicagoland that equips women for senior roles, amplifies their visibility and mitigates bias?

Join this session of your peers to discuss:

  • Building an equitable talent pipeline
  • Addressing the reasons women choose to leave tech
  • Maintaining the spirit of DEI programs

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

Mastering Vendor Contract Negotiations

Ann Madea headshot

Ann Madea

CIO & EVP

Simmons Bank

Details coming soon.

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Overcoming Data Gravity in the Digital Economy

Dan Eline headshot

Dan Eline

Vice President, Platform Solutions

Digital Realty

The digital economy is transforming how enterprises create and deliver value. CIOs are challenged to solve “data gravity,” where growing data volumes attract applications and services, impacting IT infrastructure and strategy. To thrive, companies must operate constantly, with real-time intelligence across diverse channels. As data traffic and computational demands rise due to emerging technologies, enterprises need to manage data at an unprecedented scale.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Data gravity's impact on IT infrastructure and AI readiness
  • Managing data growth with IoT, 5G, and AI technologies
  • Leveraging real-time intelligence for enhanced engagement

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Executive Boardroom Hosted by Palo Alto

Details coming soon.

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Executive Boardroom Hosted by Lakeside Software

Details coming soon.

2:15pm - 3:00pm  Networking Break

2:25pm - 2:50pm  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Breakout Session

From Technologist to Trusted Business Leader

Patty Crawford headshot

Patty Crawford

CIO

UL Solutions

As the role evolves, CIOs no longer want to be seen as technologists but as essential business leaders who happen to be tech savvy. In this newly defined role, how are you demonstrating your understanding of business priorities and gaining trust and support from stakeholders as you outline an IT strategy that enables the enterprise?

Join your peers to discuss:

  • Balancing a sense of urgency with due diligence
  • Building a team with the right blend of technology and business skills
  • Cultivating persuasive leadership

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Breakout Session

Weaponize Risk Appetite to Drive Risk Decisions

Paul E. Proctor headshot

Paul E. Proctor

Distinguished VP Analyst

Gartner

Risk appetite fails when it is expressed in fuzzy, imprecise terms. Repositioning risk appetite in the context of investment and value delivery creates a measurable scale of risk that powers a new type of governance.

Join this session to learn:

  • How concrete assertions of risk appetite can make executive decisions binding
  • How can risk appetite drive risk decisions
  • What scale can be used to measure risk appetite

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Executive Boardroom

Enhancing Customer Experience

Eyal Altman headshot

Eyal Altman

SVP & Chief Digital and IT Officer

Littelfuse

Details coming soon.

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Executive Boardroom

Beyond Business Continuity

Tom Beck headshot

Tom Beck

Vice President, Executive Programs

Gartner

Janice Wurz headshot

Janice Wurz

Executive Partner

Gartner

True operational resilience demands a more comprehensive approach than business continuity planning alone. It is essential to go beyond reactive measures and delve into the examination of end-to-end processes that underpin key service deliverables. By enhancing these practices, enterprises can elevate their operational resilience to new heights, ensuring continuity and stability even in the face of adversity.

Join this boardroom session to discuss:

  • Operating on the premise that disruptions are inevitable
  • Engaging business partners in resilience planning
  • Advancing resilience maturity across the organization

3:45pm - 4:00pm  Networking Break

4:00pm - 4:35pm  Keynote

Leading Resilient Teams Through Unpredictable Adversity

Lisa Thompson headshot

Lisa Thompson

Author of "Finding Elevation: Fear and Courage on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain"

Lisa Thompson is a high-altitude mountaineer and former healthcare executive who beat cancer months before standing on the summit of Everest. Lisa later became the first all-American woman to summit K2, which is considered the deadliest mountain in the world. In her talks and book, “Finding Elevation,” Lisa shares the experience of climbing the toughest mountains in the world and the importance of teamwork, resilience and defining boundaries.

Join this keynote session as Lisa discusses:

  • Embracing change and overcoming challenges
  • Creating a supportive environment inside and outside the office
  • Defining clear roles and goals to build a strong, communicative team

4:35pm - 4:45pm  Closing Comments and Prize Drawing

4:45pm - 6:00pm  Governing Body Reception

Governing Body Reception

Finish the day sharing lessons learned with your peers over light fare and drinks at this closing reception hosted by your governing body members.

May 14, 2025

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming in-person gathering


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For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.

Heather Bolick

Sr. Community Program Manager

heather.bolick@gartner.com