DACH CIO Community
Executive Summit
2 December 2026 | The Westin Grand Frankfurt
2 December 2026
The Westin Grand Frankfurt
Join fellow CIOs for a day of peer connections, peer perspectives and Gartner insights
The Gartner DACH CIO Community Executive Summit is the community’s signature event, bringing together CIOs for a full day of immersive, peer-driven discussions and curated networking. Connect with peers who share similar priorities, exchange real-world experiences and gain data-driven insights from Gartner analysts. Walk away with practical solutions, validated strategies and valuable connections, giving you greater confidence to lead through change.
Participate in discussions on the most critical issues impacting CIOs today:
Build Digital Sovereignty to Strengthen Control, Trust and Resilience
Mobilise People to Make Technology Transformation Last
Elevate Cybersecurity as a Core Driver of Business Value, Resilience and Growth
DACH 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

Harvey Ford
PartnerRe
CIO & CTO, L&H

Jochen Göttelmann
Lufthansa Group
VP & CIO, IT Operations, Lufthansa Airlines

Thomas Kleine-Möllhoff
Husqvarna
CIO & VP, Gardena GmbH, H

Ralf Werner
OGE
CIO & CDO

Gülnaz Önes
RWE
Group CIO

Pieter Jordaan
TUI
Group CIO

Lale Kof
Clariant
Head of Information Technology, Digital
What to Expect at an Executive Summit
Agenda
08:00 - 09:00 Registration & Breakfast
09:00 - 09:45 Keynote
Shaping Human/AI Collaboration — Rediscovering Humanity
Frank Buytendijk
Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner Fellow
Gartner
As technology evolves from tools we operate to partners we interact with, technology leaders face new challenges in shaping human-machine relationships. The rise of AI and robotics is transforming how we connect, collaborate and coexist—demanding fresh thinking across organisations and society.
Join Frank Buytendijk, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner Fellow, Gartner to explore:
- What new relationships between people and technology will drive business and society forward?
- What new design principles do we need for AI to move forward?
- What practical examples of this future can we witness already, and what can we practically do to prepare?
09:45 - 10:00 Break
10:00 - 10:45 Breakout Session
Resilience Under Pressure — Lessons from the Front Line
Daniel Steinlandt
CIO
Polizei Hamburg
When disruption isn't a question of if but when, resilience becomes an organisational capability, not just a technology challenge. With technology resilience underpinning operations, the ability to act under pressure is critical. This session with Daniel Steinlandt, CIO, Polizei Hamburg, explores how CIOs can build organisations that stay effective when assumptions fail and dependencies are unavailable.
Join Daniel to discuss:
- Identifying critical dependencies across technology, suppliers, and people and where sovereignty becomes essential
- Building resilience through practice and testing, not just paperwork
- Leading effectively under pressure using culture, simplicity, and clear decision rights
10:00 - 10:45 Executive Boardroom
Human Speed Is Not Enough Anymore — The Case for Autonomous IT
Hosted by Tanium
Dan Jones
Senior Security Advisor
Tanium
Enterprises are now moving faster than their operating models can support, with legacy processes, brittle architectures, and human‑centred resilience measures unable to keep pace with AI‑driven development cycles and the new agility expectations placed on IT Leaders. There will be a shift towards autonomous, self‑managing IT estates, but how to get there with the persistent challenges of operational drag and reactivity based models can seem an overwhelming question.
Join this session to learn:
- A practical roadmap for evolving from manual operations to autonomous, self‑healing systems without losing governance or oversight
- Organisational strategies to realign people, processes, and investment models around machine‑speed defence and recovery
- A board‑ready framework for defining what autonomy is allowed to do, how actions are explained, and how to rapidly reverse errors at scale
10:45 - 11:50 Networking Break
10:55 - 11:40 Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Peer-to-Peer Meetings
Connect with like-minded peers in a 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.
11:50 - 12:35 Breakout Session
Governing Frontier AI — Closing the Gaps Before They Become Incidents
Hosted by Palo Alto Networks
Andy Schneider
CSO Central Europe
Palo Alto Networks
Frontier AI and emerging agentic systems are reshaping enterprise risk faster than traditional governance can respond. CIOs now face an attack surface defined not only by external threats but by internal, autonomous AI workflows deployed at speed—often without visibility, guardrails, or accountability. Frontier‑class models can be used not just defensively but diagnostically, continuously probing an organisation’s AI landscape to expose governance gaps, shadow systems, and unsafe autonomy. Leaders can blend data‑driven oversight with culture‑driven responsibility to build governance that keeps pace with AI’s velocity.
Join this session to learn:
- How advanced models uncover hidden agentic workflows and governance gaps before attackers do
- How to replace slow, periodic reviews with real‑time, AI‑driven validation of controls and identity boundaries
- Building a culture where every employee strengthens your AI‑driven security posture
11:50 - 12:35 Executive Boardroom
Sovereignty as the New Foundation for Digital Trust
Hosted by HCLTech
Frank Fehler
EVP & Country Head Germany
HCLTech
In today’s digital landscape, IT strategy is no longer just about cost or scalability — it’s about sovereignty, trust, and operational control, making it a top priority for CIOs across all industries. As organisations accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption, ensuring secure, compliant cloud environments is essential to protect sensitive data and drive innovation.
Join this session to explore:
- How sovereign cloud addresses evolving regulatory and operational challenges
- Strategies for embedding sovereignty into digital and AI initiatives
- Best practices for balancing innovation, control, and compliance
Apply to Participate
Each application is carefully vetted to ensure members meet established criteria, preserving the quality of the network and enabling meaningful, peer‑level discussions among leaders from the world’s leading organizations.
Once you submit your application, a Community Program Manager will schedule a conversation to understand your priorities and interests and complete onboarding, including access to year‑round community events.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
The Westin Grand FrankfurtCommunity Programme Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.
