Executive Summit

Networking Dinner with Peers

Come along to the Governing Body Hosted Welcome Dinner. This evening is just for Governing Body members, c-level executives, and partners in your community, a great chance to unwind and get to know your peers in a laid-back setting. Enjoy dinner and easygoing conversations as you connect and set the tone for the summit ahead

Location: Trinity House , Tower Hill, London, EC3N 4DH

Businesses stand to benefit from AI in unprecedented ways, but only if IT leaders overcome transformation challenges. This includes implementing a modern zero trust architecture to protect data and users, embracing AI while managing its risks, and handling the technical and financial implications of ever-expanding environments. A risk-based approach to security ensures CIOs deliver a secure, phased transformation.

Join this session to:

• Understand how zero trust and AI together, unlike firewalls, provide the strongest cyber defense by stopping threat actors from lateral movement within networks
• Learn strategies for protecting AI applications developed in data centers and the cloud, while preventing data leaks from public AI applications
• Discover how eliminating costly legacy hardware simplifies environments while cutting network and security costs

Need to achieve a step change? Need to achieve something that many around you say is not possible? Need to increase your impact? There are many approaches that can be deployed. This session will be a subset of a longer workshop that Karena runs for organisations; a subset that will equip you with some perspectives and techniques that you can apply back at the ranch (or outside of work), to help you increase your impact.

You’ll need to bring:

• An open mind
• The thought of 2 outcomes that you’d like to achieve in the future – you choose the time horizon (1) a ‘work outcome’ and (2) a ‘non-work’ outcome
• Both ‘outcomes’ you choose should seem unlikely to just happen, or impossible from where you are today, but never the less, both should be things that you really want to achieve

IT leaders are faced with the heightened challenges of practically delivering on the hype and promise of digital, data and AI capabilities, whilst also keeping on the right side of cultural, legal and regulatory expectations. Collaboration between the technology function and wider businesses functions, such as finance, operations and privacy are essential for driving growth and maximising efficiencies. With this in mind, how can technology and IT leaders lead effectively so that AI adds value in the right places?

Join Jeremy Axe, Group CTO, DS Smith as he shares how a global provider of fibre-based packaging products has approached the following:

• Getting the necessary buy-in to experiment, acquire, build and govern AI products
• Practical steps to align process and governance with the EU AI Act
• Fitting the AI jigsaw piece into an already complex data environment

In the face of constant change and uncertainty, the most enduring element is ourselves. Leaders who cultivate emotional intelligence, embrace courage and vulnerability, and inspire others with sincerity are uniquely positioned to keep their teams motivated and engaged, no matter the circumstances. This session invites CIOs to explore practical approaches for leading authentically during periods of transition, and to reflect on the personal growth that comes from these experiences. Join this session to discuss:

• Practicing transparency to empower and uplift your team
• Building genuine connections and fostering trust within your organisation
• Navigating change and uncertainty with resilience — and emerging stronger

CIOs wanting to communicate IT’s relevance and impact on wider business outcomes must shift the focus of conversations with business partners from what IT does (technical inputs and outputs) to how IT delivers real value to stakeholders’ business priorities. But with conflicting board priorities, changing tech capabilities and ongoing change management, delivering a coherent story with impact is tough. Join this boardroom to discuss:

• Building coherent narratives around IT spend, and it’s impact to deliver value and business growth
• Key metrics that focus on business outcomes, rather than technology itself
• Crafting and telling an impactful business value story to increase influence

Organisations must navigate the unpredictable with a calculated and dynamic mindset. From fast moving technology adoption to rising inflation and increased regulation, IT & Technology leaders must increasingly do more with less and innovate to keep customers. Fast moving technologies like AI are reinventing how leaders drive a culture of innovation, but what are the steps needed to maximise the benefit for your organisation? Join Colin Shenoy, Global CTO at Diageo as he shares his thoughts and insights into:

• How Diageo have accelerated their digital strategy and became keen adopters of technology
• Fostering a culture of innovation and whilst enabling business outcomes
• How to handle the competing demands of a global business in a VUCA world

Appealing to different CxO profiles and sharing digital leadership responsibilities are key to maximising digital investment value and driving better business outcomes from digital. Building and fostering these relationships across the board can be tough, and CIOs must tailor their engagement across leadership profiles to build strong collaboration across the business. Join this Boardroom to discuss:

• Tactics to improve your partnerships with CxOs across the organisation
• Lessons Learned on building trust between IT and other business unites, together with the benefits of a one team mindset
• Improving culture, leadership, process optimisation and talent acquisition, all with a strong foundation of data and AI

The opportunity to reach a cohort of next generation CIOs and provide support, mentorship and guidance can be invaluable to rising IT talent. In contrast, the ideas, fresh thinking and knowledge gained from meeting this cohort can be equally as valuable to gain new perspectives and re-evaluate future strategy. Join this session to meet with members of the ‘Next Generation CIO’ Programme on a one to one basis, providing guidance and sharing a two way flow of ideas that can help shape the future of digital business. You'll have a chance to:

• Connect one-on-one with aspiring tech talent and give back to the community
• Understand what priorities future IT leaders believe they should focus on
• Share your experiences and candid advice to individuals who will be taking on the CIO role of the future

**License Users only - please contact Lucy Guille (lucy.guille@gartner.com) to reserve your seat in the session**

Legacy systems and outdated architectures are slowing innovation and agility. According to Gartner, 80% of CIOs plan to increase investment in IT modernisation to support resilience and growth. But modernisation isn’t just about technology — it’s a strategic shift that requires alignment, cultural change, and long-term vision.

Join this boardroom to discuss:

• Modernising core infrastructure while enabling future-ready platforms
• Overcoming organisational resistance to accelerate change
• Aligning IT transformation with business goals to deliver measurable value

CIOs need to demonstrate value. CFOs need to calculate value. Everyone in the C-Suite needs to collaborate together to CREATE Value. The level of AI spending is so significant that the C-Suite must ensure a rigorous, repeatable approach to the economics of AI initiatives. This is often called financial operations (FinOps) of AI. Join Frances Karamouzis, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner as she shares insights into how CIOs can strengthen their approach to communicating the value of AI, while executing at speed and scale. Specifically, Frances will share:

• Critical Success Factors for AI Leadership
• AI Portfolio Planning: Frameworks for vetting, prioritising and funding AI initiatives
• Value Creation calculation and communication of cost, risks and ROI (Value)