
Atlanta CIO Community
Executive Summit
November 8, 2023 | The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North
November 8, 2023
The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Atlanta'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:
Innovating to Improve Business Processes and Outcomes
Scaling the Business with Digital Maturity
Influencing Change and Adaptability Across the Enterprise
Atlanta 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

Puneet Bhasin
Unum
EVP, Global CIO & Chief Digital Officer

Curtis Carver Jr.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Vice President and CIO

Martin Davis
Southern Company
EVP & CIO

Ben Pivar
Carter's
SVP, CIO

Regina Salazar
Novelis
SVP, Chief Information and Digital Officer

Grant Shih
Vestis
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer
What to Expect
Agenda
7:45am - 8:30am Registration & Breakfast
8:30am - 9:15am Keynote
Executive Presence for Lasting Leadership
Hosted by Tanium

Chris Ulrich
Body Language Expert & Political Consultant
Guest Speaker
Any given gesture - a nod, a point of the finger - unconsciously communicates powerful ideas and feelings that have tangible consequences. Top executives are generally proficient in their ability to interact with others, but the stakes are raised during high-level negotiations, reporting to the board, inspiring and empowering senior managers or dealing with tricky internal matters.
Join body language expert Chris Ulrich as he shares:
- Why every movement and action is magnified in high-level situations
- Tools and techniques to build rapport quickly
- How executives can communicate more effectively
9:15am - 9:40am Networking Break
9:40am - 10:25am Breakout Session
Delivering the Differentiated Experience — Creating New Value with Existing Resources
Hosted by Kyndryl

Kayla Broussard
U.S. CTO Consumer & Travel, Distinguished Engineer
Kyndryl
Amid flattened budgets and ongoing economic uncertainty, a renewed focus on differentiated customer experiences is vital to maintaining a competitive advantage, but your value is determined by what you are able to make of your data. Organizations must fully exploit existing IT and first-party data resources, as well as innovative new digital solutions, in order to improve customer interactions that create new value within the enterprise and for their partner ecosystems.
Join this session to learn about:
- Harmonized experiences for an increasingly splintered audience
- The importance of first-party data as a strategic asset for creating new value
- Innovative case studies spotlighting location-aware experiences for retail and hospitality
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Weaving Innovation into the Core of Everything

Harold Shannon
VP, Technology and CIO
CoreCivic

Raj Velmurugan
VP of IT (CIO)
Harley-Davidson

Satya Kar
Business Unit CIO - Building & Construction Systems
Arconic
The intersection of digital business and advanced technologies has inevitably brought life to continuous innovation. But when faced with economic instability and fiscal responsibility, how can CIOs maintain a constant innovative mindset and culture?
Join this boardroom to discuss:
- Encouraging experimentation, ideation and failure in order to succeed
- Cultivating an innovation-rich culture
- Communicating and quantifying the value of innovation for long-term growth
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CIOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com
9:40am - 10:25am Executive Boardroom
Tackling Talent in the Age of AI
Hosted by Zoom Video Communications

Janine Moreno
CIO Advisor, Office of the CIO
Zoom

Kevin Kerrigan
CIO
Fulton County, GA
CIOs are constantly seeking the right talent at the right time with an increased focus on future proofing the talent pipeline to build retention efforts. With the many advances in AI comes a shift in the skillsets necessary to propel the digital business forward. How can CIOs approach recruiting the right talent while effectively utilizing current employees' skills to effectively close talent gaps and future proof the workforce in an age of constant change?
Join your peers to discuss:
- Preparing employees for change and utilizing their full potential
- Strategies to not only upskill but reskill to keep up with digital business demands
- Blending traditional and unconventional approaches to close talent and skill gaps
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CIOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com
10:25am - 11:00am Networking Break
10:30am - 10:55am 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.
11:00am - 11:45am Breakout Session
All About Strategy — How to be an Effective CIO

Harold Shannon
VP, Technology and CIO
CoreCivic
The role of the CIO expands far beyond technology expertise; managing people and driving processes are also key areas of focus. To be successful, CIOs must have a strategy to excel in leadership, change management, and IT. Harold Shannon shares the approach he’s taking at CoreCivic to be effective as the VP of Technology and CIO.
Join this session to discuss:
- Assessing your current strategy and adjusting as needed to keep up with emerging trends and innovations
- Balancing technical skills with communication skills to make an impact as a leader
- Ensuring daily routines support the organizational norms, technology objectives, and your values
11:00am - 11:45am Breakout Session
Leading with Digital Sustainability — A Strategy Led by Technology
Hosted by ChromeOS

Daniel Christopher
Senior Chrome Enterprise Customer Engineer
Google Chrome Enterprise
Enterprises are under pressure to address multiple challenges impacting the planet, their people and profitability. This is all happening while a recession is looming, quiet quitting is real and climate change is a top concern. Now is the time to position technology leaders as key partners in tackling these issues maximizes sustainable value across the business.
Join this session to explore sustainable strategies for:
- Reducing efforts in the negative impact your company and products have on the planet (environmental sustainability)
- How to best champion and manage the impact on your people (social sustainability)
- Managing the business' fiscal health and future profitability (financial sustainability)
11:00am - 11:45am Executive Boardroom
Enabling Business Success Through AI, Data, and Analytics
Hosted by Quest Software

Heath Thompson
President and General Manager, Information & Systems Management
Quest Software

Dustin Johnson
Head of IT, US
UCB

Raj Vuchatu
Chief Information Officer
Georgia Tech Research Institute
Gartner reports 80% of organizations seeking to scale digital business will fail without a modern approach to governance. As IT leaders seek to mature their frameworks, they must not only address technical challenges but also issues of trust, risk and ethics. Learn from your peers about what has and hasn't worked and leave with a framework to help guide the management of your data.
Join this session to explore:
- Analyzing current data and AI governance trends with your peers
- Improving processes for system and information management
- Outlining a path to ensure success with your information management framework
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CIOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com
11:00am - 11:45am Executive Boardroom
Leading Cybersecurity — Going Beyond Checking the Box

Arun Kandel
CIO
Southern Poverty Law Center

Steven Ferguson
CIO
Technical College System of Georgia

Irene Thong
Senior Director, IT and Project Management - CIO/CISO
Printpack
Cybersecurity is no longer an objective reserved only for IT, it’s mission critical for senior executives and all board members. As a business leader in a quickly changing landscape, you must balance following new regulations and educating company leaders about cybersecurity.
Join this session to discuss:
- How to prepare your board for ongoing shifts in governance and regulations
- What impacts the new SEC ruling is already having on the enterprise
- How to protect the organization from liability and cyber threats
Executive boardrooms are intimate and interactive sessions designed to foster dynamic dialogue around a specific, strategic topic. These private, closed-door discussions encourage attendee participation and are limited to 15 attendees (seating priority is given to CIOs).
To reserve your seat, please contact: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com
11:45am - 12:30pm Lunch Service
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Atlanta CIO Community Executive Summit.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue & Accommodation
The Westin Atlanta Perimeter NorthHotel does not offer valet parking. Self- Park only in the Concourse lot directly across from The Westin at a discounted rate of $5/day.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 770-395-3902.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $189 USD (plus tax) is October 16, 2023.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.