Charlotte CIO Community
Executive Summit
May 7, 2026 | The Westin Charlotte
May 7, 2026
The Westin Charlotte
Collaborate with your peers
Get together with Charlotte'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:
Driving Data-Driven Insights and Cost Optimization for Growth
Strengthening Cybersecurity and Risk Management for Enterprise Trust
Driving AI Innovation with Secure, Scalable Enterprise Solutions
Charlotte 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

John Armbrecht
Pike Corporation
CIO

Colin Boatwright
MARKEN
CIO

Steve Cayea
T.Y. Lin International
CIO
What to Expect
Agenda
Breakout Session
Centralization — Unifying Systems for Resilience and Control
Technology silos slow innovation and increase risk, particularly in global operations. A centralized approach brings consistency, strengthens security, and streamlines processes across the enterprise. For leaders, it’s not just about the systems themselves—it’s about aligning people and processes to build resilience, enhance governance, and foster collaboration.
In this session, hear real‑world lessons learned on how to:
- Reduce risk and complexity through system consolidation
- Drive governance and compliance with centralized controls
- Accelerate innovation by eliminating silos and enabling cross‑functional collaboration
Executive Boardroom Sessions
Strategic Resources Fueling Security and IT Success
Security and IT teams are continually expected to deliver impactful results within fixed budgets and headcount. How can CISOs and CIOs ensure their organizations maintain a resilient security posture and meet strategic objectives by leveraging the resources already at hand?
Join this session to explore:
- Innovative strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of existing security resources
- Leadership approaches for motivating teams and strengthening security culture
- Methods to communicate and demonstrate the business value of security investments
Leading Governance in Intelligent Times
As AI capabilities rapidly expand, organizations face mounting pressure to ensure responsible and transparent use of these transformative technologies. For CIOs and CISOs, the challenge is not only harnessing AI’s potential, but also establishing robust governance to protect data integrity, privacy, and ethical standards.
Join this round table discussion to explore:
- Embedding data governance frameworks to enable ethical AI initiatives
- Defining executive leadership in shaping responsible AI strategies
- Fostering cross-functional accountability for AI-driven decision-making
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the Charlotte 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 CharlotteHotel Parking Information:
Day self-park: $30
Day valet: $40
Overnight self-park: $38
Overnight valet: $50
A block of rooms has been reserved at the The Westin Charlotte at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 1-866-837-4148 . Please mention Charlotte Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.
Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $304 USD (plus tax) is April 13, 2026.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.
