In-Person

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

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 Charlotte 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

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


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

Gartner cares about the health and safety of our community. If you are feeling unwell, please refrain from attending the conference. At this time, Gartner does not have any health-related requirements in place for attendance. Should this change, we will follow up with updated guidance.

Location

Venue & Accommodation

The Westin Charlotte
More Information

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.

Your Community Sponsors

Global Thought Leaders

CISO Thought Leader

Key Sponsor

Program Sponsor

Community Program Manager

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

Shauna De La Mare

Community Program Manager

shauna.delamare@gartner.com