In-Person

Houston CIO Community

Executive Summit

December 2, 2025 | Hyatt Regency Houston West

December 2, 2025
Hyatt Regency Houston West

Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Houston'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:

Harnessing Data and Analytics to Drive Strategic Business Outcomes

Leveraging Emerging Technology for Competitive Advantage and Growth

Collaboration across the C-Suite to Enable Technology Innovation and Efficiency

Houston 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

David Cain

CVR Energy
VP & CIO

Vagesh Dave

McDermott International
Global VP/ CIO

Kara Pelecky

American Bureau of Shipping
SVP, CIO

Michael Thompson

Gulfport Energy Corporation
VP & CIO

John Varkey

Waste Management
SVP, 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 Houston 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

Reducing Application Delivery Tech Debt from the Inside Out

With high volumes of sensitive data now flowing through web browsers, three in five organizations say data leakage is likely given current IT and security infrastructures. Stop playing catch-up. Discover new approaches to enterprise operations to reduce risk while simplifying operations.

Join this session to discover:

  • How disparate IT and security solutions create technical debt
  • What challenges impact internal and end user stakeholders
  • How simplifying IT can strengthen security, and boost productivity


Keynote Session

Securing Data Flow in the AI-Quantum Era

Sensitive data movement can be risky but restricting it outright can create operational and security challenges. In an era of agentic AI, generative AI, and emerging quantum computing, organizations need security frameworks that protect data while ensuring agility. This session explores how modern security platforms enable secure data flow, adapt to diverse use cases and prepare for the post-quantum encryption (PQE) shift.

Join this keynote to learn:

  • How to choose the right secure access method for each use case
  • Why security must be adaptive to risk, user behavior and AI-driven interactions
  • How to prepare for post-quantum encryption and its enterprise security impact


Executive Boardroom Session

The Future of ERP – Shifting the IT Operating Model

AI, hyperautomation, and unified user experiences are reshaping how we work and compete. Are these transformations valuable, necessary, or feasible? Engage with peers to explore strategies for funding and accelerating prioritized transformations while maximizing returns on existing software investments.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Modernizing applications through composable and adaptive ERP strategies
  • Building digital agility to adapt to evolving business needs and minimize disruptions
  • Enhancing IT systems to improve user experiences and boost operational efficiency


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

Hyatt Regency Houston West

Your Community Sponsors

CIO Thought Leaders

Key Sponsors

Community Program Manager

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

Jacob Inman

Community Program Manager

+1 972 342 1368

jacob.inman@gartner.com