Highlights from CIO Executive Summits in Early 2024

CIOs in our communities across North America have spent the last 6 months connecting with one another to network, share and learn in both virtual and in-person gatherings. Evanta CIO Communities have gathered 107 times at Evanta programs since January across 20 Executive Summits, 27 Inner Circle Dinners, 59 Town Halls and one Peer Roundtable.

Each gathering was curated via direct conversations with top information technology leaders to ensure each engagement was highly relevant and valuable. Themes such as making data-driven decisions within the business, effective leadership and navigating the explosion of generative AI were discussed in detail. 

Here’s a snapshot of a few of the highest-rated sessions and discussions at CIO Executive Summits this spring:

Which Side are You On? at the Calgary CIO Executive Summit

This interactive session pitted CIOs in a friendly debate on cloud and security ease of access. Executives agreed that the format was a fun and interesting way to encourage discussion on the concept of polarity, and they left with a better understanding of what their peers are doing in these critical areas.  

One IT leader had this to say about the session: “I thought the interactive approach was excellent. I definitely appreciate hearing what other IT leaders are doing in the various realms, so having this medium to encourage people to share their experiences was very useful.”
 

Becoming a Board-Ready CIO at the Chicago CIO Executive Summit

As technology continues to drive business growth, more organizations are looking for CIOs to join their boards. Ron Guerrier, CTO at Save the Children, discussed how senior IT executives can move from being an expert to a board-ready thought leader. 

Executives were engaged in the session on increasing their visibility and articulating the value of the CIO, with one saying: “Awesome session. Very insightful information from Ron!”
 

Meaningful Mentorship — Shaping and Learning from Future Leaders at the Atlanta CIO Executive Summit

Providing support and guidance to the next generation of IT leaders can be invaluable to rising talent, but can positively impact the mentor, as well. Jay Ferro, EVP, CIO & Technology & Product Officer at Clario, and Jason James, CIO at Aptos, shared the stage as they discussed the influence mentoring has on career paths. 

Participants appreciated the candor of the conversation, with one saying: “Terrific open discussion about a topic in which more of us should engage. Very impressed with the speakers and appreciated their insight, especially as to how to grow those conversations to the benefit of both mentor and mentee.”
 

A Data & Analytics Dialogue at the Minneapolis CIO Executive Summit

As organizations collect more and more data, it’s crucial for leaders to empower the enterprise to use that data to enable better business outcomes. Angie Schulke, Vice President - Applications, Data & Business Intelligence at Life Time, discussed creating an effective data and analytics strategy that sets your organization up for growth and innovation. 

One CIO had this to say: “We are in the midst of our own D&A project, so this was very relevant. We also had the chance to network at our table about this, and I had the chance to discuss this with some peers.”
 

Gartner Futures Lab: The Future of Leadership at the Denver CIO Executive Summit

Executive leaders are increasingly under pressure, pulled in extreme, opposite directions. They lead organizations that are increasingly hybrid in nature, requiring different leadership styles. Esteemed Gartner Analyst Frank Buytendijk presented predictions for the future role of the executive leader. 

Executives found the keynote thought provoking, with one commenting: “Phenomenal presentation by an extremely gifted communicator, who clearly is the subject matter expert!”

As our first half of 2024 programs end, Evanta CIO community members provided this feedback on their experiences:

The quality of the engagement at the event is far superior to similar ones I’ve experienced during my career. Vendor partners will almost always bring their A-game, and what made this event different was the CIO and Technology Leaders attending the event brought their A-Game. The engagement and interaction during breakout sessions and networking times was incredibly interactive and valuable.”

– Dallas CIO Participant
 

Evanta has the secret sauce just right! I think you provide the best events, content, location and participants. You balance the vendor representation so well!"

– Southern California CIO Governing Body Member
 

This event is the most valuable series I attend. Properly attended, great execution and meaningful content.”

– Atlanta CIO Participant
 

Evanta CIO Community members are continuing to plan innovative agendas and topics for Executive Summits starting in October, with more opportunities to connect virtually and in-person taking place year round. To find and register for an upcoming community event, sign in to MyEvanta, or if you have not yet joined an Evanta CIO Community, apply to join here for access to Evanta community gatherings.