Detroit CIO Executive Summit

The first female president in University of Toledo history stands at the intersection of technology’s dynamic present and promising future. Dr. Sharon Gaber sets a high bar for technology excellence while enabling the next generation of the IT workforce. In this keynote, Dr. Gaber draws from both sides of her unique perspective:

• How she broke through barriers to become an impactful leader — and the traits that define superior leadership
• How to transform culture through diversity, collaboration and research
• The key drivers in a university-private sector partnership to cultivate future IT talent

Join your peers at designated tables during lunch to discuss a subject that interests you. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

Patrick Foxhoven, CIO of Zscaler, leads a discussion on how cloud and mobility are forcing organizations to rethink their security and network architectures. Joined for a fireside chat by Visteon CIO Raman Mehta, they share:

• How adoption of SaaS applications and the migration of internal applications to private clouds – such as Microsoft Azure, AWS and Google Cloud – are driving security transformation
• Examples, lessons learned and best practices from one enterprise’s cloud transformation journey

Why do women make up only 25% of the technology workforce? Aiming well beyond the answer, the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation wants to make Michigan the No. 1 state for girls and women in technology. Rebecca Bray, Jennifer Charters and Tamara Faber-Doty — three champions for women in IT leadership — join college student Sonia Bhakkad for a results-oriented panel discussion:

• Why is there still a gap for women in technology leadership?
• What should IT leaders do in their organizations to close that gap?
• How can we build a talent pipeline of women in technology in Michigan?

As the breadth of IoT technology expands, companies that overlook the importance of protecting their endpoint infrastructure are more vulnerable than ever to the next wave of hackers. What steps should your organization be taking to detect unknown threats and defend your critical endpoints? This session relies on real-world examples to examine:

• How some of the most secure organizations are still lagging in security beyond the firewall
• How to use data analytics and a proven framework to secure endpoint devices.

Whether you’re running an aggressive cloud-first strategy or committed to a hybrid solution, each CIO’s cloud journey is a relevant roadmap for peers at various stages of cloud migration.  This boardroom draws on your collective wisdom to discuss: 

• What new business capabilities the cloud has unlocked, and where do you see untapped potential?
• What successful strategies for navigating the cloud can lead to maximum agility, security, and new ways of doing business?

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:

Samantha Flaherty  |  971-717-6665

Organizations of all sizes are increasingly turning to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to improve operational efficiency, productivity, quality and customer satisfaction. Maximizing these business results with RPA requires the ability to build automations at scale across the enterprise. Join your fellow CIOs in a roundtable discussion focused on:

• Implementing RPA at scale
• Realizing ROI with RPA through cost/risk avoidance and various improvements
• Avoiding common mistakes when scaling RPA across the enterprise

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:

Samantha Flaherty  |  971-717-6665

Pitching to the board is a skill that must be mastered. CIOs are tasked to use visuals, communicate business value and synthesize complex information in a way that makes sense. Join this interactive session to identify the holes in your board pitch—and improve them for the next time you’re in the hot seat. In this interactive session, you will work in a group to:

• Create and deliver a board pitch
• Receive real-time feedback on your pitch
• Learn best practices and strategies for communicating with you board

Automation doesn’t happen overnight — but powered by partnership to lay the right groundwork — it can feel like an overnight success. CMS Energy details its RPA implementation in three phases, from bake-off to evangelism to scaling. This session will cover:

• Case studies in how different RPA deployments can improve efficiencies while cutting costs
• What it takes to set up a successful RPA implementation, including key lessons learned
• Addressing business components and education before moving to scalability

With endless tools and raw data at its disposal, a data-driven organization must have clearly defined priorities, sound governance and business alignment if there is any hope of imbuing their information with meaning. In this boardroom, you’ll discuss:

• How CIOs are leveraging data to drive business growth
• What tools and strategies can create new opportunities for data engagement throughout the enterprise
• Where organizations stand with data governance post-GDPR 

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:

Samantha Flaherty  |  971-717-6665

From AI to chatbots to AR and VR – the exciting realities of emerging technologies can also beget a swirl of CIO confusion. How do you wade through the noise to discover what really works — what is practical and scalable? Join this roundtable decision to get to the bottom of:

• Success stories in the emerging technology space
• What practical applications have had a real impact on business
• What is next for the enterprise

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:

Samantha Flaherty | 971-717-6665

Have you heard the one about CIO standing for Career Is Over? La-Z-Boy CIO David Behen doesn’t buy it. Neither does John Hill, whose current responsibilities at Carhartt include SVP of Planning. Join two upwardly mobile technology leaders for a frank discussion on how to craft your career beyond the CIO sphere. Do you aspire to be a CEO? COO? What will it take to get there? Joined by moderator Doug Wiescinski, Behen and Hill detail the proactive steps they’re taking to blaze their path forward, including:

• Why technology leaders — who touch every aspect of business — are uniquely positioned to lead the business
• How to build the business competency and the gravitas to be considered for larger roles
• How to seek out mentorship and what types of leaders to follow