Every recession of the past few decades has spawned massive restructuring of technology and an abundance of opportunity when the inexorable rebound occurs. The ever-accelerating scientific and technological tsunami that is enabled by computing power, ubiquitous high-speed global connectivity, and boundless storage capacity will unleash a set of cultural shifts that will forever change our perception of the world. Global CIO André Mendes sees a veritable maelstrom of change sweeping us into the next generation of innovation, with life-changing consequences for people worldwide. In this inspirational keynote, Mendes envisions a near future where culture, business and technology are tightly intertwined and virtually indistinguishable, where societies are forever altered, and where technology serves as a guidepost for ?a higher level of reality? in the fast-evolving world of the 21st century.

Identity Information Management is one of the most critical aspects of enterprise architecture that CIOs need to get right. Whether the issue is customer experience, customer or citizen centered services, usability, cloud computing, ePayments, enterprise security or national security - effective identity and authentication services are at the core. New solutions such as single-sign-on and federation are being developed to address those needs, but these solutions are facing increasing challenges from Privacy Commissioners, advocacy groups and citizens who are rightly concerned about how governments and the private sector collect and use personal information. Join Nikolejsin as he explains the future of Identity Information Management.

Session discovery topics:

• Interoperability and architectural constraints
• User experience - managing consumer expectations with authentication
• Building authentication systems that are privacy enhancing by design
• Claims-based, user-centric identity management

Stepping outside of a classical off-shoring model, Anne Naser and her team have spent the last four years developing local and overseas partnerships and relationships around the globe. This program, coined "Global distributed development," has helped WorkSafeBC overcome the challenges of generational gaps in the workforce, evolving technologies and cultural divides. Join Naser for a dynamic discussion around her non-classical model of partnerships and the successes and lessons learned throughout this innovative initiative.

Session discovery topics:

• Building the supplier relationship: integrating partners for the success of the business
• Cultivating unification across the organization by creating 'mixed teams' in multi-global locations
• Managing cultural differences: mixing up the workforce
• Shaping your organization by moving beyond the borders of North America

In a climate where staff reductions and budget cuts are the norm, REI has maintained their position on the "Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For" list for the past decade. As an integral part of the business, Bill Baumann believes that his IT workforce is a contributing factor for receiving this organization-wide accolade. Understanding REI as a unique and authentic organization, Baumann explains how he keeps his staff motivated, challenged and committed during a time of economic uncertainty.

Session discovery topics:

• Maintaining core values - honesty, integrity and authenticity
• Building a culture of teamwork and encouragement
• Transparent leadership - establishing trust and respect
• Listening and learning - allowing the workforce to speak

The unified communications trend of the last several years has enabled organizations to gain real competitive advantage. In today's turbulent market, organizations are transforming their business strategies and processes using integrated communications technologies.

In this session, you'll learn how organizations are driving bottom-line value and gaining a competitive advantage. Join Bill Sayles as he shares TELUS' own transformation journey from their legacy voice business to building their national Next Generation Network and developing business applications that focus on people, productivity and collaboration. With the current regulatory and economic environment, their journey continues with a focus on cost structure and customer experience, a converged IT/network operating model and increased accountability and operational consistency.

Across all industries, the challenging economy is affecting leadership strategies, business initiatives and technology advancements. From banking to retail to non-profits, CIOs are looking at how their organizations are going to survive these trying times and how technology can influence this success. With a unique view of end-to-end processes within an organization, CIOs are proving to have a much respected voice at the table. Join Dr. Catherine Azcel Boivie, Richard Hannah, Gabriel Vitus and moderator Kal Ruberg in a lively discussion around IT leadership during times of economic instability.

Session discovery topics:

• What is driving IT's priorities as a department and across the organization
• What are IT's operational and capital spends - where are you putting your money
• How are CIOs leading, retaining and motivating their teams during challenging times

In this session, Dr. Blaize Horner Reich raises the questions, does your board have the knowledge and experience to effectively manage the risks inherent to IT? And does the board help or hinder the CIO's workload? In Dr. Reich's research, she explains that most boards are not equipped to manage this important resource and do not spend enough time discussing the value or the risk of IT investments. Based on case studies, Dr. Reich and her colleagues have developed a dashboard, which includes a five-risk model, for board members to access. These five steps are intended to help board members assess risk for their organizations and take appropriate steps to govern IT.

Please join Dr. Reich as she discusses the five key sources of IT-based risk and ways in which CIOs can help their boards assess and govern these risks.

We are at an inflection point in history. We face a worldwide economic crisis and at the same time we are in a period of extraordinary technology development. In our increasingly intelligent and interconnected world, the potential for technology driven innovation has never been higher or more needed. However, the traditional models for driving and deploying innovation will not allow us to achieve our goal. New models are needed - the question many are asking is, what role will the CIO/IT play in them?

Session discovery topics:

• The unique role of the CIO/IT in leading technology-driven innovation across the enterprise
• Important differences between CIO, CTO and Chief Innovation Officers
• Proven, winning methods and common mistakes to avoid in delivering value and driving innovation in your organization

Before organizations were feeling the blow of the present economic environment, Methanex was preparing for battle. By taking a strategic approach to leadership development, business and executive engagement, and cost cutting, David Trent and his organization were making huge strides to proactively position their business to weather the storm of the faltering economy.

Session discovery topics:

• Fostering an engaged culture - how people drive strategy execution
• Pursuing management and leadership development
• Project investments - raising the bar
• Benefits and implementation tactics of risk reduction
• Producing revenue for the organization - the value of IT investments

For the last five years, TransCanada has experienced a period of rapid growth through acquisitions and large project development, with the IT department playing a key role. Rick Coutts and Ed Bickley have developed an IT workforce and set of practices to support this growth across many business initiatives. IT at TransCanada is empowered to use their end-to-end view of business processes and technology to make these mergers and acquisitions happen quickly and effectively.

Session discovery topics:

• Establishing credibility - the foundation of influence
• A seat at the table - IT's influence across due diligence, planning and perspective
• Business processes - working with a business integration leader
• Execution - project delivery
  • Managing stakeholders across business teams
  • Building and obtaining the right team
  • Leading an expeditionary team