IN-PERSON

Atlanta CIO Executive Summit

November 8, 2023 | The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North

November 8, 2023
The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North

REGISTER NOW

Collaborate with your peers

Get together with Atlanta'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:

Innovating to Improve Business Processes and Outcomes

Scaling the Business with Digital Maturity

Influencing Change and Adaptability Across the Enterprise

Atlanta CIO Governing Body


The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the summit agenda, ensuring that all content is driven by CIOs, for CIOs.

Co-Chairs

Puneet Bhasin

Unum
EVP, Global CIO & Chief Digital Officer

Curtis Carver Jr.

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Vice President and CIO

Martin Davis

Southern Company
EVP & CIO

Ben Pivar

Carter's
SVP, CIO

Regina Salazar

Novelis
SVP, Chief Information and Digital Officer

Harold Shannon

CoreCivic
VP, Technology and CIO

Grant Shih

Aramark
Chief Technology Officer

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 Atlanta CIO community.

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a private, one-on-one setting through Evanta's Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Agenda


November 8, 2023

7:45am - 8:30am  Registration & Breakfast

8:30am - 9:15am  Keynote

Executive Presence for Lasting Leadership

Chris Ulrich headshot

Chris Ulrich

Body Language Expert & Political Consultant

Guest Speaker

Any given gesture - a nod, a point of the finger - unconsciously communicates powerful ideas and feelings that have tangible consequences. Top executives are generally proficient in their ability to interact with others, but the stakes are raised during high-level negotiations, reporting to the board, inspiring and empowering senior managers or dealing with tricky internal matters. 

Join body language expert Chris Ulrich as he shares: 

  • Why every movement and action is magnified in high-level situations
  • Tools and techniques to build rapport quickly
  • How executives can communicate more effectively

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Digital Business Leadership for Customer Experience Maturity

Kayla Broussard headshot

Kayla Broussard

U.S. CTO Consumer & Travel, Distinguished Engineer

Kyndryl

Amid flattened budgets and economic uncertainty, a renewed focus on building distinct customer experiences proves vital to maintaining a competitive advantage. Organizations must leverage both existing IT resources and innovative new digital solutions to create meaningful customer interactions that boost profitability.

Join this session to learn about:

  • Strategies for creating a unified customer experience
  • Innovative industry case studies with lessons for all enterprises
  • Utilizing data as a strategic asset to create new revenue streams

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Weaving Innovation into the Core of Everything

The intersection of digital business and advanced technologies has inevitably brought life to continuous innovation. But when faced with economic instability and fiscal responsibility, how can CIOs maintain a constant innovative mindset and culture?

Join this boardroom to discuss:

  • Encouraging experimentation, ideation and failure in order to succeed
  • Cultivating an innovation-rich culture
  • Communicating and quantifying the value of innovation for long-term growth

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

CIOs Connecting Business, Data and Technology

According to Gartner, the challenge for many IT and business leaders today is to instill a culture of data-driven decision making across the organization. Those who want to exploit the potential of new data and advanced analytics capabilities at scale typically face numerous challenges. 

In this session, CIOs will:

  • Discuss best practices for designing data and analytics programs
  • Identify and define quick-win opportunities supporting the business data strategy
  • Brainstorm technology and resource alignment 

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Acting on AI — Competitive Advantage Now and in the Future

Curtis Carver Jr. headshot

Curtis Carver Jr.

Vice President and CIO

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Robert Howard headshot

Robert Howard

Associate VP & Deputy Chief Information Officer

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Brian Rivers headshot

Brian Rivers

Chief Technology Officer

University of Alabama at Birmingham

CIOs must choose to harness the power of AI or fall behind the competition. Now the challenge is to know which actions should be taken to implement AI effectively for competitive advantage while mitigating associated risks. Curt Carver, VP and CIO at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will lead a panel of IT leaders who bring their unique experiences to the topic.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Utilizing the power of AI sooner than later
  • Deciphering the use of public or private data sets for Generative AI
  • Weighing the impact of AI on security

10:25am - 11:00am  Networking Break

10:30am - 10:55am  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

11:00am - 11:45am  Breakout Session

Leading with Digital Sustainability — A Strategy Led by Technology

Daniel Christopher headshot

Daniel Christopher

Senior Chrome Enterprise Customer Engineer

Google Chrome Enterprise

Enterprises are under pressure to address multiple challenges impacting the planet, their people and profitability.  This is all happening while a recession is looming, quiet quitting is real and climate change is a top concern. Now is the time to position technology leaders as key partners in tackling these issues maximizes sustainable value across the business.

Join this session to explore sustainable strategies for:

  • Reducing efforts in the negative impact your company and products have on the planet (environmental sustainability)
  • How to best champion and manage the impact on your people (social sustainability)
  • Managing the business' fiscal health and future profitability (financial sustainability) 

11:00am - 11:45am  Executive Boardroom

Enabling Business Success Through Data and Analytics

Heath Thompson headshot

Heath Thompson

President and General Manager, Information & Systems Management

Quest Software

Gartner reports 80% of organizations seeking to scale digital business will fail without a modern approach to governance. As IT leaders seek to mature their frameworks, they must not only address technical challenges but also issues of trust, risk and ethics. Learn from your peers about what has and hasn't worked and leave with a framework to help guide the management of your data.

Join this session to explore:

  • Analyzing current governance trends with your peers
  • Improving processes for system and information management
  • Outlining a path to ensure success with your information management framework

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

11:00am - 11:45am  Executive Boardroom

New SEC Rules — Going Beyond Checking the Box

Cybersecurity is no longer an objective reserved only for IT, it’s mission critical for senior executives and all board members. As a business leader in a quickly changing landscape, you must balance following new regulations and educating company leaders about cybersecurity.

Join this session to discuss:

  • How to prepare your board
  • What impacts the new SEC ruling is already having
  • How to protect yourself from liability

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 CxOs).

To reserve your seat, please contact: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

11:45am - 12:30pm  Lunch Service

12:30pm - 1:05pm  Keynote

Keynote Hosted by Zoom Video Communications

 Additional details coming soon.

1:05pm - 1:30pm  Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

Shifting Executive Mindset to Embrace Volatility and Change

De'Onn Griffin headshot

De'Onn Griffin

Vice President, Team Manager CIO Executive Development

Gartner

Today’s digital-era is proving misaligned with our industrial-era leadership mindsets. Disruption and volatility are only accelerating and becoming more complex. Thankfully, today’s digital leaders hold the key to leading in this new paradigm of uncertainty. This session discusses how CIOs can cultivate the evolution of today’s executive mindsets to accelerate the realization of growth and value from digital transformation.

Join this session to discuss:

  • The deep psychology holding us back from growth and how to break through
  • The digital leader’s role in leading a new approach to disruption in the C-suite
  • Actionable ideas for today, to build change expertise for tomorrow

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Untangling Talent — Closing Gaps and Cultivating Learning

Today, CIOs are faced with heightened talent challenges not seen in previous economic downturns. The demand for advanced tech skills still outweighs the supply of talent, even considering recent ‘big tech’ layoffs. How can CIOs spearhead a strategy that helps overcome the constant gap in tech skills and lays the cultural foundations for continuous digital ambitions?

Join your peers to discuss:

  • Preparing employees for change and to utilize their full potential
  • Blending traditional and unconventional approaches to close talent and skill gaps
  • Aligning enterprise culture with key business outcomes

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Vetting Your Applications and Infrastructure Technology Strategy

A well-structured applications and technology strategy is both the lifeblood of the business and a strategic differentiator as CIOs accelerate digital transformation. In today’s digital-first workspaces, how can leaders evolve their strategy to maximize the value of their applications, advance key digital initiatives, and remain agile in the face of constant change?

Join this session to discuss:

  • Gaining insight into technical debt and building a business case for application and technology rationalization
  • Discontinuing legacy systems, modernizing, and shifting to agile solutions
  • Creating architectures that evolve with ever-changing business requirements

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

2:15pm - 2:50pm  Networking Break

2:20pm - 2:45pm  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

2:50pm - 3:35pm  Executive Boardroom

AI Governance — Safeguarding Innovation

CIOs are tasked with leveraging AI for competitive advantage, but these advanced technologies must be regulated responsibly. As advances in AI continue to impact the enterprise, CIOs are evaluating implementing effective AI governance to mitigate risks, maintain transparency and ensure ethical use.
Join this session to discuss:

  • Promoting constructive and ethical utilization of AI
  • Monitoring regulatory compliance to ensure data ethics and privacy rights are met
  • Evaluating open and closed source AI models to protect sensitive data

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

3:35pm - 4:00pm  Break

4:00pm - 4:35pm  Keynote

Delivering Sustained Innovation Through Economic Constraints

Anup Thomas headshot

Anup Thomas

VP & CTO, Card Payments

Capital One Financial

IT leaders cannot wait around for what’s next; they must be proactive and create it. However, innovation comes at a price and can be difficult to sustain during economic uncertainty. Anup Thomas shares strategies he’s implementing at Capital One Financial to continue innovating through financial volatility.

Join this keynote to discuss:

  • Creative methods of influencing innovation across the enterprise
  • Tangible results through enterprise-wide innovation
  • Ensuring morale and productivity as purse strings tighten

4:35pm - 5:00pm  Closing Reception & Prize Drawing

7:45am - 8:30am  Registration & Breakfast

8:30am - 9:15am  Keynote

Executive Presence for Lasting Leadership

Chris Ulrich headshot

Chris Ulrich

Body Language Expert & Political Consultant

Guest Speaker

Any given gesture - a nod, a point of the finger - unconsciously communicates powerful ideas and feelings that have tangible consequences. Top executives are generally proficient in their ability to interact with others, but the stakes are raised during high-level negotiations, reporting to the board, inspiring and empowering senior managers or dealing with tricky internal matters. 

Join body language expert Chris Ulrich as he shares: 

  • Why every movement and action is magnified in high-level situations
  • Tools and techniques to build rapport quickly
  • How executives can communicate more effectively

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Weaving Innovation into the Core of Everything

The intersection of digital business and advanced technologies has inevitably brought life to continuous innovation. But when faced with economic instability and fiscal responsibility, how can CIOs maintain a constant innovative mindset and culture?

Join this boardroom to discuss:

  • Encouraging experimentation, ideation and failure in order to succeed
  • Cultivating an innovation-rich culture
  • Communicating and quantifying the value of innovation for long-term growth

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

CIOs Connecting Business, Data and Technology

According to Gartner, the challenge for many IT and business leaders today is to instill a culture of data-driven decision making across the organization. Those who want to exploit the potential of new data and advanced analytics capabilities at scale typically face numerous challenges. 

In this session, CIOs will:

  • Discuss best practices for designing data and analytics programs
  • Identify and define quick-win opportunities supporting the business data strategy
  • Brainstorm technology and resource alignment 

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Acting on AI — Competitive Advantage Now and in the Future

Curtis Carver Jr. headshot

Curtis Carver Jr.

Vice President and CIO

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Robert Howard headshot

Robert Howard

Associate VP & Deputy Chief Information Officer

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Brian Rivers headshot

Brian Rivers

Chief Technology Officer

University of Alabama at Birmingham

CIOs must choose to harness the power of AI or fall behind the competition. Now the challenge is to know which actions should be taken to implement AI effectively for competitive advantage while mitigating associated risks. Curt Carver, VP and CIO at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will lead a panel of IT leaders who bring their unique experiences to the topic.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Utilizing the power of AI sooner than later
  • Deciphering the use of public or private data sets for Generative AI
  • Weighing the impact of AI on security

10:25am - 11:00am  Networking Break

10:30am - 10:55am  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

11:00am - 11:45am  Breakout Session

Leading with Digital Sustainability — A Strategy Led by Technology

Daniel Christopher headshot

Daniel Christopher

Senior Chrome Enterprise Customer Engineer

Google Chrome Enterprise

Enterprises are under pressure to address multiple challenges impacting the planet, their people and profitability.  This is all happening while a recession is looming, quiet quitting is real and climate change is a top concern. Now is the time to position technology leaders as key partners in tackling these issues maximizes sustainable value across the business.

Join this session to explore sustainable strategies for:

  • Reducing efforts in the negative impact your company and products have on the planet (environmental sustainability)
  • How to best champion and manage the impact on your people (social sustainability)
  • Managing the business' fiscal health and future profitability (financial sustainability) 

11:00am - 11:45am  Executive Boardroom

Enabling Business Success Through Data and Analytics

Heath Thompson headshot

Heath Thompson

President and General Manager, Information & Systems Management

Quest Software

Gartner reports 80% of organizations seeking to scale digital business will fail without a modern approach to governance. As IT leaders seek to mature their frameworks, they must not only address technical challenges but also issues of trust, risk and ethics. Learn from your peers about what has and hasn't worked and leave with a framework to help guide the management of your data.

Join this session to explore:

  • Analyzing current governance trends with your peers
  • Improving processes for system and information management
  • Outlining a path to ensure success with your information management framework

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

11:00am - 11:45am  Executive Boardroom

New SEC Rules — Going Beyond Checking the Box

Cybersecurity is no longer an objective reserved only for IT, it’s mission critical for senior executives and all board members. As a business leader in a quickly changing landscape, you must balance following new regulations and educating company leaders about cybersecurity.

Join this session to discuss:

  • How to prepare your board
  • What impacts the new SEC ruling is already having
  • How to protect yourself from liability

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 CxOs).

To reserve your seat, please contact: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

11:45am - 12:30pm  Lunch Service

12:30pm - 1:05pm  Keynote

Keynote Hosted by Zoom Video Communications

 Additional details coming soon.

1:05pm - 1:30pm  Break

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Breakout Session

Shifting Executive Mindset to Embrace Volatility and Change

De'Onn Griffin headshot

De'Onn Griffin

Vice President, Team Manager CIO Executive Development

Gartner

Today’s digital-era is proving misaligned with our industrial-era leadership mindsets. Disruption and volatility are only accelerating and becoming more complex. Thankfully, today’s digital leaders hold the key to leading in this new paradigm of uncertainty. This session discusses how CIOs can cultivate the evolution of today’s executive mindsets to accelerate the realization of growth and value from digital transformation.

Join this session to discuss:

  • The deep psychology holding us back from growth and how to break through
  • The digital leader’s role in leading a new approach to disruption in the C-suite
  • Actionable ideas for today, to build change expertise for tomorrow

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Untangling Talent — Closing Gaps and Cultivating Learning

Today, CIOs are faced with heightened talent challenges not seen in previous economic downturns. The demand for advanced tech skills still outweighs the supply of talent, even considering recent ‘big tech’ layoffs. How can CIOs spearhead a strategy that helps overcome the constant gap in tech skills and lays the cultural foundations for continuous digital ambitions?

Join your peers to discuss:

  • Preparing employees for change and to utilize their full potential
  • Blending traditional and unconventional approaches to close talent and skill gaps
  • Aligning enterprise culture with key business outcomes

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

1:30pm - 2:15pm  Executive Boardroom

Vetting Your Applications and Infrastructure Technology Strategy

A well-structured applications and technology strategy is both the lifeblood of the business and a strategic differentiator as CIOs accelerate digital transformation. In today’s digital-first workspaces, how can leaders evolve their strategy to maximize the value of their applications, advance key digital initiatives, and remain agile in the face of constant change?

Join this session to discuss:

  • Gaining insight into technical debt and building a business case for application and technology rationalization
  • Discontinuing legacy systems, modernizing, and shifting to agile solutions
  • Creating architectures that evolve with ever-changing business requirements

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

2:15pm - 2:50pm  Networking Break

2:20pm - 2:45pm  Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Peer-to-Peer Meetings

Connect with like-minded peers in a one-on-one setting through Evanta’s Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

2:50pm - 3:35pm  Executive Boardroom

AI Governance — Safeguarding Innovation

CIOs are tasked with leveraging AI for competitive advantage, but these advanced technologies must be regulated responsibly. As advances in AI continue to impact the enterprise, CIOs are evaluating implementing effective AI governance to mitigate risks, maintain transparency and ensure ethical use.
Join this session to discuss:

  • Promoting constructive and ethical utilization of AI
  • Monitoring regulatory compliance to ensure data ethics and privacy rights are met
  • Evaluating open and closed source AI models to protect sensitive data

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: Heather Bolick at Heather.Bolick@evanta.com

3:35pm - 4:00pm  Break

4:00pm - 4:35pm  Keynote

Delivering Sustained Innovation Through Economic Constraints

Anup Thomas headshot

Anup Thomas

VP & CTO, Card Payments

Capital One Financial

IT leaders cannot wait around for what’s next; they must be proactive and create it. However, innovation comes at a price and can be difficult to sustain during economic uncertainty. Anup Thomas shares strategies he’s implementing at Capital One Financial to continue innovating through financial volatility.

Join this keynote to discuss:

  • Creative methods of influencing innovation across the enterprise
  • Tangible results through enterprise-wide innovation
  • Ensuring morale and productivity as purse strings tighten

4:35pm - 5:00pm  Closing Reception & Prize Drawing

November 8, 2023

REGISTER

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


Evanta cares about the health and safety of our community. Please review the following recommendations prior to attending the gathering.

Location


Venue & Accommodation

The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North

A block of rooms has been reserved at the The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 770-395-3902.

Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $189 USD (plus tax) is October 16, 2023.

Your Community Partners


Global Thought Leader
Key Partner
Program Partners

Community Program Manager


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

Heather Bolick

Community Program Manager

heather.bolick@evanta.com