IN-PERSON

Houston CIO Executive Summit

December 10, 2024 | Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria

December 10, 2024
Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria

APPLY TO PARTICIPATE

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:

Measuring the success of outcomes to further illustrate IT as a business driver

Leveraging data & analytics to advance the business

Mitigating risks and improving efficiencies with cybersecurity strategies

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

Paula Smetana Stuart

Crescent Energy
Chief Information Officer

Michael Thompson

Gulfport Energy Corporation
Vice President & Chief Information Officer

John Varkey

WM
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 Evanta's Peer-to-Peer Meetings. You will be matched with peers in your community based on your shared interests and priorities.

Agenda


December 10, 2024

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

8:30am - 9:15am  Keynote

Leading Resilient Teams Through Unpredictable Adversity

Lisa Thompson headshot

Lisa Thompson

Author of "Finding Elevation: Fear and Courage on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain"

Guest Speaker

Lisa Thompson is a high-altitude mountaineer and former healthcare executive who beat cancer months before standing on the summit of Everest. Lisa later became the first all-American woman to summit K2, which is considered the deadliest mountain in the world. In her talks and book, “Finding Elevation,” Lisa shares the experience of climbing the toughest mountains in the world and the importance of teamwork, resilience and defining boundaries.

Join this keynote session to learn about the importance of:

  • Embracing change and overcoming challenges
  • Creating a supportive environment inside and outside the office
  • Defining clear roles and goals to build a strong, communicative team

9:15am - 9:40am  Networking Break

9:40am - 10:25am  Breakout Session

Intelligent Content Management ― Building an Unstructured Data Strategy

Ravi Malick headshot

Ravi Malick

SVP & Global CIO

Box

Unstructured data is the essence of your business — files like product roadmaps, financial spreadsheets, customer surveys and employee records. Fragmented content across the business leads to security risks and high costs, making AI integration seem impossible. However, intelligent content management makes an AI-powered content strategy feasible.

Join this session to learn about:

  • Identifying unstructured data sources and tools
  • Developing robust security measures for internal and external data use
  • Balancing AI with existing architecture to optimize unstructured data technology

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

The Critical CFO-CIO Partnership for Realizing IT Value

Coy Wright headshot

Coy Wright

Vice President, Energy, Utilities, and Resources Industry Solutions

Rimini Street

Saurin Ganatra headshot

Saurin Ganatra

Senior Director Information Technology, Head of IT

Key Energy Services

David Harmon headshot

David Harmon

CIO

Oil States International

In today’s dynamic business landscape, the synergy between CFOs and CIOs is crucial for shaping enterprise technology investments and driving innovation. Collaboration is essential for aligning financial strategies with technological advancements.

Join this session to explore:

  • Strengthening the CFO-CIO relationship to make data-driven decisions on emerging technologies and ROI
  • Harmonizing views on IT investments and driving results-driven projects
  • Communicating business and technology priorities

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 Jacob.Inman@evanta.com

9:40am - 10:25am  Executive Boardroom

Creating Business Stakeholder Ownership in Technology Initiatives

Rohan Pal headshot

Rohan Pal

Chief Transformation Officer

ServiceNow

Erik Tennison headshot

Erik Tennison

Associate Information Officer

AIG

While many CEOs are tasking the business to advance digital priorities, challenges block progress due to legacy IT, transitioning to the cloud, and the unrelenting task of IT operations. Breaking the bottleneck of transformation is not straightforward, but creating ownership with the wider business can prove to be a winning strategy.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Balancing and aligning IT and enterprise priorities
  • Incorporating the wider business to drive its own digital priorities
  • Collaborating across the C-Suite to meet enterprise goals

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 Jacob.Inman@evanta.com

10:25am - 11:05am  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.

11:05am - 11:50am  Breakout Session

A Key Piece of the Digital Puzzle — The Role of AI

Amyn Gillani headshot

Amyn Gillani

Executive RVP, IT-Digital & Innovation Transformation

McKesson

Pragati Mathur headshot

Pragati Mathur

Chief Digital & Information Officer

ConocoPhillips

CIOs play a pivotal role in leveraging Digital & AI to unlock new opportunities, streamline processes and show big value to the business. Pragati Mathur, Chief Digital & Information Officer at ConocoPhillips, will share about their multi prong digital and AI approach.

Join this session to hear about:

  • How AI fits into the digital journey 
  • Cybersecurity considerations within your AI strategy
  • Accelerating the digital business through innovation

11:05am - 11:50am  Executive Boardroom

M&A — Strategies for Thriving Through Change

Scott Haney headshot

Scott Haney

SVP of IT Ops and Sec

Stream Realty Partners

Phillip Pappan headshot

Phillip Pappan

Chief Information Officer

Superior Energy

In the evolving landscape of mergers and acquisitions, IT leadership is no longer an afterthought but a crucial voice in the M&A process. With technology tightly integrated into business processes, IT leaders have the potential to drive positive transformation and permanent business growth.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Evolving M&A playbooks and executing successful roadmaps 
  • Growing pains and gains through organizational pivots
  • Excelling in change management leadership for sustainable transformation

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 Jacob.Inman@evanta.com

11:05am - 11:50am  Executive Boardroom

Navigating Data Trust to Success

Darwin Jebha headshot

Darwin Jebha

Vice President & Chief Information Officer

Thermon Manufacturing

Praveen Singh headshot

Praveen Singh

VIce President & Chief Information Officer

Honeywell Process Solutions

IT leaders face the critical task of ensuring data's trust and reliability —essential for informed decision making and strategic advantage. Aligning data strategies with business objectives ensures compliance but also positions data as a pivotal force for competitive differentiation.
Join your peers to discuss:

  • Establishing robust governance for data trust-building
  • Adopting technology to ensure data quality
  • Fostering organizational culture for data literacy

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 Jacob.Inman@evanta.com

11:50am - 12:35pm  Lunch Service

12:35pm - 1:10pm  Keynote

Optimizing for Agility — Network and Security Convergence

Shamla Naidoo headshot

Shamla Naidoo

Head of Cloud Strategy & Innovation

Netskope

Integrating a complex ecosystem across all security areas can optimize defenses without simplifying adversaries’ challenges. This approach balances robust security with efficiency, crucial for navigating generative AI and tech advancements. Achieving this requires strategic selection and consolidation of platforms to enhance agility, reduce risk, and maintain cost-effectiveness.

In this session, you’ll learn:

  • The composition of an effective security architecture
  • Value you can derive from a converged networking and security platform
  • Common consolidation mistakes people make and how to avoid them

1:10pm - 1:35pm  Break

1:35pm - 2:20pm  Breakout Session

High-Stakes, Low-Risk Modernization

Edward Hieatt headshot

Edward Hieatt

Chief Customer Officer and Board Member

Mechanical Orchard

Legacy modernization is essential for business success but comes with significant risks and disruptions. Traditional systems are fragile, costly, and increase security vulnerabilities and technical debt. New practical strategies offer risk-free, disruption-free modernization as pressure to update systems increases.

Join this session to learn about:

  • Building confidence, reducing risk and eliminating business disruption during modernization
  • Avoiding common pitfalls and using a holistic approach focusing on behavior vs. piecemeal
  • Practical applications of AI in advanced tools, rigorous testing, and strong development and talent practices

1:35pm - 2:20pm  Executive Boardroom

Weaving Innovation Into the Core of Everything

Kara Pelecky headshot

Kara Pelecky

Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President

American Bureau of Shipping

Rennu Varghese headshot

Rennu Varghese

VP & CIO

The Friedkin Group Inc

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 Jacob.Inman@evanta.com

1:35pm - 2:20pm  Executive Boardroom

Are We Still Talking About the Cloud?

Bhupesh Arora headshot

Bhupesh Arora

Chief Technology Officer

Howard Hughes Corporation

Aparna Mathur headshot

Aparna Mathur

VP IT

Nabors Industries

Almost every organization uses cloud computing, but many do so without a documented strategy that answers what the organization does in the cloud and why. Without that, leaders can’t maximize the benefits of working in the cloud and find their costs skyrocketing out of control.

Join this session to discuss:

  • Aligning cloud objectives across the enterprise
  • Optimizing cloud scale and execution
  • Preparing the organization for what’s next

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 Jacob.Inman@evanta.com

2:20pm - 3:00pm  Networking Break

2:25pm - 2:50pm  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.

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Breakout Session

IT Resilience — Maintaining Control Through Disruption in the Age of AI

Vagesh Dave headshot

Vagesh Dave

Global VP/ CIO

McDermott International

Now more than ever, organizations globally are looking at cyber attacks and business disruptions through a new lens of severity. With the stakes high, CIOs are evaluating how to create a resilient IT strategy in alignment with the broader organization.

Join this interactive session to discuss with your peers:

  • How to respond and adapt quickly to disruptions or unplanned changes
  • Diversification of tooling to reduce risk
  • Tactics for a cyber-resilient future

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Executive Boardroom

Legacy Modernization — Stop Kicking the Can Down the Road

Edward Hieatt headshot

Edward Hieatt

Chief Customer Officer and Board Member

Mechanical Orchard

Don Reny headshot

Don Reny

VP Information Technology

Gulf States Toyota

John Varkey headshot

John Varkey

SVP, CIO

WM

CIOs face mounting pressure to move past temporary "quick fixes" to find reliable solutions for legacy modernization. With compounding technical debt, increasing security vulnerabilities, and the risk of system failures leading to significant revenue loss, the pressure is on to get it right. 

Join this boardroom discussion to dive deeper into:

  • Building trust through proven modernization strategies while eliminating fear and risk
  • Taking a holistic approach focusing on system behavior not code to avoid failures
  • Safe and reliable uses of AI for efficient modernization

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 Jacob.Inman@evanta.com

3:00pm - 3:45pm  Executive Boardroom

Mastering Influence & Collaboration Across the C-Suite

Vaidy Subramanian headshot

Vaidy Subramanian

SVP, Digital and Information Technology

Daikin Americas

Randy Volkin headshot

Randy Volkin

CIO

Perry Homes

To lead resilient organizations, CIOs must effectively communicate with various stakeholders across the c-suite —each with different priorities and communication styles. To build a strong foundation for successful IT strategy creation and execution, collaboration is critical. 

Join this session to discuss:

  • Maximizing value from key stakeholder interaction 
  • Overcoming resistance by seeking to understand and acknowledge 
  • Individualizing your communication tactics based on your audience

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 Jacob.Inman@evanta.com

3:45pm - 4:10pm  Break

4:10pm - 4:45pm  Keynote

A Proactive Approach to Running IT Like a Business

Lise Monahan headshot

Lise Monahan

VP & CIO, North America

Sysco

Paula Smetana Stuart headshot

Paula Smetana Stuart

Chief Information Officer

Crescent Energy

CIOs must balance IT costs and innovation while strengthening operational excellence. In this session, Lise Monahan shares her leadership philosophy on running IT like a business to create value.

Join this fireside chat to learn about:

  • Managing and building stakeholder partnerships
  • Creating a baseline for portfolio and financial management to build for the future
  • Embracing advocacy to lead teams to success

4:45pm - 5:00pm  Closing Comments and Prize Drawing

5:00pm - 6:30pm  Governing Body Reception

Governing Body Reception

Governing Body members host this reception to close out the event with an evening of peer networking, food and drinks. We will also do a special charity activity putting together sack lunches for Kids Meals Inc that seeks to end childhood hunger in Houston.

December 10, 2024

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

Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria
MORE INFORMATION

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria at a reduced conference rate. Reservations should be made online or by calling 1-800-233-1234. Please mention CIO Executive Summit to ensure the appropriate room rate.

Deadline to book using the discounted room rate of $159 USD (plus tax) is November 18, 2024.

Your Community Partners


CIO Thought Leader
Key Partner
Program Partners

Community Program Manager


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

Jacob Inman

Community Program Manager

jacob.inman@gartner.com