San Francisco CIO Community
Inner Circle
August 23, 2023 | The Hemlock
August 23, 2023
The Hemlock
Expand your network and engage with peers
Join the Gartner San Francisco CIO Community Inner Circle, an intimate dinner event offering facilitated, roundtable discussions and informal networking with CIO peers. Explore a timely, peer-driven topic and exchange ideas in a collaborative setting designed to surface candid perspectives and actionable insights.
Engage with peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CIOs today:
Taking a Proactive Cloud-First Approach to Cybersecurity
Staying Ahead of Cybercriminals in the Changing AI Landscape
Balancing the Need for Security with Need for Data Accessibility
San Francisco CIO Governing Body
The Governing Body Co-Chairs shape the discussion topics and agenda, ensuring that all content is driven By CIOs, For CIOs®.
Governing Body Co-Chairs

Opinder Bawa
University of San Francisco
VP & CIO

Kevin Cornish
Covered California
Chief Information Officer

Monica Khurana
Dodge & Cox
Chief Technology Officer

Geeta Pyne
TIAA
Chief Architect, Architecture and Innovation

Avi Sokol
KLA
VP & CIO

Evan Wayne
World Market
CIO
Agenda
August 23, 2023
4:30pm - 5:30pm Executive Networking Reception
5:30pm - 6:45pm Discussion Topics
Challenging the Course — A Proactive Approach to Cybersecurity
Hosted by ChromeOS
Robert DeVito
Global Director, Chrome Customer & Partner Engineering
Andrew Bray
Vice President, Global Information Technology
Renesas Electronics
Herman Brown
CIO
City and County of San Francisco District Attorney Office
Christopher Desautel
Chief Digital Officer
Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies
Sharon Mandell
Senior VP & Chief Information Officer
Juniper Networks
Today’s cybersecurity environment often feels like a race, and the enterprise’s position on the track is constantly shifting from first to last depending on the course they plot for themselves and the cybercriminals’ ability to stay ahead. Historically, the odds have been stacked against IT – the constantly changing landscape, a lack of dedicated resources, and the need for emerging skills are daily battles for the CIO and CISO. AI is rapidly changing the cybersecurity landscape. On the one hand, AI can be used to create powerful new security tools that can help organizations detect and respond to threats more effectively. On the other hand, AI can also be used by malicious actors to create more sophisticated attacks. Though it might feel like a zero-sum game, what if IT proactively took control by implementing cloud-first security approaches? Could these strategies keep the enterprise at the front of the pack?
Join this conversation with your peers to explore how IT could position themselves for success:
Keeping Pace with the Evolving Threat Landscape
- What are the biggest threats that your organization is facing today, and how are you monitoring the threat landscape?
- What are your top priorities for cybersecurity? What are your top challenges? How have you seen these goals and challenges shift over the last year?
- As the enterprise is building complex cloud environments to help the organization be more agile and make decisions faster, how do you balance the need for security with the need for data accessibility and employee productivity?
Taking a Proactive Approach to Cybersecurity
- How does your organization define proactive security control, and how has this approach helped your organization reduce the risk of cyberattacks?
- What sort of challenges have you faced internally with securing funding for cybersecurity before an attack occurs? And the challenges when implementing cloud-based security features?
- When securing funding, how have you justified the costs of proactive security control? What objections have you had to overcome in discussion with the board and leadership?
6:45pm - 7:15pm Networking Break
7:15pm - 8:30pm Summary Discussion & Dinner
8:30pm - 9:30pm Social Hour
Apply to Participate
Each application is carefully vetted to ensure members meet established criteria, preserving the quality of the network and enabling meaningful, peer‑level discussions among leaders from the world’s leading organizations.
Once you submit your application, a Community Program Manager will schedule a conversation to understand your priorities and interests and complete onboarding, including access to year‑round community events.
Location
Venue
The HemlockMore Information
Parking
- Self parking available in the following lots:
- Recommended: SFMTA Polk Bush Garage located at 1399 Bush St., San Francisco, CA 94109.
- 2nd Option: 80 Hemlock Garage located at 80 Hemlock St., San Francisco, CA 94109.
Community Program Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.
