UK & Ireland CIO Community
Inner Circle
2 December 2026 | 113 Chancery Lane
2 December 2026
113 Chancery Lane
Collaborate with your peers
Join UK & Ireland's top CIOs for an intimate networking dinner and facilitated discussion on key business challenges. Enjoy a relaxed evening of dinner and drinks with your peers to share best practices, make new connections and build professional relationships.
Join your peers to discuss the most critical issues impacting CIOs today:
Lead Strategic Technology Alignment to Establish an AI Operating Model
Manage Costs Strategically to Maximize Business Value
Elevate Cybersecurity as a Core Driver of Business Value, Resilience and Growth
UK & Ireland 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
Debra Bailey
OSB Group
Group CIO

Claire Dickson
Haleon
CDTO

Javed Iqbal
BAT
CDIO

Lex Aling
Johnson Matthey
CIO

Pooja Bagga
The Guardian
Group CIO
Agenda
2 December 2026
16:30 - 17:30 Executive Networking Reception
17:30 - 18:30 Discussion Topics
Navigating the New Era of Collaboration and Change
As AI agents and digital copilots become part of daily work, CIOs face a pivotal challenge: building a culture where humans and AI not only coexist but collaborate to drive innovation and productivity. This shift requires more than technical integration—it calls for reimagining roles, workflows, and executive expectations.
CIOs must balance the promise of AI-augmented work with the realities of change management, ensuring employees feel empowered, not displaced, and that agent interfaces are intuitive and secure. At the same time, leaders must navigate evolving vendor ecosystems, budget constraints, and the ongoing buy vs. build debate.
Discussion Questions:
- What initial focus area creates the strongest foundation for scaling?
- How are you supporting teams in human-AI collaboration?
- How do you balance usability and security in agent interfaces?
- How are executive expectations changing with AI?
- How do you approach vendor risk and buy vs. build decisions?
- What change management strategies have worked best for you?
- What lessons from recent AI projects guide your next steps?
18:30 - 19:00 Networking Break
19:00 - 20:30 Summary Discussion & Dinner
20:30 - 21:30 Social Hour
Apply to Participate
Apply to participate in the UK & Ireland CIO Community Inner Circle.
Gartner facilitates exclusive, C-level communities by personally qualifying and understanding the priorities, challenges and interests of each member.
Our selective approach maintains the high quality of the network and ensures top-level discussions with peers from the world’s leading organizations.
Each application will be reviewed, and once your participation is confirmed, you will have access to year-round community programs.
Location
Venue
113 Chancery LaneCommunity Programme Manager
For inquiries related to this community, please reach out to your dedicated contact.
