CIO 100 Leadership Live Atlanta: Agenda

All times listed on the agenda are in local Georgia time.

Thursday, March 5

8:30 - 9:45am
Executive Roundtable: Understanding Knowledge Management and Unlocking Its Full Potential in the Era of AI

This interactive roundtable will explore how CIOs are reassessing knowledge management as a strategic capability rather than a legacy support function. We will examine real-world scenarios across IT service management, customer engagement, HR, finance, and compliance, where AI-driven interactions depend on precise understanding of organizational context. The discussion will highlight how gaps in knowledge stewardship quietly increase labor costs, slow resolution times, and undermine confidence in AI-enabled processes.

Pre-registration required.

Hosted by Unisys

Moderator
Lane Cooper Contributing Editor CIO
Executive Roundtable: Virtualization and Hybrid IT: Simplifying Your Approach to Architecture

Enterprise IT leaders are under pressure to deliver greater agility and resilience while managing increasingly complex hybrid architectures. At the same time, they must manage the ballooning cost of virtualized environments. Enter HPE GreenLake, a hybrid IT approach to better manage budgets in a hybrid environment with embedded governance. The result: an approach to modernizing IT architecture, protecting critical data and business systems, and ensuring operational resilience. The take-away in this conversation: how to balance flexibility, control, and cost across the corporate IT estate.

Pre-registration required.

Hosted by HPE

Moderator
Charles Pelton Contributing Editor CIO
9:00 - 10:00am
Registration and Coffee

Pick up your credentials for the day, grab a cup of coffee, and meet our partners before general session kicks off.

10:00 - 10:05am
Welcome to CIO 100 Leadership Live
Host
Beth Kormanik Event Content Director Foundry
10:05 - 10:50am
Ambition with Purpose: A Modern Leader’s Guide to Transforming Culture and Yourself

The skills that initially helped you become a leader aren’t the ones that will get you to the next level. Keith Fulton, chief data officer at Jack Henry and the author of Maxing Out: How to Get the Most out of Yourself and Your Team, will share hard-won advice and unconventional lessons to help anyone looking to lead large teams. Through memorable analogies, from Winnie‑the‑Pooh’s cast of characters to the camaraderie of college rugby, Keith offers a fresh take on scaling trust, motivating teams you can’t possibly know individually, and building mutual respect with colleagues and vendors. He’ll explore how servant leadership, smart decision‑making, and balancing ambition with real life can transform not only your performance but your company’s culture. Following his presentation, Keith will sit down for a candid fireside chat to go deeper into what today’s and tomorrow’s CIOs truly need to succeed. This is a session for any leader looking to grow with purpose—and help their teams do the same.

Speaker
Keith Fulton VP & Chief Data Officer Jack Henry
10:50 - 11:25am
Real Leaders, Real Challenges: Championing Tech-Enabled Business Transformation

Today’s bold CIOs are rewriting the rules of business transformation, and they’re doing it in real time, under real pressure, with real stakes. Join us to hear from a select group of courageously innovative technology leaders who will share the successes that are moving their organizations forward, along with the learn-from-failure moments that are reshaping their playbooks. These leaders help stakeholders rethink everything, from culture and talent, to how we work and architect the future of the business, to leveraging new operating models and technology strategically. No theory. No platitudes. No pretenders. Just practitioners speaking to practitioners, with candor, humility, and practical wisdom you can use to lead your team and company through transformation in the age of AI.

Speaker
Marianne Johnson EVP & Chief Product Officer Cox Automotive
Speaker
Justin Mennen Chief Information and Technology Officer Shake Shack
Speaker
Afshean Talasaz Former SVP, Strategic Projects & Innovation & Chief Technology & Data Officer Colonial Pipeline
Moderator
Dan Roberts Host, Tech Whisperers Podcast; CEO, Ouellette & Associates
11:25 - 11:45am
Book Signing and Networking Break

Keynote speaker Keith Fulton will sign your complimentary copy of his book, Maxing Out: How to Get the Most out of Yourself and Your Team. Then take a moment for a mid-morning snack and a guided networking exercise with other attendees.

11:45 - 12:05pm
How AI Is Reshaping IT Operations to Innovate Service Delivery

Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking session where we delve into the future of technology and its transformative impact on businesses. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to hear from industry leaders and gain fresh perspectives on what’s next for the world of IT.

Speaker
Jeff Baker US Tech Managed Service Leader PwC
12:05 - 12:40pm
The Business Case for AI

For organizations that have moved beyond pilots, the challenge isn’t whether to invest in AI—it’s how to scale responsibly and prove sustained business impact. CIOs are under pressure to show measurable outcomes, optimize costs, and integrate AI into core processes without disrupting operations. This panel will open the playbooks of successful CIOs to dive into strategies for moving from experimentation to enterprise-wide adoption, building frameworks for ROI, and ensuring AI initiatives deliver competitive advantage rather than isolated wins.

Speaker
Chris Crist CIO & Senior Deputy General Manager Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Speaker
Bryan Muehlberger Global CIO Lumiyo
Moderator
Sarv Kohli Lecturer Georgia Institute of Technology
12:40 - 1:45pm
Networking Luncheon: Connect, Dine, and Explore Solutions!

Join us for an engaging lunch where you can connect with newfound contacts! Take a seat and savor your meal while networking with peers. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet our sponsors and discover how their innovative solutions can benefit you.

Next CIO Luncheon

The next generation of leaders are invited to this curated career development and networking luncheon designed specifically for high-potential technology leaders who are not yet in the C-suite, but well on their way. Pre-registration required.

Speaker
Amy Mangan Market Director Robert Half
1:50 - 2:25pm
Data Is the Advantage: How CIOs Build Trust, Fluency & Enterprise Readiness

Every executive believes data matters. Fewer agree on what to do about it and even fewer get it right. In this session, C-level leaders share how they are elevating data from a fragmented technical asset into a trusted, enterprise-wide advantage. The discussion focuses not only on tools or architectures, but on leadership decisions: how to set a clear data strategy, establish effective security and compliance without slowing the business, and build a culture where data is understood, trusted, and used to build business value. Drawing on real-world lessons from complex environments, the panel will explore how CIOs are aligning data strategy with business outcomes, risk, and growth; bridging executive intent with operational reality; and building data literacy as a leadership capability, not a specialist skill.

Speaker
Anjali Arora Chief Technology Officer Perforce Software
Speaker
Ben Pivar SVP & Head of Brands and Backend Technologies Fanatics
Speaker
Jikin Shah SVP, Tech Infrastructure RBC
Moderator
Dan Roberts Host, Tech Whisperers Podcast; CEO, Ouellette & Associates
2:25 - 2:50pm
Innovation Showcase

After winning a CIO 100 Award, what came next? Find out how past CIO 100 award-winning companies have iterated their projects since being recognized as digital innovators. In this self-directed experience, you can visit presentations that match your interests, ask questions about technical and leadership challenges, and network with small groups of peers. Presentations will repeat, so you have the chance to check out as many as you like.

2:50 - 3:20pm
Hot Topic Discussion Groups

Join a conversation of your choice to listen, learn and share experiences around the table.

Data Infrastructure as an AI Amplifier hosted by Turgon AI

Balancing Innovation Speed with Data Risk in a Modern Enterprise hosted by Perforce Delphix

Delivering Outcomes with a Promise Based Agentic Workforce hosted by Scout-itAI

After the AI Hype: What’s next?hosted by BMC Helix

Unlock AI ROI with FinOps-Driven Cost Visibility hosted by Apptio

3:20 - 3:40pm
Networking Break

Grab a coffee or iced beverage and connect with peers and sponsoring partners.

3:40 - 4:15pm
TechCrunch Presents: What CIOs Can Learn from VCs

In this conversation moderated by the team at TechCrunch, find out what’s top of mind among the venture capital community and where they see strategic tech investments driving innovation and enterprise value.

Speaker
Shila Nieves Burney Founder and Managing Partner Zane Venture Fund
Speaker
Lisa Calhoun Founding Managing Partner Valor Ventures
Speaker
Amy Lambert CFO SteelSky Ventures
Moderator
Dominic Madori Davis Reporter TechCrunch
4:15 - 5:15pm
Networking Reception

Wrap up the day with refreshments while reflecting on today’s ideas with new connections.

Sponsored by
Moveworks