Moderator
Arif Mohamed
Contributing Editor
CIO
Arif Mohamed is a writer, editor, and presenter with three decades of experience in the IT industry. He worked as a daily news reporter in the early days of the web, covering breaking tech stories and conferences across the world. Since then, he has written for, edited and consulted with a broad range of publications including CIO, ComputerWorld, The Times, Computer Weekly, The Engineer, Accountancy Age, ZDnet, IT Week, Business Insider, and The Business Magazine.
Arif is a Contributing Editor and Moderator for CIO, interviewing business and technology leaders and innovators at live events, conferences, and online panels. His areas of interest include IT strategy, AI, sustainability, security, intellectual property, and innovation. He also acts as a strategic marketing consultant and copywriter for leading global brands in technology, retail, financial services, energy, and other key sectors.
In his leisure time, Arif plays the tenor sax, hikes, cooks interesting cuisine, and serves as a church pastor. He writes adventure thrillers under the pen name Joshua Raven, has carried out author work across the UK, Europe and the Middle East, and was a featured author at the Dubai Literary Festival.
Upcoming and recent events
CIO 100 Awards & Conference UK
Panel Discussion: Modernising Legacy Systems Without Meltdown - Balancing Transformation with Operational Continuity in Complex Estates
Thursday, September 24, 2026
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Legacy modernisation is a persistent priority – but where should CIOs focus, to drive real progress, without disrupting the business? This session examines how leaders are modernising core systems, integrating new platforms and increasing agility while maintaining stability. Expect pragmatic approaches to balancing transformation with continuity, reducing risk and unlocking…
Fireside Chat: Pragmatic Infrastructure Leadership - Navigating Multicloud and Edge Reality - Cost, Control and Decentralised Complexity
Thursday, September 24, 2026
12:05 PM - 12:25 PM
Infrastructure strategy has moved beyond transformation narratives to operational reality. For CIOs, the focus is now on balancing cost, control, resilience and regulatory demands across increasingly distributed environments. This session addresses the practical decisions leaders must make to optimise multicloud, integrate edge and future-proof infrastructure in a complex, decentralised world. …
Panel Discussion: Platform vs. Best-of-Breed - The Great Architecture Debate
Thursday, September 24, 2026
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Architecture decisions have long-term consequences. Platform consolidation promises simplicity – but at what cost to flexibility? Composable architectures offer agility – but how do you avoid fragmentation? This session examines how CIOs are navigating the trade-offs between platform and best-of-breed strategies and what they are prioritising in practice. Expect pragmatic…
Fireside Chat: Vendor Ecosystems and Strategic Partnerships - Effectively Managing Hyperscalers, SaaS Sprawl and Outsourcing Dependencies in Changing Regulatory and Geopolitical Landscapes
Thursday, September 24, 2026
3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Vendor ecosystems are expanding rapidly – but how do CIOs balance innovation, cost and dependency across hyperscalers, SaaS providers and outsourcing partners? How do they do this effectively when risk management is becoming more complex, with a need to shift from global to regionally-aligned sourcing strategies due to concerns about…
CSO ThreatScape Manchester
Recovery Strategies for an Accelerated Threat Landscape
Thursday, March 19, 2026
11:15 - 12:00
*By invitation only AI driven threats are moving faster than traditional defense models can respond, forcing security leaders to reassess what their organisation’s true risk appetite is. This roundtable is designed for leaders who are responsible for safeguarding critical services and who are now asking a new question: not…