Toronto CIO Executive Summit

The days of begging for likes are over. The customer economy is all about doing likeable things. Peter Shankman is recognized worldwide for radically new ways of thinking about the customer experience, social media, PR, marketing, advertising, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). His experience says that it’s time to start focusing on the customer experience – Without that, no amount of advertising, marketing, or SEO will save you.

Shankman will share:

• The five rules of the customer economy
• Why speed truly matters
• How to stay “top-of-mind” in every customer’s mind, from beginning to end

Michael Lin and Carol Poulsen are expanding AI initiatives to speed up their business processes to deliver exceptional customer experiences in Canada. Imagine using an AI Virtual Agent to triage mental health issues for your employees or bring improved service to insurance advisors and their customers. Join Claude Guay as he explores these two CIO re-inventor stories.

They will highlight:

• How AI technologies can be used to solve unique business problems
• What IT organizations need to look for when evaluating AI and ML
• How to identify internal problems that present opportunities for an AI solution

Emerging technology holds vast potential for every company, but the struggle is finding real business value in the midst of hype. IoT was just the starting point for Maurizio and his team. Join in as he shares about their journey from getting the basics right to focusing on driving value for their customers and business partners.

Laudisa will explore how you can:

• Find value in the emerging technology that is right for you
• Drive change to achieve business value, not new technology
• Negotiate with vendors to protect your future

Many IT Leaders struggle with the perception of value delivered by the IT department, more so in a manufacturing environment where IT has traditionally been regarded as a cost center. Anca Preda and Jose Martinez were able to shift perception by increasing collaboration between IT and the entire organization. They used the tools and data Linamar already possessed to not only prove how valuable IT is to the enterprise as a whole, but also to its bottom line and future success.

They discuss how you can:

• Gain buy-in from the business through action, not asks
• Create an effective BI roadmap
• Recruit and engage internal talent to participate in the BI initiative

End-user computing data, artificial intelligence, distributed ledgers, open payments, digital currencies, and security and regulatory reforms are some of the hottest topics in the payments industry today. Explore how the convergence of all these technological shifts and regulatory changes can help propel your business forward as payments become increasingly more open, distributed, border-less, instant, intelligent and rich.

When enterprises want to leverage new talent for emerging technology initiatives, they often turn to academia. Join Yuri Lawryshyn and Kory Fong as they discuss how looking for local partners in Toronto has greatly benefited both of their organizations.

Listen in as they unpack:

• Opportunities to utilize academia for AI talent
• Real use-cases created and executed by students
• How to present external partnership opportunities to your organization

With all of the high-profile breaches in the media, organizations are scrambling to throw what they can at the security wall to see what sticks. Jeff Stark argues that security leaders and organizations need to get back to basics and address fundamental issues that underlie cyber threats and related vulnerabilities.

Join Stark as he covers:

• Best practices organizations can adopt to prevent the vast majority of cyberattacks
• First steps to improve the current state of security for your enterprise
• How to improve communication between CIOs and CISOs

New technologies are allowing enterprises to focus on real value adding tasks instead of repeatable processes. New opportunities like RPA are being leveraged to take employee productivity to new heights in all types of organizations.

The City of Toronto is embracing new and innovative solutions to engage those who were previously left out. Rob Meikle, the City's CIO will explore how a shift in mindset can play a major role in your company's culture and foster innovation across all levels.

Meikle will share universal truths about innovation including:

• It is all about attitudes and behaviors
• Inclusion and diversification will strengthen your organization
• Engage all levels of your ecosystem