

The move to the virtual workplace has given IT an influence like never before! As customer centric digital transformation makes the technology organisation a revenue generator and as emerging technologies sit at the heart of the employee experience in the new world of work, it is time for the CIO to step up.
Join 45+ senior IT leaders on business-critical challenges and disruptive technology and drive your industry forward collaboratively.
Connect with 45+ senior IT leaders for a curated agenda focused on tackling your current business critical challenges and driving industry forward. Our summits are designed to help you:
Build new connections with likeminded senior leaders
Stay current with emerging business trends
Understand the impact new technology can make
De-risk new projects by gaining a broad range of insights
Accelerate key projects through meaningful new partnerships
Downloadable and actionable takeaways
This award will recognise outstanding C-Suite (or equivalent) information technology executives who can demonstrate exemplary leadership through real-world achievements in their field. Judges are particularly interested in seeing evidence of the application of innovative technologies or strategies over the last 12 months that have led to improved business performance and operational efficiencies.
09:00 - 09:20
Intro & Challenger Panel - 3 Roundtable moderators
09:20 - 09:50
Building bridges with cloud - Using cloud and edge technologies to get closer to the customer than ever before
CIO’s must make significant decisions around distributed cloud, edge, management platforms and analysis as the IOT revolution will take us closer into the lives of users. This is IT's chance to truly enable the organisation to deliver better outcomes for their customers.
09:55 - 10:35
Functions on the rise - How forming a strategic partnership with HR gives technology its best chance of adding value
Effective automation, re-skilling and workplace transformation will be based on increasingly digital organisations putting people at the heart of everything they do. This panel will consider the value of a strategic alliance between IT and HR to address the critical societal need to find the optimal fusion between people and technology.
10:35 - 10:45
10:45 - 11:45
Track 1: Capitalising on new influence - Push through critical change and move from servent to enabler
Six in ten CIO’s feel that their influence has increased as a result of the pandemic according to the Harvey Nash CIO Survey – how are you going to navigate both the opportunities and challenges?
Track 2: Opening the toolbox!- Experimenting with emerging capabilities to deliver competitive advantage
Almost half of all technology leaders feel that the pandemic has permanently accelerated digital transformation and the adoption of emergent technologies. How do you move successfully from pilot to creating profit?
Track 3: Leading a digital first culture - How technologists facilitate this conversation accross the organisation.
According to research by KPMG , self-described “digital leaders” outperform in every one of five meaningful business measures. Yet what does it take for CIO’s and technologists in general to create and lead a digital first culture?
11:50 - 12:10
Transformation with talent - Protecting the company while recruiting and engaging expanding talent pools
09:00 - 09:10
09:10 - 09:40
Opportunistic AI Expansion - How to think strategically about AI to develop internal centres of excellence.
This session explores the challenges of developing AI in house with a view to becoming a centre of excellence while ensuring that wider executives fully understand the technologies before making decisions that impact IT.
09:45 - 10:25
Democratising data- breaking the ritual of corporate data models to make insights truly accessible
For the promise of data to be realised and to truly place it in peoples hands, you have to put it in a format that they can use.
10:25 - 10:35
10:35 - 11:35
Track 1: Capitalising on new influence - Push through critical change and move from servent to enabler
Six in ten CIO’s feel that their influence has increased as a result of the pandemic according to the Harvey Nash CIO Survey – how are you going to navigate both the opportunities and challenges?
Track 2: Opening the toolbox!- Experimenting with emerging capabilities to deliver competitive advantage
Almost half of all technology leaders feel that the pandemic has permanently accelerated digital transformation and the adoption of emergent technologies. How do you move successfully from pilot to creating profit?
Track 3: Leading a digital first culture - How technologists facilitate this conversation accross the organisation.
According to research by KPMG , self-described “digital leaders” outperform in every one of five meaningful business measures. Yet what does it take for CIO’s and technologists in general to create and lead a digital first culture?
11:40 - 12:10
Enabling the organisation through agile – Understanding IT’s role in taking different co-design methodologies into thew wider business
IT has become a thought leader in agile and co-design methodologies in order to bring digital products to market at the speed required to be competitive in the market place – how can it use its experience in leading agile to become a better strategic partner to the wider business
09:00 - 09:10
09:10 - 09:40
Hybrid by design - Should IT be leading workplace transformation
Join two established workplace transformation leaders who have sat at the centre of technology, HR and real estate for years and ask the question of what role technology leaders should be playing in its transformation.
09:45 - 10:45
Moderators from the respective panels share key insights, observations and future challenges with the rest of the delegation
10:50 - 11:30
CIO Leadership Awards
11:35 - 12:05
IT as facilitator rather than owner - Key leadership skills that give CIO's greater purpose in a democratised age
This conversation looks at best practice of democratising IT with leadership skills and technologies such as low code, no code and AI driven tech support.
Engage with a virtual live audience just as you would at a physical event and create meaningful conversations.
The ultimate live polling and gamification tools, keeping your audience engaged.
Enabling our team to help you control your session experience.
Interactive quizzes to gamify your session
Recognising outstanding Executives who have demonstrated exemplary leadership
Content and insight from industry experts when it matters most
There is no cost associated with attending a GDS Summit. In return, we ask that all senior executives in participation attend for the full duration to ensure that all attendees get maximum value and insight from the interactive roundtables, live Q&As and breakout networking sessions.
Our digital summit portfolio is designed to bring together senior decision makers from large global businesses and innovative disruptor brands to drive industry forward through addressing business critical challenges collaboratively.
If you’re keen to build new connections with likeminded leaders, de-risk your projects through new insight and establish new partnerships that can accelerate your projects then apply to attend today.
Complete our ‘apply to attend’ form on the event page if you’re interested in attending the summit and you meet our application criteria. A member of the GDS team will then reach out to run you through the programme and event format and discuss your participation.
On stage: co-host a panel discussion with a group of likeminded senior executives or host a solo keynote presentation. Both slots include elements of interactive audience Q&A
Off stage: become a roundtable moderator, leading the discussion with the same cohort of executives for the duration of the summit around a specific topic you’ve agreed to focus on during the roundtable session.
We can tailor a partnership package to help meet your business objectives. This might include brand awareness, driving traffic to your site or quality editorial content via exclusive interviews and Q&As with our executive audience. Enquire today for more information.
Still have a question contact us below
You will leave the summit with best practices to immediately apply back to your organisation and new connections from meaningful conversations.
If you haven’t been to a GDS Digital Summit, you will be incredibly impressed. It’s far more engaging than most digital event experiences. It’s a very interactive environment.
I connected with peers that I know I’ll stay in touch with, including suppliers which have presented a fantastic opportunity for 7-Eleven Global in the future. It may well be the most valuable summit I’ve attended in many years