The Future of IT

CIO Think Tank

April 12, 2023 - Toronto, Canada

Visionaries

Saurabh Dixit
Executive VP, Information Technology
Citco

Think Tank Speaker

Founded in 1948, Citco is an independent group of companies providing a range of financial services to clients throughout the world, including hedge funds, institutional banks, private equity firms, high net-worth individuals. and real estate firms.
Jenny Alfandary
President & CEO
Westario Power

Think Tank Speaker

Jenny has the courage, passion and determination to drive the change within a business turning previous liabilities to productive assets. She has done this not just for organizations but also shifted the thinking for industries that she has been part of. In the years to come, companies will wonder why they did not always operate this way. It is a combination of creation and implementation experience that makes Jenny well suited to work in a company that defines new markets and transforms existing ones. A balanced work experience on both sides gives Jenny a unique vantage point on how to solve business problems and how to create products that actually work. Roles on the application of innovation include multinational firms, government entities and start ups. Jenny is comfortable with the balance that is required to continue to operate and manage a business while constantly striving to improve outcomes - decreased risk, increased profit and constant improvement of customer's experience. As a senior executive, Jenny possesses the characteristics of a visionary leader that is more than comfortable taking the road less travelled. She can see opportunities and solutions for businesses that no others can. She is fiercely driven to business success and lives and breathes progressive excellence in herself and motivates and inspires that in her teams. Jenny motivates by living the example – at her core she is defined and respected for her ability to create and deliver – it simply is not in her DNA to be mediocre. Jenny inspires all levels of teams and departments - because of her attention and expertise at all levels. AWARDS • Diversity50 list by Deloitte, which recognize most influential Board Directors to impact Canada's corporate boards and improve global competitiveness. • Mentor, Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, Government of Ontario Mentoring MBA students developing Start-up companies from seed stage through investment & strategy. • SAP Pinnacle Award in the category of CRM Development.

Mamta Sethi
CIO - Group Functions Technology
Manulife Financial

Think Tank Speaker

Experienced Senior Strategy & Transformation Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Expert and skilled in Technology, Application Development & Infrastructure, Business Development, Design Thinking, Operational and Organizational Efficiency, Business Relationship Management, Organization Leadership and Development, Strategic Workforce Planning and Organizational Change Management.

Stelian Hudea
CIO
ROINRO INC

Think Tank Speaker

As Computer Engineer and Electronics Engineer, Stelian constantly pushing the technology boundaries to build super fast and efficient Information Technology turn-key solutions. He was working for Fortune 100 companies and architects. He deployed their World-Wide Communication platform and worked on top security projects involving the leading security agencies at the National and International levels. He always loved AI, ML, and BI and it always came easy for him to architect and deploy system automation and intuitive reporting that generated accelerated productivity boosts.

Janet Lin
Vice President Technology - Lending & Payments
Equitable Bank

Think Tank Speaker

Equitable Bank, a subsidiary of Equitable Group, is a full service commercial bank in Canada. They are headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
April 12, 2023

Agenda

All times Eastern Time
10:30 AM-11:15 AM
Welcome & Registration

11:15 AM-12:00 PM
Vision Keynote Panel
What’s AI Doing for You?

The terms "Artificial Intelligence" and "Advanced Machine Learning" are often thought of interchangeably. While there is a relationship between AI and AML, to say they are the same thing is an oversimplification and misclassification. Rather, one begets the other with AI being the basic principle upon which AML is developed. As AI begins to mature and migrate away from purely advanced mathematical operations into decision making paradigms, AML steps forward as the predictive ability of machines to process vast quantities of data. As data and analytics becomes foundational to the way every business operates, AI and AML will become foundational capabilities.


12:00 PM-1:00 PM
Lunch & Innovation Showcase

1:00 PM-1:25 PM
Keynote
The Great Talent Void

While new technology and solutions can help CIOs make better decisions for an organization, nothing will take the place of a highly talented workforce. CIOs need to be great recruiters of talent but even more importantly, be able to grow the skills and capabilities of their existing team. Competitive compensation is important in talent retention but so is a work environment where individual growth and development are top of mind. 


1:30 PM-2:15 PM
Panel
Bridging the Gap Between IT and the Business

Bridging the gap between business and technology is not easy and requires discipline and balance between technology, people, and the business. For so many organizations today, technology is the business. Technology needs to be understood as a critical enabler in every part of the organization from the front line to the back office. It creates new value by crunching data to deliver new insights, it spurs innovation, and it disrupts traditional business models.

For business and technology leaders alike, new actions and behavioral changes can help their organizations make this shift. CIOs must take responsibility for problems, they should convey that when technology fails, many people typically share responsibility.


2:15 PM-2:35 PM
Networking Break

2:35 PM-3:20 PM
Panel
Data Drives Transformation

Data is a key enabler for all of the CIO’s plans to transform and should be at the heart of any organizational strategy. All of the digitization in our world today means we have enormous amounts of data available, and data has now become the number one business asset for every organization. The utilization of data has grown exponentially giving organizations the ability to better understand customers, research key trends, and much more. Enterprises are heading towards an environment of uncertainty and ambiguity that requires continuous flexibility, innovation and investment or reinvestment in data and analytics strategies.


3:25 PM-4:00 PM
Fireside Chat
Building Solutions by Finding Problems

Disruption alters, destroys, but also creates value. You realize the need to act once revenue starts to shift, which is happening at a faster pace than most would think. Disruption can be a great thing if you act upon it, but it is a threat if you watch idly. We will discuss how CIOs and CISOs can be proactive and act on disruption by figuring out how to identify, prioritize and respond.


4:00 PM-4:20 PM
Networking Break

4:20 PM-5:05 PM
Panel
Enhancing Your Edge

Edge computing is computing topology in which the content collection and delivery are placed closer to their endpoints. The goal of edge computing is to keep the traffic and processing local to eliminate delays. Currently, edge computing is being driven by IoT and requires processing to be close to the end rather than on a centralized cloud server. However, rather than creating brand new architecture, cloud computing and edge computing will evolve into centralized servers, on-premises servers and on the edge devices themselves. 


5:10 PM-5:25 PM
Disruptor
Creating Transformation Through Data & Analytics

If digital transformation is a journey, then data is the fuel that transports your company from here to there. Comprehending and creating insight from data is transformational. Being able to gather and analyze data to generate a competitive edge, creates new opportunities and promotes innovation. However, to support a pipeline of up-to-date and competitive modern data and analytics, a sound foundation and architecture must be constructed.


5:25 PM-5:30 PM
Closing Remarks & Raffle Giveaway

5:30 PM-6:30 PM
Cocktail Hour

Past & Current Partners