CIO Summit

CIO Summit

The Rise of Agentic Systems

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Modernize. Secure. Innovate. Lead with the power of Agentic-AI​

As Czech organizations increase investment in digital transformation, CIOs face the challenge of modernizing legacy systems, managing infrastructure complexity, and ensuring compliance with the EU AI Act and NIS2 Directive. Balancing governance and innovation has become critical as enterprises adopt AI and automation to improve agility, customer experience, and operational efficiency.

 

Czech Republic is seeing steady progress in AI adoption, with more organizations moving from pilot projects to enterprise-wide deployment, particularly in manufacturing, financial services, and logistics. The emergence of Agentic AI represents a major step forward, enabling autonomous systems to make decisions and execute tasks independently. For CIOs, this shift introduces new considerations around transparency, security, and workforce readiness, making governance and digital skills development essential.

Agenda

IDC analysts and industry experts will share guidance on how to architect adaptive technology foundations, reduce technical debt, and operationalize AI responsibly while aligning IT with strategic business goals. Through keynote presentations, panels, and peer-led discussions, the Summit equips Czechia’s CIOs with the research, frameworks, and leadership tools to build resilient, secure, and innovation-ready enterprises for 2026 and beyond.

2025 CIO Summit edition

2026 Prediction

By 2027, 55% of G1000 CIOs will be tasked to create enterprise AI value playbooks, featuring expanded ROI models to define, measure, and showcase AI impact across efficiency, growth, and innovation.​

Main Themes

The CIO as Business Strategist​

CIOs have evolved from operational leaders to enterprise strategists. As digital transformation reshapes every business model, technology leadership now defines competitiveness. Today’s CIO must align IT priorities with business outcomes, influence the boardroom agenda, and drive innovation that delivers measurable value.​

Modernization, Legacy and Technical Debt​

Managing technical debt is no longer just a maintenance concern, it’s a strategic priority. Modernizing legacy systems, simplifying architectures, and optimizing cost structures allow organizations to shift resources from upkeep to innovation. Streamlined technology portfolios create the agility needed to compete in a digital economy.​

The Agentic AI Revolution​

Agentic AI marks a shift from automation to autonomy. How CIOs can govern, scale, and integrate autonomous AI systems responsibly (balancing opportunity with oversight to create intelligent, self-directed enterprises.​

Resilience by Design​

Resilience is emerging as the defining capability of modern enterprises. Adaptive architectures, secure infrastructure, and integrated continuity planning enable organizations to withstand disruption (whether from economic uncertainty, regulatory shifts, or cyber threats) while sustaining growth and trust.​

Cybersecurity, Trust, and Digital Sovereignty​

As digital ecosystems expand, trust becomes a critical currency. CIOs must address cybersecurity, data sovereignty, and compliance in tandem, ensuring that cloud strategies and cross-border operations align with evolving regulations. Building digital trust creates both protection and competitive advantage.

Building the Intelligent Enterprise​

Data is the foundation of every intelligent organization. Reliable, governed, and accessible data architectures enable AI, automation, and analytics to operate at scale. Enterprises that invest in strong data foundations are better positioned to extract insight, anticipate change, and deliver smarter, faster business outcomes.​

Meet our partners

Innovation and a strong strategy are key to every company’s growth. Just as vital are the right partnerships – those that help turn vision into reality.

NetApp is the intelligent data infrastructure company, combining unified data storage, integrated data services, and CloudOps solutions to turn a world of disru…
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Whoever you are, you can trust GAPP System to guide you on your path to ideal IT. Together, we design and build IT environments that are efficient, agile, and s…
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Synergy drives everything we do. We bring together technology, expertise, and innovation to build a seamless IT ecosystem that empowers businesses to succeed in…
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Coursera was launched in 2012 by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. Today, it is one of the largest…
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Atos Group is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 63,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 8 billion, operating in 61 countries under two brand…
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Kyndryl is the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider, combining deep consulting expertise with capabilities to design, build, manage, and moderniz…
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Profinit specializes in custom software development, data management, and AI solutions. With delivery centers in Czechia and Slovakia, our 650+ professionals su…
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Venue

Czech National Bank

After several years, the CIO Summit returns to the seat of the central bank of the Czech Republic – the Czech National Bank.

Address: Senovážné náměstí 866/30, 110 00 Prague 1
Accessibility: Approximately a 4-minute walk from the “Náměstí Republiky” metro station (Line B) and 8 minutes from the Main Railway Station

2026 Prediction

By 2027, G1000 organizations will face an up to 30% rise in underestimated AI infrastructure costs, driving CIOs to expand the scope of FinOps teams to optimize expenses and enhance business value. ​

IDC Analysts

Martina Longo

Martina Longo

Research Manager, AI-Fueled Business Strategies

IDC

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Mark Child

Mark Child

Associate Research Director, Security

IDC Europe

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Knowledge Hub

The AI homework nobody asked for (but everyone’s getting anyway)

Artificial Intelligence has officially reached the “you can do anything with it” stage of technological hype. Judging just by AI vendor narratives, and by some of the media, it’s the golden key to productivity, efficiency, optimization and innovation.

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The Agentic Business Future: Driving Resilience, Sovereignty, and Innovation in EMEA

As organizations navigate an era defined by economic uncertainty, geopolitical shifts, and relentless technological change, one truth stands out: the future belongs to those who can harness AI, automation, and sovereignty to build resilience, drive innovation, and unlock growth.

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EMEA’s Tech Evolution – 7 Key Themes Transforming Business in 2025

The technology landscape across Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) is changing rapidly in 2025, with innovations actively reshaping industries and creating new business opportunities.

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Agenda

Agenda

IDC analysts and industry experts will share guidance on how to architect resilient, secure, and future-ready IT environments, reduce technical debt, and operationalize AI, including Agentic AI, responsibly and at scale.

Agenda

CIO Summit

Day 1

08:30

Registration and Networking Breakfast

09:00

IDC Greetings and Welcome

Soňa Porupková

Soňa Porupková

moderator, FTV Prima

09:03

Welcome note from IDC

Pavel Doležal

Pavel Doležal

Associate Vice President, Sales, IDC

09:10

Scaling AI for the Agentic Future: Closing the Enterprise Gaps

EMEA CEOs have high expectations for AI – one-third foresee entirely new operating models, and 15% expect unprecedented market behaviors within 3-5 years. Yet only 9% of European organizations report measurable results from most AI initiatives. Progress is slowed by resource competition, regulatory uncertainty, ROI challenges, and unclear use cases. This keynote explores how CIOs can build strong foundations for an outcome-driven, agentic AI future.

Martina Longo

Martina Longo

Research Manager, AI-Fueled Business Strategies, IDC

09:27

Navigating the CIO Agenda – Strategy, Risk, and Growth

In today’s world of rapid technological advancement and geopolitical disruption, sovereignty has become one of the most critical topics on the CIO agenda. It is far more than a single, isolated issue — it is inherently multidisciplinary, shaping strategic direction while enabling effective risk management.

CIOs are ultimately responsible for execution – and this is entirely achievable. Robust technical solutions across these domains already exist and are readily available.

Looking ahead, another key topic emerging on the CIO agenda is self-driving IT: systems powered by agentic AI that increasingly serve and operate IT itself. This represents an irreversible shift and a defining direction for the future of IT.

Tomáš Kubát

Tomáš Kubát

CEO, HPE ČR

09:44

Stopping Fraud Before It Starts: Identity Intelligence Meets Agentic AI

Professionals across industries are in search for solutions to effectively prevent fraud while ensuring legitimate customers never feel the friction of fraud prevention. This requires combatting account takeover, unauthorized access, and new account fraud by integrating fraud prevention directly into the user journey. Many times, this involves incorporating friction when and where it is needed by building adaptive user journeys that evaluate and act on risk signals at key points such as registration, login, profile management, and transaction (either payment, check-out or subscription activation).

Marcin Zimny

Marcin Zimny

Principal Solutions Architect, Ping Identity

Andrzej Matuski

Andrzej Matuski

Partner in Central Europe, Deloitte

10:01

Solving The AI Data Challenge

Taner Livaneli

Taner Livaneli

District Sales Manager, Eastern Europe & Türkiye, NetApp

10:18

The Rise of Agentic Systems: What Every CIO Needs to Know

Miroslav Jaššo

Miroslav Jaššo

Head of IT, Raiffeisen Regional Card Processing Centre

Tomáš Hubík

Tomáš Hubík

CIO, Foxconn Czech Republic

Tomáš Jabůrek

Tomáš Jabůrek

Chief Information Officer, E.ON

10:50

Coffee Break and Networking

11:22

Security & Trust 2026: Securing the AI-Powered Enterprise

One of the hardest balancing acts the CIO must accomplish is supporting enterprise AI adoption and innovation while securing systems and data in line with the organization’s risk appetite. What forces are driving enterprise security strategy and how can the CIO ensure that it aligns with the organization’s business goals? This IDC keynote will provide insights from global and European research into the key security and trust considerations on the CIO’s agenda.

Mark Child

Mark Child

Associate Research Director, Security, IDC Europe

11:39

Accelerate the defense. Slow down the attacker.

(v) – speed is a derived physical quantity that describes the motion of an object, and at the same time it is the most critical factor in defending against Agentic AI cyberattacks. How can we increase internal resilience, accelerate defense, and simultaneously slow down AI attackers? We will explore this from the perspective of the VCF 9 platform.

Marian Kulhavý

Marian Kulhavý

Head of Sales and Marketing, GAPP System

11:51

Hybrid Cloud: Balancing On-Premises Advantages with Data Sovereignty

Lukáš Váša

Lukáš Váša

Cloud Solution Architect, Atos Czech Republic

12:03

Spec-driven AI Development: An Evolutionary Step in AI Application Development

With AI, the pace of development is accelerating, but without structure, chaos grows faster than applications. This presentation introduces Spec-driven AI Development: an approach where a living specification replaces chat history as the foundation for AI agents and the entire team. Fewer hallucinations, less rework, and greater control over what AI actually builds.
Martin Kasík

Martin Kasík

Head of Digital Solutions, IXPERTA

12:15

Leading change for AI Adoption: Aligning Technology, Skills and Organization

Andy Poole

Andy Poole

Strategic Partnerships Director, Coursera

12:27

3 Pillars of a Sustainable AI Solution

We live in the age of AI. Every company is talking about leveraging AI, and most have at least a few tentative attempts at integrating it into their business processes behind them. At the same time, we observe that very few are able to step out of the shadow of PoC and make AI an integral part of their business. In this talk, we will introduce 3 fundamental pillars that help companies achieve a functional and long-term sustainable AI solution.

Dominik Matula

Dominik Matula

Head of AI, Profinit, an Amdocs Company

12:39

Responsible AI: Ethics and Compliance

Ivana Kudláčková

Ivana Kudláčková

AI Coordinator, Český telekomunikační úřad

12:51

From AI strategy to AI across the entire company

Tereza Fukátková

Tereza Fukátková

Head of AI, TV Nova

13:03

Interactive Roundtable Discussions

Digital Sovereignty and Resilience: Architecture for an Era of Uncertainty

Cloud, Edge, and Technical Debt

13:50

Lunch and networking

14:32

2×6 perspectives on living with technical debt

Luboš Chládek

Luboš Chládek

Group CIO, CSG

Jan Hazlbauer

Jan Hazlbauer

IT Director, ČD

14:59

Technical Debt as a Strategic Lever

Eva Pavlíková

Eva Pavlíková

former CIO, Ministry of Regional Development

Petr Beneš

Petr Beneš

Former COO at Česká spořitelna, and former CIO at GE Money

Antonín Kučera

Antonín Kučera

Head of BI, Data Strategist, Livesport

Elen Ransdorfová (Kotasová)

Elen Ransdorfová (Kotasová)

Director of the Information Technology Department, Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic

15:31

From Efficiency to Resilience: The New Paradigm of a Sustainable Economy

Cyril Klepek

Cyril Klepek

Founder & CEO, Cyrkl

15:43

From Cost Focus to Value Realization

Tomáš Dudaško

Tomáš Dudaško

Chief Information Officer, Dr.Max

Roman Vrba

Roman Vrba

Chief Executive Officer, SPCSS – Státní pokladna Centrum sdílených služeb

Petr Štengl

Petr Štengl

Head of IT Corporate & Technologies, Raiffeisenbank ČR

16:15

The New Generation of Space Weather Monitoring

Martin Tyburec

Martin Tyburec

CEO, AdvaSpace

16:32

Host partner wrap up

16:39

IDC Closure

16:44

Cocktail Dinner & Networking

IDC Executive Round Table Elastic | Microsoft

IDC Executive Round Table Elastic | Microsoft

IA para transformar Dados em Receita, Retenção e Experiência do Cliente

Patrocinado por

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Sobre o evento

Num contexto em que os dados corporativos crescem exponencialmente, o verdadeiro desafio não é apenas armazená-los, mas transformá-los em conhecimento acionável.
Nesta mesa redonda, vamos abordar esse desafio e explorar como soluções avançadas de busca e descoberta de conhecimento – potencializadas pela IA – permitem identificar padrões, conexões e insights ocultos nos dados da sua empresa, acelerando decisões e geração de valor. Mais do que tecnologia, trata-se de liberar o potencial do conhecimento já existente, tornando-o acessível e útil para todos os níveis da organização.

Esperamos você em nosso almoço com líderes!

Por que participar?

    • Entenda como IA pode transformar dados em insights acionáveis.
    • Aprenda a aplicar IA para melhorar a experiência do cliente e aumentar a fidelização.

O que você vai encontrar:

    • Casos reais de uso de IA em negócios.
    • Tendências e melhores práticas para monetização de dados.
    • Estratégias para integrar IA em processos de marketing, vendas e atendimento.

Speakers

Luciano Ramos

Luciano Ramos

Country Manager Brazil

IDC

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Partners

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Agenda

Agenda

Agenda

AI & Data Summit

One Day Event

9:30 am

IDC AI & Data Summit UK Opening & Welcome

Hannah Dowie

Hannah Dowie

Senior Event Manager, IDC

9:40 am

IDC Keynote: From AI Experiments to Agentic Enterprise – Where Real Value Is Emerging

This keynote sets the strategic foundation for the day, exploring how organizations are moving beyond isolated AI use cases toward integrated, agentic systems that deliver measurable business outcomes. Drawing on IDC research, this session will clarify where AI is already creating tangible value, where expectations exceed reality, and how leading enterprises are evolving their operating models to capture sustainable advantage.

Neil Ward-Dutton

Neil Ward-Dutton

VP Global Enterprise AI and Agentic AI Strategies, IDC

9:50 am

Host Session

10:10 am

Strategic Session

10:25 am

Strategic Session

10:40 am

Opening Panel Discussion: Where AI Delivers Real Business Value Today – and Where It Doesn’t (Yet)

Industry leaders discuss how AI is translating into measurable business outcomes across functions and industries. The panel will examine proven use cases, common value traps, and what differentiates organisations that achieve ROI from those still stuck in experimentation. The discussion will also address how value creation is evolving as organisations move toward more autonomous, agentic capabilities

Anupama Hatti

Anupama Hatti

Head of Programme Delivery, NHS Blood and Transplant

Shubhangi Goyal

Shubhangi Goyal

Senior Analyst, Admiral Group Plc

Marco Iannone

Marco Iannone

Group Chief AI Officer, Virgin Active

Oscar Barlow

Oscar Barlow

Head of AI Advocacy, Starling Bank

11:00 am

Networking Break

11:30 am

Strategic Session

11:50 am

Strategic Session

12:00 pm

Parallel Sessions

Track 1: Agentic AI at Scale: Data, Systems, Value
Track 2: Trust, Tech, and the Human Touch

Parallel Sessions

12:00 pm – 12:25 pm

Track 1: Integrating Agentic AI with Enterprise IT: From Legacy Systems to Unified Platforms

Miryem Salah

Miryem Salah

Director Digital Data & Transformation, MD IT Hubs, VodafoneThree

Shruti Ahuja

Shruti Ahuja

Head of Digital Transformation, Business Intelligence & Analytics, Virgin Media O2

Kaushik Chaubal

Kaushik Chaubal

Senior Director, Investor Solutions, BlackRock

12:00 pm – 12:25 pm

Track 2: Operationalising Trust: AI Sovereignty, Governance and Risk when Scaling AI

Sapna Patel

Sapna Patel

Head of Cyber Security, The King's Trust

Ramy Erfan

Ramy Erfan

Vice President, Business & Technology Enablement, Citi Bank UK

Ed Bearryman

Ed Bearryman

Head of New Media Unit, Cabinet Office

Neela Bhaskar

Neela Bhaskar

SAP Enterprise Solution Architect, Bentley Motors

12:25 pm

Parallel Sessions

Tech Pitch Session 1

Tech Pitch Session 2

12:35 pm

Parallel Sessions

Parallel Sessions

12:35 pm – 1:00 pm

Track 1: Agentic AI and Data Management: Foundations for Sustainable Value

Annalisa Arcella

Annalisa Arcella

Head of Machine Learning Engineering, Aviva

Walid Hadid

Walid Hadid

Group Head of Digital and Automation, The Weir Group PLC

Kirsty Mason

Kirsty Mason

Chief Information Officer, The Go-Ahead Group

12:35 pm – 1:00 pm

Track 2: Workforce Transformation in the Age of AI

Carina Nervold

Carina Nervold

IT Business Analyst, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Elodie De Fontenay

Elodie De Fontenay

Head of Data & AI Transformation, Royal London Asset Management

Sarah Hardison

Sarah Hardison

Product DirectoR, GSK

1:00 pm

Networking Lunch Break

2:15 pm

IDC Connect Roundtables

IDC Connect 1 :

IDC Connect 2 :

IDC Connect 3 :

IDC Connect 4 :

IDC Connect 5 :

IDC Connect 6 :

IDC Connect 7 :

3:30 pm

Networking Break

3:55 pm

IDC Research Insight: Strategic Choices for Scaling AI in a Fragmented and Sovereign European Landscape

This session focuses on the strategic choices organisations must make to scale AI in Europe, where sovereignty, diversity, and workforce dynamics shape how adoption unfolds. It will examine different operating models for scaling across fragmented markets, how to balance centralisation vs localisation, and how leading organisations are aligning technology, talent, and governance to accelerate adoption. The session will provide a clear framework for making AI investment and scaling decisions in the European context.

Ewa Zborowska

Ewa Zborowska

Research Director, IDC

4:15 pm

Closing Panel: Agentic AI Now……What Comes Next?

Agentic AI has rapidly moved from concept to capability – systems that can plan, act, and adapt with increasing autonomy are already reshaping how work gets done. But as organisations begin to operationalise these tools, bigger questions emerge: What does the next phase of agentic AI look like? How do we move from experimentation to scalable impact? And what new risks, responsibilities, and opportunities come with machines that don’t just respond – but initiate?

And beyond agents, what about AI as a whole? The field has a habit of surprising even its own researchers. Frontier research is moving fast in directions whose implications we’re only beginning to grasp: long-horizon reasoning, self-improving systems, world models. And then there are the unknown unknowns: capabilities that don’t yet have a name, emerging from labs that haven’t been published yet.

This panel will peer into the crystal ball and explore not only what’s next for agentic AI, but what’s next for AI overall……including the developments we don’t yet see coming.

Dominic Redmond

Dominic Redmond

Group Chief Information Officer, PageGroup

Victoria Brasier

Victoria Brasier

Lead Product Manager in Data and AI, Tesco

Cecilia Jastrzembska

Cecilia Jastrzembska

Senior Policy Advisor, UK Government

4:35 pm

Closing Remarks and Key Takeaways

Hannah Dowie

Hannah Dowie

Senior Event Manager, IDC

IT Security Summit

IT Security Summit

Securing an AI-Powered Business

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Navigating the new frontier of trust, compliance and innovation

The IDC European IT Security Summit is the definitive event for business, security, and tech leaders to explore how to embed trust, governance, and resilience at the core of digital transformation.

Europe is at a strategic inflection point. According to IDC’s latest research, security spending in Europe is forecast to reach nearly $60 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of around 9.4% from 2025 to 2029. Organizations are responding to intensifying cyber threats, expanding regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act, NIS2, GDPR, and DORA, and a surge in stakeholder demand for digital trust and sovereignty. IDC also reports that software and cloud-native security solutions are expected to account for a majority of global security spend by 2028, as enterprises accelerate their adoption of integrated, analytics-driven protection.

Join IDC’s analysts and industry experts to explore how to build trusted digital ecosystems that deliver both innovation and assurance. Gain insights into Europe’s most dynamic security markets and verticals, and walk away with actionable frameworks to make security a strategic differentiator, not just a reactive cost.

Agenda

The IDC IT Security Summit, is the ultimate meeting point for business, security, and technology leaders looking to embed trust, governance, and resilience at the heart of their digital transformation strategies.

Join IDC analysts and industry experts to explore how to build trusted digital ecosystems that combine innovation with assurance. Gain insights into the UK’s most dynamic sectors — including finance, energy, manufacturing, and public services — and walk away with actionable frameworks to make security a strategic differentiator, not just a reactive cost.​

IDC CyberSecurity Summit 2025 UK Post Event Video

IDC Analysts

Duncan Brown

Duncan Brown

Group Vice President, IDC Europe

IDC

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Joel Stradling

Joel Stradling

Senior Research Director, European Security

IDC

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Speakers

Andrew Barber

Andrew Barber

Head of Apps & Devices Surrey

Sussex Police

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Ellie Kearney

Ellie Kearney

Lead Analyst – Cybersecurity

Arete Research

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Jessica Figueras

Jessica Figueras

CEO and Co-Founder

CxB – Cyber Governance for Boards

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Glen Hymers

Glen Hymers

Deputy Director Cyber, Information and Privacy Security

The Cabinet Office

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Stephen Burrows-Davies

Stephen Burrows-Davies

Cyber Security Manager

Everywhen

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Esther Hitch

Esther Hitch

Cyber Director

BDO LLP

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Gary Osborn

Gary Osborn

Head of Information Security

Amnesty International

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Tom O’Driscoll

Tom O’Driscoll

Head of Security Operations and Intelligence

National Highways

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Naomi Garratt

Naomi Garratt

Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder

Shine AI

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Faith Ruto MBA

Faith Ruto MBA

AI Leadership & Adoption Strategist

Transformation21st Limited

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Mit Saru

Mit Saru

Executive Director

Stoxx

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Nikki Webb

Nikki Webb

Global Channel Manager

Custodian360

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Drew Munn

Drew Munn

Head of Digital Experience

Gallagher – Employee Experience & Communication

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Giles Lindsay

Giles Lindsay

CIO

Lif3away

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Alan Jenkins

Alan Jenkins

Principal Consultant

The Cyber Security Navigator

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Richard Meeus

Richard Meeus

Senior Director of Security Technology and Strategy EMEA

Akamai

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Deborah Saffer

Deborah Saffer

Director Information Security

Liberty Specialty Markets

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Theo Botha

Theo Botha

Chief Information Security Officer

Dr. Martens plc

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Amar Patel

Amar Patel

Partner, CTO, CISO and NED

Financial Services

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Jess Larsen

Jess Larsen

Founder | AI Transformation Consultant | Human centric Design

Thriving Humans

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Iraklis Mathiopoulos

Iraklis Mathiopoulos

EVP of Assurance and DFIR

Obrela

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Notis Iliopoulos

Notis Iliopoulos

EVP of MRC

Obrela

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Darinder Shokar

Darinder Shokar

Director, Sales Engineering

Ping Identity

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Trudy Chisamba-Laity

Trudy Chisamba-Laity

Cyber Security Senior Project Manager

Admiral Group Plc

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Manoj Bhatt

Manoj Bhatt

Founder and CEO Cyber Security

Cyberhash UK

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Bryan Altimas

Bryan Altimas

Cyber Security Consultant

Riverside Court Consulting Ltd

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Alfredo Reino

Alfredo Reino

Senior Sales Engineer

Sophos

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Tom McVey

Tom McVey

Senior Sales Engineer EMEA

Menlo Security

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Darren Thomson

Darren Thomson

Commvault EMEA CTO

Commvault

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Jan Ogorzalek

Jan Ogorzalek

Regional Director, Northern Europe

DataBahn

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Jaimon Thomas

Jaimon Thomas

Senior Director Customer Engineering

Kudelski Security

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Jon Brooks

Jon Brooks

UKI, Nordics & SA Country Manager

Wasabi Technologies

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Richard Cassidy

Richard Cassidy

EMEA CISO

Rubrik

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Main Themes

Regulation, Resilience and Value Creation​

Regulatory compliance is no longer a back-office burden, it’s a strategic enabler. We will explore how organizations can embed regulatory mandates (data privacy, cybersecurity laws, emerging AI/tech rules) into core operations, turning requirements into levers for resilience, stakeholder trust, and business value. Keytopics include cyber-by-design, auditability, vendor accountability, and continuity in the face of disruption.

AI, Automation and Responsible Innovation

AI and intelligent agents are transforming how security is delivered, but with great power comes risk. We will explore pragmatically deploying AI: governance models, guardrails for misuse, prioritization of high-impact use cases, and aligning AI systems with trust, transparency, and accountability.

Operations, Analytics and Resilience Engineering

Detection, response, and recovery are now continuous cycles rather than discrete events. We’ll delve into advanced analytics, managed detection & response, orchestration, external threat visibility (supply chain, third parties), and resilience metrics to operationalize security effectiveness.

The Human Factor: Leadership and Culture

Technology alone doesn’t guarantee security. Leadership, culture, and skill development must align. We will focus on transforming teams, embedding security ownership across functions, and equipping leaders to speak the language of risk and trust to the board, CEOs, and business lines.

Incident and Trust Recovery

Breaches will happen, but what matters is how an organization responds. We will cover crisis communication, forensic response, regulatory handling, insurance, stakeholder trust restoration, and turning adversity into credibility.

Sector and Domain Security Challenges

Different industries and environments pose unique security demands. We will focus on securing critical infrastructure (energy, utilities), connected devices and IoT, healthcare, finance, and emerging environments like smart cities or industrial systems.

Venue

133 Houndsditch

Located just minutes from Liverpool Street Station, Convene 133 Houndsditch is one of London’s most modern and versatile event venues—purpose-built to elevate conferences, exhibitions, training sessions, and large-scale meetings. Designed with the delegate experience at its core, the venue combines cutting-edge technology, sophisticated style, and exceptional hospitality to deliver seamless, impactful events.

Knowledge Hub

The NIS 2 directive – where are we now?

The deadline for the transposition of the EU’s second Network and Information Systems Security directive (NIS 2) came and went in October 2024 with only a handful of member states having completed the task.

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European ICT spending implications of NATO’s 5% GDP spending target

At the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague a few weeks ago, member states pledged to allocate 5% of their annual GDP to core defense requirements and defense- and security-related expenditures by 2035.

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IAM 2025: The Rise of the Machines

Identity and access management (IAM), and by extension, identity security, is one of the most pervasive and impactful challenges facing all European organizations today, from an operational and risk management perspective.

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Knowledge Hub / Haitham Elkhatib

Partner Spotlight

Haitham Elkhatib
Co-Founder
UnifyApps

Partner Spotlight

Simplifying Complex Business Workflows the Smart Way

Today’s CIOs face a real challenge. Digital tools are everywhere across the enterprise. They promise speed, efficiency, and better performance. But in practice, many of these tools solve problems in isolation. Over time, this creates fragmented systems that are hard to integrate, govern, and scale.

 

As AI moves from hype to a core business capability, the pressure is rising. CIOs are expected to simplify these environments while still delivering real results. That means rethinking how work flows across systems — not adding yet another tool.

 

From Fragmentation to Flow

AI has enormous potential. But unlocking that potential takes more than deploying models or copilots.

To drive real workflows, AI must understand and connect three things:

 

(a) Structured business data

(b) Unstructured content like documents and emails

(c) Real-time business activity

 

At the same time, it must follow security, compliance, and policy rules automatically — not as an afterthought.

 

This shift is changing the CIO role. CIOs are no longer just responsible for keeping systems running. They are becoming stewards of how intelligence operates across the enterprise. Many organizations are responding by moving away from disconnected tools and toward platforms that sit at the center of operations. These platforms coordinate workflows across departments, enforce governance by design, and reduce manual effort.

 

The payoff is clear: fewer handoffs, stronger controls, and automation that can grow without increasing risk.

 

Workflows That Think

AI only works well when it has the right context.

 

For workflows to truly become intelligent, AI must reason across data, knowledge, and live activity — while staying governed at every step. Without shared context and built-in controls, automation breaks down. It becomes hard to trust, hard to manage, and hard to scale.

 

That’s why many CIOs are stepping back from buying more point solutions. Instead, they are investing in platforms that enable AI-driven execution across the business. This approach reduces repetitive human work, strengthens compliance, and helps organizations move beyond small pilots to systems that deliver lasting value.

 

Real Impact, Simplified

Insurance claims are a good example.

 

Traditionally, claims processing relies on manual reviews, multiple systems, and slow handoffs. An AI-driven workflow changes that. Within an AI-native environment, a digital agent can read forms, apply policy rules, flag suspicious activity, and escalate cases to humans when needed — all with full auditability.

 

The result is a process that is faster, more reliable, and easier to manage. It uses fewer moving parts because intelligence, action, and governance are coordinated in one system.

 

This model isn’t limited to insurance. Companies are applying the same approach to order fulfillment, customer onboarding, customer support, and compliance. By simplifying workflows, they remove delays and create room for improvement across the business.

 

The Simplicity Advantage

True simplification starts with shared information.

 

When data, documents, and activity are connected, organizations can respond to complexity without creating more overhead. Workflows can adapt to real conditions instead of relying on rigid rules and constant supervision.

 

For today’s IT leaders, this means choosing platforms that connect systems and govern workflows as a whole — rather than stacking more disconnected solutions. It also means designing workflows that run on their own, while humans focus on setting direction and handling exceptions.

 

In an AI-native world, simplicity is not just about efficiency. It is a strategic advantage. It determines whether AI stays stuck in experimentation or becomes a reliable engine for enterprise-scale value.

Agenda

Agenda

Agenda

IT Security Summit

One Day Event

8:30 am

Networking and Registration

9:40 am

IDC Keynote: Securing an AI-Powered Business – Navigating the New Frontier of Trust, Compliance & Innovation

Europe is at a strategic inflection point. According to IDC’s latest research, security spending in Europe is forecast to reach nearly $60 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of around 9.4% from 2025 to 2029. Organizations are responding to intensifying cyber threats, expanding regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act, NIS2, GDPR, and DORA, and a surge in stakeholder demand for digital trust and sovereignty. IDC also reports that software and cloud-native security solutions are expected to account for a majority of global security spend by 2028, as enterprises accelerate their adoption of integrated, analytics-driven protection.

At the same time, AI is reshaping the security landscape in Europe. IDC research shows that 38% of European organizations are already investing in AI or Agentic AI, and 43% are actively testing or running proofs of concept, while nearly 70% expect AI-driven disruption within the next 18 months. For European security leaders, this represents both a strategic opportunity and a growing area of risk. AI is enhancing threat detection, automation, and decision-making, yet it is also being exploited by adversaries to scale attacks and manipulate data. As a result, European organizations are prioritizing investments in AI-powered security analytics, identity and access management (IAM), and managed detection and response (MDR) to stay ahead of threats while maintaining transparency, compliance, and ethical governance.

Joel Stradling

Joel Stradling

Senior Research Director, European Security, IDC

10:10 am

Bridging the Gap – Verified Trust for All Identities

As AI agents, deepfakes, and automated attacks outpace traditional IAM, organisations face a widening identity trust gap. Drawing on Ping Identity’s State of Trust research, this session examines how to move from static authentication to continuous, verified trust – helping security leaders assess their current posture and apply practical, risk-adaptive IAM patterns over the next 12–24 months.

Darinder Shokar

Darinder Shokar

Director, Sales Engineering, Ping Identity

10:25 am

The Cybersecurity Poverty Line: How AI Changes the Equation for Everyone Else

The cybersecurity industry has spent two decades building capabilities that, in practice, only well-resourced organisations can actually operate. The result is a structural divide, a poverty line, separating those with mature, 24/7 security operations from the majority of the economy running on best-effort and hope. This session argues that AI represents the first genuine opportunity in years to move that line, not through hype, but through operational compression: changing the economics of detection, response, and expertise in ways that matter to organisations that have never had access to enterprise-grade security.

Drawing on real-world experience across organisations of very different sizes and maturity levels, this talk cuts through the noise to examine what AI is actually changing on the ground, where the limits are, and what it means for every senior leader in the room, because the organisations below the poverty line are almost certainly in your supply chain, your customer base, or your sector.

Alfredo Reino

Alfredo Reino

Senior Sales Engineer, Sophos

10:40 am

Opening Panel Discussion: Boardroom Security: How to Speak the Language of Risk & Value

Security is no longer just a technical concern, it’s a strategic business issue. CISOs must translate complex cyber risks into the language of boards and executives, demonstrating how security investments protect value, enable growth, and support enterprise objectives. IDC says that leadership and collaboration are now critical as the CISO will not always have the ability to mandate security measures but will need to work through others.

This panel brings together CISOs to explore how to effectively communicate risk, align security strategy with business priorities, and demonstrate the ROI of cybersecurity initiatives. CISOs will share practical approaches for bridging the gap between technical expertise and boardroom decision-making, building trust with executive leadership, and ensuring security is recognised as a driver of business resilience and competitive advantage.

Jessica Figueras

Jessica Figueras

CEO and Co-Founder, CxB – Cyber Governance for Boards

Gary Osborn

Gary Osborn

Head of Information Security, Amnesty International

Deborah Saffer

Deborah Saffer

Director Information Security, Liberty Specialty Markets

Theo Botha

Theo Botha

Chief Information Security Officer, Dr. Martens plc

Manoj Bhatt

Manoj Bhatt

Founder and CEO Cyber Security, Cyberhash UK

11:00 am

Networking Break

11:30 am

Parallel Sessions

Track 1 & Track 2

11:30 am – 11:40 am

Resilience Beyond Borders: Why Your Digital Strategy Needs a Geopolitical Reality Check

Richard Cassidy

Richard Cassidy

EMEA CISO, Rubrik

11:30 am – 11:40 am

Rethinking Exposure Assessment & Remediation in the Age of Faster Exploitation

Jaimon Thomas

Jaimon Thomas

Senior Director Customer Engineering, Kudelski Security

11:40 am

Parallel Sessions

Track 1 & Track 2

11:40 am – 12:05 pm

Track 1: Cyber AI: Innovation, Control, and Accountability

Ellie Kearney

Ellie Kearney

Lead Analyst – Cybersecurity, Arete Research

Faith Ruto MBA

Faith Ruto MBA

AI Leadership & Adoption Strategist, Transformation21st Limited

Mit Saru

Mit Saru

Executive Director, Stoxx

Jess Larsen

Jess Larsen

Founder | AI Transformation Consultant | Human centric Design, Thriving Humans

Joel Stradling

Joel Stradling

Senior Research Director, European Security, IDC

11:40 am – 12:05 pm

Track 2: Cyber Talent and Mental Health: Breaking the Burnout Cycle

Andrew Barber

Andrew Barber

Head of Apps & Devices Surrey, Sussex Police

Naomi Garratt

Naomi Garratt

Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder, Shine AI

Amar Patel

Amar Patel

Partner, CTO, CISO and NED, Financial Services

Manoj Bhatt

Manoj Bhatt

Founder and CEO Cyber Security, Cyberhash UK

12:05 pm

Parallel Sessions

Track 1 & Track 2

12:05 pm – 12:15 pm

The Forgotten Perimeter: why your browser Is the most dangerous asset in your enterprise

Tom McVey

Tom McVey

Senior Sales Engineer EMEA, Menlo Security

12:05 pm – 12:10 pm

Why Wasabi Secure HOT Cloud Storage in the Cyber Attack World

Jon Brooks

Jon Brooks

UKI, Nordics & SA Country Manager, Wasabi Technologies

12:10 pm – 12:15 pm

Is AI the end of expertise?

Marc Dowd

Marc Dowd

Vice President, Executive Advisory, IDC

12:15 pm

Parallel Sessions

Track 1 & Track 2

12:15 pm – 12:20 pm

Track 1: Pressure, Pace, and Priorities: Cyber Resilience in the Age of Compressed Timelines

Iraklis Mathiopoulos

Iraklis Mathiopoulos

EVP of Assurance and DFIR, Obrela

12:15 pm – 12:20 pm

From Telemetry Chaos to Real-Time Intelligence — in 5 Minutes

Jan Ogorzalek

Jan Ogorzalek

Regional Director, Northern Europe, DataBahn

12:20 pm

Parallel Sessions

Track 1 & Track 2

12:20 pm – 12:45 pm

Track 1: Supply Chain Under Siege: Strategies for Cyber Resilience

Tom O’Driscoll

Tom O’Driscoll

Head of Security Operations and Intelligence, National Highways

Giles Lindsay

Giles Lindsay

CIO, Lif3away

Bryan Altimas

Bryan Altimas

Cyber Security Consultant, Riverside Court Consulting Ltd

Joel Stradling

Joel Stradling

Senior Research Director, European Security, IDC

12:20 pm – 12:45 pm

Track 2: From Service to Cybersecurity: Leveraging Military Skills in the Digital Danger Zone

Glen Hymers

Glen Hymers

Deputy Director Cyber, Information and Privacy Security, The Cabinet Office

Stephen Burrows-Davies

Stephen Burrows-Davies

Cyber Security Manager, Everywhen

Esther Hitch

Esther Hitch

Cyber Director, BDO LLP

Hannah Dowie

Hannah Dowie

Senior Event Manager, IDC

1:05 pm

Networking Lunch Break

2:15 pm

IDC Connect Roundtables

IDC Connect 1 : API Security: The New Frontline of Security in an Agentic World

Richard Meeus

Richard Meeus

Senior Director of Security Technology and Strategy EMEA, Akamai

IDC Connect 2 : Your identity security architecture was built for humans. It's time for a reset

Ollie Cheal

Ollie Cheal

VP, EMEA, 1Password

IDC Connect 3 : When Prevention Fails: How Leading Organisations Are Rethinking Cyber Resilience

Darren Thomson

Darren Thomson

Commvault EMEA CTO, Commvault

IDC Connect 4 : The Strategic Security Spend: Justifying and Optimizing Budgets

Notis Iliopoulos

Notis Iliopoulos

EVP of MRC, Obrela

IDC Connect 5 : Security Operations & Analytics: Detect, Respond, Recover

Joel Stradling

Joel Stradling

Senior Research Director, European Security, IDC

IDC Connect 6 : Leadership, Culture and Talent: Making Security Everyone’s Business

Marc Dowd

Marc Dowd

Vice President, Executive Advisory, IDC

3:30 pm

Networking Break

3:55 pm

Closing Panel: The Psychology of Trust: Human Behaviour and Security Decision-Making

Trust is at the heart of effective cybersecurity…….but it’s not just about technology. Human behavior drives decisions, influences risk, and shapes security culture across the enterprise. CISOs must understand the psychology behind how employees, executives, and partners perceive and act on security guidance.

This panel brings together CISOs to explore how insights into human behavior can inform security strategy, improve compliance, and reduce risk. During this panel we will discuss practical approaches to building a culture of trust, how to design policies that people actually follow all the while balancing technical controls with human-centric security practices to protect the organisation in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Alan Jenkins

Alan Jenkins

Principal Consultant, The Cyber Security Navigator

Trudy Chisamba-Laity

Trudy Chisamba-Laity

Cyber Security Senior Project Manager, Admiral Group Plc

Joel Stradling

Joel Stradling

Senior Research Director, European Security, IDC

4:20 pm

The Deepfake Interview: Breaking In From the Inside

Jake lifts the lid on the darker side of artificial intelligence, taking you deep into the criminal underworld powered by today’s most advanced technology. In the name of research, he used AI driven face-swapping tools to pass a live video job online interview under a completely false identity. Not once, but repeatedly. Through these real-world experiments, Jake reveals how powerful AI tools are already being weaponised by criminals to infiltrate organisations from the inside, bypassing traditional security and exploiting human trust.

But it doesn’t stop there. With the same tools now widely available, Jake demonstrates how AI can clone voices, generate convincing documents and create fake identities in seconds, giving cybercriminals everything they need to scale deception like never before. Nothing is real anymore. The question is, would you spot it?

Jake Moore

Jake Moore

Crime Enthusiast and Cybersecurity Advisor

4:45 pm

Closing Remarks and Key Takeaways

Hannah Dowie

Hannah Dowie

Senior Event Manager, IDC

IDC & Insight Executive Event

IDC & Insight Executive Event

Sponsored by

Logo

The AI Foundation – Architecting the Blueprint for Scalable AI

 

Most organisations are currently building AI on legacy sand. To bridge the gap between fragile pilots and high-impact production, senior leadership requires more than a vision – they need a structural blueprint. The path to AI-driven success is not a single leap, but a series of foundational builds.

 

The AI Foundation Executive Briefing offers a means of understanding your current technical and cultural maturity. It also outlines the specific foundational elements, from data sovereignty to the digital workplace, that are necessary to support a resilient, high-performing AI enterprise.

Agenda

IDC & Insight Executive Event

One Day Event

11:00 am

Delegate Arrival & Networking

11:45 am

The AI Skyscraper: How High Will it Go, and How Deep are the Foundations?

We are heading towards an AI future at breakneck speed, yet we are still composing the building blocks that will be required to support long term innovation and growth. AI promises to have substantial impacts, to our economy, technology infrastructure, culture and organisational make-up, and our attitudes to risk. This keynote session will examine the opportunities created by AI, but will also outline the challenges ahead . It will centre attention on four broad areas that organisations should focus on: cloud and infrastructure; cybersecurity and resilience; the AI-enabled workplace; and a deepened reliance on AI-enabled apps and data.

Duncan Brown

Duncan Brown

Group Vice President, IDC Europe, IDC

12:10 pm

The AI Mirage: Why do Most Visions of Intelligence Vanish Before They Reach the Finish Line?

The industry is currently obsessed with the “what” of artificial intelligence, often neglecting the “how” of sustainable delivery. While the potential for disruption is immense, the reality for many is a collection of orphaned pilots that fail to integrate into the daily fabric of the business. This keynote session dissects the anatomy of failed initiatives to reveal a more resilient path forward. It focuses on four critical dimensions for operationalising intelligence: the Impact-First Frame for strategic alignment; The Journey Architecture for navigating the transition from pilot to production; Foundational Readiness across data, talent, and infrastructure; and Real-World Execution – demonstrated through the 90-day delivery of Insight’s own multi-agent sales platform.

Justin Campbell

Justin Campbell

Client CTO, Insight

12:30 pm

Becoming a Frontier Firm

Nick Hedderman

Nick Hedderman

UK and Ireland Channel Leader, Microsoft

12:50 pm

Networking Lunch

1:50 pm

Tracked Interactive Sessions

Track 1: Laying the Foundations for AI Adoption – Digital Sovereignty, Cloud & Infrastructure…More Information

Track 2: Establishing Trust for AI Adoption – Cybersecurity and Business Continuity…More Information

Track 3: Stepping into the AI-Enabled Workplace of Tomorrow…More Information

Track 4: Beyond the Hype – Driving Exponential Value through AI & Human Ingenuity…More Information

Interactive Sessions – Round 1

1:50 pm – 3:20 pm

Laying the Foundations for AI Adoption – Sovereignty, Data Strategy & Cloud Infrastructure

Rahiel Nasir

Rahiel Nasir

Research Director, European Cloud & Lead Analyst, Worldwide Digital Sovereignty, IDC

Phil Hawkshaw

Phil Hawkshaw

EMEA CTO, Insight

Nigel Horsell

Nigel Horsell

Private Cloud AI Leader EMEA, HPE

1:50 pm – 3:20 pm

Establishing Trust for AI Adoption – Cybersecurity and Resilience

Duncan Brown

Duncan Brown

Group Vice President, IDC Europe, IDC

Rob O’Connor

Rob O’Connor

EMEA Technology Lead & CISO, Insight

Rob Lay

Rob Lay

Solutions Engineering Director & CTO, UKI, Cisco

Peter Rising

Peter Rising

Senior Partner Solution Architect, Microsoft

Interactive Sessions – Round 1

1:50 pm – 3:20 pm

Stepping into the AI-Enabled Workplace of Tomorrow

Meike Escherich

Meike Escherich

Associate Research Director, European Future of Work, IDC

Leonardo Freitas

Leonardo Freitas

Research Manager, European Skills and Cloud Strategies, IDC

Stefan O’Connor

Stefan O’Connor

UK Senior Solutions Director, Insight

Sheetal Mistry

Sheetal Mistry

Senior Change & Adoption Consultant, Insight

1:50 pm – 3:20 pm

Beyond the Hype – Driving Exponential Value through AI & Human Ingenuity

Archana Venkatraman

Archana Venkatraman

Senior Director Research, Cloud Data Management, IDC

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson

Senior Product Practitioner, Insight AI

Neil Priestley-Wall

Neil Priestley-Wall

CTO, PPL

Mahesh Balija

Mahesh Balija

Senior Partner Solution Architect, Microsoft

3:20 pm

Session Changeover

3:30 pm

Tracked Interactive Sessions 2

Interactive Sessions – Round 2

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Laying the Foundations for AI Adoption – Sovereignty, Data Strategy & Cloud Infrastructure

Rahiel Nasir

Rahiel Nasir

Research Director, European Cloud & Lead Analyst, Worldwide Digital Sovereignty, IDC

Phil Hawkshaw

Phil Hawkshaw

EMEA CTO, Insight

Nigel Horsell

Nigel Horsell

Private Cloud AI Leader EMEA, HPE

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Establishing Trust for AI Adoption – Cybersecurity and Resilience

Duncan Brown

Duncan Brown

Group Vice President, IDC Europe, IDC

Rob O’Connor

Rob O’Connor

EMEA Technology Lead & CISO, Insight

Rob Lay

Rob Lay

Solutions Engineering Director & CTO, UKI, Cisco

Peter Rising

Peter Rising

Senior Partner Solution Architect, Microsoft

Interactive Sessions – Round 2

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Stepping into the AI-enabled Workplace of Tomorrow

Meike Escherich

Meike Escherich

Associate Research Director, European Future of Work, IDC

Leonardo Freitas

Leonardo Freitas

Research Manager, European Skills and Cloud Strategies, IDC

Stefan O’Connor

Stefan O’Connor

UK Senior Solutions Director, Insight

Sheetal Mistry

Sheetal Mistry

Senior Change & Adoption Consultant, Insight

3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Beyond the Hype – Driving Exponential Value through AI & Human Ingenuity

Archana Venkatraman

Archana Venkatraman

Senior Director Research, Cloud Data Management, IDC

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson

Senior Product Practitioner, Insight AI

Neil Priestley-Wall

Neil Priestley-Wall

CTO, PPL

Mahesh Balija

Mahesh Balija

Senior Partner Solution Architect, Microsoft

5:00 pm

Networking Drinks

Partners

Track 1 Partners

Speakers

Rahiel Nasir

Rahiel Nasir

Research Director, European Cloud & Lead Analyst, Worldwide Digital Sovereignty

IDC

Read bio

Duncan Brown

Duncan Brown

Group Vice President, IDC Europe

IDC

Read bio

Meike Escherich

Meike Escherich

Associate Research Director, European Future of Work

IDC

Read bio

Archana Venkatraman

Archana Venkatraman

Senior Director Research, Cloud Data Management

IDC

Read bio

Leonardo Freitas

Leonardo Freitas

Research Manager, European Skills and Cloud Strategies

IDC

Read bio

Rob O’Connor

Rob O’Connor

EMEA Technology Lead & CISO

Insight

Read bio

Stefan O’Connor

Stefan O’Connor

UK Senior Solutions Director

Insight

Read bio

Sheetal Mistry

Sheetal Mistry

Senior Change & Adoption Consultant

Insight

Read bio

Neil Priestley-Wall

Neil Priestley-Wall

CTO

PPL

Read bio

Rob Lay

Rob Lay

Solutions Engineering Director & CTO, UKI

Cisco

Read bio

Phil Hawkshaw

Phil Hawkshaw

EMEA CTO

Insight

Read bio

Peter Rising

Peter Rising

Senior Partner Solution Architect

Microsoft

Read bio

Nigel Horsell

Nigel Horsell

Private Cloud AI Leader EMEA

HPE

Read bio

Mahesh Balija

Mahesh Balija

Senior Partner Solution Architect

Microsoft

Read bio

Contact Us

Hannah Dowie

Hannah Dowie

Senior Event Manager

IDC

Read bio

Agenda

Agenda

FutureTech Summit

One Day Event

9:00 am

Registration and Welcome Coffee

Pre-registration required to attend, please pick your badge up at the Registration.

9:30 am

IDC Opening

Roberta Bigliani

Roberta Bigliani

Group Vice President, Global Lead for Energy & Retail Insights and Industry Hub, IDC

Keynote
9:35 am

IDC Keynote

The AI Platform Imperative: Architecting for Scale, Speed, and Autonomy

In the fast-evolving AI economy, mastering platform innovation is key to unlocking transformative business value. This presentation offers a strategic roadmap for building AI-ready technology foundations and leadership capabilities. We’ll explore critical building blocks for scalable, secure AI workloads, followed by designing resilient cloud-native and hybrid infrastructures for sustainable AI innovation. Finally, we’ll examine the rise of agentic AI systems enabling autonomous decision-making across IT operations, governance, development, and observability. This presentation equips the C-suite and technology leaders to recalibrate their platform strategy and confidently lead their organizations into the AI economy.

Jennifer Thomson | Global Services Insights, IDC

Associate Vice President

Read Bio
9:50 am

End User Opening Keynote

Claudio Balbo

Claudio Balbo

Senior Director – Head of IT Architecture, Intesa Sanpaolo

10:05 am

Your Cloud is not yours: the case for European Sovereignty

Davide Capozzi

Davide Capozzi

Innovation & Solution Architecture Director, WIIT

10:20 am

End User Case Study – The AI era in Hera Group

Andrea Bonetti

Andrea Bonetti

IT Enterprise Architect, Gruppo Hera

10:35 am

End User Discussion – Molteni group and the Made in Italy modernization

Domenico Sorvino

Domenico Sorvino

Group Application Architect, Molteni&C

10:50 am

From AI Ecosystem to AI Ready Data Centers

Marco Zacchello

Marco Zacchello

Global Principal Technologist, Equinix

11:00 am

Coffee Break, Visit to Expo Area, and One-to-One Meetings

11:30 am

End User Interview

Alessandro Scariolo

Alessandro Scariolo

ICT Infrastructure Manager, ATV – Advanced Technology Valve

11:40 am

End User Discussion – Culture and leadership – AI adoption in Fortidia

Simone De Giuseppe

Simone De Giuseppe

Group CIO, Fortidia

11:55 am

From Hype to Reality

While many discuss AI’s potential, Deda Tech turns it into reality. In this session, we will illustrate the pragmatic approach through which Deda Tech, a pioneer in AI adoption, generates measurable business value today. Through concrete examples in Customer Experience, Cybersecurity and Data Valorization, we will explore how Artificial Intelligence is not just a future promise, but a strategic tool already in operation to achieve a real competitive advantage.

Simonetta Gassani

Simonetta Gassani

Head of Presales and CSM, Deda Tech

12:00 pm

IDC Connect Roundtables

  • IDC Connect 1 – Data Platforms for AI: Unifying Cloud, Edge, and Analytics Chaired by Deda Tech
  • IDC Connect 2 – Cloud-Native Transformation: Accelerating Innovation and Resilience Chaired by WIIT
  • IDC Connect 3 – Security in the Age of AI: Balancing Innovation and Risk Chaired by Franco Cerutti, Technology & security Expert
  • IDC Connect 4 – Modernizing Legacy Systems: Mainframe to Cloud and Beyond Chaired by: Antonio Fumagalli, Technology Expert & Business Consultant, Former CIO & CISO, A.S.S.T. Papa Giovanni XXIII – Bergamo
  • IDC Connect 5 – Open-Source and Composable Technologies: Building Agile Ecosystems
  • IDC Connect 6 – Data Resilience and Cyber-Preparedness in the AI Era Chaired by Chaired by Roberto Carnevale, Experienced AI and Technology Expert
  • IDC Connect 7 – Architecting AI-Ready Infrastructure for the Enterprises Chaired by Equinix
  • IDC Connect 8 – FinOps and GreenOps: Optimizing Cost and Sustainability in Hybrid Cloud
  • IDC Connect 9 – Observability and AIOps: Enabling Autonomous IT Operations

Each table seats a sponsor moderator (Host and Dialogue only) and a small group of pre-registered delegates. Each session takes place simultaneously and is about increased interaction, experience sharing and peer discussions relevant across companies and industries.

Stefano Carlini

Stefano Carlini

Business Developer, Deda Tech

Alessandro Savasini

Alessandro Savasini

Business Development Director, WIIT

Alberto Szakvary

Alberto Szakvary

Lead Sales Engineer, Equinix

Franco Cerutti

Franco Cerutti

Senior ICT and Technology Expert, Former IT Director – Infrastructure and Security Carnival Corporation

Roberto Carnevale

Roberto Carnevale

Experienced AI and Technology Expert

Antonio Fumagalli

Antonio Fumagalli

Technology Expert & Business Consultant, Former CIO & CISO, A.S.S.T. Papa Giovanni XXIII – Bergamo

12:45 pm

Closing Guest Keynote Speaker

Alberto Longo

Alberto Longo

Human-Centered & Strategic Innovation Expert | European Commission Advisor

1:10 pm

Closing remarks by IDC

1:15 pm

Networking Lunch, Visit to Expo Area, and One-to-One Meetings

Why Attend

Why Attend?

The Security Xchange is more than just a conference. It’s where the region’s technology leaders come together to shape the future of cybersecurity.

Security Operations

Exploring best practices and innovative strategies for managing security operations.

Application and Cloud Security

Focusing on methods and technologies for securing applications and cloud environments.

AI in Cybersecurity

Discussing advancements and applications of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.

Network Security

Covering the latest trends and technologies in securing networks.

Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Addressing the identification and mitigation of risks related to third-party vendors and suppliers.

Key Themes

The Security Xchange will spotlight how innovation, intelligence, and resilience are reshaping enterprises through AI, cloud modernization, agentic architectures, and cybersecurity.

Regulation, Resilience and Value Creation

Regulatory compliance is no longer a back-office burden, it’s a strategic enabler. We will explore how organizations can embed regulatory mandates (data privacy, cybersecurity laws, emerging AI/tech rules) into core operations, turning requirements into levers for resilience, stakeholder trust, and business value. Key topics include cyber-by-design, auditability, vendor accountability, and continuity in the face of disruption.

Digital Sovereignty and Trust Architecture

In UAE’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, maintaining control over data, infrastructure, and vendor relationships is fundamental to national priorities. We will explore how organizations can align with sovereignty requirements — including data residency, local hosting, and reduced vendor dependency.

Future-Ready Technology and Modernization

Many enterprises struggle with fragmented IT portfolios, technical debt, and legacy constraints. This theme addresses how to modernize intelligently — consolidating platforms, improving observability, and building future-ready architectures that scale, adapt, and support secure innovation.

AI, Automation and Responsible Innovation

AI and intelligent agents are transforming how security is delivered, but with great power comes risk. We will explore pragmatically deploying AI: governance models, guardrails for misuse, prioritization of high-impact use cases, and aligning AI systems with trust, transparency, and accountability.

Operations, Analytics and Resilience Engineering

Detection, response, and recovery are now continuous cycles rather than discrete events. We’ll delve into advanced analytics, managed detection & response, orchestration, external threat visibility (supply chain, third parties), and resilience metrics to operationalize security effectiveness.

The Human Factor: Leadership and Culture

Technology alone doesn’t guarantee security. Leadership, culture, and skill development must align. We will focus on transforming teams, embedding security ownership across functions, and equipping leaders to speak the language of risk and trust to the board, CEOs, and business lines.

Incident and Trust Recovery

Breaches will happen, but what matters is how an organization responds. We will cover crisis communication, forensic response, regulatory handling, insurance, stakeholder trust restoration, and turning adversity into credibility.

Sector-Focused Security Insights

Different industries and environments in UAE pose unique security demands. We will focus on securing critical infrastructure (energy, utilities), connected devices and IoT, healthcare, finance, and rapidly evolving environments such as smart cities, industrial systems, and large-scale national development projects.