Virtual CIO Symposium agenda and speakers announced

The line up includes speakers from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the British Red Cross, and Sainsbury’s.

By Spotlight

NS Media Group’s inaugural Virtual CIO Symposium – by NS Tech, CBR and the New Statesman – will feature leading CIO speakers from BEIS, Sainsbury’s, the British Red Cross and SSE Energy Services discussing the impact technology is having on business, government and society on the afternoon of Thursday 23 April.

Chief Digital and Information Officer Karl Hoods from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, British Red Cross CIO Rosie Slater-Carr, Sainsbury’s CIO Phil Jordan, and Philip Clayson the CIO of SSE Energy Services will discuss crucial issues including crisis management and business continuity in the era of pathogen disruption, developing and preparing for the workplace of the future, delivering quality digital products at scale to accelerate digital transformation initiatives, collaboration tools and empowering frontline workers, and discussing technology resilience and risk at board level.

The CIO leaders will take part in interviews with NS Tech Editor Oscar Williams, CBR Editor Ed Targett, and NS Media Group Technology Editor Edward Qualtrough.

The Virtual CIO Symposium is a gathering for business and technology leaders to share discussions, presentations, initiatives and innovations with their peers.

Delegates at the Virtual CIO Symposium will be able to engage with presentations on the main stage, and with each other in Q&As with the speakers, sponsors, and their peers in virtual chats and private conversations.

Edward Qualtrough, NS Media Group technology editor, said: “It was 1986 when BusinessWeek magazine published the article ‘Management’s Newest Star: Meet the Chief Information Officer’, and in recent weeks CIOs have been truly thrust into the spotlight to ensure business continuity for their organisations and workforces.

“The CIO role has evolved significantly, and now encompasses all aspects of business agility, technology resilience, robust cyber security, product innovation, and the business, digital and cultural transformation of the modern organisation – and all points in between. It will be a privilege to hear from some of the UK’s leading CIOs about business continuity and crisis management, the future workplace, developing quality digital products at scale, and empowering frontline workers with the tools to innovate while keeping their organisations running smoothly during a period of unprecedented disruption.

“We look forward to welcoming you on Thursday 23 April, and hope you are able to engage with and learn from our expert speakers and each other about the impact technology is having on business, government and society.”

Virtual CIO Symposium agenda

1.30pm – 2pm

Welcome in Exhibition Hall and Networking Area

Video introduction by Edward Qualtrough, NS Media Group Technology Editor

2pm – 2.25pm

Phil Jordan, Sainsbury’s CIO

CIO and business leadership at one of UK’s largest retailers during Covid-19 restrictions

2.30pm – 2.55pm

Rosie Slater-Carr, British Red Cross CIO

Mobilising the kindness of volunteers – Technology and the British Red Cross response to Covid-19

3pm – 3.15pm

Richard Bradbury, Hitachi Vantura VP & General Manager – Northern EMEA

The CIO in 2020: Transforming through Disruption

3.15pm – 3.40pm

Virtual refreshments break

3.40pm – 4.05pm

Karl Hoods, BEIS Chief Digital and Information Officer

The Future of Work, and developing ventilator request form to help increase UK’s ICU capacity

4.10pm – 4.35pm

Philip Clayson, SSE Energy Services CIO

The CIO Role in 2020 – A World in Change

4.35pm

Closing remarks

4.30pm – 6pm

Exhibition Hall and Networking Area remain open

Virtual CIO Symposium speakers

Phil Jordan, Sainsbury’s CIO

As both CIO and member of the Operating Board Phil Jordan has brought a fresh, global perspective on technology in addition to a wealth of experience in digital, data and business transformation. In conversation with NS Media Group Technology Editor Edward Qualtrough, Jordan will discuss the retailer’s recent Digital and Data transformation initiatives and how adding scale and business agility has helped the FTSE 100 company respond to pressures of the current Covid-19 restrictions.

Rosie Slater-Carr, British Red Cross CIO

Responsible for technology, data and driving digital change across the organisation, Rosie Slater-Carr is CIO of the British Red Cross and sits on the humanitarian charity’s leadership team. Slater-Carr’s team developed the coronavirus volunteer registration for NHS Scotland, and in her session ‘Mobilising the kindness of volunteers – Technology and the British Red Cross response to Covid-19’ Slater-Carr will share her experiences of helping deliver digital projects at speed, getting the right culture to support new ways of working, and as sustainability lead for the British Red Cross what the impact of the current restrictions are on the institution’s environmental goals.

Karl Hoods, BEIS Chief Digital and Information Officer

As Chief Digital and Information Officer at BEIS Karl Hoods is responsible for the delivery of core services, digital transformation and service delivery and knowledge management. In conversation with NS Tech Editor Oscar Williams, Hoods will discuss how his team developed and delivered the Ventilator Request Form after the UK government’s call on Monday 16 March to work with manufacturers to help increase the ICU capacity in the NHS, as well as the technologies and working culture underpinning the Future Workplace initiatives at the department.

Philip Clayson, SSE Energy Services CIO

As CIO of SSE Energy Services, Philip Clayson has led teams to deliver some of the most memorable technology challenges of recent years, including leading the IT systems recovery programme after TalkTalk’s 2015 critical cyber-attack and data breach, and a subsequent programme of technology transformation. In discussion with CBR Editor Ed Targett, Philip’s session on ‘The CIO Role in a World of Change’ will look at the short-term and longer term implications of the response to Covid-19, and offer advice to CIOs and business leaders on the future of work and preparing for Black Swan events.