Business Leadership is Critical to Effective Transformational Strategy in a Reset World: CIO Executive Leadership Summit in Boston

WESTPORT, Conn., March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Successful CIOs are business leaders who transform the enterprise, drive new revenue streams and leverage innovative technologies for continuing growth in competitive markets. World class industry experts and thought leaders delivered this crucial message to the CIO Executive Leadership Summit held last week at the Westin Boston Waterfront in Boston.

The invitation-only summit, presented by HMG Strategy, the leading producer of CIO Executive Leadership Events in North America, and the Boston Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM), drew close to 150 attendees.

Key areas of focus at the summit included strategy, process improvement and alignment; innovation and technology; career management and transformational leadership. Additionally, panelists and presenters examined critical topics such as cloud computing, enterprise collaboration, mobile computing, security, strategic sourcing and business analytics.

Larry Bonfante, CIO, U.S. Tennis Association, presented an executive briefing on, "Lessons in IT Transformation." The high-value briefing targeted critical components of IT leadership that are not taught in an MBA program and don't always come naturally to CIOs.

"Today's CIO must be a business leader who can help transform the enterprise by leveraging technology to drive business value. IT must help drive new revenue streams, reengineer how business is done in a global marketplace, and leverage technology to help develop brand and market presence," Mr. Bonfante said. "While many CIOs have had a great deal of technical training and experience running a technology organization, many of them struggle with the human side of IT leadership."

Allan Hackney, SVP & CIO, John Hancock Financial Services, delivered the summit's first keynote, "Why IT Finance Matters to the CIO." Mr. Hackney's keynote examined how IT finance can help IT leaders attract capital and sustain the support they need and deserve. "Many IT leaders today are frustrated that they're unable to advance their technology agendas.  Frequently, they're simply trapped by operating models that don't highlight the value contributions made by the IT function," he said.

Marc Ferrentino, Chief Architect, Enterprise Strategy at Salesforce.com, delivered the second keynote, "Journey to the Cloud." Mr. Ferrentino painted a vivid picture of a future driven by forward-thinking, transformational CIOs. Many CIOs, he said, are beginning to realize that "what got us here might not get us where we need to go." Mr. Ferrentino also discussed practical strategies for leveraging enterprise cloud computing platforms for innovation and improving traditional governance models.

The summit also included three high-level executive panels: The CIO as a Transformational Leader – People, Priorities, and Governance; Leveraging Technology and Leadership for Competitive Advantage; and The Role of the 2014 CIO.

Additional presenters and panelists included Rich Adduci, SVP & CIO, Boston Scientific; Anne Scrivener Agee, Vice Provost for IT & CIO, University of Massachusetts Boston; Shawn Banerji, Managing Director Technology Sector, Russell Reynolds; Bill Brown, SVP, Global Compliance Process, Iron Mountain Incorporated; Greg Buonocontri, EVP & CIO, Pitney Bowes, Inc.; Tim Crawford, CIO, All Covered; Rebecca Foreman Janjic, Principal, Heidrick & Struggles; Jo Hoppe, CIO, PAREXEL International, Steven John, Strategic CIO, Workday; Paul Lones, SVP, Worldwide IT, Fairchild Semiconductor; Mark Polansky, Senior Client Partner & Managing Director, Korn/Ferry International; John Polizzi, SVP & CIO, PC Connection; and Hank Zupnick, CIO, GE Real Estate.

Partners for the CIO Executive Leadership Summit included: Salesforce.com, Workday, Comcast Business Class, Compuware, Wiley, Kognitio, Egon Zender International, Heidrick & Struggles, Korn/Ferry International, Russell Reynolds Associates and SpencerStuart.

"This is an especially exciting time to be the CIO. The world is changing rapidly and people clearly see the value offered by newer technologies that IT can deliver," said Hunter Muller, President and CEO, HMG Strategy. "The CIO provides the transformational leadership needed by companies to maintain growth and compete successfully in a fast-paced global economy."

About HMG Strategy

HMG Strategy, LLC is the leading provider of innovative IT leadership, management and technology support to CIO/Senior IT executives by focusing on the 360-degree needs of the CIO/IT Leader. Our events and services raise thought leadership, knowledge sharing and networking to the highest level. HMG Strategy provides access to an international network of more than 8,000 global CIO/Senior IT executives, industry experts and world-class thought leaders.

Our CIO Executive Leadership Series offers unique event experiences to build relationships with peers and gain the latest insights and best practices for driving increased business value through the use of information technology. Additionally, our partnership with the world's leading search firms provides you with invaluable insights into the changing role of the CIO. For more information please visit our website at www.hmgstrategy.com.

SOURCE HMG Strategy, LLC