CIO Summit of America Spotlights Critical Role of Transformational CIO in Driving Innovation and Business Value

WESTPORT, Conn., Feb. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's ultra-competitive global economy, transformational CIOs drive change across the organization, create tangible business value and leverage innovative technologies for growth. That was the message delivered by an A-list of expert speakers and panelists at yesterday's annual CIO Summit of America at the Harvard Club in New York, NY.

More than 300 top level executives attended the invitation-only summit presented by HMG Strategy, the leading producer of CIO Executive Leadership Events in North America, and the New York Metro Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM).

Dr. Howard Rubin, Founder, Rubin Worldwide, MIT CISR Research Associate, Gartner Senior Advisor, opened the program with an executive briefing titled, "Global Technology Economics Update 2011: Dynamics, Sightings, and Competitive Implications for IT Leadership." Dr. Rubin predicted that the "technology cost of goods" would emerge as a new critical benchmark for competitive organizations, and that rapid advances in technology would turn benchmarking into a "real-time" process.

Dr. Rubin noted that many companies are still trying to reduce operating expenses by cutting IT spending. "They have it backwards," he said. Instead, companies should invest in IT to reduce operating expenses.

Pat Toole, VP & CIO, IBM Corporation; Robert Webb, CIO, Hilton Hotels Corporation; and Harry Pickett, SVP & CTO, Global Information Services, Manulife Financial, delivered high impact keynote addresses on critical topics including global technology economics, innovation and transformational leadership in a globally competitive environment and innovation acceleration.

"Face into reality and embrace change," said Webb, relating his recent experiences at Hilton. "Drive business alignment. Understand the needs of keys stakeholders. Deliver cost-out opportunities paired with reinvestment opportunities to drive growth, innovation and productivity. Shift the mix from business as usual to strategic innovation. Surround yourself with great people."

One of the summit's most compelling breakout sessions was "The Cloud: Enterprise Strategy," which featured an expert panel including Marc Ferrentino, Chief Technical Architect, Salesforce.com; Gordon Haff, Cloud Evangelist, Red Hat, Inc.; Mark Hillman, VP, Strategy and Product Line Management, Compuware Corporation; and Alan Wilson, VP, Infrastructure Consulting Technology Services, Hewlett-Packard Company. The panel moderator was Stephen Gold, SVP & CIO, Avaya, Inc.

The summit also included breakout sessions and panels on "World Class Organizational Strategies and Relationships with CXOs," "Innovation and Leading Technologies," "A Look at the 2014 CIO;" "Next Generation Security Services: What's Real and What's Hype;" and "What CEOs Want From the CIO."

Additional presenters and panelists included Yuri Aguiar, SVP & CTO, Ogilvy & Mather; Saad Ayub, SVP & CIO, Scholastic Inc.; Shawn Banerji, Managing Director Technology Sector, Russell Reynolds; Larry Bonfante, CIO, United States Tennis Association; Richard Entrup, CIO, CareOne Management, LLC; Greg Fell, CIO, Terex Corporation; Katie Graham, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles; Jon Harding, Global CIO, Conair Corporation; Beverly Lieberman, President, Halbrecht Lieberman Associates; Brian R. Lurie, SVP & CIO, Teleflex Corporation; Adam Noble, CIO, GAF Materials Corporation; Mark Polansky, Sr. Client Partner & Managing Director, Korn/Ferry International; Richard Roseman, VP & CIO, News Corporation; Perry Rotella, SVP & CIO Verisk Analytics; Chris Novak, Managing Principal Investigative Response, Verizon Business; Tony Stoupas, SVP & CIO, Moody's Corporation; Ajay Waghray, CIO, Verizon Wireless; and Pamela Warren, Cybercrime Strategist and Director of Global Public Sector and Telecom Initiatives, McAfee; Carol J. Zierhoffer, VP & CIO – ITT Corporation.

"This was an extremely high-value, executive-level event designed expressly for CIOs and IT leaders tasked with delivering successful strategies in a reset world," said Hunter Muller, President and CEO, HMG Strategy. "We were fortunate to have a world-class roster of speakers and presenters, and a truly engaged audience."

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.

General Inquiries: Please contact Melissa Marr at 203-460-1924 or via e-mail at [email protected]

Sponsorship Opportunities: Please contact Hunter Muller at 203-221-2702 or via e-mail at [email protected]

SOURCE HMG Strategy, LLC