This year’s conference theme is Leadership in Motion. As AI moves from hype to enterprise-scale reality, CIOs stand at the forefront of business reinvention. 2026 brings new urgency for realizing value, responsible AI adoption, regulatory compliance and cybersecurity resilience. Explore our conference sessions below, all developed with this theme in mind.
All 2026 Conference Sessions
Gartner CIO Leadership Forum dives deep into key topics for CIOs around technology leadership, executive partnership and more to help you address your organization’s mission-critical challenges.
2026 Conference Theme
Editor Note:
Video can be used in place of image with the video description.
Pick one of the two options below and delete the other one before publishing.
*This note will only show in the editor and will be hidden on the preview and live page. Feel free to delete this note after updating the section below.
Option 1
Hear from Gartner expert Brandon Germer on why CIOs can’t miss Gartner CIO Leadership Forum 2026.
Find Conference Sessions
Filter to see sessions that align with your role and interests. After registering for the conference, craft your agenda and book priority sessions — all through Gartner Conference Navigator.
Filter Sessions
Cancel
Track
Topic
Day
Showing 38 Sessions
Clear All
Tuesday, 05 May, 2026
09:00 AM - 09:45 AM AEST
Gartner Opening Keynote: AI After the Hype: Tune Out the Noise, Turn Up the Volume
Nate Suda,
Sr Director Analyst, Gartner
CIOs are in the hot seat: AI hype hasn’t hit the P&L, but executives have seen enough real wins to know value is there. What they want now is simple: a technology leader who can cut through the noise and tell them what works most of the time, and what doesn’t. This keynote gives CIOs license to stop: naming specific initiatives that almost never pay off – and where to double-down. You’ll walk away with a tool to score your own portfolio, decide where to pivot, persist or pull the plug, instead of betting on hype.
...
Show More
Show Less
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM AEST
Master 6 Cybersecurity Board Conversations to Survive and Thrive
Paul Proctor,
Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner
There are times when the CIO has to have a cybersecurity conversation with the board that are critical, decisive and transformative. Six of them are “we just got hacked,” “a budget cut,” “ransomware readiness,” “AI is risky,” “technology debt,” and “cyber risk in M&A.” These are times when your influence can rise to the occasion with lasting effect or an opportunity to brush up your resume. Learn to master these conversations.
...
Show More
Show Less
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM AEST
Increase Executive Influence Using Business Value Stories and Human Value Stories
Neil Osmond,
Distinguished VP, Advisory, Gartner
CIOs continue to struggle to influence business executives, delaying budgets and derailing progress on business outcomes. Greater success comes from mastering two types of value stories: business value stories and human value stories. Both should be used to focus on each key stakeholder. This session will provide structures and best practices for creating these stories, including GenAI prompts for inspiration.
...
Show More
Show Less
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM AEST
Workshop: New-to-Role CIO — A Structured Approach to Accelerate Your Speed to Value
New to role CIOs must balance near-term performance objectives while building for the future. Whether you are a first-time CIO, new to the company/industry or a seasoned high-performer, this session will help you drive success in your role through a structured and practical approach to accelerate value.
...
Show More
Show Less
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM AEST
Rise of AI Agents: Strategic Imperatives for CIOs
The emergence of AI agents signals a profound shift for IT, demanding new strategic priorities from CIOs. This session will examine how organizations must prepare data, applications and services to be “agent-ready,” empower business users to create their own AI agents, and adapt to radical changes in software development and IT operations.
...
Show More
Show Less
11:45 AM - 12:15 PM AEST
How AI Changes the IT Operating Model to Drive Success
Neha Kumar,
Sr Director, Advisory, Gartner
By rethinking the IT operating model through the lens of AI, CIOs can move beyond tactical cost reductions to unlock strategic value. This session will show how leading organizations leverage AI to drive step changes in IT operational agility, efficiency, proficiency and performance.
...
Show More
Show Less
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM AEST
Roundtable: Making Cybersecurity a Practical Priority for Your Business
As cybersecurity concerns pose increased risk to business outcomes in today's environment, it is critical that executive stakeholders treat it as a business priority and investment, and not just a cost center. How are you measuring and reporting on cybersecurity value? How are you showing the practical links between cybersecurity and business outcomes? Join this discussion and share your strategies and challenges with your peers. Come prepared to participate in a group discussion around this topic.
...
Show More
Show Less
11:45 AM - 12:15 PM AEST
How to Put a $ Value on the Business Value of IT
Robert Naegle,
VP Analyst, Gartner
CIOs must forge a clear and measurable connection between IT initiatives and strategic business outcomes. Yet, one of the most persistent challenges they face is quantifying the value of IT in financial terms; how to put a $ value on IT's contribution to business outcomes? This session will equip CIOs with practical and actionable frameworks to bridge that gap, enabling them to articulate IT’s contribution in terms that drive strategic alignment and executive confidence.
...
Show More
Show Less
Items per page:
1 – 9 of 38 Items
1 of 4 Pages
Sorry, no sessions match your criteria. Please refine your filters to display sessions.