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
Hear from Gartner Expert Brandon Germer on why CIOs can't miss Gartner CIO Leadership Forum 2026.
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Filter to see sessions that align with your interests. After registering for the conference, craft your agenda and book priority sessions — all through Conference Navigator.
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Sunday, February 22, 2026
07:30 PM - 09:30 PM MST
Palo Alto Networks Hosted Dinner
The next wave of AI is all about autonomous systems acting on behalf of your business—and that raises some big questions for CIOs. Over dinner, join Rich and Ian from Palo Alto Networks for a candid, peer-to-peer conversation about how leaders are approaching agentic AI, balancing innovation with security, and making sense of the evolving AI threat landscape. This is an informal gathering for executives who want to share perspectives, compare notes, and leave feeling more confident about what’s coming next.
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Monday, February 23, 2026
06:30 AM - 07:15 AM MST
Sunrise Yoga
Start your day with sunrise yoga! This class is designed to renew your mind and body before the conference begins. Make sure to register in advance as space is limited.
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09:30 AM - 10:15 AM MST
Gartner Opening Keynote: AI After the Hype: Tune Out the Noise, Turn Up the Volume
Tori Paulman,
VP 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.
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10:45 AM - 11:15 AM MST
Measuring What Matters in AI Learning Programs
Madelin Santana,
Sr Director Analyst, Gartner
How do you know if your AI learning programs are paying off? AI training is only as valuable as the business outcomes it delivers. Discover strategies to align AI upskilling initiatives with your organizational goals, using data-driven insights to measure effectiveness at every stage, from learner engagement to business transformation. Moving beyond learner completion rates is the only way to capture the true ROI of learning programs to effectively build a workforce equipped for the AI era.
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10:45 AM - 11:30 AM MST
Roundtable: Support the Human Potential of Your IT Workforce
Terry Criscione,
VP, Executive Partner, Gartner
Fariba Anderson,
Sr Executive Partner, Gartner
Janet Lee,
Sr Executive Partner, Gartner
DiAnna Thimjon,
Sr Executive Partner, Gartner
Diversity of thought, skill and experience in your IT workface promotes innovation, resilience and a sense of teamwork and community. These skills employed in an environment where everyone feels supported and valued is where teams do their best work, take risks, and think creatively unlocking their great human potential. How can you foster this type of environment and lead by example? What practices are you employing to ensure you welcome different perspectives and skills in your IT organization? Please note this same roundtable will be offered on both days of this event; select the time that best fits your schedule.
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10:45 AM - 11:15 AM MST
Increase Executive Influence Using Business Value and Human Value Stories
Christie Struckman,
Distinguished VP Analyst, 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.
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10:45 AM - 12:15 PM MST
Workshop: Mastering Culture Change
Steve Griffin,
VP, Executive Partner, Gartner
Shiraz Mahyera,
Sr Executive Partner, Gartner
Mitchell Kilgo,
Executive Partner, Gartner
In an era of continuous and pervasive technology change, managing the human element is critical for IT and business leaders. Culture isn’t shaped by lofty goals, it’s defined by daily actions. This session will provide actionable tools to initiate real culture change by communicating a clear narrative, overcome resistance, and sustain momentum throughout your culture change journey. Please note this same workshop will be offered multiple times during this event; select the time that best fits your schedule.
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10:45 AM - 11:15 AM MST
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.
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