As the global economy slowly begins to emerge from the downturn, companies are evolving their focus on cost cutting to look for opportunities to emerge in the new “normal” more competitive and positioned for growth.  The role of technology in innovating out of the downturn is far-reaching, and the opportunities for CIOs to take the lead are wide-ranging.

The Center has teamed up with Cranfield School of Management to convene CIOs to uncover ideas and strategies for both of these aspects of the changing nature of innovation.  On Wednesday, October 6,  the Center and Cranfield are co-sponsoring an in-person education program,  “The Changing Nature of Innovation and the Role of the CIO to Drive and Lead the Opportunity."  The day-long program, taking place on the Cranfield campus outside of London, will examine these key themes:

• Creating frameworks to drive collaboration and embed innovation within the business culture
• Identifying and implementing technologies to lead product and service innovation
• Innovating to transform the business model
• Self-funding for innovation

We invite CIOs and other IT leaders to join their peers for :

• Theme:  “The Changing Nature of Innovation and the Role of the CIO to Drive and Lead the Opportunity.”
• Date:  Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm BST
• Audience:  Senior executives including CIOs, Directors of IT, VPs
• Location:  The Cranfield Management Research Institute, Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL
• Registration fee:  £100 + VAT

The one-day program includes panel sessions, breakouts and networking opportunities that will connect you with other industry leaders.  You will come away with practical approaches and techniques that will help you to take action, and lead  your organization to emerge stronger in today’s economy.  The agenda for this interactive program will feature peer presentations and provide real life examples of how CIOs have led innovation in their own organizations.

Agenda and Speakers

Click here for the Cranfield University Registration Form to register for this event.

If you would like more information, please contact the Center.

The Center for CIO Leadership is pleased to offer a free Salon, “Increasing the Value of Technology in the C-Suite: Challenge and Opportunity.” An event in New York City taking place on Thursday, October 21 at 5:30 PM.

This Salon will feature an interactive panel comprised of C-Suite executives who will share their perspectives on current challenges and opportunities, and underscore the imperative for CIOs, as members of the executive team, to have significant impact on their business.  Our panelists include:

• Marianne Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, Omgeo
• Jim Metzger, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, Finance & Administration, TM Forum
• Lou Trebino, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, The Harry Fox Agency

The panel session will be followed by breakout discussions on how to integrate these important insights into your own organization, and on how to increase your impact as a member of the executive team.

This peer-to-peer conversation will focus on what C-Suite executives expect from their CIOs to drive business growth and effectively communicate the value of technology.  Panelists will address the challenge of how CIOs can secure a key role in leading the business.  Given the unique value that this conversation will provide, we encourage you to invite one or more of your executive team peers to join you at this special event.

Below is the agenda as well as key logistics for the event.

Agenda

For more information on the event, please send us an email.

Information for Out of Town Participants

We have arranged with the Hotel Plaza Athenee to provide our attendees a special room rate of $375 + tax for the night of our event.  If you wish to secure a room, please call (212) 734-9100 between 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM Eastern time and ask for Reservations.  Be sure to indicate that you are attending the "Center for CIO Leadership Salon" on July 27th in order to qualify for the special rate.  This rate is available for advance reservations only and while supply lasts.  Please note that you will be responsible for all charges.  Alternatively, you can follow your organization's travel policy to make your own arrangements.

This post was edited 8/3/10.