Think Tank
The Future of IT & Cybersecurity

CIO & CISO Think Tank

Date

March 18, 2025

Location

Chicago, IL

Community

CIO / CISO
Your Vision is our mission

Agenda

March 18, 2025
All times Central Time
8:30 AM-9:00 AM
Registration
9:00 AM-9:30 AM
Morning Networking
9:30 AM-9:40 AM
Opening Remarks
10:00 AM-10:45 AM
Keynote Panel
2025 Executive Evolution: Mastering the Art of Business-Technology Harmony

Bridging the gap between business and technology is not easy and requires discipline and balance between technology, people, and business. For so many organizations today, technology is the business. Technology needs to be understood as a critical enabler in every part of the organization from the front line to the back office. It creates new value by crunching data to deliver new insights, it spurs innovation, and it disrupts traditional business models.

For business and technology leaders alike, new actions and behavioral changes can help their organizations make this shift. CIOs and CISOs must take responsibility for problems, they should convey that when technology fails, many people typically share responsibility.

Panelists
Sugato Bose Medline Industries

Speaker

Sugato Bose

Chief Enterprise Architect

Medline Industries

Sugato Bose is the Senior Director and Chief Enterprise Architect at Medline Industries, where he leads technology strategy and modernization across a global, highly regulated landscape. With over 25 years of experience across Life Sciences, Supply Chain, and CPG, Sugato is an expert at balancing high-stakes transformation with operational resilience. He currently oversees a multi-billion dollar platform scope, including SAP S/4HANA, Manhattan-class WMS, and Azure-based cloud data platforms. Accountable for the architectural risk posture of Tier 1–5 platforms, Sugato has delivered up to $90M in value through standards-driven portfolio rationalization. He is a pioneer in embedding practical AI and agentic workflows into enterprise execution, ensuring that innovation translates into measurable business outcomes. A leader of globally distributed teams, Sugato’s core philosophy is that architecture must create clarity, turning complex strategies into scalable, high-performance platforms.
Brent Deterding Afni, Inc.
Brent Deterding

CISO

Afni, Inc.

Vijay Jakka Sankhya

Speaker

Vijay Jakka

Global Data & AI Practice Leader

Sankhya

Vijay Jakka is a transformative thought leader and advisory consultant specializing in data, digital, AI, and analytics for global enterprises. Currently leading Global Data Governance at MetLife, Vijay excels at aligning business strategy with a value-driven data vision, effectively evolving organizations from being business-informed to truly data-driven. With deep expertise in Enterprise Architecture and Digital Transformation, he bridges the gap between offensive data enablement and defensive risk management. His technical proficiency spans the entire data lifecycle—from architecting sophisticated data lakes and warehouses to implementing ethical AI governance and active metadata intelligence. Vijay is a strategic partner to executive leadership, known for identifying growth opportunities, reducing technology debt, and optimizing business efficiency through automation. Whether navigating complex regulatory compliance or securing connected IoT ecosystems, he consistently delivers seamless, customer-centric digital solutions and holistic organizational optimization.
Richard Rushing Motorola Mobility

Speaker

Richard Rushing

CISO

Motorola Mobility

Mr. Richard Rushing is the Chief Information Security Officer for Motorola Mobility LLC.; Richard participates in several corporate, community, private, and government Security Council’s and working groups setting standards, policies, and solutions to current and emerging security issues. As Chief Information Security Officer for Motorola Mobility, he has led the security effort by developing an international team to tackle the emerging threats of mobile devices, targeted attacks, and cyber-crime. He organized developed and deployed practices, tools and techniques to protect the intellectual property across the worldwide enterprise. A much-in-demand international speaker on information security Richard has presented at many leading security conferences and seminars around the world.
10:45 AM-11:15 AM
Disruptor
Secure Web Browsing, It May Not be What you Think

Secure Web Browsing can mean different things to different people. Come to this short presentation and find out why current solutions in the market do not protect your browsers or the browsers of third parties trying to access your information. Find out why there are different approaches to solving for this and that the most secure approach might be something you didn’t know existed.

Panelists
Brett Nakfoor Red Access
Brett Nakfoor

VP of Sales

Red Access

Together with:

Red Access
11:15 AM-11:30 AM
Coffee Break
11:30 AM-12:05 PM
Fireside Chat
Unleashing Cryptoagility: A Blueprint for Modernizing PKI Solutions

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital transformation, organizations are facing unprecedented challenges in securing and scaling their cryptographic infrastructure. Yet the need for crypto agility has never been more critical as companies grapple with risks posed by advanced technologies such as AI, emerging threats like Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC), and the complex web of compliance mandates, management hurdles, and technology transformations.

Join a lively roundtable discussion with a panel of your peers to gain actionable strategies as we explore:

  • Reducing IT resource burdens and costs through centralized certificate management
  • Preventing costly business outages and addressing potential security vulnerabilities
  • Building private and public trust while eliminating human error

Don't miss this opportunity to learn best practices and elevate your organization's cryptographic resilience. Be part of the conversation that prepares for a quantum-safe future and shapes the future of secure digital landscapes

Together with:

DigiCert
12:10 PM-12:45 PM
Fireside Chat
Next-Level Innovations: Unveiling Gen AI - The Hype, The Reality, and The Future

We will explore the evolution of Gen AI, from its inception to its transformative impact across various industries. Experts will discuss the disparity between the media-driven hype and the technology's real-world capabilities, sharing case studies and addressing current challenges. The conversation will also cover the economic and ethical implications of Gen AI, providing insights into its future advancements and regulatory landscape. Attendees will gain a nuanced understanding of Gen AI's potential and the strategic considerations necessary for its successful integration into diverse sectors.

Chair
Panelists
Ravi Vemuri TriMark USA
Ravi Vemuri

EVP Data & Analytics

TriMark USA

Imran Shaikh Shore Capital Partners
Imran Shaikh

CTO

Shore Capital Partners

12:45 PM-1:35 PM
Lunch & Networking
1:35 PM-1:50 PM
Disruptor
The Future of Identity and Access Management in Modern Enterprises

As enterprises migrate to the cloud, the complexity of managing identity has grown exponentially, and identity has emerged as the single largest threat vector. There has been an explosion in the number of identities - both human and machine, as well as the number of ways these identities can access sensitive cloud resources. The traditional perimeter-based security model is no longer sufficient to protect against identity-based threats. This session will explore the future of governing access in modern enterprises. We will focus on how enterprises in different cloud maturity levels—whether migrating workloads or operating cloud-native—can evaluate their identity posture, and drive towards best practices such as JIT access, least-privilege, and automated secrets rotation. Attendees will gain insights into how to reduce the attack surface, and strategies to ensure security without compromising agility and productivity.

Together with:

P0 Security
1:55 PM-2:40 PM
Panel
Embracing Innovation: Best-of-Breed Emerging Technologies from Silicon Valley ... and Beyond!

This panel discussion will take you on a journey through the forefront of technological innovation, featuring three visionary solutions poised to revolutionize the digital landscape. These pioneering solutions address pressing challenges faced by organizations worldwide, ranging from permissions management to troubleshooting live applications and system observability.

In today's dynamic digital landscape, managing permissions effectively poses a significant challenge for organizations. However, a pioneering solution emerges to address these pressing concerns by automating permissions management based on risk and usage patterns, ensuring alignment with business needs while minimizing security risks. Moreover, a revolutionary toolset empowers developers and SREs to troubleshoot live applications swiftly and efficiently, slashing mean time to resolution and delivering substantial cost savings. Dive deeper into how these groundbreaking approaches drive productivity gains and cost efficiencies for organizations worldwide.

Together with:

Luminance Databahn Revefi
2:45 PM-3:20 PM
Panel
Cybersecurity Leadership in the Era of AI and ML: Navigating Innovation and Responsibility

In the dynamic realm of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), CISOs play a pivotal role in leveraging these advancements for enhanced cybersecurity. Strategic integration of AI and ML is essential for bolstering security measures, optimizing decision-making, and driving innovation. CISOs must adopt a comprehensive approach, considering the entire lifecycle of these technologies to ensure both efficiency and ethical use. Establishing robust governance frameworks becomes paramount, addressing biases, ensuring transparency, and minimizing unintended consequences.

Looking ahead, as AI and ML continue to advance, CISOs face evolving challenges and regulatory considerations. Proactive engagement involves staying informed about changing regulations, particularly in areas such as data privacy and ethical AI practices. CISOs should strive for a tech-enabled understanding of AI and ML systems, encompassing deployment, impact, and security measures. This approach positions organizations to navigate the regulatory landscape effectively, ensuring responsible and competitive integration of AI and ML into cybersecurity strategies.

Chair
Panelists
Devin Rudnicki Fitch Group

Speaker

Devin Rudnicki

CISO

Fitch Group

Devin Rudnicki is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Fitch Group, and oversees information security for all of Fitch Group's business units. Prior to assuming this position, Devin was the Head of Application Security at Fitch Group. She joined Fitch in 2021 to build the Application Security program and team. Prior to joining Fitch, Devin was at Options Clearing Corporation, where she had multiple roles in Application Security and Security Governance.
Erik Hart Cushman & Wakefield

Speaker

Erik Hart

CISO

Cushman & Wakefield

Erik Hart oversees global information security for Cushman & Wakefield, one of the world’s largest commercial real estate services firms. A recognized thought leader with more than 20 years of experience in providing information security services to various industries and organizations, he also serves in an advisory role for numerous companies and organizations in the information security field, including Mimecast, CrowdStrike, InfraGard Chicago Members Alliance and Western Illinois University. Before joining Cushman & Wakefield in 2018, he served as CISO and Director of IT Risk Management for Zebra Technologies, a provider of mobile, logistics and point-of-sale technology and systems to retail, health care, transportation, manufacturing and other industries. Erik earned his Bachelors from Western Illinois University and Masters from Western Governors University.
Timothy Winders Purdue University
Timothy Winders

AVP, Deputy CIO

Purdue University

Russ Felker Trinity Logistics
Russ Felker

CTO

Trinity Logistics

3:20 PM-3:35 PM
Networking Break
3:35 PM-3:50 PM
Disruptor
8 Stages of the AI "Emotional Rollercoaster"

In "8 Stages of the AI Emotional Rollercoaster," we explore how AI is revolutionizing IT operations and cybersecurity, transforming our approaches to data analysis, threat detection, and endpoint management. We'll delve into the emotional rollercoaster of technology adoption, address the new risks posed by Gen AI, and discuss how to balance the need for speed and real-time data with security imperatives.

This talk will equip you with a deeper understanding of the current landscape and future trajectory of AI in our industry. We will examine the emotional stages of AI adoption, from initial excitement and hype to doubt and eventual acceptance, and how these emotions influence corporate technology strategies. Additionally, we will discuss practical guidance on safeguarding against potential threats in this rapidly evolving landscape, providing a balanced view of innovation, speed, security, and shadow AI risks.

Come discover how to harness AI's potential while navigating its challenges and gain valuable insights into the transformative role of AI in cybersecurity and IT management.

Together with:

Tanium
3:55 PM-4:30 PM
Fireside Chat
Unlocking the Power of Diversity in Technology: Driving Innovation

In today's rapidly evolving technology landscape, diversity is not just a buzzword – it's a strategic imperative. This panel will explore the critical role that diversity plays in enhancing cybersecurity efforts, from bolstering defenses against sophisticated attacks to fostering innovation and resilience within organizations. Our esteemed panelists will share insights, experiences, and best practices for cultivating diverse teams, leveraging varied perspectives, and building inclusive cultures that empower technology professionals of all backgrounds to thrive. Join us as we delve into the transformative potential of diversity in shaping the future of technology.

4:30 PM-4:35 PM
Closing Remarks & Raffle Giveaway
4:35 PM-5:35 PM
Cocktail Hour
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Together With

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Heard In The Room