The Studio
Event Series for Tech Leaders
Live from Abbey Road Studios
23rd May 2024
Experience the extraordinary
Join our community of CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, CFOs and digital and data leaders to shape the technology agenda in cutting-edge discussions, filmed at the iconic Abbey Road Studios.
Where Technology Leadership Meets Global Innovation
The Studio at Abbey Road Studios 2024 invites technology leaders from around the globe to set the business agenda and shape the future of our digital world on a global stage. This exclusive gathering is not just an event; it's a historical milestone where the past and future of technology leadership converge.
Connect with peers
Connect with leading C-suite executives, industry experts and visionaries from the world's leading organisations. Forge meaningful relationships and collaborate with the brightest minds in technology.
Build your profile
Immerse yourself in insightful conversations and high-quality debates alongside our community, captured on camera to share with a global audience.
Top 100 C-suite awards
Celebrate exceptional talent and leadership among our Top 100 Global winners. Hear from inspirational winners and Judges as they discuss their journey to success.
Apply to join
Unmissable technology agenda
Step into a world of innovation across three studios, featuring an unparalleled lineup of leaders from world-class brands and organisations. With 350+ tech visionaries gathering at our hybrid event, witness firsthand where the future of business is headed.
Be part of the leading c-suite community at The Studio
Registration & Breakfast
What Would a New UK Government Mean for the Tech C-Suite?
We are excited to kick off The Studio with a compelling keynote by Fran O'Leary, co-founder of the Inter parliamentary Forum on Emerging Technologies.
Engage in a pivotal discussion with HotTopics' Editor Peter Stojanovic, as they delve into the impacts of the UK General Election on technology and industry. Explore everything from AI to cybersecurity, and understand the potential shifts under a new Labour Government. Don’t miss these essential insights that will prepare leaders for the evolving policy and industry landscape!
Fran O'Leary
Peter Stojanovic
The C-Suite Vantage Point: Digital transformation
Digital transformation is imperative for organisational success. Executives must champion strategic initiatives that leverage cutting-edge technologies, fostering agility, innovation, and efficiency - and yet do so at a time of huge economic pressure.
So how does the C-Suite collaborate effectively, put technology at the heart of business decision-making and make digital, data and technology a key market differentiator? And what does that mean for the different executives sitting at the top-table?
Tony Johnson
Jon Townsend
Angela Cretu
Tracey Jessup
Sasha Qadri
Customer experience in a digital revolution
In the post-pandemic era, employee and customer experiences are being revolutionised by flexible working, new attitudes to what constitutes a good brand or experience, and the advent of emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, and – soon – quantum computing.
With employee and customer experience pivotal to improving productivity, talent attraction and retention and ultimately top and bottom-line growth, leaders must build engagement through more personalised interactions, the seamless integration of new technologies and unparalleled, human-led experiences which help drive efficiency and business growth in the digital revolution.
In Partnership with Globant
Rob O'Brien
Rachel Armstrong
Sabah Carter
Carolina Restrepo
Bridgid Nzekwu
Friends or adversaries? IT vs The Business
The relationship between IT and business is intricate and nuanced, balancing collaboration with occasional tension.
Successful partnerships hinge on aligning technological solutions with business goals. Bridging communication gaps, fostering mutual understanding, and adapting to evolving needs are crucial. When IT and business collaborate effectively, they become allies, driving innovation and organisational success.
Robert Sheesley
Douglas Goodridge
Joanna Pamphilis
Anna Barsby
Sasha Qadri
Ask Me Anything
Laura Gilbert
Rob O'Brien
Doug Drinkwater
The Future of the CFO
From traditional finance stewardship to becoming strategic business partners, the role of the CFO is changing.
Today’s CFO is expected to have a steer on business decision-making, optimising operations, technology integration and risk management - while others are increasingly embedded in ESG initiatives, talent management programmes and investor relations. Some CFOs have greater ambitions of progressing to become the COO or CEO.
In this session, CFO judges discuss the evolution of the CFO role, the skills and characteristics they require of themselves and teams in a digitised world and how they engage across the C-Suite to drive business change and transformation.
Helen Ashton
Sacha Herrmann
Hybrid work imperfections and realities
Pre-pandemic visions of the future of work have largely become reality, so what now, and what next?
Remote connectivity and collaboration, flexible working schedules, and hybrid workplace models have become integral, while organisations increasingly prioritise employee well-being and balance.
But in an age of return-to-office pressure, mass automation and a troubling job market, adaptability and resilience will be required to shape a dynamic and inclusive future of work.
In partnership with Box
Leonor Diaz Alcantara
Lee Fulmer
Rubi Kaur
Chris Fry
Doug Drinkwater
CIO, CTO or CAIO: Who is responsible for AI?
In today's rapidly-evolving AI landscape, establishing clear accountability and responsibilities from the C-Suite down is imperative as organisations look to successfully pilot and scale out AI initiatives.
Join us as we dissect the roles of CIOs, CTOs and CAIOs in guiding ethical AI deployment. We'll delve into leadership nuances, how ownership and influence hinges on organisational structures and technological maturity, and the shared responsibility it takes to foster sustainable AI practices.
In partnership with Thoughtworks
Eileen Jennings-Brown
Laura Kendrick
Rachel Laycock
Amitabh Apte
Bridgid Nzekwu
Chaos and order: How to take control of a complex and evolving IT estate
The evolution of IT has been a double-edged sword for business. On the one hand, technology is now integral to almost every organisation of any sector, with CIOs and CTOs holding influential roles on company boards. On the other, however, the adoption of public cloud, SaaS applications and now AI has increased customisation and complexity for IT and security teams, who are already stretched and fast losing control and visibility over their environments.
In this Studio panel, C-suite executives discuss the critical challenges facing today's IT leaders, exploring strategies to navigate increasingly complex IT environments in growing organisations, the need for stability, scalability and security, and how leading CIOs, CTOs and CISOs can unpick complexity and streamline IT operations to drive business innovation.
In partnership with Cloudflare
Alonso Bustamante
Georgina Owens
Sasha Qadri
The Talent Paradox - Building technology skills for the future
The talent landscape faces challenges in meeting the demand for digital, data, and technology expertise. The pressing need for skilled professionals outpaces the available workforce, creating a scarcity. Organisations struggle to attract and retain talent proficient in emerging technologies, hindering their ability to fully leverage digital transformations and technological advancements.
In partnership with BT
Dominic Howson
Ash Roots
Nicola Millard
Peter Stojanovic
What ubiquitous technology means for digital leaders
The democratisation of technology poses challenges and opportunities for digital leaders, many of whom are already fighting for greater accountability and influence, yet struggling to get their arms around a growing technology estate.
In a world where the consumerisation of IT has made technology openly accessible, and where technology budgets increasingly fall into line-of-business departments, what next for the career of a digital leader?
Alex Butler
Ilona Simpson
Karl Hoods
Doug Drinkwater
Ian Cohen
Data: Do's and Don'ts
Dan Kellett
Nuala Kennedy-Preston
Niresh Raja
Doug Drinkwater
Keeping pace with AI: Risk vs reward
The rise of artificial intelligence offers humanity almost unfathomable opportunities and challenges in equal measure - from the potential to transform industries, streamline processes, and enhance decision-making, through to the dilemmas surrounding data privacy, security, bias, and societal impact.
However, as these technologies gain wider adoption, new risks have surfaced around information governance, cyber attacks, privacy and regulatory compliance, especially for multinational corporations navigating regional nuances. Add in the fact that most data is unstructured, and you’re looking at more risks across siloed apps, multiple vendors, and complicated tech stacks.
In this session, technology executives explore keeping pace with change in the AI market, balancing innovation with risk management and how to safely scale beyond pilot projects.
In partnership with Box
Craig Charlton
Kate Sargent
Xuyang Zhu
Kirstine Dale
Ian Cohen
Doug Drinkwater
Ask Me Anything
Nimisha Patel
Douglas Goodridge
Peter Stojanovic
Displaying Leadership In An Act of Urgency'
Emma Harris
The sustainability vacuum: Is the green agenda falling behind?
Amidst the glamour for Generative AI, sustainability is at risk of falling off the boardroom’s agenda. ESG has become a complex and sometimes politicised business strategy, while sustainability’s impact has been shrouded by issues over carbon emissions visibility, supply chain transparency and the question of sustainability leadership responsibility from the C-Suite down. In this session, tech executives gather to confront the "sustainability vacuum," questioning whether the green agenda is lagging behind the exploration for new technologies, exploring the complexities of environmental responsibility, and how technological innovation can intersect with ecological stewardship.
In partnership with BT
Eoin O'Connell
Sarwar Khan
Doug Drinkwater
CIOs, CFOs and building profitable futures
In today's digital landscape, collaboration between Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) is essential. The cost imperative underscores their shared responsibility to optimise technology investments, ensuring strategic alignment and maximising ROI. This collaboration is critical for navigating the evolving business environment and achieving financial efficiency.
In partnership with Soldo
Mark Settle
Sanjay Patel
Victoria Higgin
Peter Stojanovic
Helen Ashton
Brandon Till
From projects to products: The business shift
In today’s post-pandemic, digital age, organisations are increasingly moving away from project-led to product-centric strategies that emphasise the values of agile development, user-centric design, and cross-functional teams that are better equipped to accelerate product delivery.
In this session, we discuss how, by becoming product-led, businesses are better able to adapt to market needs and drive customer satisfaction and growth through continuous innovation and adaptation. The conversation will also share insights tailored for CIOs and CTOs on how to optimise tech stacks, foster cross-functional collaboration, and embrace agile methodologies.
In partnership with Thoughtworks
Joanna Pamphilis
Elizabeth Akorita
Andy Birds
Peter Stojanovic
Big Tech Checks & Balances
Pat de Brún
Doug Drinkwater
Rhapsody at Abbey Road: A Queen Tribute
In today’s post-pandemic, digital age, organisations are increasingly moving away from project-led to product-centric strategies that emphasise the values of agile development, user-centric design, and cross-functional teams that are better equipped to accelerate product delivery.
In this session, we discuss how, by becoming outcome-led, businesses are better able to adapt to market needs and drive customer satisfaction and growth through continuous innovation and adaptation. The conversation will also share insights tailored for CIOs and CTOs on how to optimise tech stacks, foster cross-functional collaboration, and embrace agile methodologies.
Productive Innovation: What we Do (and Don’t) Understand about Today’s Workforce
Digital maturity is no yardstick for predicting genAI experimentation. Business sector, size and region still play their part, too, but team dynamics, psychological safety, hybrid work and technocentric cheerleaders are now reported as significant factors. This new, disparate and highly subjective set of factors may explain why it is still hard to understand how genAI is improving business performance, innovation or job satisfaction. Still, pioneer companies (those which nimbly experiment with genAI) will be more likely to capitalise on automation as BAU efficiency gains, better identify skills gaps and reorganise the business to capture market share, create new revenue streams, and, ultimately, positively impact the bottom line.
A highly informative Food for Lunch on the topic informed HotTopics and Elsewhen of executive’s expectations for the coming year, MVP use case examples, and why we’re only bound by our (lack of) imagination. To continue the transparent conversation, what should leaders do to broaden their imaginations and make better use of genAI? And what structures need to be evolved to continually translate this to value-add work?
In partnership with Elsewhen
Leon Gauhman
Karen Ambrose
Colin Simpson
Sanjay Patel
Eileen Jennings-Brown
Mark Settle
Peter Stojanovic
CIO x CISO: Risk, security and career vulnerabilities
In the fast-moving world of cybersecurity, CIOs and CISOs find themselves in a relentless race to keep up with nefarious actors and a record-number of attacks, but also the continued technological innovation of their own organisations and a slew of new regulatory requirements. Despite this endeavour, research shows that data breaches impacted nearly 294 million people in 2023, with an average breach cost of over $4m. Data breaches continue to lead to customer mistrust, brand reputation damage and a loss of revenue. For the CISO, in particular, such incidents (remediated or otherwise) often lead to burnout, shorter tenures and even criminal convictions. In this executive briefing at The Studio, in partnership with Rapid7, we bring technology and security leaders together to discuss common security challenges, why cybersecurity is increasingly a team sport, get the Rapid7 Labs view on how to keep pace with an evolving threat landscape, and discuss the criticality of real-time endpoint and network visibility, actionable intelligence and risk prioritisation. Only by doing this, can CIOs and CISOs thrive and survive in an age of heightened personal and business risk.
In partnership with Rapid7
Raj Samani
Victor Murineanu
Tammy Archer
Bridgid Nzekwu
Leadership Workshop
In this executive roundtable, Freddie Quek and Doug Drinkwater explore the evolution of technology leadership roles, the challenges leaders they face, and the guiding principles from which they can become adept at running and changing their organisations. Does it change again in the age of AI? This contributes to a research study that hopes to provide practice-based outcomes for the technology leaders profession and communities.