What can you expect at IT Leaders Festival day 2?

The decentralisation of IT leadership, machines learning bad behaviour, and how qualifications might actually be harming your recruitment drive.

Computing is excited to host day 2 of the IT Leaders Festival, live online on Tuesday 11th October.

Machine learning? Automation? Digital transformation? Cloud integration? These are all terms we've heard in recent years, but as with all technology, their origins lie further back than most realise. Yet only now are these technologies advancing at an unprecedented rate, and their adoption and implementation are still to reach their full potential.

The thought leaders, IT departments and tech teams who will turn these technologies into the tools and services that will revolutionise our workplaces and homes are helping to lay the foundations for the next stage in technology's expansion. At the same time, the demand for tech specialists is at an all-time high. With industry veterans changing employers in swathes and Gen Z entering the workforce, there is a renewed confidence and idealism in the role they play - but that also includes a host of new expectations on their employers.

To discuss all of these topics and more, don't miss the second day of Computing's IT Leaders Festival next week - we hope to see you there.

Click here to register for free

Our virtual day kicks off with a keynote from Steve Humber, Chief Digital Information Officer at Coventry University, who will explore the role of the modern CIO. He will examine whether a CIO will even be needed in the future, as smaller, specialised teams adopt decentralised leadership.

We will also host a fireside chat with Nick Ioannou, Information Security Officer at Goodlord, who will talk all things cybersecurity, outlining the shape of the current landscape and why the major threats we see have become so common. He will also discuess how reframing your understanding of cyber security will help your organisation manage threats more efficiently.

Delegates can also look forward to a panel discussion on machine learning, where our panel of experts will discuss the risks that unchecked AI and ML can pose to an organisation's operations and reputation. Panellists include Manuj Sarpal, Chief Technology Officer at Granite Shares; Trevor Gordon, Global Transformation Director - Customer at Diageo; and Sharon Moore, Global Technical Lead for Government at IBM Technology.

Closing off the day, delegates will hear from another panel of industry experts on how prerequisites can bottleneck recruitment. Qualifications have long been used as one of the metrics employers use to quickly validate whether an applicant is qualified for a role. However, this has often presented itself as a barrier for applicants who didn't pursue higher education.

Our panellists include Chris Storey, Technology Director at Travelopia; Joanna Smith, Interim CTIO at StepChange Debt Management Charity; and Jay Ferro, EVP, Chief Technology & Information Officer at Clario.

Our virtual day promises to be a valuable experience for all IT professionals, with IT leaders coming together to hear from visionary speakers, being first to hear about Computing's proprietary industry research, collaborate with peers and come away with new thinking that will create actionable change.

Click here to view the full day 2 agenda and here to register your free place.