HotTopics Studio: Abbey Road Studios

Day 1 Theme  

Leading at the edge of whats next:

Transformation with purpose

How leaders are setting direction, aligning teams and turning bold ideas into progress.

AI adoption is accelerating faster than governance. Boards want growth and efficiency, regulators want accountability, and customers want trust. Executives are caught in the middle.

This panel explores how C-suite leaders are navigating the tension between innovation and responsibility, and where the line should be drawn.

Enterprise AI is entering an uncomfortable phase in most boardrooms. Organisations have rolled out their pilot projects, committed some to production and spent a not-inconsiderable amount of money in doing so; so what (and when) can the C-Suite expected to see a return of that investment?

For most CIOs and CTOs, the honest answer is that value is visible but not yet measurable, or measurable but not yet at the scale the business case first outlined. 

In this panel with Salesforce, we bring together early adopters to discuss how to identify the use cases most likely to generate demonstrable returns, how to build the operational structures that allows successful pilots to scale to production, and - critically - how to sustain board confidence (and investment) through the time lag between deployment and market proof. 

In partnership with Salesforce

Large enterprises continuously transform. They modernise security frameworks, replace ERPs, migrate to the cloud, and, now, rapidly proliferate AI pilot projects. These enterprises pursue four or more such transformations every year, on average.

Despite the continuous nature of transformation, companies still treat every new transformation – whether in finance, HR or IT – as its own unique undertaking. This means encountering, and endeavoring to ovecome, the same challenges over and over again.

In this panel at The HotTopics Studio, we ask: What can the key player in all those transformations, the IT function, do to make transformations easier to pull off? 
 
We’ll explore how CIOs, by focusing on the nuts and bolts (process, applications, data) can both tie together your multiple transformation projects and, by bringing a level of monitoring and measurability to transformation, give business leaders what they need most: A clearly communicable and quantifiable goal for every transformation initiative. 

In partnership with SAP

Examines how trust, security, identity, and governance are becoming foundational requirements for collaboration platforms as AI transforms how decisions are made and information is shared. Opportunity to connect Webex security and zero-trust messaging to the much broader executive conversation around AI governance and trust.

"In an era where AI can generate, summarise, and act on information instantly, what does it take for leaders to truly trust the platforms where their most sensitive conversations and decisions happen?"

In partnership with Cisco

As AI accelerates, so does the flood of data it creates — but is more always better? In today’s information-saturated landscape, the real challenge isn’t collecting data, it’s knowing what (and who) to trust. Are we leveraging AI to drive real innovation, or simply reacting to the outputs it feeds us? This session will challenge the narrative: Are your decisions truly insight-led, or are they shaped by systems you don’t fully understand, can we trust the data behind the innovation we’re chasing?

We often talk about how to prepare young women for careers in technology, but are organisations and leaders equally prepared for them?

As TechGirl continues to grow from a competition into a thriving community, this panel flips the narrative. Instead of focusing on how young women should adapt to the industry, we ask: what needs to change at the top?

Featuring a TechGirl alongside senior tech leaders, this conversation explores how expectations are shifting, what support really makes a difference, and how leaders can move beyond mentorship to actively create environments where the next generation can thrive, lead, and innovate.

Day 2 Theme  

Evolving with resilience

Building trust while creating change

How leaders are protecting what matters, managing risk and building organisations that can keep moving, even under pressure.

What if real digital independence isn’t about control—but about trust, resilience, and smart choices? In a world where geopolitical shocks test the seams of our digital infrastructures, clinging to the idea of total control might be holding us back. This session challenges the rigid definitions of cyber sovereignty and explores a more strategic path: one built on reduced dependency, stronger trust, and resilience without sacrificing performance.

In partnership with Salesforce

The role of the CISO is no longer confined to managing risk—it's expanding into one of the most strategically influential positions in the enterprise. As digital innovation accelerates, CISOs are stepping into boardrooms, shaping AI governance, securing high-stakes M&A deals, and leading digital transformation from the inside out.

This isn’t evolution—it’s elevation. The message is clear: the modern CISO is not just a protector of infrastructure, but a builder of trust, value, and competitive edge. Those who embrace this shift won’t just keep up with the future—they’ll define it.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how decisions are made, information is created, and knowledge is shared. Yet while AI tools are becoming easier to use, true understanding of how they work—and their risks and limitations—remains uneven. This session explores why digital literacy in the age of AI is no longer just a technical skill but a critical capability for leaders, organisations, and societies seeking to navigate an increasingly AI-driven world.

AI innovation is fuelled by unprecedented volumes of data—but where does that data come from, and who truly benefits from it? This session examines the ethical, reputational, and regulatory implications of large-scale AI data harvesting. It invites technology leaders to rethink how organisations balance innovation with responsibility in an era where trust is becoming a competitive advantage.

Organisations are scaling AI and data-driven innovation faster than ever—but trust is struggling to keep up. When transparency, governance, and ethical data practices lag behind technology, innovation can quickly turn into enterprise risk. This session explores why trust is rapidly becoming a leadership and board-level responsibility.

"Yesterday we explored how to communicate true change and ensure the boardroom understands what really needs to evolve. Today, we shift the focus to the risks that come with that change—and whether leadership is truly aware of them.

This session examines why risk is still treated too often as a technical issue rather than a strategic one. It explores how leaders can cut through the noise, translate threats into business impact, and move from simply reporting risk to actively shaping decisions. Because knowing the risks isn’t enough—making sure leadership understands and acts on them is where impact begins."