Agenda
Monday Aug 18
Workshop: Build Your High-Performance IT Strategy And Roadmap To Drive Business Value
- Build strategic goals, values, and behaviors for the IT organization based on strategic business objectives.
- Understand how to set the direction for tech architecture, skills, practices, and platforms.
- Plan for the points along the strategic IT roadmap journey that will depend on the strategic portfolio, as well as considerations such as governance, policies, performance metrics, and funding.
Speakers:
David Wheable, VP, Global Consulting Delivery, Forrester
Frederic Giron, VP, Senior Research Director, Forrester
Tuesday Aug 19
Registration & General Breakfast
Forrester Women's Leadership Program
Choose Your Advisors — And Nuggets Of Advice — Wisely
- How to choose the right people from whom to get career advice
- How to frame your career challenge so that you get the most useful answers from your advisors
- How to tell good advice (for you!) from bad
Speakers:
Jinan Budge, VP, Research Director, Forrester
Sulata Bhattacharjee, Head of Security Advisory & Risk, Equifax
Cassandra Highfield, Executive Director, Information Technology and Workplace Services, Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions
Acknowledgement Of Country & Opening Remarks
Speakers:
Sam Higgins, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Keynote: Gods, Machines, And Kaos: High-Performance IT (Because Prayer Isn’t A Strategy)
When divine intervention fails — and it will — tech leaders must turn to something a little more reliable. Enter high-performance IT (HPIT): the pragmatic, battle-tested response to a world run by chaos, machines, and budget cuts. Drawing from myth, machines, and the madness of modern leadership, this session shows how HPIT emerges as a hero’s weapon for leaders — a tool built to not just survive the storm but tame it. You’ll learn how to:
- Lead with clarity when everything’s on fire.
- Architect systems that absorb shock without breaking.
- Replace wishful thinking with resilient tech strategy.
Speakers:
Sam Higgins, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Guest Keynote: From Automation to Innovation: How Telstra Reinvented Enterprise AI
- Reinvention over optimization. How Telstra leaps the “process chasm” to design entirely new ways of working, not just faster versions of old processes
- Value-first AI strategy. The “calculated conviction” approach that turns a multitude of use case ideas into value for Telstra.
- Human-AI partnership. Practical frameworks for workforce empowerment that make AI adoption sustainable and strategic
Speakers:
Dayle Stevens, Executive for Data & AI, Telstra
Coffee Break & Networking
Connect with your peers and partners over coffee and refreshments.
Analyst-Led Roundtables
Expertly curated by our analysts, these 20-minute roundtables foster vibrant discussions among peers on trending topics. Held during breaks, they offer a prime opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing. Details coming soon.
Attend one session:
CIO Roundtable: Doing More With Less — Can More Tech Help You Master Tech Mayhem?
Organizations are continually pushing for increased productivity and business value while also driving down costs. Will even more technology and automation cure, or contribute to, ongoing tech mayhem?
Speakers:
John Brand, VP, CIO Exec Partner, Forrester
Deconstruct Human-Related Breaches
Join your peers to learn the many and varied risks posed by and to humans — problems that have plagued cybersecurity teams for decades. Prioritize the human-related breaches that are most relevant to you and have conversations with executives and peers across functions about controls to mitigate the human-element breach types most common to their own organizations and industries.
Speakers:
Jinan Budge, VP, Research Director, Forrester
Spot The Agent: Will The Real Agentic Platform Please Stand Up?
Join a lively discussion as we explore the rise of agentic platforms in AI, dissect what truly defines an autonomous decision-making system, and talk about how organizations can leverage them for strategic advantage.
Speakers:
Sam Higgins, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Leslie Joseph, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Keynote: AI Inside: The Rise Of The Intelligent IT Operating Model
- Understand how AI, graph technology, and feedback loops are redefining the IT control plane at the architectural level.
- Explore how IT functions—from CMDBs to AIOps to FinOps—are becoming proving grounds for enterprise-scale intelligent systems.
- Learn what governance, leadership, and strategy look like when IT becomes a cognitive participant in shaping digital business outcomes.
Speakers:
Charles Betz, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Colortokens: Building Breach-Ready Resilient Digital Enterprises
As we enter mid-2025, the spate of cyberattacks shows no signs of slowing down, despite continuous investments in cybersecurity tools and services. The opportunity for digital business and the meteoric, unfettered adoption of AI are increasing the opportunities for attackers by providing them with a larger target base. This Panel will discuss practical opportunities and challenges in building a breach-ready enterprise that is stopping lateral movement, complementing investments in cybersecurity to establish an achievable Minimum Viable Digital Business.
Speakers:
Agnidipta Sarkar, Vice President CISO Advisory, ColorTokens
Guest Keynote: From Experimentation To Deployment: Suncorp’s Blueprint For AI Success
- Learn how Suncorp’s SunGPT platform balances performance, cost, and accuracy to future-proof AI investments.
- Explore how AI-powered tools like Single View of Claims (SVOC) and Smart Knowledge (SK) are reshaping claims and customer engagement.
- Understand how ethical governance, workforce reskilling, and strategic partnerships underpin Suncorp’s AI success.
Speakers:
Kranthiram Nekkalapu, AI Practice Executive, Suncorp
Networking Lunch
Enjoy lunch while networking with your peers and partners.
Executive Leadership Exchange (Invite-Only): Exclusive Lunch — Breaking Down Silos
- Learn how to break down silos and foster cross-industry collaboration.
- Share insights and tackle challenges in a fast-paced, tech-driven world.
- Build valuable connections and exchange knowledge with top leaders across sectors.
Speakers:
Charles Betz, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
John Brand, VP, CIO Exec Partner, Forrester
Guest Keynote: Scaling Agentic AI: Inside KPMG’s AI Transformation
Join KPMG’s Chief Digital Officer, John Munnelly, as he shares insights on deploying KPMG Workbench—an innovative multi-agent AI orchestration platform, internally across 20 countries. Discover lessons on Agentic AI build vs. buy strategies, data sovereignty, responsible AI, and leveraging advanced telemetry and metering to drive impactful outcomes. A must-attend for technology leaders tackling agentic AI.
Speakers:
John Munnelly, Chief Digital Officer, KPMG Australia
Keynote: Address 2025 Cyber Threats With Preparation And A Steady Hand
- Deconstruct and anticipate the top current and emerging threats.
- Learn how to act decisively to protect your organization.
- Work with your stakeholders to respond with wisdom and agility.
Speakers:
Jinan Budge, VP, Research Director, Forrester
Keynote: Forrester’s 2025 Technology Awards
Speakers:
Frederic Giron, VP, Senior Research Director, Forrester
Coffee Break & Networking
Connect with your peers and partners over coffee and refreshments.
Analyst-Led Roundtables
Expertly curated by our analysts, these 20-minute roundtables foster vibrant discussions among peers on trending topics. Held during breaks, they offer a prime opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing. Details coming soon.
Attend one session:
The Impact Of Gen AI On IT Management
It’s no longer just about IT support chatbots. From AIOps to the service desk, and from portfolio management to IT finance, generative AI is fundamentally transforming the landscape of IT management. Join your peers to discuss the implications of Gen AI for IT management tools and capabilities, as well as real-world insights into what people are observing and implementing.
Speakers:
Charles Betz, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Meet The Award Winners: Tech Strategy & Impact Award
Join us for this interactive Q&A with Forrester’s Technology Impact Award Winner.
Speakers:
Frederic Giron, VP, Senior Research Director, Forrester
Meet The Award Winners: Enterprise Architecture Award
Join us for this interactive Q&A with Forrester’s Enterprise Architecture Award Winner.
Speakers:
Sam Higgins, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Guest Keynote: Details Coming Soon
Details coming soon.
Keynote: Leadership In The Agentic Era
As AI systems become more capable and agentic, enterprises are entering a new operational era — one where intelligent machines don’t just support work but actively perform it, coordinate with human teams, and autonomously monitor outcomes. This shift marks a critical inflection point for leaders: The traditional playbook for management no longer fits. The speed, uncertainty, and human implications of AI-driven transformation demand a rethinking of how organizations are led. This session will explore how leadership must evolve — highlighting the new capabilities, mindsets, and collaboration models required to thrive in a world where humans and intelligent systems work side by side. You’ll walk away with:
- A clear view of how AI agents are reshaping work, teams, and decision-making.
- Insight into how leadership and change management must evolve in AI-driven environments.
- Practical guidance for developing adaptive, AI-literate leadership capabilities.
Speakers:
Leslie Joseph, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Reception
Join us for an evening reception full of networking, fun, food and refreshments.
Executive Leadership Exchange (Invite-Only): Exclusive Dinner
Join us at the Bambini Trust Wine Room for an evening of exceptional dining, engaging conversation, and valuable networking opportunities. We’re excited to see you there!
Directory Of Analyst Coverage Areas
Need help selecting which Forrester analyst to meet with? Explore analyst coverage topics to find the expert who is tracking what matters most to you.
Technology & Innovation Summit APAC · August 19, 2025 · Sydney & Digital
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