“Facing Challenge: Emerging Stronger Tomorrow” Theme for 2009 CIOhio Conference

(Columbus, OH – November 4, 2009) “Facing Challenge: Emerging Stronger Tomorrow” is the theme of the 2009 CIOhio Conference, the premier event for CIOs, hosted by TechColumbus. The featured keynote speaker for this eighth annual forum, presented by HP and ProCurve Networking, is renowned author, speaker and business leader Gary Hamel.

This year’s event takes place on Friday, November 6, 2009 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Downtown in Columbus, Ohio.  It is open to CIOs, their peers and their direct reports.  Vendors of IT products and services can participate as sponsors.

“CIOhio is the premier annual CIO conference offering attendees an extensive array of IT and business-related topics in a peer-to-peer forum,” said David Platt, Chair of CIOhio 2009. “This year’s event will focus on how to stay globally competitive and innovative in a challenging economy.”

Keynote Speakers

Gary Hamel
Renowned author, speaker and business thought leader
3:20 p.m. – 4:35 p.m.

As the world’s leading expert on business strategy, Hamel will share his thoughts on the future of business and management, as well as the role of technology. His pioneering concepts, such as strategic content, core competence, industry revolution and management innovation, have changed the practice of management in companies around the world. Hamel is currently leading an effort to build the world’s first “Management Lab.” The MLab is a pioneering attempt to create a setting in which progressive companies and world-renowned  management scholars work together to co-create “tomorrow’s best practices” today, with the goal to radically accelerate the evolution of management knowledge and practice.

As a consultant and management educator, he has worked for companies, including General Electric, Time Warner, Nokia, Nestle, Shell, Best Buy, Procter & Gamble, 3M, IBM and Microsoft. Hamel is a Fellow of the World Economic Forum and the Strategic Management Society. Over the past 20 years, Hamel has authored articles for the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The Financial Times and many other leading world publications. He is also a regular contributor to CNBC, CNN and other major media outlets.

Steve Steinour
Chairman, President and CEO of Huntington Bancshares Inc. and The Huntington National Bank
8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Steinour will share his observations about the state of the financial industry, its future prospects, and the critical role of technology. Steinour bring over 30 years of banking-related experience to Huntington Bancshares. Prior to Huntington, Steinour was a managing partner at CrossHarbor Capital Partners in Boston. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Gettysburg College.

Gerry McNamara
Managing Partner, Heidrick & Struggles
9:20 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Based on his experience, McNamara will share his observations around the changing role of the CIO and the expectations of businesses and their CEOs. McNamara works with a wide range of clients across many industries. His expertise is understanding the needs of his clients and recruiting world-class technology and operations executives to help solve business problems. Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles in 1995, McNamara spent 15 years in information technology with IBM. Gerry holds a master’s degree in human resources management from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree from Mt. St. Mary’s University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School.


Track Sessions

Morning sessions (10:20 a.m.-11:50 a.m.) and afternoon sessions ((1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.)

Track 1 – Application Development – Exploring trends in application development to maximize effectiveness in today’s challenging economy.

Track II – Technology & Green – Applying technology strategically to sustainable value and competitive advantage in the enterprise.

Track III – Talent & Leadership – Growth in talent and leadership into the future.

Track IV – Strategic Alignment – Challenging the way IT works today in order to prepare for a stronger alignment with the business tomorrow.

Additional Information:
For more information about CIOhio 2009, including the day’s full agenda, please visit the website.

About TechColumbus
TechColumbus is a nonprofit organization that focuses on technology-based economic development in the 15 counties of central Ohio. TechColumbus accomplishes this by:

• Providing professional development and technology business assistance to both large and small companies that rely on technology for business success
• Managing a 62,000 square foot technology business incubator that has been recognized as one of the best in the country
• Managing TechStart, the $22.5 million Central Ohio Entrepreneurial Signature Program, with a mission to create, finance and launch new tech companies in central Ohio
• Assisting in the development of facilities for tech companies
• Working with state and local organizations to attract new tech companies to the region

For more information about TechColumbus visit the website. Follow us on Twitter @TechColumbus.