Explore the transformative potential of Generative AI in this forward-looking session, where we will delve into how this cutting-edge technology is set to revolutionize business and technology landscapes. We will discuss emerging trends, anticipated advancements in the next 12-24 months, and their impact on various industries. Learn about practical applications of Generative AI, from enhancing customer experiences to driving innovation and operational efficiency. Our experts will also address the ethical considerations, regulatory challenges, and best practices for successful AI integration. Join us to gain insights into how Generative AI can unlock new opportunities and shape the future of your organization.
The Future of IT & Cybersecurity
CIO & CISO Think Tank
March 18, 2026 - San Francisco, CA
Visionaries
Geeta Pyne
Senior Managing Director, Chief Architect
TIAA
Aaron Gette
CIO/CISO
EOS Fitness
About Me
Innovative thought leader and influential IT executive with over 20 years experience in the SMB, Midsize and Enterprise markets. Extremely effective communicator, delivering CIO/CTO level leadership, with the ability to build and manage high functioning teams. Excellent relationships manager, with a keen instinct for leveraging technology to generate revenue and new lines of business. Product and project manager, with an impeccable track record of successful deployments across multiple business types. Wide breadth of experience and skill in software and hardware solutions; capable and consistent in delivering the solutions that fit needs and future growth. Strategic planner with a clear understanding of the cloud, managing the digital transformation of data and traditional infrastructure transitions to IaaS, SaaS and PaaS solutions.
Simone Flory
Head of Model Risk
City National Bank
Shuman Mitra
Associate Vice President
L'Oreal
Bob Zinga
CISO, Information Warfare Commander
US Navy
Patelco Union
Chief Risk Officer
Patelco Credit Union
About Me
Mani is currently serving as executive vice president and chief risk officer. He oversees the Bank’s risk management, compliance, model risk, market risk, member and counterparty credit, and related governance frameworks. He has over 20 years of experience in risk management, internal audit, banking, capital markets, and technology. Before joining the Bank, Mr. Massoomi was the head of operational and enterprise risk at SoFi in San Francisco. Prior to his tenure at SoFi, he was the audit executive for the domestic and international asset management and enterprise risk management functions at TIAA. His experience also includes positions at Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets, Millennium Management Hedge Fund, General Motors, and Morgan Stanley. He is a Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Financial Services Auditor, and Certified Investment and Derivatives Auditor, and holds a Certification in Risk Management Assurance. He received his B.S. from Tufts University and has completed post-graduate work at the Wharton School and Cornell University.
Manjeet Singh
Senior Director of Product Management, Agentforce AI Platform
Salesforce
About Me
Manjeet Singh loves two things: AI and Fitness. By day, he is Senior Director of Product Management for Agentforce AI, building next generation AI platforms. He has previously led product teams at ServiceNow and high growth startups. Beyond tech, he is a fitness coach and a long-term practitioner of health and fitness. He runs a nonprofit community, Agile Fitness, with over 300,000 members. He writes and speaks about AI and fitness, believing the best systems, human or artificial, are built to improve continuously.
Dewayne Walton
SVP Technology Governance
Wells Fargo
Marc Mackey
Director Global Technology PMO
Nike
About Me
• Accomplished Technology executive with over 20 years experience leading portfolio / program / release / project management operations in both high-growth startups and large enterprise software companies with documented success in critical roles. • Built a business value driven, high performing, cross-functional PMO with geographically distributed PMO/TPM teams. • Specializes in driving business value by aligning all levels of leadership and cross-functional teams through the implementation of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) based framework and tools. • Recognized for improving customer satisfaction by standardizing processes, procedures and removing inefficiencies to eliminate downtime. • Increased productivity by fundamentally re-architected how Product Development teams and people align and collaborate at all levels. • Experienced public speaker, reporting to C-level executives with solid strategy and presentation skills. • FDIC and OCC presence and presentations for National Bank Charter for Technology.
Adnan Dakhwe
VCISO
GLG
Apurva Meher
Head of Software Engineering
Ford Motor Company
Dinesh Lakshmanan
Sr Director of Engineering
IPSY
Ramnath Shenai
Director of Products and Solutions (SASE)
Fortinet
About Me
Ramnath is responsible for driving Fortinet's SASE business for SD-WAN, SSPM and SASE. He has a long experience of over 9 years in the SD-WAN space and was very close to SASE product planning at a competitor. He started his career in engineering as a Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer, moved to Technical Marketing Engineer (TME) and now to Products. Because of his engineering background, he is also comfortable talking technical details. He is passionate about technology and always jokes that “SD-WAN runs in his blood!”. He did his Masters in Telecommunications at the University of Colorado at Boulder, but after graduating he moved to California and has made Silicon Valley his home for the past 14 years.
Stephen Chen
CTO
Affnetz.com
About Me
Stephen Chen is an entrepreneurial technologist with a demonstrated track record of developing innovative solutions that strategically align business objectives with cutting-edge technology. His expertise spans a range of domains, including data science, software engineering, cybersecurity, and digital marketing. With a rich background encompassing defense, commercial, and nonprofit sectors, Stephen brings a diverse skill set and operational excellence to the table. His unique blend of experience instills the discipline of large organizations into startups while reintroducing the agility of startups to larger enterprises. In addition to his corporate endeavors, Stephen has garnered significant exposure in board and advisory roles, particularly in the nonprofit and educational sectors. He has served as a board member and currently holds an advisory position for Here To Serve, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting families facing childhood cancer. Stephen maintains an active involvement in local schools, exemplified by his advisory council for the cyber security program at California State University, Chico.
Sanny Liao
Co-founder and Chief Product Officer
Fable Security
About Me
Sanny Liao is co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Fable Security. She was previously the Head of Data Science at Abnormal Security, building its core detection platform, and the first Data Science hire at TellApart, shaping its bidding algorithms and scaling it to $100M+ ARR. She holds a PhD from UC Berkeley.
Gopal Bhat
CTO
Fanatics
About Me
Gopal Bhat is an award-winning technology leader with experience in leading four startups through product and technology build, with successful exits through IPO and unicorn acquisition exits. Gopal’s recent success was building a Marketplace for Sports Card collectibles and leading it through successful acquisition by Fanatics. Gopal’s prior success involves starting a Gartner recognized technology transformation methodology and selling that to IBM, CTO at startups, and CIO at Rakuten. Prior to Rakuten, Gopal held similar leadership roles at Ebates (acquired by Rakuten) and AVG (IPO exit) – an antivirus company where he helped start-up level companies grow their technology teams and evolve application platforms to scale for hundreds of millions of customers. He held senior technology architecture leadership roles at Electronic Arts and Ebay in the past and holds MBA from San Jose State University.
Gopal Bhat
CTO
Fanatics
About Me
Gopal Bhat is an award-winning technology leader with experience in leading four startups through product and technology build, with successful exits through IPO and unicorn acquisition exits. Gopal’s recent success was building a Marketplace for Sports Card collectibles and leading it through successful acquisition by Fanatics. Gopal’s prior success involves starting a Gartner recognized technology transformation methodology and selling that to IBM, CTO at startups, and CIO at Rakuten. Prior to Rakuten, Gopal held similar leadership roles at Ebates (acquired by Rakuten) and AVG (IPO exit) – an antivirus company where he helped start-up level companies grow their technology teams and evolve application platforms to scale for hundreds of millions of customers. He held senior technology architecture leadership roles at Electronic Arts and Ebay in the past and holds MBA from San Jose State University.
March 18, 2026
Attend this event
Agenda
All times Pacific Time
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Registration
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Morning Networking
9:30 AM - 9:40 AM
Opening Remarks
9:40 AM - 9:55 AM
Vision Voices Keynote
The Future of Generative AI: Transforming Business and Technology
10:00 AM - 10:25 AM
Keynote
SASE in 2026: An Enterprise Roadmap for Scalable, and Converged Networking and Security
Enterprises are at a pivotal moment in their security and networking evolution. Hybrid work is permanent, cloud and SaaS adoption continue to accelerate, and AI-driven threats are increasing both in speed and sophistication. As users, applications, and data move beyond the traditional perimeter, enterprises must deliver consistent security and optimized access—everywhere—without increasing operational complexity.
This keynote explores how Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) provides a unified, architecture-driven approach to converging networking and security. Attendees will gain a practical roadmap for evolving toward a scalable SASE strategy in 2026—one that strengthens identity-centric controls, simplifies operations, reduces architectural sprawl, and enables enterprises to modernize incrementally while protecting existing investments.
10:30 AM - 11:05 AM
Fireside Chat
Cybersecurity Resolve: Mental Fatigue, Burnout & the Human Risk Factor
Cybersecurity isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a human one. With mounting pressure, 24/7 threats, and increasing accountability, today’s workforce is under immense stress. This leadership roundtable explores the intersection of mental wellness, organizational resilience, and insider risk. Topics include burnout detection, human error trends, building psychologically safe teams, and fostering a culture where security isn’t just enforced—but owned. Learn how executives are rethinking workforce sustainability in security, with practical strategies for retention, performance, and mental clarity at every level.
11:05 AM - 11:25 AM
Coffee Break
11:25 AM - 12:10 PM
Panel
The Next Wave Agentic AI: Control, Collaboration, and the Future Frontier of Automation
Agentic AI, autonomous systems that perceive, reason, and act with minimal human intervention is poised to redefine how work gets done. As these intelligent agents move beyond experimentation into enterprise-scale deployments, organizations must prepare to fundamentally rearchitect their digital environments.
This panel will explore how leaders can operationalize agentic AI to drive efficiency, creativity, and strategic advantage while preserving oversight, governance, and trust. Discussion topics will include designing workflows around autonomous decision-making, managing human-agent collaboration, and navigating emerging risks such as bias, security, and operational drift. Join us as we unpack what it truly means to lead in an era of intelligent, action-oriented AI and how to ensure these agents serve both your innovation goals and core business values.
Panelists
Aaron Gette
CIO/CISO
EOS Fitness
Gopal Bhat
CTO
Fanatics
Geeta Pyne
Senior Managing Director, Chief Architect
TIAA
12:15 PM - 12:30 PM
Disruptor
The math of manipulation: Adtech lessons for managing human risk
The npm breach started in a painfully ordinary way: a realistic-looking MFA phish. It’s a typical human error that seems to have led security professionals to believe they can’t change human behavior. But marketers know that’s not true: ads change behavior every day. Why can adtech drive habits while security awareness gets eye rolls?
Both marketing and human risk rely on the same playbook: reach the right person with the right message at the right time so behavior actually shifts. We’ll unpack the process and math that make it work:
- Whom to target (segmentation): our risk models and cohort design
- How to convert (metrics): impressions, engagement, conversions, and the true cost of behavior change
- How to improve (experimentation): optimize for outcomes, not activity. Test, measure, iterate.
We’ll show what the data says, why attribution matters, and why vanity metrics like clicks without conversions don’t. With experimentation and multi-touch campaigns, security can finally do what marketing has done for decades: shape behavior.
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Lunch & Networking
1:30 PM - 2:05 PM
Fireside Chat
The Future of Cyber Resilience: Winning in a World of Constant Threats
In an era of escalating cyber threats, evolving attack surfaces, and accelerated digital transformation, traditional security models are no longer enough. This keynote will explore what it means to build cyber resilience in today’s complex environment—where speed, adaptability, and business alignment are paramount. From securing hybrid and multi-cloud environments to integrating AI-driven threat intelligence, we’ll examine how leaders can future-proof their security strategies while enabling innovation. Learn how to shift from reactive defense to proactive resilience, ensuring your organization can not only withstand but thrive amid disruption.
2:10 PM - 2:55 PM
Panel
Securing the Rise of Agentic AI: Trust, Control, and Resilience in Autonomous Systems
As agentic AI systems evolve from experimental tools to enterprise-grade digital workers—capable of making decisions, taking actions, and adapting in real time—they introduce a new paradigm of both possibility and risk. Unlike traditional automation, agentic AI operates with greater autonomy, raising urgent questions for security leaders: How do we ensure control? How do we manage risk when systems learn, act, and adapt independently?
This panel will explore the security implications of deploying agentic AI across business operations—from data privacy and decision integrity to real-time threat mitigation and adversarial AI risks. We'll dive into the intersection of governance, identity management, and AI observability, and how CISOs can build frameworks that safeguard both the systems and the outcomes.
Bob Zinga
CISO, Information Warfare Commander
US Navy
3:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Disruptor
What’s AI Doing for You?
3:15 PM - 3:35 PM
Networking Break
3:35 PM - 3:50 PM
Disruptor
Bridging Strategy and Systems: Aligning Business Goals with IT Innovation
In a world of rapid digital disruption, the most successful organizations are those where business strategy and IT execution move in lockstep. This panel brings together business and IT leaders to explore how to align long-term growth objectives with the right mix of emerging technologies—from AI and cloud platforms to data-driven decision-making and modern application architectures.
Panelists will discuss how to break down silos between departments, drive innovation through collaborative planning, and build agile digital infrastructures that scale with evolving business needs. Expect insights on joint KPIs, governance frameworks, and the cultural shifts required to turn IT from a support function into a strategic growth enabler.
3:55 PM - 4:30 PM
Fireside Chat
The Human Advantage in 2026: Why Soft Skills Are Tech’s Greatest Competitive Advantage.
In a world obsessed with digital transformation, AI, and automation, it’s easy to forget the power of human connection. But the truth is—technology doesn’t lead, people do. As roles evolve and teams become more cross-functional, the ability to listen, influence, adapt, and collaborate has become just as critical as technical expertise.
Today’s CIOs, CISOs, and tech leaders are expected not only to drive innovation, but to communicate across departments, manage diverse teams, and navigate uncertainty with empathy and clarity. Emotional intelligence, storytelling, active listening, and resilience are no longer “nice to have”—they’re essential for anyone leading in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment.
Nowhere is this leadership shift more relevant than in the US particularly in San Francisco, a city built on creativity, reinvention, and cultural diversity. Here, the ability to connect across perspectives isn’t just a professional skill—it’s a way of life. As tech and business worlds converge, San Francisco’s unique blend of innovation and human-centered thinking offers the perfect backdrop to explore how soft skills are reshaping the future of leadership.
This session dives into why the most successful executives are blending EQ with IQ to inspire trust, build alignment, and drive lasting impact.

