About

AI has dominated CIOs’ agendas in recent years, so this briefing looks at what’s coming next, for AI and for the technologies about to break into the mainstream. Quantum computing looms, post-quantum encryption is now serious enough that a central bank has published guidance and expects regulated industries to plan for it. Bioengineering is moving from research curiosity towards breakthrough. Nuclear energy, including the UK’s investment in small modular reactors, is being built partly to power the compute that quantum and bioengineering need. So what’s next and what should CIOs be aware of?

Format

A focused briefing rather than a full discussion evening, with partner keynotes on their vision of the future.

What we’ll explore

The latest on quantum and the technologies coming over the horizon
Which other technologies are closest to enterprise relevance right now
Whether a “SaaSpocalypse” is coming, and what it means for the software decisions of the last decade
What frontier genuinely means for a 2028 investment roadmap, and what is just noise

Join us for CIONET UK’s sixth and final community event of 2027. Register now to save your place.

Speakers and Panellists

Find out more about the speakers and our panellists

Craig Walker

Chairman | Moderator

CIONET UK

Craig graduated in the summer of 1981 from the University of Surrey with a BSc.

Hons in Chemical Engineering. He joined Shell as an IT programmer in London.

Over the next 17 years, his career in IT management progressed and saw him spend

10 years as an expatriate in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Colombia.

In 1998, he moved to KPMG as an Associates Partner to learn about other

industries, cultures, and ways of working. In 2005, after what he describes as the

best 6-year training course Shell let him go on, he returned in 2005 to Shell as CIO

for the African Downstream businesses based in Cape Town. After 3 years he

became Global CIO of Shell Trading and Shipping based in Houston, Texas and

then, in 2014, became Global CIO of Shell Downstream based in London.

He is a high energy leader who has spent most of his career leading large-scale

digital transformations. As Global CIO of Shell Downstream business, his team

delivered billions of dollars of savings and value, created new ways of working,

enabled faster business strategy realisation and ultimately reduced the IT budget by

45%, creating more reliable and secure solutions, and delivering the next generation

of transformative technology. While these global transformations were technology

driven, they were highly business focused. His success can be attributed to

recognising the complexities of large-scale change and including all the key

stakeholders in business and IT to ensure a level of buy-in and energy such that they

were able to fundamentally transform the businesses.

He retired from Shell in 2020, and joined Salesforce as an SVP, Strategic Advisor to

the office of the CEO, where he worked with c-suite to help them refine and deliver

their business strategy. He advised hundreds of customers, building strong

relationships and helping drive transformational change through bringing technology and people together.

He has now retired for a second time and is now busier than ever having teamed up

with five ex-KPMG colleagues, who have a lifetime of experience, knowledge and a

track record of success, to create Veles Consulting which has the tag line “Our

Experience, Your Success”. There are delivering a range of services including

Strategic Business Advice, NED/Virtual Board Services, Company Review,

Leadership Development and Transformational programmes. He is enjoying working again with old friends and colleagues.

He also chairs the Institute of Coding, which is dedicated to delivering free technical

skills learning to disadvantaged people in the UK, as well as participating on several

advisory and executive boards.

He has a passion for business, developing people, enjoying his family, travelling,

good food and wine, and life.

Explore the program

Program

London

           
          18:00 
        
                Welcome Networking Reception 
        
          19:00 
        
                Warm Welcome
        
          19:45 
        
                Panel discussion with distinguished leaders and Q&A
        
          20:45 
        
                Networking reception 
        
          21:30 
        
                Carriages