Chief Disruptor LIVE returned for its 9th Edition last week at The May Fair Hotel in London. Members, partners and speakers converged for a day of keynotes, interviews, panels, roundtable discussions and networking. We discussed and debated the next stages of digital transformation, purpose-driven disruption and innovation in 2023, driving more data-driven decision-making, the evolving ‘people’ challenge and the small topic of Artificial Intelligence. Join me as we reflect upon four key takeaways from a jam-packed Chief Disruptor LIVE:

How are C-level technology and information leaders navigating increasingly choppy and murky waters? Is a new playbook emerging for demonstrating top-and-bottom-line benefits from technology investments? And what new paradigms are developing to balance profitability with purpose?

How can CIOs stay on the path to net zero while also dealing with market volatilities, digital transformation, and rising inflationary pressures?

Since 2005, Nimbus Ninety has brought together innovators, change-makers, and disruptive thinkers to share expertise, actionable insight and strategies. In that time, we’ve helped our members unravel some of the knottiest disruptive challenges facing organisations today; from disruptive business models and mindsets to the emerging technologies shaping how we live and work. Our purpose has always been to cut through the hype and enable our members to leverage these disruptive trends and technologies through our member-led insight reports, content and community activities. This year we’ve taken the bold step of changing the name of the Nimbus Ninety community to Chief Disruptor and we want to share with you the reasons why.

More than ever, the spotlight is on organisations and how they acquire, use and leverage their data. From banking to retail to sports, maximising the value of data is a fundamental tenet of business strategies and operating models. In fact, a recent National Bureau of Economic Research study suggested that digital capital, such as data, makes up 25% of a firm’s value on average. So what are the secrets to unlocking the value of data? Nimbus Ninety, in partnership with Oracle, brought together technology and data experts to connect, share challenges and opportunities and offer up actionable insights from data-driven businesses.

Chief Disruptor LIVE made an incredible in-person return last week at The May Fair Hotel. Members, partners and speakers all converged for a day of keynotes, interviews, panels, roundtable discussions and networking. We discussed and debated the meaning of disruption, data transformation, work and wellbeing, tech for positive change, the metaverse and so much more. There might also have been a few glasses of prosecco to top it all off! Join me as we reflect upon five key takeaways from a jam-packed Chief Disruptor LIVE:

Whether organisations are mid-migration or yet to start their journey, complex, risky and expensive big data cloud migrations are staring them in the face. Siloed data, cultural issues, high costs, a skills shortage and end of support life can block the path towards a unified data platform. And, the case for innovative, data-driven insights is weakened by risks associated with information security and regulation. So what can organisations do to simplify and de-risk these big data cloud migrations? Nimbus Ninety, in partnership with Unravel Data, Appsbroker and Google Cloud, brought together members from across industry to lend support, share challenges and, perhaps most importantly, enjoy a cheese twist or two. The evening began with a presentation from Eric McCarty, Solution Manager for Data Warehouse Modernization at Google and Matt Penton, Head of Data & Analytics at Appsbroker.

2022 has seen a monumental shift as organisations mitigate the risks of legacy platforms and seek to capitalise off the myriad of new capabilities and possibilities modern platforms present. For tech leaders at the start of their optimisation journey, mastering their data platforms can be a daunting challenge. Those further along their journey, face complex data ecosystems often plagued by rising costs, dwindling performance levels and limited observability. The route to optimisation is not always clear. It is, however, those little-known insights into how to maximise tooling, free up capacity and troubleshoot issues faster that can provide the key to these common challenges. Nimbus Ninety, in partnership with Unravel Data and Databricks, brought together technology and data experts to connect, share challenges and offer up actionable insights to master a modern data platform.

From bot attacks to brute force cyber attacks to internal breaches, the types of fraud that plague organisations are complex and multiple. These fraudulent transactions, which can result in losses three times higher than the original amount and dent reputation and trust, mean effective fraud protection is crucial. However, the growth in online shopping and banking has revolutionised the need for seamless customer experience and meant employees are increasingly the gatekeepers of vast amounts of data and information. So how do retailers achieve real-time fraud prevention without hindering the digital experience of trustworthy customers? Over a glass of wine, Nimbus Ninety, alongside our partners Ping Identity, brought together experts from across customer experience and fraud prevention to uncover simple but smarter ways to detect anomalous activity in real-time.

New digital channels and the changing customer relationship has led to more customer and user interactions. Organisations are now tasked with ensuring every customer journey is frictionless and secure. Simultaneously, importance is being placed on understanding and managing complex user identities. In this new world, identifying users the moment that they interact with platforms and creating secure, personalised, omnichannel experiences is fundamental for creating customer loyalty and outpacing the competition. But what scalable approaches are available to organisations to power and weave together secure, simple and seamless customer and user journeys? Nimbus Ninety, in partnership with Ping Identity, brought together senior technology leaders to discuss how to create, test and optimise omnichannel experiences while enjoying a curated wine tasting.