2ND ANNUAL

THAILAND

Forging Future Advantage

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EVENT OVERVIEW

In 2026, the business landscape for CIOs and CTOs is more intricate and dynamic than ever before. The rapid evolution of advanced technologies, coupled with heightened cybersecurity threats and a complex regulatory environment, presents both challenges and opportunities. Additionally, talent readiness, digital sovereignty, and regulatory fragmentation across regions will test an organisation’s agility.

In this transformative era, successful IT leaders must not only embrace digital transformation but also initiate strategic reinvention to leverage AI as a core partner in business operations. The 2026 technology leadership agenda is shaped by AI-driven innovations, cybersecurity evolution, regulatory navigation, sustainable IT, and talent ecosystem renewal. Robust partnerships, cross-functional leadership, strategic cost management and culturally attuned strategies are crucial to converting these challenges into opportunities for sustained regional digital growth.

As top management often sees a significant amount of funding allocated to IT, Boards and C-suites demand clear, measurable outcomes from tech investments. Therefore, today’s CIOs are under immense pressure to demonstrate to stakeholders how the broader organisation truly benefits from these technological investments, especially AI. Gartner predicts that through 2028, CIOs who implement ongoing strategic cost optimisation will be 65% more successful in elevating their strategic contribution to their organisations’ mission.

To thrive in 2026, technology leaders will need to embrace the latest technologies while staying grounded, accelerate digital maturity, navigate both cybersecurity and regulatory evolutions and tackle the workforce constraints to propel growth.

The 2nd Annual FutureCIO Thailand Conference 2026, themed Forging Future Advantage“, will focus on how IT leaders in Thailand can convert today’s challenges into strategic opportunities and drive sustained digital growth in an ever-changing landscape. The conference will feature insights from industry leaders and practitioners, addressing key topics such as:

  • Delivering continuous value for the business
  • Practical AI implementations
  • Balancing compliance with agility
  • Building resilient enterprises
  • Human + AI collaboration

 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

CIOs, CTOs, Directors, Heads, MDs, SVPs, VPs, Leads, involved in:

  • Information Technology
  • IT Operations
  • Enterprise Architecture and Strategy
  • ITSM
  • IT Infrastructure
  • IT Application
  • Big Data/Analytics
  • Cloud Management
  • IT Security and Technology Risk 
  • Privacy/Data Protection

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND

The FutureCFO Conference aims to give CFOs, who also act as their company’s strategic business partner and catalyst, insights on ensuring corporate growth and successfully mitigating risks and challenges amidst the current economic and political uncertainties in their countries. The conference will also address strategies and best practices on how CFOs can reimagine finance functions and their organizations to survive and thrive in today’s fast-paced and digitally driven landscape.

This by-invitation only one-day event will gather over 120 senior finance leaders from multiple industries and offers the best opportunity to hear from the industry’s leading professionals, contribute questions from the floor, engage in incisive panel discussions that discuss real-life business cases, updates and strategies to meet the most pertinent challenges facing the finance function in 2020.

High-Level Industry Speakers

We gather 20+ industry speakers and experts from leading organizations for keynote presentations and incisive discussions so you can tap on their invaluable insights and best practices important to your finance function management and transformation.

Interactive Discussions

Be part of our interactive panel discussions that address the current hot topics, share ideas and experiences and get the answers to your pressing questions from prominent finance leaders on stage.

Networking Opportunities

Meet new business partners, engage and forge new connections with fellow finance and treasury leaders in the region, solution providers and many more at our event through luncheons, coffee breaks, one-to-one meetings and informal introductions.

Targeted In-Depth Sessions

8 hours of learning and networking opportunities packed into 10 in depth sessions. Listen to corporate-driven best practices and case studies sharing that are targeted to your profession through the personalized country-specific conferences we crafted for you - FutureCFO Conferences.

FUTURECFO CONFERENCE SERIES

2026 AGENDA

09:00

Welcome Remarks

Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

09:15

Panel Discussion: Composable Architecture: The Foundation for Business Agility

Agility is the new currency—and in Asia’s fast-moving markets, speed without stability is a recipe for failure. Composable architecture promises both: modular, API-first systems that can pivot with market shifts and seamlessly absorb AI capabilities. But how do you avoid turning composability into complexity? This session examines how regional leaders are establishing digital foundations that are both resilient and prepared for tomorrow’s uncertainties.

  • Core principles of composable enterprise design
  • Low code + API ecosystems in ASEAN contexts
  • Managing integration debt in hybrid environments
  • Embedding security and observability from day one
  • Futureproofing for agentic AI and edge computing

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

09:50

Keynote: Beyond Storage: Reengineering Cloud Strategy in the Age of AI-Driven Innovations

Gartner anticipates that by 2026, 70% of new cloud deployments will leverage cohesive cloud data ecosystems rather than manually integrated point solutions. The use of AI and generative AI, combined with a torrent of disparate data and analytics, has amplified the challenge of managing cloud workloads in today’s digital revolution.

  • Hybrid cloud shaping the next phase of cloud adoption
  • Converging clouds and data platforms
  • Enabling an integrated and optimised hybrid multicloud platform
  • Meeting the challenges in a distributed landscape
  • Balancing cloud-native agility with security and governance in hybrid infrastructures

10:15

Fireside Chat: Digital Sovereignty and Cross-Border Data Collaboration Amid Geopolitical Volatility

From Jakarta to Hong Kong, digital sovereignty is no longer a buzzword—it’s a board-level mandate. As nations in Asia tighten data laws and global tech alliances fracture, CIOs must navigate a patchwork of regulations without sacrificing regional scale. This session examines how forward-thinking leaders are transforming sovereignty from a constraint into a competitive advantage—building trusted, compliant, and collaborative data ecosystems that span borders.

  • Navigating Southeast Asia’s evolving data protection laws
  • Designing cross-border data flows that respect sovereignty
  • Reassessing vendor dependencies (US vs. China vs. local)
  • Building sovereign cloud partnerships
  • Automating compliance without killing agility

Interviewer:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

10:40

Morning Coffee Break & Networking

11:10

Keynote: Enabling Autonomous Workforce in 2026

Gartner predicts that 40% of enterprise apps will feature task-specific AI Agents by 2026, up from less than 5% in 2025. With AI agents evolving rapidly, organisations that do not plan to develop agentic capabilities risk falling behind their competitors.

  • Agentic AI in 2026: Expectations vs. reality
  • The future of agentic AI in enterprise applications
  • Is your business ready for autonomous agents?
  • Pre-requisites and approaches to implementing agentic AI
  • Scaling agentic AI for competitive advantage

11:25

Panel Discussion: Embedding AI-Driven Continuous Improvement in Business Operations

How can organisations move past initial AI adoption to establish AI-powered continuous improvement cycles that iteratively enhance processes, customer experience, and operational efficiency? We will examine best practices for creating sustainable AI value through feedback loops and overcoming organisational inertia, thereby delivering ongoing, measurable business impact beyond pilots and experiments.

  • Designing AI feedback loops for continuous process improvement
  • Overcoming organisational barriers to AI-driven change
  • Integrating AI into business processes beyond pilots
  • Measuring business impact and ROI of ongoing AI initiatives
  • Leveraging AI for agile customer experience and operational efficiency

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Panelist:
Siripat Thammanoonkul, Chief Technology Officer & DPO, UNION AUCTION PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED

12:00

Fireside Chat: Securing the AI Era: From Supply Chains to Post-Quantum Readiness

AI is transforming business—but also expanding the attack surface. From poisoned open-source models to insecure third-party APIs, the AI supply chain is the new frontline. Meanwhile, quantum looms as a horizon threat. This session moves beyond hype to practical defence: how Asian CIOs and CISOs are securing AI deployments today while preparing for tomorrow’s cryptographic revolution.

  • Auditing third-party AI models and APIs
  • Preventing prompt injection and data leakage
  • Securing AI training data and inference pipelines
  • Understanding post-quantum cryptography timelines
  • Building cyber resilience in AI-augmented environments

12:35

Networking Lunch

13:45

Keynote: Unified Data as a Core Business Strategy

Gartner predicts that by 2027, 50% of business decisions will be augmented or automated by AI agents for decision intelligence. Decision intelligence combines data, analytics and AI to create decision flows that support and automate complex judgements. How to integrate fragmented data sources into a single cohesive system for a more accurate analysis and better decision making?

  • Enabling consistent data management across hybrid cloud and on-premise
  • Data fabric to reduce complexity of handling data at scale 
  • Building next-gen data fabric fuelled by AI-assistants and agentic capabilities
  • Transforming data into actionable insights with end-to-end integrated analytics

14:10

Panel Discussion: Strategic Tech Rationalisation and Future-Ready Tech Stack Optimisation for 2026

In a landscape of tighter IT budgets, increasing tech sprawl, and rapid emerging technology disruption, CIOs must go beyond modernization—they must rationalise and optimise IT portfolios with precision and strategic intent. This session explores how top Asian enterprises are auditing, consolidating, and evolving their technology stacks to drive business growth, reduce cost, and prepare for future innovations like AI, quantum computing, and automation.

  • Auditing and rationalising application and vendor portfolios to remove redundancy while maintaining operational stability
  • Balancing CapEx and OpEx decisions amid economic volatility and inflation pressures
  • Uncovering inefficiencies and simplify complex, multi-vendor tech stacks with AI-driven automation and analytics
  • Integrating legacy systems with emerging technologies for a scalable, resilient, and future-ready IT ecosystem
  • Securing board and organisational buy-in for tough tech sunsetting decisions while safeguarding innovation budgets

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

14:45

Fireside Chat: From IT Steward to Business Owner: Redefining the CIO’s Role in 2026

In 2026, CIOs in Asia are no longer judged solely on system uptime or cost savings—they are expected to co-own digital products, influence revenue streams, and drive mission-critical outcomes. This session explores how top-performing CIOs are stepping beyond traditional IT boundaries to lead cross-functional business initiatives, manage digital P&Ls, and build careers anchored in enterprise impact rather than internal IT metrics.

  • Redefining success metrics – from IT KPIs to business outcomes
  • CIOs as digital product owners
  • Framing and testing organisational models to fit the business model
  • Skills and mindset shift for the expanded role
  • Career pathways – stepping out of an established comfort zone

Interviewer:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Interviewees:
Anek Ratnaphat, Regional Head of IT, MAXIM’S CATERERS
Suresh Komirishetty, CIO – SEA1, MERCEDES-BENZ (THAILAND) LTD

15:10

Afternoon Coffee Break

15:40

Fireside Chat: Leading the Charge on Sustainable Technology

PwC’s multi-billion-dollar investment strategy in the Asia Pacific region signals a growing emphasis on ESG outcomes interlinked with digital transformation. Sustainability is no longer a CSR footnote—it’s a core component of tech strategy. In Asia, where energy demand and e-waste are soaring, CIOs are under pressure to shrink IT’s footprint while driving digital growth. This session reveals how regional leaders are embedding ESG into infrastructure, procurement, and AI—turning green tech from a cost centre into a value driver.

  • Measuring IT’s carbon footprint across hybrid clouds
  • Circular economy in hardware and software
  • Green cloud partnerships in ASEAN
  • Using AI to optimise energy use
  • Linking sustainability KPIs to vendor contracts

Interviewer:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

16:05

Panel Discussion: From Hype to Human-Centric AI: Delivering Measurable Value in 2026

In 2026, AI is no longer optional—but neither is accountability. Across Asia, CIOs face boardroom demands to prove ROI, not just showcase pilots. Yet many deployments stall between promise and practice, while workforce anxiety grows over AI’s role. This session cuts through the noise to explore how leading Asian enterprises are embedding AI not as a shiny add-on, but as a trusted, measurable partner—enhancing human potential, not replacing it.

  • Operationalising AI beyond PoCs
  • Measuring real ROI: Cost, productivity, customer impact
  • Designing ethical, explainable human-AI workflows
  • Mitigating burnout and building AI literacy
  • Integrating AI into composable, agile architectures

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

Panelist:
Chalida Ratanamook, Director of Tech Operations & Innovation, Sofitel & MGallery, ACCOR

16:40

Fireside Chat: Digital Ethics and Responsible AI Governance for Asia

Digital ethics and responsible AI governance are critical for CIOs in Asia in 2026 as they navigate a fast-evolving regulatory landscape. Emphasising fairness, transparency, and accountability, CIOs must align AI innovation with regional compliance and societal trust. Addressing bias, cross-border data sovereignty, and ethical impact is vital to sustain growth and foster stakeholder confidence. Ethical leadership in AI ensures technology drives inclusive, trustworthy progress amid Asia’s diverse geopolitical challenges.

  • Navigating the complexities of digital transformation in Asia
  • Balancing innovation with robust governance
  • Digital ethics in practice
  • The future of AI governance
  • Demonstrating the ethical impact and compliance of AI initiatives to the board and stakeholders

Moderator:
Allan Tan, Group Editor-in-Chief, CXOCIETY

17:15

Chairman’s Closing Remarks

17:30

End of Conference

2025 SPEAKERS

Speaking Opportunities:

WHY SPONSOR

We will help you GENERATE quality business leads.
We will help you INCREASE your regional profile.
We will help you CREATE new business opportunities.

  • Get cost-effective marketing exposure and branding to your target audience, culminating in face-to-face meetings with your prospects.
  • Position and profile yourself as an industry leader.
  • Increase your brand recognition.
  • Create new partnerships and alliances.
  • Develop relationships through new virtual networking opportunities.
  • Showcase new products and services to a targeted audience of decision makers.
  • Get direct and exclusive access to Key decision-makers

Sponsorship Opportunities:

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