4th Annual FutureCIO Conference Malaysia

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EVENT OVERVIEW

Gartner predicts that by 2025, 80% of CIOs will be explicitly measured on their ability to contribute to revenue growth. This shift underscores the evolving role of CIOs, CTOs and senior technology leaders in Asia, who now must navigate a landscape marked by rapid technological disruptions, geopolitical tensions, and economic uncertainties.

In this complex environment, CIOs are no longer confined to traditional technology management roles. They are increasingly viewed as strategic architects of business value, tasked with aligning technology and cybersecurity investments with broader business objectives. This transformation necessitates that they justify their technology expenditures to the board, demonstrating how these investments drive growth, innovation, and security.

Industry experts emphasise the importance of a data-driven culture and strategic alignment in achieving these goals. For instance, Franco Chiam, Vice President at IDC Asia/Pacific, notes that “CIOs must embed technologies like AI into the very DNA of business as a strategic ally in addressing business challenges and opportunities.” This perspective highlights the necessity for technology leaders to not only adopt new technologies but also integrate them into core business strategies.

As CIOs face increasing scrutiny on their roles in protecting revenue streams and ensuring business continuity, they must leverage data analytics and AI to inform decision-making and drive customer engagement. IDC predicts that by 2025, 40% of CIOs will prioritise strategic data management and foster a data-centric culture. This shift is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving digital landscape, especially in Asia, where regulatory compliance and data privacy are paramount.

The FutureCIO Malaysia Conference 2026, themed “Forging Future Advantage“, will focus on how IT leaders can enhance IT value by ensuring that technology initiatives contribute directly to business growth, resilience, and competitive advantage. The conference will feature insights from industry leaders and practitioners, addressing key topics such as:

Technology business partnering
IT and security optimisation
Reality check of emerging technologies adoption
Balancing innovation with operational continuity
Maintaining business and operational resilience

As we approach 2026, the role of technology leaders in Asia will increasingly reflect a dual focus on driving business value while ensuring robust cybersecurity measures are in place. The ability to navigate these challenges will be critical for success in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

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

2025 AGENDA

09:15

Opening Interview: Blueprints in Advancing Malaysia’s AI Capabilities

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

Interviewee:
Sam Majid, Chief Executive Officer, NATIONAL AI OFFICE MALAYSIA

09:40

Panel Discussion: Technology Business Partnering to Drive Business Growth

In a world where everything moves very rapidly, the role of IT and CIO/CTO naturally needs to evolve and develop into technology business partners. IT is now required to champion innovation, advance enterprise business goals and drive enterprise transformation for business growth, efficiency and competitive advantage.

How the role of IT is changing for the better
Bridging the divide between business and IT
Driving a transformative mindset within IT function
Infusing business acumen into IT function to channel innovation
Best practices in cultivating business-centric IT

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

Panelists:
James Thang, Chief Information Officer, HELP EDUCATION GROUP
Ajatshatru Singh, Head of Enterprise Architecture and Technology, POS MALAYSIA BERHAD
Alex Tan, Group Chief Information Officer, YINSON HOLDINGS BERHAD

10:15

Keynote: Reimagine, Rethink, Reinvent – How Businesses Can Scale Without Limits

In today’s dynamic digital landscape, technology leaders must constantly rethink workflows, modernise legacy systems, and drive scalable innovation. Yet too often, innovation efforts remain siloed only within engineering teams. To achieve true enterprise transformation, CIOs must democratize innovation—equipping employees across all levels with the tools, platforms, and autonomy to contribute. The most forward-thinking organisations foster a culture where innovation is decentralised, continuous, and owned by everyone.

Driving culture change: empowering all employees (not just tech teams) to innovate
Breaking down organisational and technical silos
Leveraging AI and automation to accelerate transformation
Building leadership strategies that foster continuous innovation

Mark Dembitz, General Manager, LARK ASIA-PACIFIC

11:10

Panel Discussion: Innovation vs. Keeping the Lights On

The days of just keeping the lights on are gone for today’s IT leaders. Most IT leaders are now under pressure to help the business to drive business changes and propel growth with continuous innovation.

As the epicenter of modern enterprise, CIO/CTO’s role in championing innovation today is often iterated as efforts to help business increase revenue, tap new markets, increase customer engagement or grow new product lines. How should CIOs/CTOs lead innovations that don’t impact current business operations thus overshadow new innovations?

What to prioritise in 2026?
Managing the continuous demand for innovation
Striking the right balance between innovation and operational excellence
Engaging with ecosystem partners to deliver the most value
Driving sustainable innovation while maintaining critical enterprise service continuity

Moderator:
Dr. Ambrose G. Corray, VP InfoTech & Digitalisation, HIBISCUS PETROLEUM BERHAD

Panelists:
Adnan Mansur, Head of Digital & Innovation, ASIA DIGITAL ENGINEERING (ADE)
Dato’ Ts. Tengku Intan Narqiah Tengku Othman, Chief Technology Officer, SYARIKAT TAKAFUL MALAYSIA KELUARGA BERHAD
G Saravanan, Group Chief Information Officer, THOMSON HOSPITAL KOTA DAMANSARA

11:45

Panel Discussion: Reality Check of GenAI Adoption

2024 saw immense growth of Generative AI (GenAI) adoption where the technology fundamentally changed how businesses get done. However, Gartner analysts predict that at least 30% of generative AI (GenAI) projects will be abandoned after proof of concept by the end of 2025, due to poor data quality, inadequate risk controls, escalating costs or unclear business value.

Expectations vs. reality
Assessing the maturity of GenAI model and how to accelerate it
Delivering GenAI promises
Ensuring infrastructure readiness to support enterprise GenAI adoption
Framework for ethical GenAI development and deployment

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

Panelists:
Greg Sheen, Group CIO, ACCESS WORLD AG
Darryl Ma, Head of Digital Automation, CELCOM DIGI
Chee Hung Ngoh, Chair, PIKOM CIO CHAPTER

12:20

Keynote: Future-Proofing Cybersecurity—Harnessing Emerging Tech for Resilience in 2025 and Beyond

As cyber threats rapidly evolve, organisations must adapt to new challenges driven by AI-powered attacks and persistent human vulnerabilities. This session explores how leveraging modern security technologies and strategies can help businesses stay resilient in the face of advanced threats.

The rising AI-generated cyber threats: Advanced phishing, deep-fake scams, polymorphic malware, and adversarial AI attacks
Mitigating human errors in cybersecurity
Harnessing AI-powered cybersecurity to enhance threat detection and responses
Deploying AI-driven SIEM for real-time threat analytics and automated responses
Ensuring cyber resilience with dark web monitoring, behavioral analytics, and threat intelligence

Fauzan Ali, Technical Solutions Consultant, MANAGEENGINE

13:45

Keynote: Putting AI to Work in your Business: Are your People and Data Ready for AI?

70% of businesses say their data assets are not ready for generative AI, and most report that their employees are nervous and unprepared. This keynote will share insights on how to prepare your business to take advantage of AI and embrace the next level.

Greg Crowl, VP Solutions Engineering, APJ, TUNGSTEN AUTOMATION

14:10

Panel Discussion: Modernising Digital Transformation Strategies for Relevance in 2025

Gartner research shows that 89% of boards agree digital is an implicit part of growth strategy, but 81% report they have not made progress toward or achieved their digital business transformation goals. Now that CEOs and the boards expect to see top- or bottom-line benefits from digital investments, how should CIOs and CTOs handle lagging digital transformation efforts and demonstrate business value from technology investments?

Aligning technology initiatives with business goals to drive digital transformation
Scaling digital transformation despite organisational barriers
Balancing innovation and control during digital business transformation
Sustaining the transformation momentum without overwhelming the teams
Measuring the outcomes and success of digital strategy

Moderator:
Hasan Ganny bin Hanif Francis, Executive Committee, IASA MALAYSIA CHAPTER

Panelists:
Akmal Nizam bin Abdul Halim, Director & Head of ITMD, LEMBAGA TABUNG ANGKATAN TENTERA (LTAT)
Jeya Ganesh, CIO, TAYLOR’S SCHOOLS
Tee Tze Phei, Chief Information Officer, WASCO BERHAD

14:45

Panel Discussion: Embracing Innovative Technologies without Losing Sight of Mounting Technical Debt

Technical (tech) debt is a growing issue for many organisations. Forrester’s Q2 2024 Tech Pulse Survey revealed that 30% of IT decision makers showed alarming struggle with high or critical debt – a growing burden that is caused by past decisions, time constraints, or external pressures that competes with the ability to pursue new initiatives. Also, in a recent CIO Sentiment Survey by IDC, 47% percent of CIOs expected to overspend blamed excessive tech debt, including old apps.

The true cost of technical debt for CIOs
How to pay off tech debt and invest in the future
Minimising the risk of tech debt while embracing modernisation
Best practices in tackling tech debt

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

Panelists:
Noorul Ameen, Senior Director, IT Client Services, PUBLICIS RE:SOURCES
Azizi Rashdi, Business RESET, Digital Transformation, SAPURA ENERGY BERHAD
Sudeep Srivastava, Head – KL IT Center, SLB

15:50

Panel Discussion: Maintaining Business and Operational Resilience in 2026

Cybersecurity plays a key role in risk management and business continuity though 2026. The adoption of AI and GenAI, spread of fake news and misinformation, cloud movement and talent crunch are pushing security to the top of IT leaders’ priorities list in 2026. Also, according to Gartner, 44% of C-suites and boards are less confident CISOs can deliver on key priorities. How should CIOs and CISOs protect their organisations from constantly evolving security threats, especially in the era of AI and distorted information?

Ensuring high-level cyber maturity amidst mounting and persistent cyber threats
The role of OT Security in business continuity
Enabling disinformation security to prevent, detect and respond to disinformation campaigns
Rethinking Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) to boost operational resilience and incident response
Enhancing end-user security awareness to strengthen defenses

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

Panelists:
Suresh Sankaran Srinivasan, Group Head – Cyber Security & Data Privacy, AXIATA
Ts. Dr. Ismamuradi Abdul Kadir, Chief Information Security Officer, BANK MUAMALAT MALAYSIA BERHAD
Muaz Nazim, GM Enterprise Architecture, INGRESS CORPORATION BERHAD

16:25

Fireside Chat: IT Cost Optimisation to Meet Business Transformation Demands

According to Forrester, while most technology executives expect to increase their IT budgets in 2025, it might not be enough to keep up with inflation. The rising costs from AI and cloud spends, security frameworks, supply chains and tech talents will expect CIOs to manage technology investments more carefully to avoid redundancy.

Growth vs. inflation – budgeting for IT in 2025
Budgeting for cloud, non-cloud investments, software and technical staff amid increased demand for AI modernisation
Optimising cloud use and rein in cost
How to minimise IT operation and fixed costs
Innovative sourcing and vendor management to reduce IT spend

Interviewer:
Dr. Steven Loh, Deputy Chairman, MALAYSIA IOT ASSOCIATION

Interviewees:
Ts. Hafizzudin Mohd Sabi, Head of Information Technology, KPS BERHAD
Agnes Ng, Head, Business Operation, Planning & Governance, PISCAP & Head, IT, PANASONIC MALAYSIA