Agenda

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

“Business and Operating Models in the Agentic Era”

Please note that 1:1 meetings will be running throughout the day.

07:45 - 08:30

Registration & Check-in

Secure your seat and table in the keynote room for the day.

Jim Berry

CEO & Founder at ADAPT

About

Jim is known for exceeding expectations in execution.His entire career has been spent connecting the right people at the right time in roles across Europe and Asia Pac. ​

He founded ADAPT to deliver quality outcomes with integrity – with a vision to help Australia thrive commercially, now and for the future.To enable that, Jim leads ADAPT’s mission to connect, inform and equip our local business and tech leaders. ​

At the centre of agenda creation and strategic partner management for two decades, Jim is uniquely experienced to be the voice of the end-user, the customer and the vendor. ​

He satisfies C-suite attendees with all agendas across ADAPT Edge events. He also regularly presents “Know your Customer” webinars and guides the world’s largest vendors with their GTM and content strategies.​

Through entrepreneurial product development and a servant leader mentality with his team and clients, ADAPT grows annually with clearly differentiated value for all stakeholders.

08:30 - 08:50

Welcome to the 30th CIO Edge:
"Business & Operating Models in the Agentic AI Era"

Jim Berry - CEO & Founder at ADAPT Read More

Welcome to ADAPT’s 30th national gathering of Australian CIO and IT leaders from Enterprise and Government – with the cohort responsible for over 1/3 of AU GDP and 10% of the workforce.

The #1 Business Goal articulated by CIOs for 2026 is to “”Grow the Business”” – moving IT from a cost centre to a revenue and business enabler, while still delivering on Tech modernisation, Simplification and Scaled AI.

Critical to remaining relevant in the agentic age will be understanding and championing new business and operating models that evolve the people, processes and platforms enabled by the tech strategy. CIOs will lead this alignment and then communicate value to all the stakeholders to help sustain the change.

As we embrace Agentic on that journey: What is possible over the next 5-10 years? What will be the cost if we get it wrong? Why rearchitecting workflows needs to be the centre of any Agentic conversation today? Why CIOs need to start thinking beyond co-pilot execution in their AI roadmap?

Join your CIO community, experts and ADAPT for the day to find answers to these critical questions and enable business led change.

Gabby Fredkin

Head of Analytics & Insights at ADAPT

About

Currently studying a Masters of Business Analytics at Deakin University, Gabby works closely with the Analyst team to identify trends in technology and business that help shape Australia. 

With a passion for statistics and data visualisation, he enables ADAPT to present the right insights at the right time to the right people. Using modern analytics techniques, Gabby provides ADAPT and their customers with confidence in the accuracy and validity of the information used for ADAPT’s Research, Advisory and Events. 

Gabby expertise extends to: 

– Descriptive and inferential statistica
– Regression techniques and forecasting
– Data Visualisation and customisation through PowerBI and Tableau  

08:50 - 09:10

ADAPT Australian Maturity & Performance Insights

Gabby Fredkin - Head of Analytics & Insights at ADAPT Read More

ADAPT’s research team reveal the latest local fact-based insights from over 5000 interactions and 1000 detailed surveys with our region’s top CIOs, CISO, CFOs, CTOs, and digital leaders. This session will assist you in comparing the resource allocation, investment priorities and unique challenges of Australian CIOs for you to benchmark and validate your priorities and thinking. Gabby will reveal the core findings distilled from your aggregated pre-event surveys and examine the technology strategies that are generating value – focused on what the top performers are doing differently.

Shannon Barry

Senior Community Success Manager at ADAPT

About
09:10 - 09:15

Get an Edge: Making the Most of Your Day

Shannon Barry - Senior Community Success Manager at ADAPT Read More

Charles McHardie

CDIO at Services Australia

About

Charles McHardie leads the largest technology group in the Australian government. Charles oversees the technical and digital infrastructure that delivers government services and support to millions of Australians.

In his role as CIDO Charles is responsible for driving digital and technology transformation within Services Australia and delivering whole-of-government transformation programs. He oversees significant investment in programs for Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support and myGov, and has led the delivery of major transformation programs such as Enhanced myGov. Charles led the delivery of technology and business solutions that positioned the Australian government to be able to respond rapidly to the global pandemic.

With over 30 years of experience in the public service and the military, I have core competencies in operational planning, command, intelligence analysis, and strategic studies. I am a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for my distinguished service and leadership in the navy and the public sector. My mission is to leverage my expertise in systems engineering and digital transformation to deliver innovative, efficient, and customer-centric solutions that improve the lives of Australians as Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIDO) for Services Australia.

Matt Boon

Senior Research Director at ADAPT

About

As Director of Strategic Research at ADAPT Matt Boon, is responsible for directing and developing ADAPTs research content and positions. In his role at ADAPT Boon advises C-Suite executives across the end-user and technology provider landscape. Boon is also responsible for bringing together groups of C-Suite leaders to discuss and prepare for the myriad of challenges and opportunities they face.

ADAPT host’s numerous industry leading IT focused events annually and Boon is responsible for hosting, chairing and delivering ADAPT independent content and positions to help attendees make informed IT decisions.

09:15 - 09:55

The Enterprise Architect:
Leading Transformation and Resilience at National Scale

Charles McHardie - CDIO at Services Australia Matt Boon - Senior Research Director at ADAPT Read More

Charles McHardie AM, CIDO at Services Australia, shares unfiltered insights on architecting a 10-year digital foundation, balancing stability with agentic AI innovation, and leading one of the nation’s most complex technology estates.

– Architecting the future enterprise: Designing a 10-year technology strategy that can support intelligent service layers without compromising core stability.
– Driving modular modernisation: Why continuous, modular improvement of existing architecture beats disruptive “”rip and replace”” programs.
– AI at scale: Moving beyond pilots to apply GenAI across development, testing, operations, and cyber resilience.
– The intersection of resilience and service delivery: How early detection, unified observability, and sovereign capability ensure critical platforms (myGov, Medicare, Centrelink) never miss a beat.
– Evolving the IT operating model: Building an adaptive, cross-agency digital skills campus to uplift capability and align technical strategy with executive intent.”

10:25 - 10:45

Morning Break: Refreshments, Snacks & Connections

An opportunity to meet with each other and with strategic partners.

Sarv Girn

Former CIO at RBA & Westpac

About

Sarv is a Non Executive Director and Advisor for a portfolio of organisations in the financial services, health, and technology sectors. His career spans over 30 years across the UK, Australia, and Asia.

Sarv’s senior executive roles have included, CIO of Reserve Bank of Australia (2012–18), CTO of Westpac (2008-12), CTO/CISO of Commonwealth Bank (2001-08), and more recently CIO at I-MED Radiology.

Sarv is currently Non Executive Director for Commonwealth Bank Health Society, Police Bank and auDA. Previously he served on the Boards of Reserve Bank Health Society and the Can Too Foundation for a period of 9 years.

He has extensive experience during periods of business and regulatory change as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit, Risk and Technology subcommittees.

Sarv holds a doctorate in Board Cybersecurity Governance, with a focus on how Directors can better attain assurance on cybersecurity and then optimise investments in line with their risk appetite.

Renowned for expertise in formulation of strategy and architecture of digital platforms — with attention on risk management and speed to market.

Proven track record in leading cultural change, building high-performing teams, and delivering large-scale transformation programs.

Lynden Roberts

Chief Medical Information Officer at Monash Health

About

Assoc Prof Lynden Roberts is the Chief Medical Information Officer at Monash Health where he has worked for 12 years. Lynden completed his MBBS in 1994 at University of Melbourne, his PhD at Walter & Eliza Hall Institute and his RACP Fellowship in Rheumatology & General Medicine. During his career he was worked at several Australian hospitals in a variety of medical leadership roles.

Lynden has had a long-standing research interest in health system innovation and is captivated by the potential of the various forms of ‘AI’ and analytics to transform healthcare. In 2025, he spent six months with the Australian Digital Health Research Centre (CSIRO) exploring this in depth. Lynden is driven to help ensure the significant benefits of digital technologies in healthcare are realised to improve the experience and outcomes for patients, carers, families, and staff.

Simon Moorfield

Group Executive, Customer and Technology at Transurban

About

Simon joined Transurban as Group Executive, Customer and Technology in October 2020. Prior to joining Transurban, Simon was the Executive General Manager Future Business & Technology and Chief Information Officer at AGL. He has 25 years’ experience in technology, innovation and transformation gained across roles held in Australia, the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Prior to AGL, Simon held several CIO and executive roles in companies including the Commonwealth Bank and GE. Simon has an extensive background in information analytics, customer engagement and mergers and acquisitions.

Peter Hind

Principal Research Analyst at ADAPT

About

Peter Hind has spent the last 25 years as an analyst and commentator on the ICT industry. He says his primary areas of interest are the potential of technology to transform the way organisations operate, the change management obstacles executives encounter in realising this potential and the tactics and techniques leaders have deployed to overcome these difficulties.

Peter now takes on multiple roles within ADAPT including the moderation of private events and roundtables, interviewing business executives about the strategies they are pursuing and assisting with the structuring of our delegate surveys and the interrogation and analysis of ADAPT’s treasure trove of end-user and C-level data

10:45 - 11:15

Solving the Right Problem: Architecting Workflows, Operating Models, and ROI for the Agentic AI Era

Sarv Girn - Former CIO at RBA & Westpac Lynden Roberts - Chief Medical Information Officer at Monash Health Simon Moorfield - Group Executive, Customer and Technology at Transurban Peter Hind - Principal Research Analyst at ADAPT Read More

– Reality Check: Is the real barrier to AI scale technical complexity, or broken workflows?
– Productivity Trap: How do we transition from personal productivity tools to true agentic workflows?
– Engineering Adoption: As AI-driven operational models take shape, how are you engineering a culture that wants to adopt the workflows that you are redesigning?
– Data Bottleneck: How do we reframe data hygiene from a back-office IT cost to a board-level revenue constraint?
– CFO Disconnect: How do we stop selling generic “”hours saved”” and prove hard long-term financial ROI?

11:35 - 11:55

From Operational Resilience to Business Value:
Simplifying Complexity in the Age of AI

with Splunk Read More

CIOs are under pressure to prove that operational resilience is not just a safeguard, but a driver of revenue protection, productivity, and customer trust.
This keynote explores how stronger observability can help technology leaders reduce complexity, prevent costly disruption earlier, and turn IT performance into measurable business outcomes.

– Resilience is becoming a commercial lever, not just a technical KPI.
– Greater visibility helps CIOs cut noise, cost, and operational drag.
– Predictive operations can reduce downtime before it hits customers and revenue.
– Agentic observability opens the door to faster decisions and smarter remediation.

12:00 - 13:00

ADAPT Executive Insight Roundtables

Share with confidence under the Chatham House Rule. Attend your preselected roundtable to participate in a peer discussion moderated by ADAPT analysts with subject matter experts.

Roundtable 1

Demystify the Future of Work – People, Money, Agents

with Workday Read More

The future of work isn’t just about new technology; it’s about managing a new kind of team. As of late 2025, only 14%* of enterprises had implemented AI agents, yet the potential to automate repetitive tasks and surface real-time insights is immense. During this session we will explore the agentic maturity journey. We will share insights on reskilling teams for AI literacy, modeling trust through human-in-the-loop governance, and overcoming the cultural resistance that follows early-stage AI disappointments.

Learn how a staged use-case approach—moving from information retrieval to autonomous task execution—allows Victorian departments/agencies to scale smart, start small, and finally deliver on the promise of AI-enhanced productivity. * Workday Realising ROI from AI Agents in Finance report.

Roundtable 2

Is ERP Dead? What Comes Next in the Age of Agentic AI?

with Rimini Street Read More

Traditional ERP thinking is being rewritten.

Agentic AI is shifting how work gets done and forcing leaders to question long held assumptions about monolithic suites, vendor roadmaps, and the belief that modernization must come through disruption.
This boardroom is an open, peer level conversation designed to explore where ERP is really heading and how technology leaders should be preparing for right now.

We will examine how agentic AI is unbundling ERP responsibilities, reshaping process orchestration, and enabling more intelligent service layers that sit above existing systems. Rather than pushing upgrades or platforms, this session focuses on the ideas, patterns, and signals that matter for predicting the next era of enterprise operations.

Join fellow CIOs and technology leader to explore:

– Why monolithic ERP models are losing relevance and what is replacing them
– What assumptions every CIO should challenge when evaluating vendor roadmaps
– How agentic AI is redefining the role of ERP in the enterprise

13:00 - 13:55

Peer Networking Seating Lunch

13:55 - 14:55

ADAPT Executive Insight Roundtables

Share with confidence under the Chatham House Rule. Attend your preselected roundtable to participate in a peer discussion moderated by ADAPT analysts with subject matter experts.

Roundtable 3

New Frictions New Frontiers – the Executive vs. Employee Tug-of-war on Enterprise AI Adoption

with Cognizant Read More

Cognizant’s will soon launch their New Frictions New Frontiers research, which studies the enterprise struggle to realise tangible ROI and “”hyperproductivity”” from their AI endeavors.

Last year’s bold MIT headline claimed that only 5% of AI pilots were able to extract value, but we know this isn’t a complete picture. In reality, organisations have deeply complex internal dynamics and sources of friction that can prevent AI from being leveraged to its fullest extent.

A key exploration area in this research is the “”leadership disconnect with frontline realities“. We have witnessed an “”Executive vs. employee tug-of-war”” where strategic intent doesn’t reconcile with lived experience.

This roundtable aims to delve into this crucial perception gap and frictions it creates, exploring why AI’s promise remains unfulfilled for many, and how organisations can better align their strategic momentum with employee readiness to successfully embed AI deeply and effectively across the enterprises.

Roundtable 4

Financial Intelligence Roundtable: Speak the New Language of Value with AI-Accelerated TBM

with Apptio Read More

In today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape, CIOs are under growing pressure to control IT spend while clearly demonstrating business value. Yet many organisations still lack the visibility needed to confidently manage technology investments making financial intelligence a critical capability for modern IT leadership

This roundtable, powered by AI-accelerated TBM solutions from Apptio, will bring together CIOs and senior technology leaders to explore how to better connect cost, performance, and outcomes. The discussion will focus on practical ways to move beyond traditional IT financial management and adopt a more strategic, data-driven approach to decision-making.

Participants will share insights on how to gain deeper visibility into technology spend, eliminate inefficiencies, and build stronger alignment with finance and business stakeholders—all while continuing to support innovation and growth.

Key discussion areas include:

– Establishing and maturing an IT Financial Management (ITFM) capability through a practical, structured approach
– Gaining granular visibility into technology spend across on-premises and cloud environments
– Identifying opportunities to reduce waste and optimise costs without limiting innovation
– Building trust and transparency with stakeholders through a shared financial language
– Balancing fiscal discipline with the need to invest in future-focused technologies

This interactive session is designed for leaders looking to strengthen financial intelligence, improve control over IT spend, and elevate how they communicate the value of technology across the business

Roundtable 5

Beyond Pilots – Redesigning Work for Enterprise AI Value

with Publicis Sapient Read More

Most organisations are stuck in AI pilots; this roundtable explores how to redesign processes and operating models so AI changes the business, not just the task.

– Where are you truly redesigning processes, not just sprinkling AI?
– Which journeys or value chains are your best candidates for redesign?
– How do you pick one “lighthouse” use case to prove change?
– What guardrails keep experimentation safe but fast enough for impact?
– How do you track productivity and value once agents enter workflows?

14:55 - 15:05

Afternoon Break: Refreshments + Snacks served in lobby

An opportunity to meet with other attending peers and with strategic partner executives

Dom Price

Work Futurist and Visionary

About

An accomplished TED speaker, Dom is proud to work at Atlassian, the home of the most intelligent t-shirt wearers in business.
As their resident Work Futurist, Dom is Atlassian’s in house “Team Doctor” helping Atlassian scale by being ruthlessly efficient and effective, and spends over half his time helping their customers navigate transformation, agility, leadership, and the future of work.

Dom helped pioneer Atlassian’s Team Playbook and has a deep passion for understanding of teamwork and the changes needed today to build thriving businesses.

He has previously been the GM Program Management for a global gaming company and a Director of Deloitte.

A keen traveller, Dom has traversed over 53 countries so far, but after 17 years on these shores, he calls Australia home.

Dayle Stevens OAM

Data and AI Executive at Telstra

About
15:05 - 15:35

Transformation Projects Fail without Upgrading the “Human Operating System"

Dom Price - Work Futurist and Visionary Dayle Stevens OAM - Data and AI Executive at Telstra Read More

As AI accelerates enterprise ambition, many organisations are upgrading their tech stack faster than their people stack.

Dom Price (Be Luminous, ex-Atlassian) sits down with Dayle Stevens OAM for a provocative fireside chat on why transformation efforts stall – and how to fix them.

This session explores the often-overlooked “human operating system”:

– The mindsets, behaviours, rituals, and leadership habits that determine whether change actually sticks.
– Balancing velocity with sustainability and avoiding cultural debt
– Designing organisations where humans and machines don’t just coexist – but compound each other’s impact.

Less about tools, more about traction. This is a discussion for leaders who know that the future of work isn’t just built, it’s behaved

Matt Boon

Senior Research Director at ADAPT

About

As Director of Strategic Research at ADAPT Matt Boon, is responsible for directing and developing ADAPTs research content and positions. In his role at ADAPT Boon advises C-Suite executives across the end-user and technology provider landscape. Boon is also responsible for bringing together groups of C-Suite leaders to discuss and prepare for the myriad of challenges and opportunities they face.

ADAPT host’s numerous industry leading IT focused events annually and Boon is responsible for hosting, chairing and delivering ADAPT independent content and positions to help attendees make informed IT decisions.

15:35 - 16:05

Economics of Agentic

Matt Boon - Senior Research Director at ADAPT Read More

Stop funding AI as a science experiment and build a CFO-ready FinOps model for consumption-based orchestration.

– Transitioning from predictable per-seat licensing to token-based consumption models.
– Protecting shrinking BAU operational budgets while funding agentic workflow integration.
– Defining the core metrics that link AI throughput directly to enterprise revenue.

Dr. Peter Weill

Chairman, CISR at MIT & ADAPT Advisor

About

As Chair of CISR at the MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston, Peter’s work centres on the role, value, and governance of digitisation in enterprises. Peter works with several of Australia’s and the world’s leading CIOs, ExCos and Boards and is a senior advisor to the New York VC firm Insight Partners.

Peter was nominated for the 2023 Thinkers-50 based on his new book, Future Ready, and was ranked by Ziff Davis as the 24th most influential person in IT and the highest ranking academic. MIT CISR undertakes practical research on how firms generate business value from digital.

16:05 - 16:45

CIO Town Hall:
What's on the Mind of A/NZ CIOs Leading Tech for 30% of Our GDP?

Dr. Peter Weill - Chairman, CISR at MIT & ADAPT Advisor Read More

This town hall reflects CIOs’ priorities of AI integration, operational excellence, and modernising legacy systems to drive growth, resilience, and innovation in 2025.

– Where does your organisation stand on the 4-stage Enterprise AI maturity model?
– What AI-driven approaches are working, and how are you leveraging autonomous agents today?
– What key issues and opportunities are top of mind for tech leaders in ANZ?
– Peer brainstorming to tackle your biggest technology challenges or uncover new growth avenues.
– Discuss strategies to achieve agility and responsiveness for top-tier performance.
– Explore how leading AI and digital transformation projects can shape your professional legacy.
– Preview insights from upcoming MIT CISR research on how to integrate and lead AI-powered collaborators effectively.

16:45 - 16:50

Closing Comments

16:50 - 17:30

CIO Edge Peer Networking Drinks

Read More

An opportunity to stay, mingle and meet other attendees over drinks and food and discuss the day.

Register your interest

CIO Edge Melbourne