October means that leaves are falling and the 2020 Digital Learning Series is coming to an end with two final webinars. On October 7 we will hold the last “Update” of the Series, where we will answer questions, provide survey information, and take input toward our 2021 plans. The October 14 episode on “Digital Transformation” will be our biggest of the Series. Three segments and ten people are scheduled to take part.

Our "Update" webinar has become a popular monthly event for Digital Learning Series. Join Christopher Reichert, SM' 04, Treasurer, MIT Sloan Boston Alumni Association, and Allan Tate, as they discuss the September episode "The Post-Pandemic Enterprise" and preview what's coming as we prepare for our final webinar in October. They will also discuss attendee feedback and answer your questions.

Our final DLS webinar for the Fall session will be divided into three segments focusing on "Digital Transformation". We will have nationally respected leaders from top academic and business organizations to discuss getting your digital transformation on track, including how to build the right digital culture and choose the right leaders.

Mike Grandinetti, Mentor, Instructor and Program Development Fellow at the

University of CA at Berkeley's Sutardja Center of Technology & Entrepreneurship will moderate a panel discussion on how the coronavirus pandemic has transformed our daily lives. He will be joined by Stephen Franchetti, VP, IT & Business Technology at Slack, Zachary Smith, Managing Director at Packet, an Equinix Company, Zeeshan Tariq, VP/CIO at Zimmer Biomet, and Graham Wilkinson, Executive Vice President, Product Strategy & Innovation at Kinesso.

MIT Sloan’s own Dr. George Westerman will moderate a panel on how traditional companies can replicate the steps taken by digital-born companies such as Amazon, Google, and Uber, to build a more digital-ready culture. Dr. Westerman will be joined by the 2020 CIO Leadership Award winner, Shamim Mohammad, Sr. Vice President, Chief Information and Technology Officer at Carmax, and Cynthia Stoddard, Sr. Vice President & Chief Information Officer at Adobe.

Allan Tate will have a one-on-one discussion with Guy Snodgrass, SM '00, CEO at Defense Analytics, on ways that leaders can cope with today's uncertain environment and learn from the U.S. Navy’s Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN).

Planning has started for 2021. However, there is still uncertainty about whether an in-person event will be possible or if we will be solely online. At this point, we are still gathering information to understand what works best for you, as the one constant is that we remain committed to delivering meaningful content and discussions targeted at the CIO community.

Our original surveys focused on options to enhance a virtual Symposium. We are now onto Survey #3 that focuses on in-person considerations, including travel, gathering in groups, and willingness of people to come to an in-person event.

This survey (#3) has five questions and will take less than 2 minutes to complete. We will be sharing results from all three surveys with listeners of our October 7 “Update.”

Executive Chair, MIT Sloan CIO Symposium