AITP Chicago
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The event will bring together HR and tech leaders for a dynamic morning of conversation, exploring how organizations can prepare their teams for what’s next through intentional upskilling and reskilling, people-centered talent strategies, and thoughtful adoption of AI, cloud, and emerging technologies. Through candid discussion and shared insights, attendees will leave with practical takeaways for building adaptable, future-ready teams while keeping people at the center of innovation.
Running Schedule (to be updated in coming weeks)
8:00 AM – Registration and Networking Breakfast
8:35 AM – Introduction: Elle Ramel, Chief of Staff and Inclusive Partnerships, World Business Chicago 8:45 AM – Panel Discussion: Future-ready talent, emerging technology adoption, and practical strategies 9:45 AM – Networking Break
10:00 AM – i.c.stars overview, Arely Dorsey, Talent Placement 10:05 AM – IT Leader Ventas, Inc i.c.stars Partnership Overview 10:10 AM – Cycle 59 Intern Project Presentation 10:30 AM – Ecosystem Partner Breakout Breakout 1- Jane Hamner, Centric Consulting & Co-Founder, ARA & Brandy Todd, McCann Partners – “Attract. Retain. Advance. Women in a Tech-Driven World” Breakout 2 – Sally Martin, TalentFish Co-Founder & AITP Chicago President – ” The Human Edge: How to Hire and Get Hired in the Age of AI” 11:15 AM –Keynote: Miriam Warren, Chief Culture Officer, Yelp 11:45 AM – Closing Remarks
Global Cyber Security Initiative, Building Cyber Resilience – Surviving threats today and tomorrow presents:
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Use Discount Code "AITP2026"
Keynote:
Mark Manglicmot. Global VP of Consulting, CrowdStrike Inc
As Global Vice President - Cyber Security Consulting Services, Mark Manglicmot leads AI, Strategic & Technical Advisory plus Red Team services.
Most recently Mark led the Security Services team at Arctic Wolf comprising their SOC, Consulting/Concierge, Incident Response, Training, and Tech Support teams. A US Air Force Veteran and experienced consultant, his experience is concentrated in enterprise security strategy, APT incident response, adversary hunting tactics, security operation center (SOC) formation, Red Teaming and security analytics. Manglicmot’s USAF service of nine years included over five years in the Air Force Computer Emergency Response Team (AFCERT) where he was certified as a “Combat Mission Ready” Crew Commander and Assistant Director of Operations to direct real-time cyber-response actions across the DoD.
Mark is frequently sought-after as a speaker and media spokesperson on topics related to security threats & trends, incident response, managed services, security best practices, and more.
Confirmed Speakers
Bruce Coffing, CISO, City of Chicago
Evan Pena, Founder & Chief Offensive Security Officer, Armadin
Fred Kwong, Ph.D. , CISO, DeVry University
Sebastiaan Gybels, Sr VP, Northern Trust
Rebecca Lively, Stealth Startup
Barbara Ballan, Assistant Professor of Law, FIU
Jason Czarnezki, Dean, Chicago-Kent College of Law
Mahmood Khan, CISO, CNA
Karen Habercross, Vice President, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer
Laszlo Gonc, CEO, Next Era Transformation Group
Nitin Raina, Global CISO at Thoughtworks
Gregg Friedman, President, ISSA Chicago
David Neuman, Chief Operating Officer at acceligence
Nicole Beebe, Dean, College of Computing, Illinois Tech
Robert Barr, PDA Board member
Bob Kress, Retired MD, The Accenture Security
Mark Rorabaugh, CEO, InfraShield
Richard Warner, Faculty Director, Center for Law and Computers, Chicago Kent College of Law
Wendy Betts, Information Security Officer, Rotary International, Member BoD, Cardio Diagnostics Inc
Stephen Reynolds, Attorney with McDermott, Will & Schulte
Terry Kurzynski, Chief Security Advisor, HALOCK
Matt Hartzman, Advisor, Hartzman Partners
For Sponsorship Information Contact:
Pan Asian American Business Council (PAABC)
The CISO of the Year Committee and the Chicago Chapters of AITP, ChicagoFIRST, InfraGard, ISSA, ISACA, PAABC, WiCyS and SIM are excited to welcome you to our 1st In-Person Mixer of 2026.
The purpose of the CISO of the Year program is to recognize the top CISOs in the greater Chicago area and provide a higher level of awareness and recognition to the CISO (or equivalent in authority) position.
Join us for the first of four events leading up to the Awards Breakfast of October 14th. The four events are Private, intended to support CISO’s and their direct reports, 2024 CISO Nominees, the Program Judges, our CISO Program Sponsors and delegates from esteemed industry partners-AITP, ChicagoFIRST. Infragard, ISSA, ISACA, PAABC, WiCyS and SIM (limit of up to 2 Board Members from each Industry Partner per event without special approval).
Click Here for More Information on the Program
This is a great opportunity to recognize the exceptional talent we have in the Chicago Region, to network with security professionals and to meet the candidates and judges for the 2026 CISO of the Year Program. Great Food and Drink Too.
Prior CISO of the Year Award Winners:
2025 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, Shefali Mookencherry, CISO, UIC 2025 - CISO of the Year, MID-CAP, Nitin Raina, CISO, Thoughtworks
2024 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, Dan Manley, CISO, CME Group 2024 - CISO of the Year, MID-CAP, Angela Williams, CISO, UL
2023 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, Darin Hurd, CISO, Guaranteed Rate 2023 - CISO of the Year, MID-CAP, Neil Witek, CISO, Oak Street Health
2022 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, Mahmood Khan, SVP and CISO, CNA 2022 - CISO of the Year, MIDCAP, Walter Lefmann, Director of Security, Chicago Trading Corporation
2021 - CISO of the Year, Ricardo LaFosse, CISO, The Kraft Heinz Company
2020 - CISO of the Year, Paige Adams, Global Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Zurich Insurance Company Ltd
2019 - CISO of the Year, Jill Rhodes, CISO, Option Care Health
2018 - CISO of the Year, Bradley Schaufenbuel, VP & Chief Information Security Officer, Paylocity
2017 - CISO of the Year, Erik Decker, Chief Security & Privacy Officer, University of Chicago Medicine
2016 - CISO of the Year, Todd Fitzgerald, CISO, Grant Thornton International Ltd
2015 - CISO of the Year, Kevin Novak, CISO and Technology Risk Officer for Northern Trust Bank
2014 - CISO of the Year, Arian McMillan, CISO, Deparartment of Innovation and Technology, City of Chicago
2013 - CISO of the Year, Jason Witty, SVP & CISO, US Bank.
Please Thank Our 2025 Program Sponsors:
The CISO of the Year Committee and the Chicago Chapters of AITP, ChicagoFIRST, InfraGard, ISSA, ISACA, ISSA, PAABC, WiCyS and SIM are excited to welcome you to our 2nd In-Person Mixer of 2026.
Join us for the 2nd of four events leading up to the Awards Breakfast of October 14th. The four events are Private, intended to support CISO’s and their direct reports, 2024 CISO Nominees, the Program Judges, our CISO Program Sponsors and delegates from esteemed industry partners-AITP, ChicagoFIRST, Infragard, ISSA, ISACA, PAABC, WiCyS and SIM (limit of up to 2 Board Members from each Industry Partner per event without special approval).
2025 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, ShefaliMookencherry, CISO, UIC 2025 - CISO of the Year, MID-CAP, Nitin Raina, CISO, Thoughtworks
2023 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, Darin Hurd, CISO, Guaranteed Rate 2023 - CISO of the Year MID-CAP, Neil Witek, CISO, Oak Street Health
2022 - CISO of the Year, ENTERPRISE, Mahmood Khan, CISO, SVP& CISO, CNA 2022 - CISO of the Year MID-CAP, Walter Lefmann, Director of Security, Chicago Trading Corporation
Please Thank Our 2024 Program Sponsors:
You're Invited to an Informational presentation and discussion.
Host: Alden Hutchison, Principal, Cyber Risk & Data Protection, RSM US LLP
Topic: Applying FinOps best practices to foster a cost-conscious culture in modern IT.
Summary
In today’s AI-first and Cloud/SaaS-driven enterprises, organizations often struggle to balance speed with financial accountability. They frequently lack visibility, ownership, and cultural alignment around costs. In this session, Shyam Kumar, CEO of CloudNuro and FinOps Certified Practitioner, shares how FinOps best practices help build a cost-conscious culture across modern IT. Drawing from real-world experiences across enterprises, we will discuss how to operationalize cost transparency, establish shared accountability across engineering, finance, and business teams, and build a sustainable culture of cost awareness.
Attendees will gain practical insights into implementing FinOps frameworks, leveraging data to drive behavior change, and aligning technology investments with measurable business outcomes.
Presenter: Shyam Kumar, CEO, CloudNuro Corp | https://www.cloudnuro.ai
Shyam Kumar is the Co-Founder and CEO of CloudNuro Corp, a Chicago-based AI-driven Unified FinOps platform that helps organizations gain visibility, governance, and accountability across cloud, SaaS, and AI spending. A recognized technology leader and member of the Forbes Business Development Council, Shyam founded CloudNuro to help enterprises and public-sector agencies optimize technology investments through AI and automation. He works closely with enterprise customers to apply FinOps best practices that improve transparency, strengthen security and compliance, and ensure technology delivers measurable value. CloudNuro was the winner of the Chicago Innovation Awards 2025. Shyam is a FinOps-certified professional and industry thought leader.
Presenter: Khan Tran
Khan Tran is the CTP-Advisory at CloudNuro. He is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience leading IT and engineering organizations across diverse sectors. Renowned as a transformative leader, he has spearheaded mission-critical initiatives at Fortune 100 companies and mid-market private-equity-backed enterprises. His expertise spans product innovation, technology start-ups, new product introduction, M&A integration and divestiture, organizational transformation, and go-to-market strategies for AI products. Khan brings FinOps expertise to customers and partners.
Water, Soft Drinks and Lite Refreshments will be Served
Registration will close 2 days in advance of the event. Bring an ID for building security - The elevator will go to floor 33 reception, then you'll walk up the stairs to floor 34
Registration is required - No walk ins allowed.
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