GDS International Sets up for Another Exceptional CIO Australia Summit with its Advisory Board in March

BRISTOL, England, March 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

The 22 March will be witness to the fourth CIO Australia Advisory Board meeting, hosted by GDS International at the Shangri La Hotel in Sydney. A 30-strong consortium of CIOs and Senior Corporate Officers from the region's most progressive enterprises, the CIO Australia Advisory Board promises to infiltrate the most pressing topics for CIOs cross-industry and pave the way for the most well-respected CIO Summit in Australia, which will take place at The Radisson Resort Gold Coast, Queensland, in September.

Top C-level executives will be present to discuss cutting-edge business topics, spanning the gamut of challenges facing CIOs in the Australian region today - from talent management to BI, IT outsourcing and CRM to name but a few.

Designed with a consideration for the Summit in September, the Advisory Board brings together the best in the business to open debates on trending topics for CIOs, current challenges being faced at the global decision-maker level and how best to structure future CIO Australia Summits in a bid to continue leading the way as B2B facilitator of next generation business.

Included within the Advisory Board's senior executive delegation are Michael Emmett, CIO for QBE; Segar Reddy, CIO at V Australia; Bupa's CIO, Peter Powell; Deepak Jain, MD & Head of Technology at Citi Group; and Jackie Montado, CIO for Pepsico.

Steve Dixon, MD ANZ at Riverbed, attended last year's Summit and praised its unprecedented effectiveness, saying: "It's been a good event for us and a great opportunity to meet senior people that are normally very difficult for us to get in front of. The CIO Summit has been a really good event and certainly worthwhile."

The event has been designed specifically for forward-thinking CIOs in the Australian arena, drawing on experience and discussing the challenges facing the region's various marketplaces in a CIO context. The CIO Advisory Board will function around six sessions designed to explore the most disruptive disciplines facing CIOs throughout Australia. The aim? To induce business relationships and advocates within the industry that continue to champion the CIO Australia Summit, while concurrently setting the standards to be followed through for the CIO Summit in September.

Kristy Morrison, CIO Delegate Director for the CIO Australia brand, believes that the exceptional calibre of speakers and content, aligned with truly valuable networking opportunities, offer the delegates unprecedented value for their time and a significant return on their knowledge and expertise.

"The Advisory Board will bring together the top CIOs from various industries in Australia to help shape the programme for the CIO Summit in September. The Board will work through a one-day programme, discussing the challenges, issues and hot trends that will set the tone and platform for the Summit - and drive content to the exclusive event for the top 65 CIOs later on in the year. Traditionally, the Advisory Board has been one of our strongest pre-event Boards globally across our entire portfolio, and the strength of our hand-picked delegates means we're in a position to raise the bar once again for 2012."

For more information, please visit: http://www.ngcioaustralia.com

About GDS International

GDS International is the global business event organization behind iStrategy, and is one of the most innovative events and media companies worldwide - and a globally renowned producer of business-to-business summits, conferences, online information and advisory group gatherings. Founded in 1993, GDS International specializes in meeting the B2B marketing needs of our clients. Having a strong presence in mature industrial sectors but a finger on the pulse of emerging markets - as well as up-and-coming B2B business verticals - means we are perfectly placed to capitalize on the exciting developments brought about by the advent of a globalized economy. Our value proposition is simple: we deliver tangible business results from world-class events.

http://www.gdsinternational.com

Contact: Rachel Sandeman
rachel.sandeman@gdsinternational.com
+44-1179-261-450