NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Great CIOs leverage new technologies to create strong competitive advantages in rapidly changing global markets. They also take a pro-active role in leading "the big shift" from internally-focused IT to customer-centric, socially connected information platforms that drive revenue and generate real value for the business.

More than 300 CIOs and senior IT executives gathered to share crucial business insights and critical knowledge at The 2014 CIO Summit of America, an all-day event held yesterday at the prestigious Harvard Club in New York City. The summit was produced by HMG Strategy, the leading producer of CIO Executive Leadership Summits in North America, in association with the New York Metro Area Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM).

"To a far greater extent than ever before in history, the outcome of business competition is determined by technology," said Hunter Muller, President and CEO of HMG Strategy LLC. "The winners in this epic revolution are the companies with the best IT strategies."

Smart enterprises will emulate familiar consumer service models to deliver exceptional value to their customers and stakeholders, according to speakers at the summit. "We're at a genuine turning point in the game. The best CIOs understand that the momentum has decisively shifted and that today we are all competing in a customer-focused world," said Muller.

Keynote speakers at the summit included Linda Ban, Global C-suite Study Program Director, IBM; Roger Gurnani, EVP & CIO, Verizon; and Dave Wright, Chief Strategy Officer, ServiceNow.

Panelists and presenters included Matt Aiello, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles; David Aronoff, General Partner, Flybridge Capital Partners; Shawn Banerji, Managing Director, Russell Reynolds Associates; Kurt Brungardt, CIO and Managing Director, MSD Capital, L.P. and President, SIM NY Metro; Eric Bulis, EVP of Operations & CIO, SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Co., Inc. & S.USA Life Insurance Co., Inc.; Michael Capone, CIO & CVP Product Development, ADP; Mike Dauber, Principal, Battery Ventures; Richard M. Entrup, Executive Director, Media Technology & Strategy, Disney/ABC TV Group; Cindy Finkelman, VP & CIO, Corporate Center, New York Life Insurance Company; Don Floyd, Senior Enterprise Architect, Chateaux Software; Michelle Garvey, SVP & CIO, Ann Inc.; Jon Harding, Global CIO, Conair Corporation; Donagh Herlihy, SVP eCommerce & CIO, Avon Products, Inc.; John Hill, CIO, Veyance Technologies, Inc.; Jeanette Horan, VP & CIO, IBM; Eliot Horowitz, CTO and Co-Founder, MongoDB, Inc.; Dev Ittycheria, Managing Director, Openview Venture Partners; Bruce Leidal, CIO, Carestream; Tony Leng, Managing Director and CIO Practice Leader, Diversified Search; Brian R. Lurie, former VP & CIO, Gardner Denver Incorporated; Stuart McGuigan, CIO, Johnson & Johnson; Eric McNulty, Director of Research, Harvard's National Preparedness Leadership Initiative; Jamie Miller, SVP & CIO, GE; Michelle Mosolgo, Executive Director, Global Innovation Venture Technologies, Merck; Michael Pellegrino, CIO, Sun Products Corporation; Mark Polansky, CIO/Information Technology Officers Practice, Korn Ferry; Steve Randich, EVP and CIO, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA); Joe Sexton, President Field Operations, AppDynamics, William A. Tanenbaum, Head, IP and Technology Transactions Group and Head, GreenTech and Sustainability Group, Kaye Scholer LLP; Robert Walsh, former Commissioner, NYC Department of Small Business Services; and Ben Werther, Founder & CEO, Platfora.

Sponsor Partners of the summit included IBM, ServiceNow, AppDynamics, Chateaux Software, CloudVelocity, Icreon, Informatica, Netuitive, Okta, xMatters, CAI, Crisply and BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Strategic Partners included Egon Zehnder International, Heidrick & Struggles, Korn Ferry, Russell Reynolds Associates and Spencer Stuart.

In 2014, HMG Strategy CIO Executive Leadership events will be held in major markets including Phoenix, New York, Boston, Houston, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington, D.C., New Jersey, Chicago, Toronto, Detroit, Atlanta, Denver, San Diego, Greenwich, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and London.

"HMG Strategy has built the strongest CIO/IT executive leadership community in North America with the enthusiastic support and active participation of thousands of CIOs and executive leaders," said Hunter Muller, President and CEO, HMG Strategy. "The continuing success of our model demonstrates the global need for C-level executive networking events designed expressly for IT leaders across all sectors of the economy. We deliver unparalleled value based on our thought-leadership, HMG proprietary research, International Advisory Board and events, to create a truly unique value proposition for the IT industry."

About HMG Strategy

HMG Strategy is a leading global provider of innovative IT leadership, management and technology support to CIO/Senior IT executives by focusing on the 360-degree needs of the CIO/IT Leader. Our events and services raise thought leadership, knowledge sharing and networking to the highest level. HMG Strategy provides access to an international network of more than 60,000 CIO/Senior IT executives, industry experts and world-class thought leaders. For more information about HMG Strategy and its unique portfolio of CIO/IT leadership resources, visit www.hmgstrategy.com or contact Hunter Muller at 203-221-2702 or via e-mail at hunterm@hmgstrategy.com.

SOURCE HMG Strategy