CIO Peer Forum Conference

2026 CIO PEER FORUM^®
April 15th & 16th
Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre

The Empowerment Era: Scaling Talent, Intelligence, and Trust

On April 15–16, 2026, senior technology executives from across the country will gather in Vancouver for two days of insight, exchange, and strategic connection. As technology leaders, you’re not just implementing change—you’re architecting it. Technology leadership in Canada is at a turning point.

This year’s theme,

The Empowerment Era: Scaling Talent, Intelligence, and Trust

Captures a decisive moment for leaders navigating rapid innovation and societal change.

Explore how emerging innovations and leadership strategies are redefining the role of IT in enterprise growth. Through visionary keynotes, peer-led sessions, and candid conversations, you’ll gain the tools to scale smarter, lead with trust, and future-proof your teams.

Photo by Jennifer Friesen, Digital Journal, at the 2025 CIO Peer Forum®

The leaders in our community are modernizing public systems, safeguarding critical infrastructure, guiding enterprise transformation, and redefining how organizations deliver value. Their work is complex, strategic, and increasingly vital.

At a time when digital choices define long-term outcomes, Canada’s senior IT leaders are not just technologists. They are architects of business strategy and direction, working with resilience, growth, and public impact in mind. And they are doing this work as a community.

The CIO Peer Forum® is where this leadership converges.

The Peer Forum is more than a conference—it’s a curated, peer-to-peer experience that blends high-impact content with meaningful networking, designed exclusively for Canada’s most senior IT leaders.

This year’s sub-themes:

Talent in Transition – Leadership, Upskilling & Future-Ready Teams

The pace of technological change demands not just new tools, but new teams. This theme focuses on how IT leaders are navigating workforce transformation—developing digital talent, rethinking organizational design, and stepping up as business enablers. Whether you're scaling internal capabilities or shifting your leadership mindset, you'll leave with ideas you can immediately apply to build resilient, high-impact teams.

Intelligence at Scale – AI, Data & Quantum Advantage

AI is transitioning from experimental to essential, and data has become the driving force behind enterprise value. From this perspective, we'll dive deep into how leaders are scaling intelligent systems, modernizing data foundations, and exploring the emerging potential of quantum computing. You'll walk away with real examples of what's working—and what's not—when it comes to building adaptive, insight-driven organizations.

Trust by Design – Cybersecurity, Privacy & Responsible Innovation

As risk surfaces multiply, trust is now a strategic asset. This track brings together experts and peers to explore how IT leaders are embedding security, ethics, and accountability into every layer of tech strategy. From zero-trust frameworks to responsible AI governance, you'll gain practical frameworks to lead confidently in an environment where trust must be engineered, not assumed.

Join us in beautiful Vancouver for this exciting, value-packed introspection into the future of IT leadership. Whether you’re navigating AI adoption, strengthening your cyber posture, or cultivating a next-gen workforce, this conference offers the insight and inspiration you need to lead with clarity and impact. Expect candid conversations hands on insight, fresh perspectives, and actionable strategies tailored to the realities of technology executives like you.

Step away from the day-to-day, challenge your assumptions, and connect with a national community of peers who are redefining what it means to Lead in the Empowerment Era!

The CIO Association of Canada’s annual conference, the CIO Peer Forum®, is a vibrant community event for attendees and the profession. We recognize the essential role of the CIO Peer Forum® is now more important than ever. We need to bring our IT community together to share the latest trends, provide opportunities for thought leaders to learn about innovations, and be able to network with colleagues in their areas of expertise.
Connect with CIOCAN members and expert speakers from across the country as we share data, insights and best practices as companies shift and pivot to meet new challenges.

Consider staying a day in Vancouver after the close of the Peer Forum.
Local activities and tours to be determined!