The Global CIO Forum (GCF) hosted its annual Global Chapters Meetup during the World CIO 200 Summit 2025 Grand Finale, bringing together 50 ambassadors representing regions across MENA, Africa, Asia, and beyond. The meetup reaffirmed GCF’s mission to remain a truly global, diverse, and inclusive community of digital leaders while setting ambitious goals for the year ahead.
Opening the session, chapter leaders emphasized the principle that defines GCF as a community: “We need to be diverse, accessible, inclusive, and representative.”
While celebrating geographical and faith diversity, the Forum also acknowledged the pressing need to improve gender representation — with only four women out of 50 ambassadors currently represented. “This is not good enough, and we must make a concerted effort to address this by next year,” the leadership stated.
The annual meetup served as a platform for reflection and action, with ambassadors outlining key priorities for strengthening the Forum’s impact: listening closely to delegates, ensuring seamless event planning, and securing presenters who can truly connect with attendees. Expansion and accreditation were also highlighted as central to the Forum’s vision, with plans to increase multi-sector representation and stronger regional engagement, particularly across Europe and North America.
Among the strategic discussions, the community considered hosting a continental European event in 2026, forging deeper partnerships with associations such as the Chartered CIO Council, and aligning awards and recognition with UN Sustainable Development Goals. The ambassadors also stressed the importance of continuous communication beyond roadshows and finales, launching collaborative campaigns to identify challenges and reward the best community-driven solutions.
Another major focus was the need to grow CIO into a larger CXO brand, underpinned by a unified vision, shared ownership, and a Global Governing Body to provide direction and accountability. Research, standards development, and expanding the partner ecosystem were identified as critical areas of opportunity — transforming GCF into not just a CIO network but an institution of influence in global technology leadership.
“The CIO community has always been about resilience and innovation. Now it’s about scale — building bridges across regions and ensuring our impact is felt globally,” said Venki Mahadevan, Global CIO Forum’s Global Board Member.
“For us, diversity is not just about geography. It’s about bringing new voices, new genders, and new generations into the fold so that the Forum reflects the future we want to build,” added Shaukat Ali Khan, GCF’s UK Chapter Ambassador.
Andy Lau, GCF’s Executive Board Member, highlighted the importance of momentum: “We cannot afford to wait for annual gatherings to spark action. Collaboration must be continuous, practical, and measurable if we are to truly redefine technology leadership on a global scale.”
GCF’s Chief Strategy Officer Anushree Dixit reinforced the theme of shared responsibility: “This meetup is about more than reviewing progress — it is about shaping the future. If we each take ownership, dedicate our time, and live the example of what a global CIO should look like, then together we will build one institution, speak the same language, and achieve our common goals.”
Concluding the session, Tushar Sahoo, Founder of Global CIO Forum, captured the vision moving forward: “Our ambition is not just to grow a network, but to build a trillion-dollar community ecosystem. That vision can only be realised through deep collaboration — across borders, across industries, and across every layer of leadership. Together, we are shaping a force for innovation, sustainability, and global impact.”
