A peer-led conversation for technology leaders shaping what comes next. OVERVIEW Technology leaders are facing more pressure than ever to balance innovation, delivery, risk, talent, cost and organisational change. This closed roundtable will bring together CTOs and senior technology leaders from across Brighton and the wider region for a practical, peer-led discussion on the issues shaping modern technology leadership. Three tables, one room, no slides. The aim is to create an open, useful and senior conversation between people facing similar challenges, with space to compare what is working, what is changing and where technology leadership needs to go next. Participants will have the opportunity to take part in two hosted table discussions, each focused on a different leadership challenge. Each table will be facilitated by a senior technology leader, with the conversation designed to be practical, honest and peer-led rather than presentation-based. The session will run under Chatham House rule: share the insight, not who said it. FORMAT The roundtable will run across three tables and two discussion blocks. Participants will join one table for the first round, then switch to a second table for the next round. Each discussion will last around 20 minutes, with time for introductions, table conversation and a short wrap-up. TABLES Table 1: From Problem Solver to People Multiplier Facilitated by: Emmanuel Ide What changes when your success is measured by team outcomes rather than your own output? This table explores the shift every technology leader makes, and many never fully complete, from being the best individual contributor to building the people who can outperform them. The conversation will look at what leaders have to stop doing, how hard it can be to let go, and how to add value when impact is slower, less direct and delivered through others. Table 2: What Metrics Matter Now? Facilitated by: Andrew Mabbott What should technology leaders actually be measuring when AI, automation and changing ways of working are making traditional metrics harder to trust? Technology leaders have more data, more dashboards and more AI than ever. But that does not always mean a better understanding of success. This table will explore the numbers leaders rely on, the stories they tell the board, and whether their data is actually helping them make better decisions. Table 3: AI: What Has Actually Changed? Facilitated by: Martyn Fagg What has genuinely shipped, restructured a team or saved real money, and what turned out to be theatre? This table is the candid counterweight to the main stage conversations. Beyond the demos and the hype cycle, it will focus on what is genuinely different in how organisations are working. The discussion will explore where AI has created real impact, where expectations have not matched reality, and how technology leaders are thinking about team shape, hiring, tooling and the AI stack. WHAT PARTICIPANTS WILL EXPLORE How technology leaders are shifting from individual problem-solving to multiplying team outcomes What CTOs and senior leaders should actually be measuring in an era of AI, automation and changing ways of working How leaders can tell the difference between useful insight and vanity metrics What AI has genuinely changed inside technology teams, beyond the demos and hype Where AI is creating real delivery, savings or structural change, and where it is still theatre How peers across the region are responding to similar leadership, delivery and organisational challenges WHO IT IS FOR This roundtable is designed for CTOs, Heads of Engineering, Technology Directors, CIOs, CDOs, VP Engineering, technical founders and senior technology leaders. It is intended for people with responsibility for technology strategy, engineering teams, digital delivery, product platforms, data, architecture or technical decision-making. EXPERIENCE LEVEL This is a senior, invitation-led roundtable. The session is designed for people already operating in technology leadership roles or carrying significant responsibility for technical teams, systems or strategy.