2009 London CIO Executive Summit

After spending eight years supporting IT systems and networks in sub-Saharan Africa for USAID, Kevin Braim joined TNS Global Marketing in 1997. Braim has held various IT roles at TNS including U.K. IT Manager, Global IT Integration Leader during the NFO acquisition, and Head of Special Projects with primary responsibility for the set-up of IT off-shoring activities in Hyderabad.

Braim's current role as Group IT Director covers all aspects of IT, support to the U.K. business. He also has global responsibility for the group's web-based data collection, delivery systems, security and core network infrastructure across 80+ countries.

Neil Espin is acclaimed as one of the UK's top executive coaches with a proven record of accomplishment. He specialises in one-on-one executive coaching, senior team coaching, and professional and operational manager coach training within organisations. Espin is experienced in coaching at board and business leader level with a focus on strategic, organisational, team and individual development. He is a founding co-director for CECO, one of Britain's foremost coaching organisations devoted exclusively to coaching in the corporate environment.

As a professional corporate and executive coach, Espin is a platform speaker, tutor, author and presenter of the award winning Institute of Leadership and Management Level 7 Executive Coach training programme.

Espin combines an acute understanding of business issues with the practical application of coaching techniques. His expertise is based on extensive experience, with more than 19 years coaching in many diverse industry and business sectors. With a passion for modern leadership Espin's energetic and powerful style of explaining and challenging issues in a simple yet effective way ensures that each client situation is met with a tailored solution to meet both individual and organisational needs.

Prior to founding CECO, Espin held a variety of senior executive positions with 'blue chip' organisations, thus combining a unique understanding of business issues, delivering strategic and operational solutions, as well as a high level of executive coaching capability.

Espin is the author of Building a Great Coaching Business, 77 Habits of Highly Successful Coaches and Your Life Your Choice.

Mark Jacot is Head of IS for Britannia Building Society, Britain's second largest mutual. In this role, Jacot is responsible for all IS technology delivery and support. Previously, he held roles running Britannia's customer experience programme, and their infrastructure service and support teams.

Jacot has also worked for a number of other companies in both the manufacturing and telecoms sectors, including Racal and Mars.

Britannia's IS team has received awards under Jacot's leadership, recognising excellence in people development, technical excellence and project delivery. These accolades include Computer Weekly's "Best Place to Work in IT," BCS awards, and FST awards for DR and innovative storage solutions.

During his time at Britannia, Jacot has been instrumental in creating an IS function that has played a key role in the successful replacement of all core systems with a single integrated set of solutions. He has delivered a single customer view and integrated the Britol and West businesses into Britannia.

Maggie Miller is SVP and CIO for Warner Music Group. She is responsible for the company's global Information Technology function. Her focus is on ensuring Warner's IT systems and business processes are optimized for the digital era including maximizing opportunities presented by new technology and company initiatives. In addition to developing online and mobile technology infrastructure and capabilities, Miller oversees the expansion of WMG's numerous web assets and eCommerce sites.

An executive with over 30 years of experience, Miller has held CIO positions in a number of industries, including retail, financial services, high tech, travel and media and entertainment.

Prior to joining WMG, Miller held the CIO post at J. Sainsbury's. As CIO from 2001 to 2005, Miller was responsible for the leadership of the organization's IT enabled transformation program.

From 1997 to 2001, Miller was CIO for Dell Europe/Middle East/Asia (EMEA) where she spearheaded the direction of IT and IT resources across the region.

In addition to her role at WMG, Miller is a mentor for Columbia University's executive M.S. in technology management program, is a member of the Steering Board of the British Computer Society's IT program, which works to develop and deliver professionalism in the IT industry, and of the International Advisory Board of the Open University Business School.

In 1993, Miller received her MBA from the Open University Business School.

Dr. Simon J. Orebi Gann is a Non-Executive Director & Senior Executive with an extensive background of line, commercial and IT experience in diverse sectors. Dr. Orebi Gann's board experience includes non-executive roles in U.S. public and U.K. private companies, as well as line roles on company operating boards. He has deep line experience in running IT for value, service and commercial benefit, and working with colleagues to ensure that a business has stretching and visionary goals. His experience also reaches into knowing what it takes to succeed with large scale IT-enabled business transformation. As an advisor to CIOs, CEOs and venture capital clients, Dr. Orebi Gann remains up-to-date with technological developments to identify and assess commercial opportunities.

Phil Pavitt is Group CIO for Transport for London (TfL), the functional body responsible for the implementation of the Mayor of London's Transport Strategy and the management of transport services across the Capital. As such, Pavitt is ultimately responsible for the technology behind London's buses, the Underground, the Docklands Light Railway and the London River Services. He also supports the Victoria Coach Station, the London Transport Museum, London`s 4,600 traffic lights and the central London Congestion Charging scheme.

Pavitt's previous roles include division-wide Transformation Director at the Centrica Group, CIO of OneTel and Global CIO at the ntl Group.

Pavitt's core strengths lie in transforming IT functions. He states, "If someone tells me a team can't be changed for the better, I'm the first to rise to the challenge and prove it can be done. Whilst transformation is about vision and strategy, I believe the key to effective change is people - and my passion is to engage, motivate and lead the team so together we develop a culture of success and deliver transformation."

Alongside his work commitments, Pavitt is a regular public speaker on a range of topics from leadership to IT delivery. He is also a trustee of Bar 'N' Bus an outreach charity working with young people in South East Essex.

Gerry Pennell is leading the team that will deliver the IT, telecommunications, audio-visual, timing and scoring technology required to stage the 2012 Olympic Games.

Pennell's background is in large-scale project and programme management, gained through roles in software houses for a major bank and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 2002, he was the Director of Technology for the 17th Commonwealth Games delivered in Manchester.

After the Commonwealth Games and prior to joining the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, Pennell was CIO for Cooperative Financial Services and the Cooperative Group, helping to head a significant programme of modernisation and change.

Pennell is also a Non-Executive Director of the National Computing Centre.

Darrell Stein is the Director of IT & Logistics for Marks & Spencer, where he began his career in 1990. In 1994, Stein joined Mars as a project manager, working on data warehousing and financial systems. Between 1996 - 2001, Stein worked at Ernst & Young leading a number of major IT and change programmes in the financial services, retail and utility sectors. From 2001 - 2006, he worked for Vodafone, becoming IT Director for Vodafone U.K. in January 2004. Prior to that he was Vodafone's U.K. Network Director and Global IT Strategy and Architecture Director. Stein rejoined Marks & Spencer in 2006 as IT Director. In 2008, he was promoted to the EXCO and took on responsibility for logistics.

Robert A. Willett is the CEO of Best Buy International, the strategic business unit of Best Buy Co., Inc., focused on creating opportunities for growth and innovation outside of the United States. He was appointed to this role in February 2006.

Under Willett's leadership, Best Buy International has implement a global integration and growth strategy to maximize the retailer's opportunities beyond North America, while continuing to reengineer the supply chain, Mobile phone and information technology functions that support the company's customer centric transformation. Executives responsible for enterprise-wide efficiency initiatives, information systems, supply chain management, global sourcing, corporate development and Best Buy Mobile report to Willett. He is also a Chairman of the Best Buy Europe/Carphone Warehouse joint venture.

Prior to his current role, Willett served as the EVP of operations and CIO for Best Buy, and today continues to lead the company's efforts to improve efficiencies and simplify its customer-centric operating model.

Willett's experience spans a number of positions in the retail industry over the past several decades. Willett previously was global managing partner for Accenture Consulting retail practice, where he worked with best-in-class retailers throughout the world on strategy reviews, business transformation, procurement and supply chain management, brand positioning, technology transformation and customer segmentation.

Prior to joining Best Buy formally in 2003, Willett served as a special advisor to the Best Buy board of directors on issues relating to operational efficiency and excellence. During his tenure with Accenture, he also served as a partner on the "Process to Profits" initiative that Best Buy undertook in the late 1990s.

Willett launched his retail career in store management at Marks & Spencer a leading British department store chain in 1968, and has held executive positions, including managing director and group chief executive, for other retailers in Europe.

CIO Magazine named Willett to the CIO Hall of Fame in 2008 to honor his significant contributions to the IT discipline, use of technology in business and advancement of the CIO role. He was also recently named to the board of directors for LightHaus Logic, Inc., an innovative provider of video analytics systems based in Canada.