Technology Governance for Board Directors & Business Leaders

• Session 1 (Morning)

Decoding Digital Technologies: Establishing a Framework for Governing Technology

This session demystifies digital technologies and equips directors with a shared language for board-level discussions about technology. It explores how technologies such as data platforms, AI, IoT, and digital ecosystems are reshaping organisations, and why data has become the currency of the digital economy.

Participants will examine how organisations use technology to drive efficiency, augment decision-making, and pursue new sources of competitive advantage. The session explores the key governance challenges these technologies present and introduces a practical framework that positions technology within a system of corporate governance, enabling more effective board oversight.

• Session 2 (Afternoon)

The Two Sides of Digital: Risk and Value

Technology is both a critical enabler of value and a significant source of risk. This session examines why digital investments so often fail to deliver expected benefits and business outcomes, and the consequences for organisations when technology governance fails.

Using real-world case studies, participants will explore issues such as large-scale IT failures, technical debt, over-reliance on legacy systems, and the risks associated with AI adoption. The session focuses on how boards can assure themselves that technology investments are set up for success, governed appropriately, and aligned with strategic objectives - while managing risk and regulatory exposure.

• Session 3 (Morning)

The Regulatory and Legislative Framework for Technology Governance

This session provides a clear, board-level overview of the rapidly evolving regulatory environment governing technology. Participants will explore key European and international frameworks shaping board responsibilities, including GDPR, NIS 2, DORA, the Digital Services Act, and the EU AI Act.

Through practical examples and case discussion, the session examines compliance challenges, the implications of non-compliance, and how boards can ensure appropriate governance structures and reporting are in place. Attention is also given to emerging regulatory trends and the need for adaptive governance as technology and regulation continue to evolve.

• Session 4 (Afternoon)

Operational Resilience and Cybersecurity: Safeguarding Organisational Integrity

Operational resilience and cybersecurity are now core board responsibilities. This session focuses on how boards can oversee resilience in an environment of increasing digital dependency and escalating cyber threats.

Participants will explore the components of operational resilience, including incident response, business continuity, crisis management, and cyber risk oversight. The session examines the board’s role in ensuring that cybersecurity is integrated into strategy, risk management, and decision-making, and that organisations are prepared to withstand and recover from technology-related disruptions.

Joe Peppard is Professor and Academic Director of Smurfit Executive Development at the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, UCD. Previously, he was a faculty member at MIT Sloan School of Management (US), ESMT Berlin (Germany), and Cranfield School of Management (UK). A leading authority on information, systems, and technology and their competitive and organizational implications, his research studies contemporary issues and challenges that executives face in an environment of accelerating technological change. While academically rigorous, with his research, he strives to steer a pragmatic path. In his writings and teaching, Professor Peppard seeks to help the busy executive and board member be successful. The Wall Street Journal cited his research on digital transformation as one of “10 tech events that will shape the future.

Anne-Marie Bohan has over 20 years' experience in technology related legal matters, and is Head of Matheson's Technology and Innovation Group and a member of its Asset Management and Investment Funds Group. Anne-Marie brings together significant practical experience in advising on technology and privacy legal issues with industry knowledge and an understanding of applicable regulatory rules and regulatory requirements.  She advises on all aspects of technology and e-commerce law, as well as outsourcings and contracted services, with particular focus on the requirements of financial institutions and financial services providers in these areas.

Dr. Valerie Lyons serves on the Advisory Board of CeADAR, Ireland’s National Centre for AI, and is a member of Cyber Ireland and the European Data Protection Board. She also serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of a successful Irish fintech organisation. A sought-after international speaker, she was the first woman from Ireland to present at RSA Conference and has since been invited to speak there on several occasions. Recognised among the Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity in Europe, she is widely respected for her leadership on responsible digital transformation and governance.