Teqfocus Presents — Toronto CXO Meetup "Getting AI Right: A CXO Playbook for Regulated Industries"

Getting AI Right: "A CXO Playbook for Regulated Industries - How Healthcare and Financial Services leaders can build secure, governed and business-ready AI from day one" Connect. Exchange. Elevate.An initiative by Teqfocus A peer conversation for CIOs, CDOs, COOs, and business leaders watching enterprises move from AI pilots to production agentic workflows — asking what's working, what's getting adopted, and what the next 24 months look like. The conversation AI adoption in regulated industries isn't slowing down — but the enterprises getting real value from it aren't the ones moving fastest, they're the ones that got the foundations right first: governed data, clear security posture, and an operating model built for accountability from day one. Healthcare and financial services leaders are learning this the hard way, watching promising pilots stall out because governance, architecture, or regulatory readiness were treated as afterthoughts rather than prerequisites. This session is about what separates AI initiatives that scale from the ones that quietly die in pilot purgatory — and the concrete playbook CXOs need to build secure, governed, business-ready AI over the next 12 months. Who should comeCIOs, CDOs, CTOs, COOs, Heads of Operations, transformation leads, and SMEs owning core workflows in healthcare, life sciences, financial services, insurance, and enterprise SaaS. Peer-only. 📅 Date: September 29th, 2026🕔 Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDTVenue: Hotel Victoria | Mossop's Social House, 56 Yonge Street, Toronto ON M5E 1G5 Host & Panel Moderator: Afraz QureshiDirector – Partnership, TeqfocusHe leads Sales and Partnerships at Teqfocus, where he connects enterprise clients with AI and data transformation solutions across the Salesforce ecosystem. With 10+ years in SaaS sales and partnerships, his career spans Salesforce, Educative — where he built the company's first partnerships program from the ground up — and MapstedHQ. A McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management alumnus, Afraz has presented at Dreamforce 2025 and is known for turning complex technology conversations into clear business decisions.Panel Speaker:Katerina DemidovaHead of Platform Management, Duuo by Co-operatorsFormer: Munich Re · CIBC · Digital Transformation Executive Katerina Demidova leads platform strategy and innovation at Duuo — Co-operators' digital-first, on-demand insurance brand built for Canada's modern economy. Her career runs through the most regulated and digitally complex sectors in financial services: Program Director at CIBC, where she led the transformation of client-facing sales origination platforms and championed Agile adoption across technology teams, and AVP, Technology & Platform Innovation at Munich Re. She brings the rare combination of enterprise financial services discipline and digital product thinking — the perspective that matters most when AI meets industries where compliance, customer trust, and speed all have to coexist.Roger HanChief Transformation Officer, KMH Cardiology Centres Roger Han leads transformation at KMH Cardiology Centres — an 11-location Ontario cardiology network that has been delivering diagnostic and cardiac care since 1988. He built his career inside healthcare from the ground up, moving from product management at Medcan through Director and VP of Strategy & Analytics at KMH before stepping into the CTO role. He also contributes to Ontario's Connected Care Digital Health and Senior Care Planning Table — working on the policy and infrastructure side of how digital health actually reaches patients. His lens is practical: how do you apply data, product thinking, and AI to healthcare operations where the stakes are clinical, not commercial.Amit Sethi Senior Manager, Business Relationship& Portfolio, AstraZenecaAmit Sethi is a technology and business leader driving digital transformation, technology strategy, and enterprise innovation across life sciences, healthcare, telecom, and marketing. He bridges business and technology to turn complex challenges into meaningful outcomes. Amit is an advocate for responsible AI adoption, cybersecurity, privacy, and digital governance. He is passionate about helping organizations leverage emerging technologies to create lasting business value while maintaining trust, security, and compliance. Agenda: 5:00 PM – Check-in & Networking Grab a drink, meet fellow tech leaders, and settle in 🔹 5:30 PM – Welcome Remarks Kickoff Overview of the meetup series and today’s theme 🔹 5:45 PM – Panel Discussion A candid conversation on "How Healthcare and Financial Services leaders can build secure, governed and business-ready AI from day one." 🔹 6:30 PM – Open Networking + Drinks & Snacks Continue the conversation over light snacks and drinks Exchange ideas, contacts, and next steps in a relaxed setting Just real talk.This meetup is part of the Toronto CXO Community—a Teqfocus-led initiative to foster trusted relationships, real conversations, and collective innovation in the tech leadership circle. This isn’t your typical meetup—it’s an energizing space to swap ideas, share experiences, and grow your network. Over evening snacks and drinks, enjoy a bold, no-fluff panel with senior IT execs diving into one of today’s biggest tech challenges. Reserve your seat now—space is intentionally limited to keep the conversation intimate. And yes, we’ve got food and drinks covered. We look forward to having you at the table. Interested in sponsoring or speaking at an upcoming meetup?Reach out to us at [[email protected]] — we’d love to connect. Glimpse from past Toronto & East Bay CXO Meetups: Toronto CXO Summit A community for IT leaders. Built on conversations and powered by connections. An initiative by Teqfocus The Toronto CXO Summit is a monthly gathering of senior IT and tech leaders who believe real innovation begins with honest, peer-driven conversations. Designed to be informal, insightful, and highly interactive, each meetup offers open n