Join us for our next quarterly forum!
October 22, 2025 | FareStart (Seattle, WA)
For too many organizations, “IT” can seem like less of a business partner and more of a horror story: projects that vanish into the basement, innovation efforts slowed to a crawl, and big ideas strangled by red tape. But in an innovation age where a deep IT competency can unlock competitive potential, IT doesn’t have to be the enemy. With the right partnerships, IT can be your best friend in innovation.
In this lively panel discussion, CIOs and business leaders will take on the monster in the room: how to transform enterprise IT from a barrier to a driver of innovation. We’ll explore why conventional IT feels broken, how to escape the cycle of fear and frustration, and what it looks like when IT truly partners with product, finance, and operations to unlock growth.
Expect a conversation that’s equal parts candid, funny, and practical — with takeaways you can use to turn your IT horror story into a success story. Pennywise the clown thrived on fear — and too often, so do our conventional beliefs about IT. But fear doesn’t drive growth. Collaboration does.
This is a ticketed event with limited space. Secure your spot today here, and for more info, read on below! For sponsor inquiries or other assistance, please contact info@seattletechforum.org.
Arrival
4pm
Open networking hour, with casual table topics
Hosted bar and heavy appetizers, provided by FareStart
Exec Panel
5pm
Mikko Ollila is a technology Product Management leader focusing on Knowledge Management systems. His career spans across major technology companies as well as start-ups. He currently leads a knowledge management practice at Capital Group—home of the American Funds with $2.5 trillion of assets under management. Mikko’s core mission is to accelerate the rate of knowledge creation—across people, process, and technology—and help translate that knowledge into high quality investment decisions. In pursuit of his mission Mikko works closely with modern AI/ML technologies. Originally from Finland, Mikko is a graduate of Clarkson University as well as Yale School of Management. He resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife Jo and their two children, ages 14 and 12. On his free time Mikko enjoys tennis, skiing and hanging out with his dog named Gus.
James R. Downing is the Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Carrix, joining on April 8, 2024, after leaving NW Natural Gas in Oregon. He previously held the same roles at NW Natural, where he led a significant ERP implementation and ensured compliance with TSA cybersecurity requirements. Before NW Natural, he was the CIO for the Americas division of WorleyParsons, overseeing IT operations across North and South America. He also held executive IT positions at British Petroleum and Schlumberger, gaining valuable insights and leadership opportunities in the energy industry. Mr. Downing holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems and an Executive MBA from Tulane University. His extensive industry experience and understanding of IT strategies play a pivotal role in shaping Carrix’s technological landscape and driving innovation.
Elaine “Lainie” del Rosario is Chief Information Officer at Sound Physicians, a national multi-specialty medical group. A healthcare product executive turned CIO, she blends product discipline with enterprise IT rigor to deliver technology that clinicians actually use and leaders can measure. Lainie leads enterprise strategy, data governance, security posture, and a portfolio spanning hospital medicine, anesthesia, critical care, emergency medicine and telemedicine. Her operating model is simple and relentless: clinician-first design, secure-by-default architecture, and outcomes that show up on a P&L and a patient chart. A certified Agile leader, she builds teams that ship, learn, and iterate—without breaking the bedside workflow. Colleagues know her for translating between clinical, operations, and IT without a decoder ring and for insisting every initiative launches with a metric that matters.