Modernising IT Ecosystems to Drive Organisational Growth

On June 10, 2025, in London, the Financial Times, in collaboration with Rocket Software, convened global technology leaders to address a critical challenge of our era: building resilient, modern IT environments that foster growth without disruption.

As digital transformation accelerates, organisations face rising pressure to modernise mission-critical infrastructure without compromising performance, security, or customer trust. 
 

Three key takeaways from the day

1. AI must be operationalised with intention and integrity

AI is revolutionising how enterprises manage data, make decisions, and deliver value, but trust is critical. Leaders agreed: to be effective, AI must be governed responsibly, deployed transparently, and have data embedded within secure, modernised systems.

2. Cybersecurity is a resilience strategy, not just a risk strategy

In an era of escalating threats, cybersecurity is more than a risk management tool, it’s a core strategy for resilience. From Zero Trust models to proactive threat detection, securing infrastructure requires deep collaboration across teams, technologies, and partners.

3. Modernising mission-critical systems unlocks agility, not disruption

The world runs on mission-critical infrastructure. But modernisation isn’t about rip-and-replace. It’s about building on what works, extending value through hybrid cloud, and ensuring systems are ready for what’s next. Agility starts with trust in the core.

At the summit, it was clear: resilience isn’t a choice, it’s a requirement.

At Rocket Software, we help organisations take what they already have—and make it extraordinary. We're proud to stand with today’s IT leaders as they build resilient, future-ready enterprises.
 

Event recordings

The Modernising IT Ecosystems to Drive Organisational Growth event footage is provided by Financial Times Live. Visit https://futureitresilience.live.ft.com/ to learn more

Opening remarks

Opening Remarks by the moderator, Michael Peel, Science editor, Financial Times 

Opening Keynote Session: What do we mean by IT modernization without disruption?

In the current digital landscape, businesses must find a balance between innovation and stability. This means integrating AI and mainframe data-driven solutions while mitigating security and compliance risks and preventing operational downtime. While modernising IT, business leaders must focus not only on adopting new technologies efficiently, but also on future-proofing well-established legacy systems within the organisation. This dialogue will explore what “modernisation without disruption” truly looks like in practice.

Moderator: Michael Peel, Science editor, Financial Times

Speaker: Michael Curry, President Data Modernisation Business Unit, Rocket Software

Panel Discussion: How can businesses enhance IT security and regulatory compliance while modernising their mission-critical systems?

• What security risks do organisations encounter during mainframe modernisation of IT systems, and what strategies can they implement to mitigate these threats?
• What measures can organisations take to enhance visibility and control over sensitive data as they modernise their mainframe systems?  
• How does the shift to hybrid cloud environments impact the security requirements for mainframe systems, and what strategies can be employed to address these challenges?  
• How can better data governance during mainframe modernisation help reduce data breach risks and ensure compliance?

Sprecher:

Phil Buckellew, President, Infrastructure Modernisation Business Unit, Rocket Software

Mark Gray, Chief Transformation & Technology Officer, HM Land Registry

Carlos Rombaldo, Chief Information and Security Officer, Holland and Barrett

Geoff White, Author, Investigative Journalist on Cybersecurity and Crime

Panel Framer

Brett StClair, Co-founder of Terraflow.ai shares his insights. 

Panel Discussion: How can organisations unlock business value of data through AI-driven solutions? 

• What role can AI play in automating the integration of mainframe data with modern analytics tools to improve operational efficiency?
• In what ways can organisations tackle internal skills gaps to better utilise  mainframe data for broader access?  
• What best practices can organisations implement to ensure the security and compliance of mainframe data during its integration into AI

Sprecher:

Inma Martinez, Technology pioneer & AI scientist advisor UN, EU, UNESCO, GPAI-OECD **

David Brear, Global CEO, 11 FS

Brett StClair, Co-founder of Teraflow.ai

Neil Ward-Dutton, VP Analyst, IDC

Closing remarks

Closing the event by the moderator, Michael Peel, Science editor, Financial Times