CMS Kickoff 26 conference program

Let’s make digital better

CMS Kickoff 26:
- speakers
- venue
- who will you meet

The conference is tailored for digital leaders and features 2 packed days with a carefully curated mixture of talks, workshops, activities and world class facilitators, thought-provokers, speakers and session leads.

Unlike many other conferences, this one is not about speakers talking endlessly about their own work. Rather than being talked at, this is your conference for active participation and connecting with your peers with the goal to move things forward.

The below is a work in progress. Changes will happen

Program

Tuesday, January 13

8:30 - 9:30: Breakfast and registration

Join us early, get the conversation started, make some new friends and enjoy some freshly brewed coffee and tea.

9:30 - 9:45: Welcome & Opening

by our host Janus Boye, Boye & Co

The analyst view on 2026

**9:45 - 10:15**
by Matt Garrepy (US)
Chief Critic
at CMS Critic

In 2025, CMS platforms shifted toward headless, AI-driven, and cloud-native architectures for omnichannel delivery. Traditional monoliths declined as composable and automation-focused systems dominated the market.

What lies ahead for 2026? Join this analyst update by Matt Garrepy and hear his take on what waits around the corner

TBD

10:15 - 10:40

by Rakesh Pasupuleti (US)
Product Manager - Technical
at Amazon

More details coming soon

**TBD**

**10:40 - 11:00**
by Karla Santi (US)
Chief Executive Officer / Founding Partner
at Blend Interactive

More details coming soon

11.00 - 11:20 Coffee & networking

TBD

**11.20 - 11.55**
by Nika Karliuchenko (US)
Technical Partner Success Manager
at Contentful

More details coming soon

**TBD**

**11:55 - 12:30**
by Daria Kolchina (US)
Operations Director, DX Lead
at First Line Software

More details coming soon

12:30 - 1.30 Lunch

1:30 - 2.30 Roundtables

Come join 2 x 25 minutes of informal roundtable discussions to get answers on your specific questions or help others by sharing your expert knowledge.
Each table has no more than 10 attendees and is assigned a specific topic and moderator.
First come first served: you don’t get to see who’s at the table until you get there.

After the initial 25 minutes are up, you get to pick another table for the next 25 minutes of discussion.

Tables:

…coming soon

2:30 - 3:00 Coffee & networking

**TBD**

**3:00 - 3:45**
by Chad Solomonson (US)
Chief Customer Officer
at RDA

More details coming soon

**TBD**

**3:45 - 4:30**
by Sara Faye Green (US)
Vice President, Content Operations & AI Innovation
at WebMD ignite

More details coming soon

4:30 - 5:00 Coffee & networking

5:00 - 6:00 CMS Idol 2026

Help crown the next (and first) “2026 CMS Idol”! In this fast-paced, entertaining competition, contestants will have 6 minutes to showcase their system and try to win your vote.

If you like short demos, pithy commentary, and expert analyses, then look no further. This is the session for you. You'll hear thoughts from an expert panel of judges, but it's up to you to decide the winner.