Times of turmoil and chaos are also times of abundant opportunity. History is awash with examples of great companies conceived at times when the world seemed to be falling apart - Carnegie Steel was launched at the turn of the century in 1873 at the start of the depression, Hewlett-Packard was launched towards the end of The Great Depression, and IBM rolled out the personal computer with great success in the midst of the 1981 recession.

However, it takes a leader with penetrating and unparalleled vision to identify these opportunities and show the extraordinary courage needed to execute upon the promises of new markets, new wealth, and new value. Leaders must think beyond new products and services to conceive of entirely new business models and strategies that can restructure an entire industry. Todays leaders need to be the voice of opportunity, embrace the unconventional and demonstrate the ability to imagine disruptive alternatives to the status quo. This requires them to not just speculate on what might happen, but to envision what can happen.

Today, many organizations are laying-off experienced employees and cost-cutting every possible line item on the budget sheet. Money is scarce, markets are volatile, morale is down and corporate atmosphere is rife with anxiety. How do leaders rise to the economic challenges and envision the future, communicate it, and transform their organizations for success? What role do CTOs have to play in the long term investment decisions that can impact a companys future success?

The next CTO Forum event will gather 75 of the most influential business, technology and academic leaders across our industries to discover the strengths, abilities and strategies that great leaders have displayed in troubled times to lead their organizations to long term success.