2026 i-SIGMA International Summit Agenda
Please Note, Sessions Subject to Change
Pre-Summit – Wednesday, November 4
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Bangkok Welcome Reception: The Markets, Opportunities and Risks in the Garden
Meet operators, partners and experts from across the region. Guided introductions help you learn where fellow attendees operate, the fastest-growing opportunity in their market, and the biggest regulatory or operational concern on their minds – before the program even begins.
Day 1 – Thursday, November 5
8:30 am – 8:50 am: Welcome: Why This Room Matters
Presented by: Nate Campbell, i-SIGMA
Why i-SIGMA convened this summit, what you should expect from the next two days, what you should leave with, and how your feedback will shape what comes next.
8:50 am – 9:35 am: The Global Information Governance Outlook: What Is Changing Across Borders
Presented by: TBD
Regulatory and customer trends affecting multinational operations, subcontracting, contracts and governance – and what they mean for providers operating across borders.
9:40 am – 9:55 am: Networking Break
9:55 am – 10:40 am: Beyond Delete: Building a Defensible End-of-Life Data Program
Presented by: Renee Schafer, Data Security, Inc.
Deleting data is not enough – proving it is gone is what matters. This session explores data destruction methods for retired technology and how dangerous it is to assume that data is gone. Attendees learn why verification matters, how ITAD manages risk, and why protecting end-of-life data is essential for preserving trust, security, and accountability.
10:45 am – 11:30 am: Circular Economy: International Data Erasure in Practice
Presented by: Nickson Lim
Navigating Cross-Border Data Disposal Requirements
11:35 am – 11:55 am: Regional Reality Check: Destruction and Sanitization Practices
Facilitator – Nate Campbell, i-SIGMA
A first-of-its-kind look at how destruction and sanitization practices, standards and customer requirements compare across the markets in this room, drawn from the pre-summit survey – with comparisons to U.S. market data where the data allows.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Hosted Issue-Table Networking Lunch
Sit where your business lives: tables organized around ITAD and sanitization, records management, secure destruction, multinational accounts, and regulation and certification.
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm: Where Profit Disappears: Protecting Margin in International RIM, Destruction and ITAD
Presented by: Karen Truebody
Labor utilization, subcontractor costs, logistics, pricing leakage, asset recovery, escalation clauses and unbilled services – where margin leaks in an international business, and how to stop it.
1:50 pm – 2:35 pm: Finance and Contract Strategies That Increase Enterprise Values
Presented by: Gaines Garrett
Winning business matters—but so does the financial strength and contractual discipline behind every deal. This session explores how income statements and balance sheets tell the story of your business, and how accurate, consistent financial reporting builds credibility with lenders, partners, and potential buyers. We’ll then examine how to negotiate contracts that help win customers while protecting profitability and keeping risk proportionate to the work. From limitations of liability to price escalators and termination provisions, attendees will learn where flexibility can help close a deal—and where concessions can create lasting exposure.
2:35 pm – 2:50 pm: Networking Break
2:50 pm – 3:35 pm: Turning Certification into Customer Trust and Commercial Advantage
Presented by: Paul Prokic / Ali Kazmi
Real customer objections, procurement questions, and sales scenarios – and the language that turns certification into trust and commercial advantage.
3:40 pm – 4:25 pm: ASEAN and APAC Regulatory Intelligence Briefing
Presented by: TBD
The practical implications of privacy, destruction and data-movement developments in priority APAC markets – regional specifics, not a generic privacy-law overview.
4:25 pm – 4:55 pm: From Summit to Market Influence: Building a Global Action Agenda
Facilitator – Gina Lentine, CSDS, i-SIGMA
Every market insists it is different – here is where you prove it. Each region identifies its strongest opportunity, hardest barrier, and one misconception outsiders hold about its market, then shares it with the room.
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm: Rooftop Networking Reception
Curated introductions across sectors and regions.
7:00 pm: International Leadership Dinner
Reserved discussion tables for CEOs, emerging leaders, ITAD, RIM and regulatory partners.
Day 2 – Friday, November 6
9:05 am – 11:05 am: Data Foundation to AI at Scale
Workshop Presented by: Thanassarn Hongpaisanvivat / DAMA Thailand
11:05 am – 11:20 am: Networking Break
11:20 am – 12:00 pm: CEO Exchange: What Separates High-Performing International Companies?
Presented by: Panel
Candid answers from leaders who run international operations: the best operational decision they ever made, the preventable mistake they would warn you off, their real margin drivers, talent challenges, the technology investments that paid off, and hard-won market-entry lessons.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Networking Lunch
Continue issue-table conversations and capture proposed actions.
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm: Regional Market Working Groups: RIM, Secure Destruction and ITAD
Break into sector groups to name your market’s top opportunity, hardest barrier, key regulatory issue, the support you need, and one collaborative action.
2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: From Summit to Market Influence: Building a Global Action Agenda
Presented by: i-SIGMA
Prioritize together: procurement language, certification recognition, destruction requirements, partnerships, customer education and standards engagement – where collective action beats isolated company effort.
2:35 pm – 3:00 pm: Bangkok Commitments and Closing
Presented by: Nate Campbell, i-SIGMA
Agree on three priorities, two partnerships and one deliverable – and set the date: a 90-day report-back roundtable, held at a time that works for your region, so the momentum from Bangkok does not stop when you fly home.