Named one of the “Top 100 Global AI and Big Data Influencers” by Analytics Insights magazine, Paul Zikopoulos is an award-winning tech thought leader and writer. He has written 22 books and over 360 articles on data and AI during his “accidental” decades-long career as a data nerd. Currently the Vice President of IBM Technology Group Skills and Enablement, Zikopoulos draws on his first-hand experience leading teams through transformative change — employing real-time demos during his high-energy, industry-tailored presentations — to show audiences how to best use and deploy disruptive technologies and big data to their competitive advantage.
At IBM, Zikopoulos leads from the front, owning accountability and strategic direction for IBM Technology Unit’s sales, tech sales, and partner ecosystem learning journeys and upskilling programs. During COVID, he led IBM’s virtual transformation, designing and deploying the IBM Virtual Collaborator Learning Program, which led him to win the prestigious Brandon Award for Best Results of a Learning Program.
Among the leading voices in tech and big data, Zikopoulos has been named in dozens of global “experts to follow” and “thought leader” lists, including CIO Look’s “Top 10 Most Intelligent Leaders in Data Science” and SAP’s “50 Big Data Twitter Influencers.” He has also been asked to share his expertise on the popular television show, 60 Minutes, and advised NATO leaders about using data in shaping the future of operational command and control strategy.
Zikopoulos actively bolsters women in technology and general workplace inclusivity, having completed an intensive D&I certificate at Cornell University. He is the only (and first) male to ever win the IBM Canada’s Women in Technology Ally of the Year award and is an advisory board member for Switch, a global network and social platform for female founders of technology ventures. Zikopoulous also sits on Coding for Veterans’ board of directors and on the globally renowned Masters of Management Analytics and AI program board at Canada’s prestigious Queen’s University.