Title: Careers in Technology
Date: Monday, September 9, 2024
Time: 12:30 p.m. - 1:20 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Speaker:  Randy Walker, technology CEO, consultant, and board director

Abstract: After a career spanning the globe, Mr. Walker will lead a discussion on careers in Consulting, Technology, and International Business.  As a C-Suite Executive Mentor, Mr. Walker will share insights on what today’s CEOs are looking for in today’s technology leaders across a range of industries and geographies. Also, he will discuss career transitions and the importance of being a lifelong learner, and the lifetime value of a degree from Georgia Tech.

Bio: Randy Walker is an accomplished global technology CEO, consultant and board director with over 35 years of experience driving strategy and operational results.  He has personally advised and consulted with some of the world’s largest firms. A global leader, who has lived in London, Jeddah, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, New Delhi and the US, and worked across more than 50 countries.  Currently an Executive Mentor with the ExCo Group, he mentors global senior leaders and C-suite executives across the technology and financial services sectors. 

Walker has served on more than a dozen public, private, government and non-profit boards. These included being a member of the board of SAIC, and as a director for Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB).  He is an Independent Non-Executive Director for Vitality Global. He also sits on the board of Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Engineering and is the Executive-in-Residence at the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School where he is a senior lecturer and mentor in the fields of AI and Technology. 

As a key member of IBM’s senior executive team, Walker owned strategic sales globally and was responsible for $40B of revenue across the top 500 accounts.  He also personally led global Financial Services clients, IBM’s largest sector, where he led a transformation and turnaround of the Financial Services business driving the results from double digit revenue loss to revenue growth in 2021.  He led IBM’s sales integration of Red Hat and industry platforms units. 

Walker was Chairman and CEO of IBM Asia Pacific with operational and P&L responsibility for an $8B P&L and 100K+ employees.  He also led IBM’s consulting and services business across their growth market unit, which he helped to establish while based in Shanghai, and consisted of markets across Asia/Pacific, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America.  During his five years in this role, the unit’s growth rates were consistently 7-10 points higher than IBM’s overall growth.  

Walker has served as the Executive Vice President and board member of SAIC based in San Diego and London.  He also founded the Middle Eastern practice for Deloitte & Touche based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and was with Deloitte’s global technology practice based in the US. 

Walker holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and is a recipient of the university's Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award for Lifetime Achievement.  He cares deeply in the countries and cultures in which he has lived and remains active in multiple pro-bono, mentoring, and civic activities including United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Caring for Cambodia and others.  He and his family currently reside in Coral Gables, Fl.