Wael Elrifai is an expert technologist and management strategist, bridging the divide between IT and business to deliver valuable, sustainable and data-driven enterprise IT systems. Wael drives strategic account development, collaborating with sales leaders at Pentaho, its parent company Hitachi Data Systems, and partner organisations. He provides thought leadership both within the company and to executive audiences through conferences, publications and other public forums.
Before joining Pentaho in September 2015, Wael was managing director of Peak Consulting, where he spent a decade advising senior executives in Fortune 500 and government organisations in artificial intelligence, big data, machine learning, cloud computing and management strategy. In a previous role at Informatica, Wael provided expertise on leveraging data assets and data integration to clients across industries including retail, financial services, communications, high-tech, media, and transportation.
He has served on the board of a number of non-governmental organisations working in the MENA (Middle East & North Africa) region and has counselled clients in more than 30 countries with teams spanning the globe.
Wael is a graduate of George Washington University and the University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies) holding degrees in both electrical engineering and economics, specialising in game theory and artificial intelligence. Outside work, Wael is a licensed aircraft pilot, and has an appetite for adventure travel, particularly enjoying off-road motorcycle treks in far-flung locations!
