Only the most exceptional IBMers are appointed with the rare distinction of IBM Fellow, the highest technical honor in the company. Shankar has also received the prestigious Outstanding Technical Achievement Award three times – an accomplishment befitting only the most innovative thinkers. Shankar Kalyana is among the most respected strategists in the global technology industry. As CTO, with over 32 years of IT experience, Mr. Kalyana has architected, designed, developed, and implemented custom and packaged software solutions across a vast spectrum of environments and platforms. His current area of expertise includes hybrid, multi-cloud as-a-service strategies that drive digital and cognitive enterprises to operational excellence. Throughout his career, Mr. Kalyana has established himself as a brilliant strategist, respected technical advisor, renowned speaker, admired author, and insightful leader who bridges the business-IT gap to implement transformative technologies. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Science from The Pennsylvania State University.