Bio

Bjorn Austraat brings more than two decades of diverse experience in taking complex business problems and finding pragmatic, profitable solutions to them through machine learning, AI and other technologies. Currently, he serves as SVP and Head of AI Acceleration at Truist where he is building out the new AI & Analytics Accelerator (A3) to enable innovation and accelerate scalable solution deployment for AI and analytics across the enterprise. The Accelerator will provide a complete incubation environment including open source and commercial software, AI-optimized hardware, design thinking and Agile methodologies as well as synthetic data to support and empower teammates across Truist to grow ideas from early stage to MVP to fully deployed solutions. Formerly, Bjorn was SVP for Agile AI at Wells Fargo, Global Cognitive Finance Leader with IBM for a top-3 International Bank and the Global Leader for Cognitive Visioning and Strategy for IBM Watson, where he provided strategic direction for marquee engagements including H&R Block and Vodafone. Prior to joining IBM, Bjorn held a number of senior leadership roles in companies ranging from Silicon Valley startups to large, multinational consulting enterprises working with companies such as Apple, AT&T, Microsoft and Ford. Bjorn began his career as an interpreter and translator in Vienna. Today he uses those skills to detect meaningful patterns in noisy business data and craft scalable and profitable strategies that are in tune with the competitive landscape and diverse stakeholder needs. An expert in cognitive and applied AI, Bjorn has given hundreds of executive and plenary presentations including: • AI & Big Data Virtual Summit 2021 • AI & Big Data Expo North America Virtual 2020 • AI Summit New York 2019 • AI O'Reilly Conference • World of Watson Bjorn holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, an M.A. in Translation and Interpretation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and an M.A. in Conference Interpretation from the University of Vienna, Austria. When he is not busy with all things technology, Bjorn spends his time with photography, international travel, nutritional science and AI ethics. Specialties: • Cognitive Finance and Transformation • Applied AI and Machine Learning • KYC, AML, Compliance, Next Best Offer / Action • Strategic Innovation and Change Management • Team Building & Mentoring