Bio

Bob Lord, IBM SVP, is a global leader ushering in a new era of innovation in which organizations can easily share data on any platform, globally – in pursuit of common goals. He has convened a powerful ecosystem with clients, business partners, and competitors, to address the most complex challenges facing both business and society. Bob currently oversees The Weather Company (an IBM business), Watson Advertising, and TradeLens – a cloud-based blockchain solution in partnership with Maersk. Within these businesses, he's built a cross-industry ecosystem to unlock exponential business growth. Over the past decade, Bob has pursued the advancement of open standards. He undertook the most ambitious effort to bring together software developers across 180+ nations, launching Call for Code at IBM. This project, now in its 5th year, enabled more than 500,000+ developers and data scientists and 160,000+ students to tackle societal issues with cutting-edge solutions based on IBM technology. An advocate of open, fair technology, Bob also led the industry-wide effort to mitigate bias in advertising. In 2022, Bob launched IBM’s effort to distribute its open-source technologies, equipping the industry with the tools to mitigate biases across the near $3T of digital advertising spend. Bob served as IBM’s first Chief Digital Officer, revolutionizing how IBM products and innovation are consumed by users around the world. While serving as SVP of Worldwide Ecosystem & Cognitive Applications, Bob transformed its Go-To-Market strategy, positioning partner ecosystems at its core. Prior to IBM, Bob served as President of AOL, leading the company through its evolution into a leading, global advertising platform. He also served as CEO of Razorfish, a pioneering digital consultancy helping companies like Cisco, Condé Nast, and Pfizer redefine their brands for the digital age. Bob currently serves as the Executive Sponsor of IBM’s Black Community and is passionate about driving a more inclusive environment for all employees. Bob was named one of CRN’s 50 “Most Influential” channel chiefs in 2022, and in 2017 he was named one of Adweek’s 50 media, marketing and tech executives leading the charge towards transformation. He also co-authored the book “Converge: Transforming Business at the Intersection of Marketing and Technology.” Bob graduated from Syracuse University with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and holds an MBA from Harvard University. When Bob’s not spending time with his family, he enjoys biking, golfing, and competing in triathlons.