Ali Riaz

As a business leader, entrepreneur, innovator and humanitarian at heart, I love what I do. My true passion lies in being part of innovative, growth-oriented organizations and help them achieve their full potential in the software and life sciences industries.

As a CEO, I’ve devoted my career to emerging businesses that are either small and poised for growth or needing turnaround, including architecting and delivering leading-edge strategies to enhance capabilities, driving customer focus, scaling operations and competing on a global scale. I founded a leading global unified information access platform company, creating an award winning technology, raising $76M in financing, becoming a preferred vendor for blue chip clients such as GE, Goldman, Citi, Fidelity, Cisco. I also transformed an Enterprise Search Technology start up into a billion dollar company, growing sales from $2M to $164M in five years, publicly listing the company, and orchestrating its sale to Microsoft for $1.2B. As a business advisor and board member, I’ve had the opportunity to help start up organizations enter the market and a global consultancy design and launch new digital service offerings.

I’ve formed, led and motivated worldwide teams comprised of more than 900 employees. I believe that it is critical to create a transparent, trusting and teaming environment so people can share their ambitions, trust their instincts, solve issues, be the experts that they are, and innovate.

My personal style is to blend confidence and humility, action and thought, and innovation and best practices. I apply a global perspective to life and work; I was raised in Norway, lived and worked in USA, Switzerland and England, and established businesses everywhere from South Africa to Japan. Every day I try to abide by these values: do the right thing, believe in people, have empathy, serve the community, have the courage to explore new paths, take responsibility and, most importantly, be grateful for this life.