Top Chief Technology Officers to Watch in 2024: IBM Consulting’s Sujey Edward
Chief Technology Officer, Federal Market, IBM Consulting
Sujey Edward is deeply committed to innovation and strategic disruption. After joining Octo in 2017, which IBM acquired in December 2022, he revolutionized the role of chief technology officer. Edward shifted his focus from merely advancing internal technology for corporate efficiency to developing capabilities and unique aspects necessary to meet the federal government’s critical technology needs. By collaboratively creating solutions with his teams and customers, Edward fostered a company culture that prioritizes client mission success as a measure of achievement.
A major component of this focus was his from-scratch creation of Centers of Excellence. Working out of oLabs, a 14,000-square-foot R&D center — the creation of which Edward championed — the CoEs focus on building capabilities needed to successfully support agencies’ unique needs and differentiate the company in the market. He also invested in the collaborative culture he was building through initiatives that attracted and retained top talent, including:
- The oLabs Hackathon that encourages companywide participation and challenges employees to solve real customer and business problems.
- Octo University, which offered employees no-cost technical, business, leadership and certification training.
- Internships drawing undergraduate and graduate level talent from all over the world.
- Technical training made free and accessible to disadvantaged and underrepresented communities.
Edward’s focus on building dynamic teams dedicated to co-creating the most relevant solutions for agencies resulted in:
- 1,200-plus visitors to oLabs, including 100% of client agencies.
- 150-plus interagency team members, including from GSA.
- 12-plus custom AI solutions, half of which provide 360° tactical edge situational awareness.
- The VA’s largest low-code/no-code implementation, which skyrocketed automation and productivity.
Why Watch
Building on his success at Octo as IBM’s first federal market CTO, Edward will help IBM’s service lines scale across the sector, while continuing to lead oLabs and expand its co-creation approach. Edward will further enmesh oLabs and the CTO team with IBM’s federal business to enhance its already impressive solutions and services in quantum, AI and hybrid cloud.
But most importantly, Edward will bring the mindset that established a different kind of CTO organization: the culture of collaborative expertise and advanced capabilities rooted in customized development and agile innovation.
“Sujey’s visionary and herculean efforts to grow oLabs, his dedication to customers, colleagues and community, and his innovative spirit go beyond commendable,” said Octo Founder Mehul Sanghani, who now steers strategy for IBM’s federal market. “Sujey created a culture rooted in working alongside clients to build the most effective, durable, mission-enabling solutions. He is the embodiment of digital transformation, driving the government forward to ensure citizens are more efficiently served and better protected.”
Fun Fact: Edward coached high school basketball for a few years, winning some titles and even receiving an offer for a college head coach position.
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