Rod Smith

— Bio —

Rod Smith is an IBM fellow and Vice President of the IBM Emerging Internet Technologies organization, where he leads a group of highly technical innovators who are developing solutions to help organizations realize the value of Big Data. His early advocacy on the value of Web 2.0 to the enterprise played an important role in the rapid adoption of technologies such as Web services, enterprise mashups, XML, Linux, J2EE, rich internet applications, and various wireless standards. As an IBM Fellow, Rod is helping lead IBM’s work around business analytics that is empowering organizations and public institutions of all sizes to make better decisions, faster, for improved business outcomes and public benefit. Rod's work with clients such as O’Reilly, JP Morgan Chase, Disney, Reuters, CNN/Turner, AMEX, and Lockheed Martin, has informed his expertise in the role technology plays in creating a Smarter Planet. This work has also led to a sustained record of achievement in the global software community. Rod is the recipient of several prestigious awards and has authored of numerous invention patents and disclosures, including the TJ Watson Design Excellence Award and a long time member of the IBM Academy of Technology. He is a Computer Science graduate of Western Michigan University, and also holds an M.A. and B.A. in Economics with a concentration in Math from Western Michigan University. A respected tech renegade, he refuses to wear a necktie, and many times can be seen throughout the business world sans socks. Rod resides in Raleigh, North Carolina.