Elyas Achkar

Elyas Achkar has a diverse work experience spanning over two decades in various leadership roles in engineering, quality assurance, and program management.

Their most recent position is as the Vice President of Data Engineering and AI at G-P/Globalization Partners, where they are responsible for enabling companies to expand globally by managing HR, tax, and legal matters.

Before joining G-P/Globalization Partners, Elyas worked at Cognizant, where they served as the Head of Software Engineering for Evolutionary Artificial Intelligence. During their tenure, they played a key role in acquiring the Sentient LEAF technology and Intellectual Property, along with hiring a team of AI researchers.

Prior to Cognizant, Elyas held leadership positions at Sentient Technologies as the VP of Engineering and Director of Quality Engineering. Elyas was instrumental in building the world's largest AI platform and leading the engineering team for Sentient Ascend AI product.

Before joining Sentient, Elyas worked at Harmonic as the Director of Quality Engineering, Axcient as the Director of Quality and Engineering Services, and PayPal in various management roles. At PayPal, they led a team of software quality engineers and project managers, delivering high-priority products and streamlining operations.

Earlier in their career, Elyas also held positions at eBay Inc, e2open, and celestica, where they gained experience in project management, program management, and business analysis. Notably, they managed a multi-million dollar inter-enterprise supply-chain optimization project and implemented global e-commerce strategies.

Elyas Achkar attended Damascus University from 1987 to 1992, where they pursued a degree in Electronics & Computer Science in the field of study of Engineering. Following that, they pursued an MBA degree in Operations Management at McGill University, attending from 1997 to 1999.