
Sol Rashidi
Named among the 50 Most Powerful Women in Tech, Sol Rashidi delivers keynotes that empower organizations to thrive in the AI-driven economy.
Named among the 50 Most Powerful Women in Tech, Sol Rashidi delivers keynotes that empower organizations to thrive in the AI-driven economy.
Trailblazer in AI and data innovation, Sol Rashidi helped launch IBM Watson and has led 30+ large-scale implementations. A Fortune 100 C-suite leader and Top 100 AI Thought Leader, she empowers organizations with actionable strategies that simplify complexity, unlock growth, and drive lasting business transformation.
Keynote Speaker Sol Rashidi is globally recognized as one of the leading voices in artificial intelligence, data, and digital transformation. With a pivotal role in launching IBM’s Watson, one of the first groundbreaking applications of AI on a global scale, Sol has since guided over 30 large-scale AI and data implementations across multiple industries. Her career includes senior C-suite roles at Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies, including Estee Lauder, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Sony Music, Royal Caribbean, and Ernst & Young, where she bridged strategy and execution to deliver measurable business results.
Named a Forbes “AI Maverick of the 21st Century” and listed among the “Top 100 AI People” and “50 Most Powerful Women in Tech,” Sol Rashidi brings unmatched expertise and authority to the stage. She holds eight patents, with more than 20 filed, and has been consistently recognized for her ability to simplify complex technologies into practical strategies that drive innovation and growth.
When you book Sol Rashidi for your event, you gain more than a keynote you gain a competitive edge. Her presentations empower executives to embrace change, cut through the noise of AI hype, and unlock the true business value of data and technology. Engaging, insightful, and actionable, her keynotes provide leaders with the tools to future-proof their organizations in today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Keynote by Sol Rashidi:
As some employees adopt AI, while others resist it, AI will undoubtedly be a part of a company fabric no matter what scale of AI you’re deploying and it will come in various forms, the adoption of AI Agents, AI Models, and/or embedded AI systems (like Microsofts co-pilot, Salesforce, Snowflake, etc).
What should you do to prepare for this human +AI workforce integration? What should you look out for? What assumptions won’t hold true? How should your HR, Leadership, and Middle-Management teams proactively plan for whats to come in the next 1-3 years.
Keynote by Sol Rashidi:
The goal of AI is to amplify and accelerate what we do best in order to do MORE with the SAME (not less).
So how do you prepare your organization model post-launch? What is the new Operating Model after deployment? What considerations and assumptions do you need to know NOW to achieve your ROI, establish a regenerative growth model, and drive “Catalytic commerce” – where AI as an enabler that creates compounding value generation vs. taking a one-time slingshot approach with barely any returns.
Keynote by Sol Rashidi:
Geared for Non-Technologists who want to make sense of the AI world and what it entails, this conversation gets past the ‘Art of the Possible’ and into the ‘World of the Practical’.
A majority of us aren’t technologist, so its important to understand what all this means today, for the future, and how to best be prepare for it personally and professionally. It also discusses the hype, the marketing, whats fact vs. fiction, and how to tell the difference.
Keynote by Sol Rashidi:
While many companies strive to be innovative, nearly 76% of all innovation projects fail and nearly 92% fall short of expected results. This conversation focuses on how to avoid the pitfalls and quicksand of innovation and why BUSINESS VALUE is not the metric of choice when choosing your innovation projects.
It also discusses, how to make sense of the new world of CXO’s where the boundaries of technology have expanded past the CIO. How should one think through the division of labor, motivating a workforce that can be apprehensive or resistant towards the latest advents of today, and how to forecast innovation projects.
Keynote by Sol Rashidi:
Many organizations are focused on being ‘Data Centric’, ‘Data Driven’, and monetizing on data because it's the new enterprise oil. However, most organizations fail to make the pivot, with nearly 73% of organizations falling short of what they set out to accomplish with their data strategy.
This discussion will go into all the reasons ‘Why’, and what we can do to course correct, evangelize, and create a movement that will build a last legacy with data. Everyone can be data-centric without removing the creativity, critical thinking, and experience we bring to the table.
Keynote by Sol Rashidi:
With the advent of AI and with nearly 86% of organizations investing in AI-based capabilities, it has been proven that AI is not a fad or a trend that will go away. However, what we can’t measure are the economic and moral impacts AI will have on our society.
Like parents, who are the caretakers of children, their responsibilities are to teach children right from wrong and to embed a moral compass in each of us. Similarly, WE as humans are the caretakers of AI, also teaching it right from wrong, yet we’re at a crossroads with a moral compass because of the biases, poor practices, falsification, and misinformation we’re helping it propagate.
I will share a personal story of how ‘fake news’ almost ruined my 20+ career and how I caught it, and how to embed safer and responsible practices for AI.
Keynote by Sol Rashidi:
Change is hard. Disruption is hard. With the pace of change being the fastest its ever been, leaders have an unfair advantage in today's world. Constantly distracted by messages and emails, combined with the pressures of motivating teams, aligning strategic priorities, balancing workloads, and all while innovating, leaders are not set up to succeed, UNLESS THEY GO ROGUE.
This discussion is all about finding the rogue in us. The leader who focuses on not being busy, but being productive. The leader who lets go of the need to respond in exchange for the need to reflect. Leaders who in spite of resistance can see beyond the trees and around the corner, and put forth passion and relentless pursuit to achieve what needs to be accomplished, and all while staying sane.
This discussion is about managing our energy so we can show up in the right way, at the right time, and for the right people to drive change and create outcomes.