Top 25 Digital Transformation Influencers You Need to Follow

Introduction

IT industry is growing at a rapid pace, regardless of the global situation. Most organizations don’t need to be persuaded to go digital at this point. Today, it’s become abundantly clear that digital transformation has the potential to save businesses. When it comes to digital transformation, it is no longer just an IT initiative, but rather a phenomenon that is on the minds of business leaders worldwide. Digital transformation is a set of methodologies and tools that modern businesses use to optimize their operational activities, such as expanding their reach, offering differentiated services, and boosting their performance. It is important to note, however, that digital transformation is not just a new department in the company, but rather a major shift in the role of technology in the workplace.

According to IDC, it is anticipated that global spending on the digital transformation (DX) of business practices, products, and organizations will reach $2.8 trillion in the year 2025, which is more than double the amount that was allocated in the year 2020. In the post-pandemic era, businesses have become fundamentally reliant on digital transformation. Businesses have shifted their focus to digital priorities in order to address the challenges posed by sudden shifts in technology. It’s difficult to tell which of the many technological transformations taking place in the workplace, such as AI, IoT, Blockchain, cloud, and data analysis, is the most important at any given time.

Today, influencers dominate the digital realm. As more social media accounts, independently run websites, and digital transformation blogs become our primary sources for digital transformation trends, it’s critical to identify the best resources available. This list of digital transformation influencers and thought leaders will help your business grow and give you a competitive edge in the market by providing insight into current digital transformation trends.

25 digital transformation influencers

Brian Solis

Brian is a Global Head of Innovation at ServiceNow. He is also the author of the award-winning book X: The Experience When Business Meets Design and a keynote speaker who shares his vision to assist corporations comprehend the dynamics and rise of digital transformation. He investigates the impact of disruptive technology on business and society. When it comes to humanizing technology, no one does it better than Brian. Forbes referred to him as “one of the more creative and brilliant business minds of our time”, ZDNet has called him “one of the 21st century business world’s leading thinkers”’ and according to The Conference Board, Brian is “the futurist we all need now.” His interests include digital transformation, customer experience, culture, the future of various businesses, as well as current and emerging trends.

Take a look at his website to get a better sense of who he is.

Follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter for more information on digital transformation

Ronald van Loon

Ronald van Loon is CEO, Principal Analyst, thought leader, and influencer who connects businesses, professionals, and influencers to new audiences while also empowering them to collaborate, develop, and share innovative new content. Ronald assists data-driven businesses in generating revenue. He is regarded as a top big data, data science, IoT, and AI influencer. He routinely publishes articles and hosts webinars on big data, IoT, data science, analytics, and other issues related to digital transformation. Ronald is a member of the LinkedIn group “Awesome Ways Big Data is Used to Improve Our World.”

Check out his website to read his articles.

You can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn to find out more about digital transformation

Tamara McCleary

Tamara McCleary is the founder and CEO of Thulium, a global digital marketing agency. She serves as a technology futurist and an advisor to Amazon, Alexa, Oracle, SAP, Cisco, Dell, IBM, Mercer, Marsh & McLennan Companies, AT&T, Verizon, Citrix, and RSA Security, among other companies. As an internationally recognized expert in new technologies, storytelling, branding, and social influence, Tamara McCleary is the world’s leading female technology influencer and is at or near the top of every digital and social media ranking. Tamara has also been recognized by B2B Marketing as the Most Influential Woman in Martech by B2B Marketing.

To read more of her work, head over to her website.

For more information on digital transformation, you can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Tim Hughes

Tim Hughes is widely regarded as the world’s foremost pioneer and advocate of social selling. Smarketing: How to Achieve Competitive Advantage Through Blended Sales and Marketing is his most recent book. He is also the co-founder and CEO of Digital Leadership Associates, as well as the co-author of two other best-sellers, Social Selling and Changemakers: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers Published by Kogan Page.

More information on digital transformation can be found by following him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Vala Afshar

Vala Afshar is a digital marketing evangelist, Twitter storyteller, author of The Pursuit of Social Business Excellence, and one of the most prominent voices in digital transformation, marketing, digital commerce, customer service, and the business side of social media. In addition to co-hosting the weekly video show DisrupTV, he contributes weekly articles on technology, business, and leadership to numerous publications. Vala is considered a pioneer in business intelligence, social technologies, and customer relationship management (CRM).

If you want more information about digital transformation, you should follow him on Twitter.

Spiros Margaris

Spiros Margaris, the founder of Margaris Ventures, is a venture capitalist, futurist, keynote speaker, board member, and senior advisor. Spiros is the first international influencer to achieve ‘The Triple Crown’ ranking (the No. 1 Fintech, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Blockchain influencer according to Onalytica). He was also ranked by Refintiv (Thomson Reuters) as the world’s No. 1 Finance Influencer. Onalytica has ranked him as the leading Fintech influencer worldwide. Onaytica recognized him as the Key Opinion Leader (KOL) in Fintech (Who’s Who in Fintech?).

You can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn to find out more about digital transformation

Kirk Borne

Kirk Borne, Chief Science Officer at DataPrime, Inc., is one of the world’s most influential data science leaders. As a data scientist, he has more than three decades of experience and is a global speaker. In addition, he acts as a thought leader, futurist, and advisor for projects involving data science, machine learning, data mining, data analytics, and big data. Kirk has been recognized as the most influential data scientist in the world on numerous lists.

You can find out more about him on his website.

For more information on data science, connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Glen Gilmore

Glen Gilmore, founder of Gilmore Business Network and a Forbes Top 20 Social Media Influencer, is the author of “Social Media Law for Business”. Dubbed a “futurist” by IBM, and a “Twitter Powerhouse” by The Huffington Post, Glen is a lawyer and social media strategist. He has been recognized by Inc. as one of the “Top 30 Internet of Things Experts” and is positioned near the top of Onalytica’s list of the Top 100 Content Marketing Influencers. Gilmore provides counsel to clients regarding strategy, trends, digital marketing & transformation best practices, online community building, online reputation management, influencer relations, compliance, and governance.

To learn more about him, visit his website.

For more information on digital transformation, you can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Simon Porter

Senior Vice President Europe & Latin America at Alight Solutions is a leading influencer in cloud, bigdata & IOT with extensive expertise in all aspects of channels, marketing, sales, and deal-making. Direct experience in establishing international start-ups and leading large $bn units in the software and services industries, enabling sales & marketing to capture the new delivery and consumption models of SaaS & Cloud and to reach new customers with digital and social marketing strategies.

Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn for additional digital transformation information.

Dr. Marcell Vollmer

Dr. Marcell is the CEO of Prospitalia Group. He has more than 20 years of experience developing and implementing strategies for procurement, supply chain, finance, shared services, and digital transformation across industries around the world. Marcell has worked at SAP for more than 14 years in a variety of roles, including Chief Digital Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Procurement Officer, and Senior Vice President. During that time, he has helped the company improve its digital transformation and procurement processes. He has also been in charge of different strategy and implementation projects at PA Consulting Group and DHL Express. Marcell is a popular speaker at conferences and an active social media influencer on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Head over to his website to learn more about him.

For more information on digital transformation, you can find him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Yves Mulkers

Yves is a Data & Analytics Strategist, Social Influencer, and Industry Analyst at 7wData, who helps businesses outgrow their data pains and use data for business impact. He is well-versed in everything data-related. His expertise spans from the fundamentals of data storage and processing to the most cutting-edge techniques for streamlining business operations and staying competitive in the age of big data. Big data, AI, cloud, and digital transformation are among Yves’ specialties. He uses this expertise on both the client side and the B2B side of marketing strategy for Data & Tech Brands.

See what he’s up to on Twitter and LinkedIn, as he discusses digital transformation

Tripp Braden

Tripp, a global brand journalist for Market Leadership Journal, is an expert on the intersection of marketing and technology. He is a top 25 global tech influencer in fields as diverse as AI, digital marketing, and the internet of things. Tripp Braden discusses a number of new marketing trends that can accelerate your sales and profit growth. Tripp talks about how businesses can employ several simple strategies for transforming their businesses by capitalizing on their existing strengths in novel ways.

If you want more information about digital transformation, you should follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Sandeep Raut

Sandeep Raut is a global top digital transformation thought leader and influencer who advises organizations on how to set an attainable vision and digital strategy and assists businesses in reshaping their digital transformation culture. With more than 34 years of experience in IT strategy, consulting, and delivery, Sandeep has built the BI, Big Data, Analytics, and Digital Transformation practices from the ground up.

If you want to learn more about digital transformation, you can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn

Michael Krigsman

Michael is a market analyst, keynote speaker, and host of the CXOTALK podcast. According to Apollo research, he is the most influential CIO among all industry analysts; according to Robert Half research, he is the fourth most mentioned IT leader on Twitter; and he has conducted hundreds of live interviews, panels, and conferences. Michael, as a columnist for ZDNet, has written over a thousand articles on innovation, digital disruption, and leadership. His work has been mentioned in major newspapers, television, radio, trade publications, presentations, academic dissertations, and blogs over a thousand times. Michael has been cited in approximately fifty books, was featured in the Wall Street Journal, and is syndicated on significant technology websites.

If you’re interested in learning more about digital transformation, be sure to follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Jim Marous

Jim Marous has been named one of the top five banking influencers for 10 years in a row. He is a keynote speaker, co-publisher of The Financial Brand, owner and publisher of the Digital Banking Report, and host of the top banking podcast: Banking Transformed. Marous gives advice on all parts of the financial services industry’s digital transformation.

Head over to his website to learn more about him.

If you want to learn more about digital transformation in financial services, you can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Wilko S. Wolters

Wilko S. Wolters is an associate partner at IBM iX, a hybrid digital agency and consultancy. He is a creative strategist with experience in digital transformation and business models. Wolters teaches at the University of Applied Sciences in Landshut, Germany. Wolters empowers businesses to harness the potential of new (digital) ideas, derive and implement digital strategies, identify digital solutions to business challenges, monetize digital businesses, and drive digital ideas into operations.

You can find out more about digital transformation by following him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Dez Blanchfield

JDez Founder/CEO of Sociaall.com & Elnion.com, is a strategic leader in business & digital transformation, developing strategies and implementing business initiatives in the IT and telecommunications industries. Dez main goal is to help organizations achieve their goals by using Digital Disruption, Digital Transformation, Cloud Computing, Edge Computing & Networking, Big Data & Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Intelligence, Internet of Things, DevOps Integration, Automation & Orchestration, App Containerization & Micro Services, Webscale Infrastructure, Cyber Security, and High Performance Computing.

See what he’s up to on Twitter and LinkedIn as he discusses digital transformation

Joe McKendrick

Joe is an author, speaker, and independent researcher, covering innovation, information technology trends, and markets, pondering disruption, tech and otherwise. A significant portion of Joe’s research is conducted in collaboration with Forbes Insights and Unisphere Research/Information Today, Inc., on topics such as artificial intelligence, digital transformation, cloud computing, and big data analytics. Served as co-chair of the AI Summit and is a contributor to CNET, authoring the ZDNet “Service Oriented” site.

If you want to learn more about digital transformation, you can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn

Vladimer Botsvadze

Vladimer Botsvadze is a world-renowned, multi-award-winning, digital transformation and social media influencer, Fortune 500 consultant, professor, keynote speaker, startup advisor, C-suite mentor, and media personality who has always been at the forefront of rapidly evolving industries. He has more than 15 years of international experience in marketing and innovation, with a track record of guiding executives and top brands around the world to initiate change, drive growth, and position brands as industry leaders.

On his website, you will find additional information about him that you can look up.

Learn about digital transformation by following him on LinkedIn and twitter.

Shelly Kramer

Shelly Kramer is a founding partner & principal analyst at Futurum Research, and president of broadsuite media group. She has helped some of the world’s largest brands enter the digital space, embrace disruption, understand the connected customer, and navigate digital transformation. She has decades of experience helping global companies with technology challenges, strategy, and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly discusses Cybersecurity, Cloud, RPA/Intelligent Automation, Collaboration, Automotive, the Internet of Things (IoT), transformative trends across all industries, customer experience, and the Future of Work, focusing on how people and technology are transforming the workplace.

More information on digital transformation can be found by following her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Ludmila Morozova-Buss

Ludmila Morozova-Buss is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief at Top Cyber News Magazine. A recognized multilingual and multi-cultural thought leader, she gained her foundational economics, finance, and business strategy knowledge and experience through a variety of assignments in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Ludmila Morozova-Buss is the winner of the Cybersecurity Woman of the Year Award for 2020 in the Influencer categoryLudmila Morozova-Buss is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief at Top Cyber News Magazine. A recognized multilingual and multi-cultural thought leader, she gained her foundational economics, finance, and business strategy knowledge and experience through a variety of assignments in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Ludmila Morozova-Buss is the winner of the Cybersecurity Woman of the Year Award for 2020 in the Influencer category.

If you are interested in learning more about digital transformation, you can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

David Chou

David is a leader of thought and a frequent speaker on the topic of digital healthcare transformation. He serves on the board of directors for CHIME, the association for healthcare CIOs and digital leaders. David also serves as the head of numerous digital health advisory board groups for Fortune 500 companies. He has led global and regional organizations in highly regulated industries through complex organizational transformations and digital solution integrations. David has more than twenty-three years of experience in leadership gained through growing, scaling, and transforming organizations through the strategic enablement of technology that generates increased revenue and margin through organic and inorganic growth.

For more information on digital transformation, follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Eric Vanderburg

Eric Vanderburg is a cybersecurity leader, consultant, and author. Vanderburg is the division head for cybersecurity consulting at TCDI. Eric is a lifelong student who holds over 40 technology and security certifications. He has a strong desire to contribute technological knowledge to the community. Eric is the author of a number of books and frequently contributes to a variety of periodicals. Eric is a frequent speaker at conferences, seminars, and events. His social media channels, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, are frequently cited as must-reads for technology and security enthusiasts.

Get additional information about cyber security by following him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Antonio Grasso

Antonio Grasso is the founder and chief executive officer of the Italian Startup Digital Business Innovation Srl. Antonio is regarded as one of the leading digital transformation influencers and researchers in the fields of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and sustainability. He is a business and public sector advisor and mentor to a number of startups.

Antonio’s ethical perspective on digital transformation has led him to be active on numerous social channels dedicated to knowledge dissemination, particularly in developing nations. Antonio aspires to assist in the propagation of the concept of digital transformation, and he actively participates in social media to provide the most recent content on new, emerging technologies and their applications to secure a better future.

For more information on digital transformation, you can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Theodora (Theo) Lau

Theodora (Theo) Lau is a speaker, writer, and consultant whose work aims to inspire innovation to improve the financial well-being and health of consumers. As the founder of Unconventional Ventures, she focuses on developing and expanding an ecosystem of financial institutions, corporations, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists to better meet the unmet needs of consumers (such as older adults), with a particular focus on women and minority founders. She regularly mentors and advises FinTech startups as part of her job. She co-hosts the podcast Rhetoriq, which focuses on longevity and FinTech, and maintains a weekly blog on Irish Tech News. She is a frequent contributor to leading industry publications and conference speakers.

Find out more about digital transformation by following him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

In conclusion

Your digital transformation journey may feel daunting, but you do not have to undertake it alone. Sparity enables clients to innovate and overcome today’s most difficult challenges regarding digital transformation. We may have missed or probably not be aware of some of the most prominent and influential tech influencers and voices deserving of inclusion on this list. Here is where you enter the picture. Tell us who you believe should be included on our list, and we will look into it.

Note: The influencers on this list were chosen based on their research, social media following, achievements, and connections to Digital transformation. This blog is not meant to convey any sort of ranking among the listed influencers.