Rashik Parmar

Rashik Parmar MBE is a distinguished technology leader with a 42-year career spanning industry leadership and academic advisory roles. As CEO of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, he champions professional standards and digital ethics. Parmar began his career at IBM in 1984 as a trainee Systems Engineer, eventually becoming an IBM Fellow and President of IBM's Academy of Technology, where he pioneered responsible computing initiatives and co-authored influential Harvard Business Review articles. His work at IBM focused on creating 'future-ready' organizational cultures and developing PC-based systems for financial institutions. Parmar's leadership extends to advisory roles at The Open University and DIGIT Lab, where he guides strategic technology research. Recognized with an MBE for services to business and innovation, he actively promotes diversity in tech, having launched BCS' Pride specialist group to combat LGBTQIA+ discrimination in the industry. His early life saw him transition from Kenya to Leeds, where he pursued computer science after being discouraged from medical studies, ultimately graduating from Imperial College London.