Alex Kaplan is the Global Sales Leader for Strategic Deals at IBM Research and is a Member of the IBM Industry Academy. He is currently leading IBM’s global work on the application of blockchain technologies as an enabler of lifelong learning. Alex’s career has focused upon serial entrepreneurship, taking innovative ideas from concept to market. His skills encompass strategy, sales, channels, professional services, and solutions. Alex has a strong background in advanced technologies including blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data and analytics, and ERP. He also has deep domain expertise in the public sector, with an emphasis on K12/Higher Education and State & Local government. Alex worked closely with the IBM teams that created Personalized Learning on Cloud, Watson Classroom, and Watson Tutor. He has built and led professional services businesses for the education and state / local government sectors, including IBM's first K12 consulting practice. Alex’s solutions work has been taken to market globally through sales teams he led at IBM, Lawson Software, Futurekids, and channel partners including Apple, Pearson, and Arrow.

Alex’s roles have included CEO, Chief Strategist, Global Sales Leader, Professional Services Director, Solutions Leader and Industry Thought Leader. He has been a speaker at Harvard University, Columbia University, IMS Global Learning Consortium, the Getty Foundation, IBM Research, Blockchain Revolution and many others. Alex serve on the board of directors of the IMS Global Learning Consortium.