Ep 13: AI Transformation Will Stall Without the CEO in the room | Balazs Fejes | EPAM

Many organizations still treat AI as an IT initiative. Balazs Fejes believes that's exactly why so many AI programs fail. In this episode of Digital Storm Weekly, we sat down with Balazs Fejes, CEO & President of EPAM Systems, to discuss why AI is forcing organizations to rethink leadership, operations, workforce design, and enterprise transformation. One of his strongest messages: AI is not transforming IT. It is transforming the business itself. According to Balazs, AI initiatives stall when they remain isolated inside technology teams. Successful transformation requires active involvement from CEOs, CFOs, and business leaders because AI changes how organizations operate—not just the tools they use. Some key insights from Balazs: • AI transformation must be owned by the business, not just IT • Leadership engagement determines whether AI scales or stalls • Organizational culture remains the biggest barrier to adoption • AI requires redesigning business processes—not automating existing ones • Companies must move beyond pilots and begin enterprise-wide implementation • Talent development is the foundation of successful AI transformation • Change management matters just as much as technology What makes Balazs' perspective valuable? As CEO of EPAM Systems, he has led one of the world's largest engineering organizations through enterprise AI transformation while helping global companies redesign how they build, operate, and scale in the AI era. If you're a CEO, CIO, board member, or business leader trying to move AI beyond experimentation into measurable business impact, this conversation is worth your time. —---- 🎧 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 🔗 YouTube:    • Ep 12: AI Bet That Could Change Europe For...   🔗 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a8c... 🔗 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... 🔗 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/779CC9N... 🔗 RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/the-digital-... ---- 👉 Love my content? Dr Joerg Storm:   / joergstorm   Lucas Storm:   / lucas-storm   Paul Storm:   / paul-storm   👉 Found this helpful? Share it! ♻️ Don't miss out! For exclusive AI and tech insights trusted by 570,000+ professionals at Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and more—join my free newsletter for cutting-edge strategies to keep you ahead in AI. 🔗 Subscribe now: https://drstorm.substack.com/subscribe #AI #Leadership #DigitalTransformation #Data #DecisionMaking #Innovation #Podcast ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 00:00 Introduction to AI Power Shift 03:35 The Role of AI in Business Transformation 09:04 Cultural Shifts in AI Adoption 14:53 Building vs. Buying Software in AI 20:18 Training and Change Management in AI 25:48 Rapid Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts