Anand Birje vs Balazs Fejes

Anand Birje

CEO of Encora

BIO: Anand Birje is the CEO of Encora, with overall responsibility for the company’s growth, client service, and day-to-day operations. Prior to this role, Anand was the President of Digital Business Services at HCL Technologies, where he drove the global growth of Digital Consulting, Applications & Platforms, and Data & Analytics, including strategy, practices, and service delivery. He also led its global corporate development, strategic partnerships, Next-Gen, ITO, and digital services. Anand was instrumental in multiple acquisitions and investments across the US and Europe, building in-house capabilities and establishing a strong foundation for Digital Consulting and UX Design Practices. As a founding member of its Infrastructure Services Division in North America, he helped galvanize the business to $2.5 billion+ within a decade. Before joining HCL Technologies, Anand was a founding member of Atesto Technologies, a SaaS tools provider of application monitoring tools acquired by Infovista, and held various positions in Emerson Electric Company's MES and Process Control divisions. Anand's passion for technology and business is a driving force in his work. He collaborates with Columbia Business School and UC Irvine to develop industry-level strategies around digital execution, transformation, and connected ecosystems. He is a regular attendee at the World Economic Forum in Davos and is a Strategy Officer with its Industry 4.0 and digital workforce groups. He continues to drive engagement in Silicon Valley, forging partnerships within the ecosystem of technology firms, startups, and venture funds. He served on the governance team at Morado Venture Fund, an early-stage investor in enterprise technology startups. Anand lives in Silicon Valley and is involved in philanthropic outreach that includes music and art education for children, and exploring the impact of technology on the future of society.

Balazs Fejes

CEO of EPAM Systems

BIO: Before September 2025, Mr. Fejes served as EPAM’s president of global business and chief revenue officer, where he led global client engagement, oversaw market activities, and was responsible for EPAM’s global business operations. During his more than 20-year tenure with EPAM, Mr. Fejes has held a number of senior roles, including president of the Europe and APAC markets, where he led business activities in those regions, co-led global business operations, and oversaw EPAM’s banking and financial services business unit. He also served as chief technology officer (CTO), where he was responsible for ensuring EPAM’s global software development centers operated at the forefront of industry standards for efficiency and quality. Mr. Fejes joined EPAM in 2004 as part of the acquisition of Fathom Technology, a Hungarian software engineering firm he co-founded, where he also served as CTO. Prior to co-founding Fathom Technology, Mr. Fejes held senior technical leadership roles at Great Plains (Microsoft Business Solutions) and Scala Business Solutions. Throughout his career, Mr. Fejes has been a hands-on innovator, visionary architect, and software engineer, earning multiple awards and programming championship honors.