Hi, I’m Ben Bykowski.
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I'm Ben, a passionate technologist, strategist, and builder. With over two decades of experience in enterprise data strategy, digital transformation, and technology leadership, I help organizations unlock the power of their data, modernize their systems, and build scalable solutions that fuel growth.
I specialize in data strategy & governance, analytics & insights, enterprise architecture, applied AI/ML, and modern web & platform development. I've led cross-functional teams through large-scale system integrations, replatforming efforts, and the implementation of secure, scalable cloud data ecosystems. My work spans industries and includes building user-centered web and software solutions driving adoption of modern data stacks, activating customer insights, and enabling business users through improved data access, literacy, and tooling.
Core Skills & Proficiency
Specialized expertise developed over years of consulting and enterprise experience
Career highlights and key roles across consulting and corporate environments
Professional Journey
Consulting
Corporate
Apr 2024 - Jan 2025 9 months
Apr 2024 - Jan 2025 9 months
Sr. Mgr, Data Strategy & Governance
Established the Data Strategy and Governance practice for the newly formed (April 2024) Nestlé Professional Solutions OpCo. Led a cross-functional team to build an integrated data governance and enablement service for the entire organization.
Nestlé
Corporate
Solon, OH
Systems Integration & Planning
- Led the comprehensive integration of end-to-end sales and finance reporting data migration from a legacy on-prem SQL Server data warehouse to the global Azure Data Lake.
- Designed and implemented a data integration strategy for the business to connect disparate data sources and provide a unified view of data across the organization.
Data Governance
- Established data governance policies, standards, and procedures to ensure data quality, security, and compliance across the organization.
- Developed and implemented data quality frameworks and metrics to measure and improve data quality across the organization.
- Built an organizational-wide data hub for cataloging and documenting data sources and repositories, key terminology, and dashboards and reporting across sales, marketing, logistics and finance.
Analytics & Insights
- Formed the data insights and analysis function to perform deep-dive analysis of business performance by category, brand, and market to provide actionable insights and drive decisions by senior leadership.
- Created a suite of Power BI dashboards to provide real-time visibility into sales, inventory, and financial performance for the business.
Data Strategy & Enablement
- Developed a data strategy roadmap to align data capabilities with business objectives and priorities.
- Created a data literacy program to educate and empower business users to leverage data for decision-making.
Team Leadership & Development
- Integrated a disparate team of seven remote data analysts, analytics engineers, and data infrastructure managers and hired top talent to fill key roles and leadership in Data Analytics and the Data Analysis and Insights team.
- Developed a comprehensive data strategy and activation plan across three phases over eighteen months.
Jan 2024 - Mar 2024 2 months
Jan 2024 - Mar 2024 2 months
Sr. Enterprise Information Architect
Led strategic architecture initiatives to re-platform CRM and B2B E-Commerce. Served as a data strategy advisor, focusing on business data maturity and recommending modern data stack tools.
Sherwin Williams
Corporate
Cleveland, OH
Technology & Business Enablement
- Led architecture initiative to re-platform CRM and B2B E-Commerce for the global performance coatings division.
- Developed reference architecture to align current state with a domain-driven digital integration layer designed to integrate data flow for both internal and external business applications.
Data Engineering & Execution
- Developed a business data maturity model and training to level-up data architecture and engineering team capabilities.
- Advised on modern data stack tools and systems to help accelerate the access to and activation of business system datasets.
Apr 2023 - Present 2 years 4 months
Apr 2023 - Present 2 years 4 months
Founding Partner, Data Strategy & Activation
Led the launch and growth of a data and AI-focused consulting practice, advising clients on modern data stack strategy, developing AI-powered solutions, and forming key partnerships to drive data activation and business transformation.
AMP42
Consulting
Avon, OH
Data Architecture & Integration
- Acted as a trusted liaison to agency clients, advising on data and analytics as a key factor in planning business initiatives.
- Conducted comprehensive analyses of existing data capture and analytics and developed specific actions and recommendations to capitalize on key insights and opportunities for existing systems and processes.
New Product Development & Go-To-Market Strategy
- Led the migration of multiple corporate websites to a modern and secure managed service controlled by the client's internal IT team.
- Designed and developed inbound marketing page templates to meet the needs of senior leadership's mission to grow awareness and drive lead volume.
- Led a comprehensive redesign and development of the corporate websites with an expansive architecture designed to address the gaps in digital presence and customer success.
Sep 2023 - Present 1 year 11 months
Sep 2023 - Present 1 year 11 months
Sr. Consultant, EA & ML Engineering
Launched a strategic AI consulting practice, delivering custom AI and ecommerce solutions while driving B2B growth through modern web development and identity-based marketing.
SiriusBits LLC
Consulting
Avon, OH
Technology & Business Enablement
- Developed comprehensive IT management process and content management documentation made available online for ease of access and ongoing updates.
- Developed a thorough curriculum and conducted critical content management training for internal client content and marketing teams.
Website Migration, Design & Development
- Led the migration of multiple corporate websites to a modern and secure managed service controlled by the client's internal IT team.
- Designed and developed inbound marketing page templates to meet the needs of senior leadership's mission to grow awareness and drive lead volume.
- Led a comprehensive redesign and development of the corporate websites with an expansive architecture designed to address the gaps in digital presence and customer success.
IT Consulting & Planning
- Worked with local financial services clients to upgrade and stabilize tax preparation and payroll services.
- Advised large B2B clients on improving hosting and maintenance, reducing costs and improving security.
Apr 2021 - Apr 2023 2 years
Apr 2021 - Apr 2023 2 years
Director of Technology
Collaborated with executive teams to define strategic data infrastructure and technology direction. Led selection and migration to an enterprise cloud data provider, handling over 10 PB of data and supporting 1,500+ BI and ML models achieving a $1.1 million reduction in annual technology vendor costs.
Hyland Software
Corporate
Westlake, OH
Data Modernization & Digital Transformation
- Spearheaded initiatives to select and implement Snowflake as a cloud data warehouse, replacing legacy SQL databases. Organized and funded training for DBA and data engineering teams, ensuring a smooth transition to cloud computing services.
- Guided the company's digital transformation to handle hundreds of millions of active data rows, meeting diverse business needs while improving data infrastructure and analytics capabilities.
- Launched initiatives to improve data literacy, accelerate the adoption of Snowflake and dbt, and implement best practices for data security and privacy, focusing on the principle of least privilege, attribute and role-based access control, compliance, data masking, and anonymization.
M&A Systems Consolidation & Data Migration
- Created a comprehensive data infrastructure roadmap, integrating technologies like Fivetran, Segment, Syncari, Apache Airflow, Azure Data Factory, AWS Lambda and S3, and Snowpipe.
- Oversaw technology integration for nine strategic acquisitions, ensuring operational continuity and data optimization.
- Conducted data and technology center of excellence reviews, communicating progress on prioritized initiatives to C-suite and business executives, ensuring effective data management and optimization.
Data Unification & Activation
- Developed an ELT methodology using dbt to create a global semantic model using non-destructive data transformation pipelines, ensuring data integrity, lineage, and documentation.
- Achieved 10-15% yearly pipeline growth leading to more than $100M in annual software bookings by providing insightful data analysis of website performance, traffic acquisition, inbound marketing, and lead generation through cross-platform analytics and data aggregation tools.
- Collaborated with diverse teams to create promotion, conversion, and retention plans, resulting in 15-20% yearly increases in lead generation, doubling conversion rates through Account-Based Marketing, automated chat, and website UX improvements, and the conversion of more than half of existing customers to a subscription model.
Team Leadership & Development
- Worked with C-Suite and senior leadership to charter the establishment of a cross-functional Digital Ecosystem team comprised of more than 20 data, software, and analytics engineers, operations personnel, project managers, and team leaders.
- Managed teams ranging from 4-20 professionals and grew competencies and talent for key teams in web development, data engineering, and technology management. Identified and onboarded talent, focusing on leadership development and fostering an innovative culture.
Technical Consulting & Capacity Management
- Led the strategy for global web properties and customer portals, aligning product marketing with the Hyland brand. Acted as a technical liaison to stakeholders across various departments.
- Identified and onboarded data and analytics engineering partners with domain expertise of the modern data stack to augment and accelerate team efforts to meet business objectives on time and on budget.
Apr 2020 - Apr 2021 1 year
Apr 2020 - Apr 2021 1 year
Senior Manager, Customer Data Platforms, Digital & Web Operations
Led cross-functional teams to drive digital performance, boosting lead generation by 15–20% annually and optimizing $2.5M in spend through data-driven campaign attribution and investment strategy.
Hyland Software
Corporate
Westlake, OH
IT Consulting & Planning
- Kept the department ahead of industry trends and best practices in interactive marketing and technology strategy. Evaluated and selected technology solutions for the company’s martech needs. Identified best in class solutions for collaboration, security, organization and development.
- Researched, evaluated, and established technology partnerships with web content management vendors, email service providers, marketing automation, infrastructure telemetry and monitoring, staffing and development agencies, hosting providers and a variety of IT and web development consultants.
M&A Systems Consolidation & Data Migration
- Managed the planning and integration of acquired businesses including the most comprehensive in company history during the purchase of Perceptive Software.
- Integrated DICOM viewer to showcase the acquired Nilread medical image diagnostic viewer capabilities.
Team Leadership & Development
- Established and grew global teams across web, DevOps, digital media, SEO, and web analytics.
- Participated on executive leadership team for short-term and long-term strategic direction for global sales and marketing. Helped identify critical areas for modernization, optimization and automation.
- Helped plan and manage strategic team resource reorganization and business alignment.
Digital Marketing Strategy & Execution
- Led cross-functional teams in promotion, conversion, and retention strategies, increasing lead generation by 15-20% annually.
- Educated and advised on $2.5M digital spend, ensuring campaign and tactic attribution for predictive and adaptive investment in paid search, social, programmatic display, ABM, and digital sponsorships.
Feb 2017 - Apr 2020 3 years 2 months
Feb 2017 - Apr 2020 3 years 2 months
Manager, Customer Data Platforms, Digital & Web Operations
Led the selection and implementation of an enterprise customer data platform (Segment), intelligent chatbot (Drift), marketing automation (Marketo), and predictive and intent-based ABM (6sense) vendors.
Hyland Software
Corporate
Westlake, OH
Team Leadership & Development
- Established and grew Hyland’s web development and digital marketing team by outlining the need for key roles and responsibilities. Identified and recruited qualified candidates, including Team Leads and Managers.
- Successfully onboarded and integrated key team contributors in Web development, business analysis, account-based-marketing and WebOps management as part of M&A talent acquisition.
- Led stakeholder strategy and recommendations for highly technical solutions, acting as technical liaison for internal teams.
- Mentored and developed career paths for employee team members. Fosters environment of innovative thinking and continual learning. Engages with team at all levels. Champions culture.
Technology Strategy & Planning
- Led the selection and implementation of an enterprise customer data platform (Segment), intelligent chatbot (Drift), marketing automation (Marketo), and predictive and intent-based ABM (6sense) vendors.
- Conducted web and digital center-of-excellence reviews to communicate progress on prioritized initiatives to C-Suite and business unit executive leaders.
Information Architecture & User Experience Design
- Developed a comprehensive global architecture to facilitate the transition from a single product brand (OnBase) to a family of brands encompassing all new and future products and solutions, enabling Hyland to go-to-market via acquired solutions seamlessly and at scale.
- Led the design and development of a component-based design system to create consistency and improve efficiency when working with Hyland digital UI and content.
Jun 2011 - Feb 2017 5 years 8 months
Jun 2011 - Feb 2017 5 years 8 months
Team Lead IV, Digital Marketing & Web Operations
Established and grew global teams across web, DevOps, digital media, SEO, and web analytics.
Hyland Software
Corporate
Westlake, OH
Analytics & Insights
- Designed, built, and delivered insightful analysis of website performance, traffic acquisition, inbound marketing, and lead generation through cross-platform analytics and survey tools.
- Consolidated and extended the implementation of Google Analytics via Google Tag Manager and trained digital marketing specialiasts to use these services effectively and independently.
Technology Strategy & Planning
- Responsible for technical solution and implementation recommendations to stakeholders in industry verticals, product strategy, and regional and international markets.
- Set the standard for ensuring that all subject matter experts and developers across all teams and departments had up-to-date certification and training on the core platforms and services used by the company.
- Developed estimates for budgeting and planning for implementation and on-going management.
Information Architecture & User Experience Design
- Led overall strategy and roadmap for global web properties to effectively represent product and solution marketing as integrated brand offerings under the Hyland parent brand.
- Modernized the web design and development process to leverage best-practices in front-end UX design and up-skilling the front-end and UX resources to use code-driven, web-based proofs-of-concept and prototypes to improve both quality and efficiency in the UX design and development process.
Jun 2011 - Jun 2015 4 years
Jun 2011 - Jun 2015 4 years
VP, Technology & Interactive
Co-founded and scaled a digital agency to $30M in revenue, leading technical strategy, business development, and team growth across IT, UX, and web development while managing key client relationships.
Falls Digital
Consulting
Cleveland, OH
Analytics & Insights
- Designed, built, and provided insightful analysis of website performance, traffic acquisition, inbound marketing, and lead generation through cross-platform analytics and survey tools for marketing, sales, and executive client teams.
Team Leadership & Development
- Co-founded and grew the agency to more than 15 employees, driving significant revenue growth while leading the internal IT function and growing the UX and web development teams.
- Participates on executive leadership team for short-term and long-term strategic direction for the agency. Manages reorganization and business alignment
- Trained, mentored, and developed career paths for employee team members. Fostered an environment of innovative thinking and continual learning. Engaged with the team at all levels, championing culture, teramwork and accountability.
Technology Strategy & Planning
- Researched and established technology partnerships with web content management vendors, email service providers, ecommerce solution companies, staffing and development agencies, hosting providers, and a variety of IT and Web development consultants.
- Responsible for evaluating and selecting technology solutions for the company. Identifies best-in-class solutions for collaboration, security, organization, and development.
- Managed IT planning and budgeting for the entire organization, including a complete overhaul of the existing IT infrastructure from legacy systems to best-of-breed modern digital communications, and established partnerships with major software vendors, including Microsoft, Sitecore, and ExactTarget.
New Business Development
- Took the business to 8x in size and more than $30M in revenue.
- Led business development and technical strategy, securing new clients and expanding services.
- Led collaboration on new business development preparation and RFP responses. Led new business prospecting and pitching.
- Prepared regional market segmentation based on research and analysis.
Agile Project Management & Estimation
- Acts as a client liaison to the company’s technical offerings. Brings knowledge and credibility to strategic planning that is supported by key technology initiatives.
- Develops estimates for budgeting and planning for both implementation and on-going management.
Information Architecture & User Experience Design
- Developed a modular information architecture framework to create a consistent and efficient set of deliverables tailored to a variety of clients.
- Embraced the emerging trend of mobile-first UX design to create user-first prioritized mobile user interfaces that scaled progressively to full-screen to support responsive design and development.
Nov 2009 - Jun 2011 1 year 7 months
Nov 2009 - Jun 2011 1 year 7 months
Director of Technology
Managed a team of software engineers, front-end developers, Information Architects, QA Analysts, and IT DevOps personnel responsible for $400K in monthly revenue, focusing on efficiency, execution, client delivery, and new business opportunities.
Optiem, LLC
Consulting
Cleveland, OH
Team Leadership & Development
- Implemented new software development standards, achieving Microsoft certification for each member of the development team.
- Responsible for 75% effective billing across fourteen (14) employees plus additional contractors.
- Achieved 10% year-over-year growth of departmental business through increased process efficiency and the design and development of new business offerings.
- Coordinates and executes IT planning and budgeting for entire organization.
- Trained, mentored, and developed career paths for employee team leads and team members.
Technology Strategy & Planning
- Researched and established technology partnerships with web content management vendors, email service providers, ecommerce solution companies, staffing and development agencies, hosting providers, and a variety of IT and Web development consultants.
Agile Project Management & Estimation
- Acts as a client liaison to the company’s technical offerings. Brings knowledge and credibility to strategic planning that is supported by key technology initiatives.
- Develops estimates for budgeting and planning for both implementation and on-going management.
Jan 2008 - Nov 2009 1 year 10 months
Jan 2008 - Nov 2009 1 year 10 months
Internet Strategist, Lead Developer
Acted as lead software architect on large website development initiatives, facilitating development efforts, QA, and project management.
Optiem, LLC
Consulting
Cleveland, OH
Information Architecture & User Experience Design
- Developed a modular information architecture framework to create a consistent and efficient set of deliverables tailored to a variety of clients.
- Embraced the emerging trend of mobile-first UX design to create user-first prioritized mobile user interfaces that scaled progressively to full-screen to support responsive design and development.
Software Engineering & Systems Integration
- Acted as lead software architect on large website development initiatives, facilitating development efforts, QA, and project management.
- Implemented and integrated content management systems, email broadcast platforms, e-commerce frameworks, ERP services, and web analytics.
- Documented and communicated and enforced coding standards, keeping within usability guidelines and accessibility best practices.
Jul 2005 - Jan 2008 2 years 6 months
Jul 2005 - Jan 2008 2 years 6 months
Senior Developer
Designed, wrote, tested, and deployed server-side code for internal and external web applications and databases.
Optiem, LLC
Consulting
Cleveland, OH
Software Engineering & Systems Integration
- Designed, wrote, tested, and deployed server-side code in C# and PHP for internal and external web applications and databases.
- Created, presented, and executed development specifications, aligning the overall strategy, business needs, and client requirements.
- Managed the design and development of a custom CMS platform, extending features and functionality, adding role-based access control, and refactoring the database to make integrating with 3rd party systems easier and more extensible.
Dec 1998 - Jun 2005 6 years 6 months
Dec 1998 - Jun 2005 6 years 6 months
Software Engineer
Developed key software solutions for automotive manufacturing plants and engineering offices, integrating systems, optimizing processes, and generating reporting and observability solutions.
The Dana Corporation
Corporate
Ottawa Lake, MI
Software Engineering & Systems Integration
- Developed key software solutions for automotive manufacturing plants and engineering offices, integrating systems, optimizing processes, and generating reporting and observability solutions.
- Integrated data-driven applications with text-based legacy systems (ManMan, ERP etc.) into robust database management systems for seamless communications between disparate systems.
- Planned and managed projects with data collected through middleware (I-Gear), supplied by engineering, gathered from custom interfaces and culled from existing data collection systems in SQL and Oracle using DTS, triggers and remote connections.
- Built Web-based engineering document management systems that allowed users to share engineering drawings and documents in a scalable and secure environment, with role-based access.
- Managed software quality assurance testing of applications across multiple projects.
- Designed unique data storage and management systems based on technical specifications for collective reporting and analysis.
- Developed custom applications to manage and multiple remote displays, utilizing the latest technologies in data delivery and industrial wireless systems utilized across entire divisions in multiple Dana locations.
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