Christopher Surdak is an analyst at Leading Edge Forum and a former executive partner at Gartner, as well as an award-winning author, innovator, disrupter, engineer and strategist. A former rocket scientist, he is currently focused upon the design, implementation, support and use of intelligent automation technologies such as robotic process automation, cognitive computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. He is the author of The Care and Feeding of BOTS, Jerk: Twelve Steps to Rule the World, and Data Crush: How the Information Tidal Wave Is Creating New Business Opportunities. Chris holds a BS in engineering from Penn State, an MS from Wharton Business School, a master’s certificate in information security from Villanova, and a JD from Taft Law School.