Surya Sagi

A newly created post

Surya Sagi is Chief Data and AI Officer at IRIS Software Group, which provides accountancy, payroll, HR and education software. IRIS announced him on July 6, 2026 as the first holder of the role, effective immediately. He oversees the company's global enterprise data and AI strategy, including data governance and its responsible AI framework, and the company's page says he also leads its Enterprise Business Architecture agenda.^[1][2][4]

He also sits on the company's AI Steering Committee and its Business Systems Architecture Review Board. IT Brief UK read the appointment as a sign of tighter oversight of AI in IRIS's products and internal systems, noting that payroll, HR, accountancy and education systems often handle sensitive data.^[2][3]

From Pitney Bowes to founder

IRIS's biography says Sagi spent 26 years at Pitney Bowes, where he became chief technology officer of its SendTech division, after starting his career at GE Healthcare. It lists him as a named inventor on 12 patents. Before joining IRIS he founded ARKA AI and ARKA Advisors, which the company's release says help enterprises move from AI experiments to governed implementation.^[1][2]

Why he matters

In announcing the appointment, Sagi tied success to deploying AI responsibly, governing it effectively and showing measurable business outcomes. He is four months into the post and IRIS has not published results attributable to him, so the role itself is the news: a supplier of payroll, HR and accountancy software putting data governance and AI under one executive.^[2][3]

On The Executive List

Surya Sagi is ranked No. 92 on The Executive List (November 2026) in the Chief Data Officers discipline. The ranking is The Executive Review's own editorial judgment (how we rank); it is not an outside award, and placement on the list is never sold. View the November 2026 edition.