Ashish Anand is an accomplished technology leader and innovator with more than 18 years of global, cross-industry experience driving digital transformation. As Director of Global Networks at Marriott International, he leads the modernization of one of the world’s largest hospitality networks—enabling secure, scalable, and automated infrastructure across 9,300+ properties in 144 countries. A pioneer in transitioning Marriott from traditional networking to cloud-integrated, software-defined, and automated systems, Ashish has championed DevOps, Infrastructure as Code, and agile delivery at enterprise scale. His leadership has enabled deployment of SD-WAN, SASE/SSE, spine-leaf architectures, cloud networking, and virtualization, while automating configuration for 25,000+ devices. He introduced a platform-driven approach that reduced deployment cycles from weeks to minutes and empowered 100+ engineers with consistent, secure automation. Beyond engineering excellence, Ashish is recognized for shaping culture and strategy. He has unified architects, developers, and global IT teams to align innovation with Marriott’s digital roadmap, positioning the company as a leader in modern hospitality infrastructure. Ashish is also a respected author and researcher, known for his book Zero-Touch Cloud Networking (2022) and multiple peer-reviewed publications advancing network automation, AI-driven infrastructure, and cybersecurity. His thought leadership bridges practical enterprise transformation with cutting-edge academic research. A sought-after judge for the Globee®, Stevie, and bintelligence Awards, Ashish evaluates global innovations in technology leadership and digital transformation. He additionally mentors entrepreneurs and professionals, reflecting his commitment to developing future leaders. A Fellow of IETE and active member of IEEE, ACM, and AAAI, Ashish exemplifies the fusion of vision, technical mastery, and human-centered leadership. His work continues to set a benchmark for large-scale digital modernization and the transformative power of technology.