India key to future AI innovation and talent: Pegasystems CEO Alan Trefler

Trefler also reveals how chess shapes his leadership, stressing the need to adapt strategy in a fast-evolving tech world

Alan Trefler, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of US-based technology company Pegasystems (Pega), gained early recognition as a chess Master at 19 and tied for first place in the 1975 World Open Chess Championship. This led to his artificial intelligence (AI) work at Dartmouth College, where he taught computers to play chess. After graduating, he began his career as a software engineer and architect, but his passion for chess remained strong. In a video interview with Peerzada Abrar, Trefler shared how chess has shaped his approach to leadership at Pega, emphasising the need to constantly recalibrate and reassess strategy