Alan Trefler is a visionary change-agent, innovative philanthropist, and trusted advisor to business leaders around the world.  Alan founded Pegasystems three decades ago to change how the world builds software.  In that time, Alan’s unique vision and relentless focus on client success has positively evolved the way many of the world’s leading enterprises engage with their customers.

Alan’s best-seller, Build for Change, describes a new generation of customers with unprecedented power to make or break brands and the changes businesses must embrace to succeed in today’s digital world.

Alan is the holder of multiple software patents, and the recipient of industry awards recognizing him as an innovative CEO and successful entrepreneur.  In 2017, Alan was appointed to the World Economic Forum’s IT Steering Committee.

Alan holds a degree with distinction in Economics and Computer Science from Dartmouth College.  There he won the John G. Kemeny prize in computing, achieved a Master rating in Chess, and was co-champion of the 1975 World Open Chess Championship

A staunch education advocate, Alan and wife Pam established the Trefler Foundation in 1996 to improve educational outcomes.   The Foundation recently sponsored Union & Fifth, an innovative non-profit that turns clothing donations into money for charities.