Software was eating the world; now data is eating software.

Keith J. MacKay

EY-Parthenon Managing Director, Software Strategy Group, Ernst & Young LLP

Terminally curious. Maker or builder of things (businesses, teams, software, courses, gardens, meals). Learner, teacher, poet, punster, musician, raconteur. Loves food, family, friends and forests.

Keith puts his 35 years in the software economy to work for private equity and corporate clients in analyzing and tuning up software product and development groups.

He refers to his role as “gray hairs and spidey senses” — equal parts tech, business and communication. Tech experience includes collecting the right data about companies and analyzing it to reduce costs or increase performance. The business aspect includes deriving insights and determining potential future implications from project discoveries. Communications experience encompasses enlightening and empathetic conversations with management teams, presenting findings, educating teams and clients, and sharing thought leadership.

Keith draws on deep and broad experience that includes developing award-winning products, serving as chief technology officer (CTO) and company advisor/board member, moderating tech and product mastermind groups and teaching at Northeastern University.

His BS in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT feeds his passion for products people understand and can use efficiently.

How Keith is building a better working world

For decades, Keith has built software economy products, teams and companies and has helped them to continually improve their performance while maintaining their humanity. From coding expert systems that analyze seismic data for real-time nuclear treaty verification, to building a firm that wrote over 1,000 custom solutions for businesses of all sizes as well as award-winning business solutions, to managing mastermind groups of Boston-area CTOs and CPOs (chief product officers) of high-growth high-tech firms, to serving as serial CTO, board member and advisor, to serving as software economy expert for 150 technology diligences (and counting), Keith has been involved in software at every level. His focus on excellence and continuous improvement while remaining relatable, maintaining perspective and sharing anything (everything?) he knows is infectious. When not working on software, Keith teaches at Northeastern University or works on improving his farmstead and family forest in New Hampshire.

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