Jean-Georges Perrin
Jean-Georges Perrin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 Alsace, France |
| Occupation(s) | Serial entrepreneur, software engineer, author, educator |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Known for | IBM Champion, serial entrepreneurship in IT, author of technical books |
Jean-Georges Perrin (born 1971) is a serial entrepreneur in the IT sector originating from Alsace, France. In 2009, he became the first French national to receive the IBM Champion designation, alongside Jean-Marc Blaise, and he currently holds one of only 30 Lifetime IBM Champion titles. Perrin is also an established author with works published by Manning and O'Reilly Media.
Career
An accomplished software engineer, educator, and serial entrepreneur in IT, Perrin played a key role in founding Pandemonium in 1995, among France's earliest commercial ISPs outside the Paris region; this company was eventually acquired by ISION. In 2002, he co-established Awoma, an independent software vendor dedicated to streamlining Java development. He launched GreenIvory in 2006, a trailblazer in Content Marketing technologies; its operations in France and Luxembourg ceased in January 2014, followed by the closure of GreenIvory America. Perrin took on the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO) at 2CRSI Corporation in 2015, supporting its expansion into North America. Since 2016, he has provided consultancy services specializing in software engineering, big data, and Apache Spark. In 2021, Perrin joined PayPal, concentrating on initiatives related to data mesh technology.
IBM and IIUG
In 2002, Perrin was elected to the Board of Directors for the IIUG. Until 2017, he was the board’s longest-serving elected member after Stuart Litel and distinguished as its first non-American director.
His status as an IBM Champion was extended for the 16th year running in January 2024.
Bitol and The Linux Foundation
Perrin contributed the Bitol initiative to The Linux Foundation in November 2023. This project seeks to create standards governing data contracts and products, tackling issues such as data normalization, maintaining relevant documentation, defining service-level agreements, fostering integration capabilities, and encouraging a product-centric approach to data management. The initial deliverable is an open standard called the Open Data Contract Standard (ODCS) for data contracts.
Publications and conferences
Perrin’s writing includes contributions to the now-defunct DB2 Magazine and co-authored pieces for The Futurist magazine. Early on, he co-wrote a book on C programming with Frederic Collet-Hahn in 1992. More recently, he has authored two ebooks focused on Informix.
In 2020, Manning Publications released his second edition of Spark in Action, which addresses data engineering with Spark using Java, Python, and Scala; this edition features a foreword by IBM’s Rob D. Thomas. His 2023 publication Data Mesh for all ages introduces data mesh concepts to a wide readership and has been translated into multiple languages.
In January 2024, Perrin contributed to Nick Tunes' Architecture Modernization published by Manning. Later that year in September, he co-authored Implementing Data Mesh with Eric Broda at O'Reilly. Throughout 2024, he self-published two additional works: Data Contract for all ages and Data Products for all ages.
Perrin frequently delivers talks at conferences and lectures at academic institutions such as the Université de Strasbourg as well as industry events like Spark Summit. He is also a regular speaker at All Things Open held in Raleigh, NC.
Other recognitions
In 2012, Perrin was acknowledged as one of 60 leading entrepreneurs from Alsace in Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, commemorating ADIRA's 60th anniversary and emphasizing his significant contribution to the local business community.
After leaving PayPal in 2023, Perrin received the PayPal Champion distinction in 2024, celebrating his ongoing impact within the fintech industry.