The 2022 Top Consultants: Zhamak Dehghani

Zhamak Dehghani works with Thoughtworks as the director of emerging technologies in North America, with a focus on distributed systems and big data architecture, with a deep passion for decentralized technology solutions – the foundations for democratization: data mesh, decentralized trust and identity, and networking protocols.

She founded the concept of Data Mesh in 2018, a paradigm shift in big data management toward data decentralization, and since has been evangelizing the concept with the wider industry.

She is a member of Thoughtworks Technology Advisory Board and contributes to the creation of Thoughtworks Technology Radar. Zhamak has worked as a technologist for over 20 years and has contributed to multiple patents in distributed computing communications, as well as embedded device technologies.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

Creating a revolutionary socio-technical paradigm to shape the future of how we share and use data for analytics/ML at scale, responsibly. It is called Data Mesh.

I'm humbled and excited to be able to create a global mindshare and movement around this concept and change the trajectory of how we get value from data — with higher impact and more responsibly.

With the books and content that I have published along the way and the platform that Thoughtworks has offered me to get my ideas out there, I have been able to plant the seeds that one day will create a thousand forests, one client at a time :)

What advice would you give a professional just beginning a career in consulting?

You are about to experience one of the most privileged positions. You have the opportunity to see and experience, firsthand, the problems and the solutions applied across many clients and industries. Use your position and purview as a superpower. Have an open mind, challenge the status quo that no longer works, connect the dots and discover patterns, and generously share your discovery and insights to continuously improve how we solve hard problems. You can have an impact at a global level. That is a privilege that comes with immense responsibility.

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

Diversity of exposure to problems, clients and industries; creativity of coming up with novel solutions applied to unique situations; continuous learning at an accelerated pace; the thrill of the unknown, going into new clients and project; and last but not least, the ability to connect the dots, formulate new insights and share them with the world.

What's the best advice – personal or professional – you've ever received?

Think global first, clients next and self last. This was one of the many values that Thoughtworks leaders have taught me.

In consulting it's important to understand the problems and the trends at the macro & global level, have an appreciation for a global-first perspective. Then we put our clients first, approach their unique situation with empathy, and lastly think about self benefits and gains.

What does being honored as a Top Consultant mean to you?

A recognition that I will cherish for years to come. I hope my work and contributions' recognition inspire many younger consultants.