Everything you need
to book or feature Ben.
Bios, headshot, keynote topics, speaking formats, and booking information, all in one place for event organizers, journalists, and podcast producers.
About Ben.
Ben Pickett is a technology executive, keynote speaker, and Co-Founder of Swa-AI. He spent more than a decade as a senior leader at a Fortune 100 global retailer, delivering over $100 million in cost savings. Former Mayor, City of Jefferson, Oregon. He speaks on enterprise AI, site reliability, and technology leadership.
Ben Pickett is a technology executive, keynote speaker, and Co-Founder & COO of Swa-AI. He spent more than a decade as a senior leader at a Fortune 100 global retailer — most recently as Global Director of Site Reliability Engineering, where his teams delivered cumulative cost savings exceeding $100 million and supported infrastructure across 123 global locations. Prior to his enterprise career, Ben served six years in elected public office, including as Mayor of Jefferson, Oregon. He now consults on enterprise AI strategy, platform modernization, and technology leadership, and speaks to executive and industry audiences worldwide.
Ben Pickett is a technology executive, keynote speaker, and Co-Founder & COO of Swa-AI, an enterprise AI platform company built to give organizations secure, governed AI that is truly theirs.
He spent more than a decade as a senior technology leader at a Fortune 100 global retailer, most recently serving as Global Director of Site Reliability Engineering. In that role, his teams managed database, network, cloud, and retail infrastructure across every geography the company operates globally, maintaining 99.99% uptime for one of the world's most recognized consumer brands. During his tenure he delivered cumulative cost savings exceeding $100 million, rebuilt an 18-day database refresh cycle down to 39 minutes, eliminated over 100,000 manual work hours through automation, and supported infrastructure across 123 global locations and more than 1,000 retail sites.
Prior to his enterprise career, Ben served six years in elected public office, first as a City Councilor (appointed, then elected) and then as Mayor of Jefferson, Oregon, leading significant community infrastructure improvements without raising taxes. He also served as President of the Oregon Falconers Association, leading the coalition effort that produced the first species downlisting in Oregon history.
Ben holds an MBA with Technology Management concentration, a BSIT, and completed all coursework and research for a DMIST doctorate in organizational leadership. He is AWS Cloud Practitioner certified, a Certified Scrum Master, and a Certified Scrum Product Owner. He is based in Salem, Oregon, and available for speaking engagements nationwide and internationally.
Five talks. Zero filler.
Each talk is customized for your audience, available as a keynote, workshop, or virtual format.
Every format. Every audience.
What to expect.
Based in Salem, Oregon. Available nationwide and internationally.
Typically 6–12 weeks for keynotes. Shorter timelines considered — reach out.
Every engagement begins with a call to understand your audience and goals. Slides delivered 48 hours in advance.
Standard AV setup. Lavalier mic preferred. HD slides provided in advance.
Fees vary by format, audience size, and travel. Contact for availability and pricing.
Book Ben for Your Event
For speaking inquiries, interview requests, podcast bookings, and press. Reach out directly. Ben responds personally to every inquiry within 48 hours.
Book a 30-Min Discovery Call