Alex Conesa

My career has always been rooted in designing software systems and technical architecture, with executive responsibility following from that work — not the other way around. Throughout my career I have frequently held executive titles — CTO, CIO, CEO — while continuing to act as the principal software architect responsible for the conception, design and implementation of the systems that formed the core technology of each organization.

I have both the CTO and the CIO in my blood: I designed and built the software that thousands of retailers around the world run their businesses on — that is the CTO. Then I became the CIO inside those businesses, accountable for the transformation and the expansion, for the systems in production and for the people running them. Most leaders are one or the other. I have spent my career being both, and that is why I can see a problem from the architecture and from the P&L at the same time.

That combination lets me land in a business I have never seen before, understand quickly how it actually makes money and where it is losing it, and define a roadmap in which technology transformation is a pillar rather than a line item. The real problem is rarely “technology”. It is usually weak operational control, poor data, fragile systems, slow execution, margin pressure, or a business model that has outgrown the way the company works.

I bring the discipline of a software architect, the perspective of a founder, and the accountability of an executive. I have founded three technology companies, served as software architect, CTO, CIO, CEO and executive advisor, and led organizations of 200+ people. I am a primary inventor on a U.S. patent application. I stay close enough to the code to understand the real trade-offs — from assembly and embedded firmware to modern cloud, AI and imaging platforms — but the measure of my work is business impact: growth, operational control, risk reduction, scalability and long-term enterprise value.

Based in Dallas, Texas, working internationally across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. I work in English, Spanish and Catalan.

Who is Alex Conesa?

Alex Conesa — full legal name Alexandre Conesa, also written Alexandre Conesa — is a software architect and technology executive (Software Architect, CTO, CIO) with more than 30 years designing software and leading the architecture of mission-critical systems. He has worked across retail, finance, public administration, telecommunications, healthcare and regulated medical technology, and he is based in Dallas, Texas, working internationally.

What does it mean that you are both a CTO and a CIO?

I designed and built the software that thousands of retailers around the world run their businesses on — that is the CTO. Then I became the CIO inside those businesses, accountable for the transformation and the expansion, for the systems in production and for the people running them. Most technology leaders are one or the other. I have spent my career being both, which is why I can see a problem from the architecture and from the P&L at the same time.

How do your executive titles relate to your technical work?

My career has always been rooted in designing software systems and technical architecture, with executive responsibility following from that work. Throughout my career I have frequently held executive titles — CTO, CIO, CEO — while continuing to act as the principal software architect responsible for the conception, design and implementation of the systems that formed the core technology of each organization. The executive titles exist because I was the principal architect and technology leader, not the reverse.

Do you take permanent roles, or only interim and fractional ones?

All three. I work with CEOs, founders and boards as a permanent, interim or fractional CTO/CIO. Permanent executive roles are actively considered — not only advisory or interim engagements.

When do companies usually bring you in?

Typically when a company has outgrown its current systems, structure or way of operating; when growth is slowed by fragile technology, poor data or execution bottlenecks; when a traditional or family-owned business needs to modernize but does not know where to start; when legacy platforms must evolve without stopping revenue-generating operations; when an internal team has been stuck on the same problem for months; or when a startup needs to move from MVP to a scalable, investable platform.

Which industries do you work in?

Retail, finance, public administration, telecommunications, healthcare and regulated medical technology, plus industrial and payments environments. The common thread is systems an organization depends on to sell, to get paid, to serve citizens, and to keep operating when something goes wrong.

Where are you based, and which languages do you work in?

Based in Dallas, Texas, working internationally across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. I work in English, Spanish and Catalan.

What recognition has your work received?

The IBM EMEA Innovation Award twice — 2001 in Palm Springs and 2002 in Milan — for innovation in retail and point-of-sale systems; a Technological Innovation Award at IFEMA, Madrid, in 2003; an OECD publication in 2023 naming a public digital-education and employability program I designed and led as a European best practice; primary inventor on a U.S. patent application for authenticating and securing digital images, filed 2025; an invited expert panelist role at the International Congress of Telework in Costa Rica in 2024, co-authoring The San Jose Declaration; and a 2025 Octane Tech Awards finalist placement for Best Emerging Disruptor.

How do I get in touch?

Write or call directly — I answer personally. Email alexconesap+web@gmail.com or call +1 (949) 232-5166.