2017 Distinguished Alumnus

Brad Surak
B.S. '95, Computer Science

Brad Surak (BS ’95) is an “intra-preneur” with a proven ability for building a successful “business within a business” for large multi-national companies. He has led teams from startup mode to driving global-scale digital transformations that deliver outstanding growth and productivity.

Most recently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of GE Digital and a founding member of the GE Digital executive team, Brad joined GE in 2012 to oversee GE’s digital transformation, focusing on the creation of GE Digital, which brought together 28,000 employees and hundreds of software offerings across many business units. As COO, he orchestrated GE Digital’s strategy and the integration of all software acquisitions.

Surak got his first taste of industry while still taking classes at Purdue. Off campus, he worked in the IT department of the Whirlpool Corporation where he was able to apply the concepts of what he was learning in the classroom to meaningful manufacturing challenges. One of his favorite classes was the Ubiquitous Computing course, which introduced him to the early applications of the Internet.

Recent Career Highlights
2016
Helped GE Digital eclipse $6 billion in revenue
2015
Received General Electric’s Chairman Award for collaboration with GE Aviation, which resulted in more than $500 million in two years for the company