Epam Systems CEO Balazs Fejes: Engineering, Al, and the road ahead

Engineering is evolving, not disappearing. AI, client focus, and modernisation are reshaping how enterprises build and transform in the digital era.

- By Shrikanth G

EPAM Systems is a leading digital transformation and product engineering company. On 1 September 2025, Balazs Fejes formally took over as CEO and President, marking a new chapter in the company's journey.

A two-decade veteran of EPAM, Fejes has worn many hats—from CTO to CRO—bringing a rare blend of deep engineering expertise and client-focused business outcomes.

In a wide-ranging conversation with Dataquest, he reflects on EPAM's evolution since its founding in 1993, the disruptive power of AI, the company's global footprint (including India's growing role), and his priorities as he leads EPAM into its next phase of growth. At the core of his vision lies a conviction: while coding tools may evolve, engineering remains the bedrock. And EPAM's sweet spot is helping enterprises build complex, scalable, business-driven solutions in an increasingly Al-first world. Excerpts.

EPAM has often described itself as an “engineering-first” organisation. How does this DNA shape the way you are approaching the AI revolution?

At EPAM, we have always believed that engineering is at the heart of everything we do. Coding tools will keep evolving. I agree that AI will change how people write code, but engineering as a discipline does not disappear. If anything, it becomes even more critical. Enterprise solutions are becoming more complex because AI demands strong foundations: cloud migration, clean and structured data, scalable platforms. Without this groundwork, AI projects fail. Given this backdrop, what we are doing is doubling down on both fronts: training our engineers to use new AI tools effectively, while also focusing on building the cloud, data, and architectural foundations that make Al adoption successful. Ultimately, we want our clients to move beyond experimentation and deliver business outcomes. That means ensuring solutions are not only innovative, but also scalable, maintainable, and aligned with real business cases.