Biography

Rick Young, Senior Director, is a thought leader and executive at Sikich, leading the Data and AI practice. He has more than 25 years of experience delivering enterprise-scale strategic solutions for Fortune 1000 clients across healthcare, financial services, retail, information and data services, communications, manufacturing, and travel and entertainment industries. He primarily focuses on data and AI strategy, data governance, and modern cloud-based data management, helping organizations foster more data-driven cultures and manage data as a strategic asset.

As a practice leader, Rick has played a key role in building and scaling Sikich’s Data & AI consulting capabilities, shaping go-to-market strategy, service offerings, and delivery models to meet the evolving demands of enterprise clients. He is known for leading complex AI and data transformations from strategy through execution, helping organizations move from pilot-stage experimentation to production-scale deployment. His work emphasizes strong governance, modern architecture, and measurable business outcomes, ensuring AI initiatives deliver long-term value rather than short-term results.

With a “get to yes” approach, Rick is widely recognized for successfully advancing AI enablement and responsible AI frameworks and for bringing a disciplined, business-first approach to emerging technologies. He regularly partners with C-suite leaders to align AI initiatives with desired business outcomes and has a track record of turning ambiguous opportunities into clear, executable roadmaps. In addition to his client work, he leads multidisciplinary teams spanning data engineering, analytics, and AI/ML, mentors emerging talent, and contributes to broader industry advancement through his role on the Board of Directors for the Technology Association of Georgia’s Data & AI Governance Society.