Rob Ashe is the former CEO of Cognos and General Manager of Business Analytics for IBM. Serving as CEO and on the board of Cognos Inc., he helped grow the company into a $1billion-plus business intelligence software giant, with a reputation for customer excellence and high employee satisfaction.
Following the acquisition of Cognos by IBM in 2008, Rob led IBM’s growing Business Analytics division as General Manager, where he served until March of 2012. In his near 30-year tenure at Cognos, which grew to be one of the largest business intelligence software companies in the world, he held several leadership positions across key departments, including CFO, Senior Vice President of R&D, Senior Vice President of Services and Support, Chief Corporate Officer, and President and COO.
Rob serves on the Board of Directors of Shopify, MSCI and Servicesource. Rob has worked on campaigns at the Royal Ottawa Hospital and the Ottawa YMCA. He is an active supporter of the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club. Rob began serving on the foundation board of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group ( OSEG) in 2018.
Rob earned a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management in 1982. In 2000, he received the Trudeau Medal, the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management, which recognizes leadership, initiative, and contributions to the business world, the community, and the recipient’s alma mater. In In 2010 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa.