Invent has appointed longtime technology executive Jim Zimmerman as Chief AI Officer. This move signals the company’s intent to accelerate development of its artificial intelligence capabilities and expand its position as a leading data and integration platform for the wealth management sector.
Zimmerman’s appointment follows more than twenty years of experience in software engineering, enterprise development, and cloud technologies. His career began during the early years of the internet, where he contributed to pioneering startups in online media, e-commerce, and social media technology. These formative roles led to a series of senior positions in the enterprise technology industry.
At Microsoft, Zimmerman managed key partnerships with open-source organizations, most notably Red Hat, and led the development of the Azure Red Hat OpenShift service, enabling enterprise developers to deploy and manage containerized applications at scale. As a Black Belt Engineer, he supported major enterprises as they migrated applications to Kubernetes and adopted modern cloud native architectures.
Zimmerman later joined Red Hat, where he first oversaw the North America Black Belt team and subsequently served as a Principal Product Manager. In that role, he drove the creation of OpenShift on AWS and played a central part in shaping the AI strategy for Red Hat’s product management organization. His combined background in cloud infrastructure, open source platforms, and responsible AI adoption positions him to guide Invent’s next phase of innovation.
In his new role, Zimmerman will lead Invent’s AI strategy, governance, and implementation across the firm’s advisor technology platform. He will direct efforts to strengthen regulatory compliance, protect sensitive financial data, and ensure responsible AI deployment as the company continues to expand its suite of enterprise solutions for wealth management firms.
Zimmerman’s addition also reflects Invent’s broader initiative to build a domain-specific AI framework with strict guardrails around privacy, data residency, and PII protection. The company’s goal is to advance automation and development while maintaining the high security and compliance standards required in financial services.
Zimmerman has served as a featured speaker at major Microsoft and Red Hat conferences, including keynote presentations to audiences exceeding 5,000 on the future of open source and Kubernetes development. His experience advising global enterprises on responsible AI strategies aligns closely with Invent’s focus on secure, scalable, and data-driven innovation for RIAs, wealth management enterprises, and technology providers.
Invent currently serves more than twenty thousand users through its AI-ready Data and Experience cloud platform. Built on open standards and Data Vault 2.0 architecture, its Data Lakehouse provides unified, governed data across custodians, CRMs, planning systems, portfolio systems, trading, insurance, and document workflows. The platform’s modular SuperApp structure enables real-time analytics, automated processes, and AI-driven advisor and client experiences.
By modernizing fragmented legacy infrastructure with cloud native technology, Invent aims to help wealth organizations reduce operational complexity, streamline data management, and accelerate digital transformation at scale.
KEY QUOTES
“AI is changing how we build, think, and deliver technology. In wealth management, the opportunity is enormous, but it comes with responsibility. Our mission is to help advisors harness the power of AI without compromising client confidentiality or regulatory integrity. My focus is to make sure our development velocity increases with AI, while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and compliance.”
Jim Zimmerman, Chief AI Officer, Invent
“Having a Chief AI Officer isn’t just about building smarter technology, it’s about building trusted technology. Jim brings the rare combination of deep technical expertise and an enterprise grade understanding of compliance, security, and open source innovation. His leadership ensures that AI becomes an accelerator for advisors, not a risk.”
Oleg Tishkevich, CEO, Invent
