EPAM Systems Announces Major Leadership Transition for Future Growth
On May 8, 2025, EPAM Systems, Inc., a prominent player in digital transformation and product engineering, revealed a significant leadership change set to take effect on September 1, 2025. Arkadiy Dobkin, the Principal Founder, CEO, and Chairman of the company, will transition to the role of Executive Chairman. Effective the same date, Balazs Fejes, currently the President of Global Business and Chief Revenue Officer, will ascend to the position of CEO and President.
A New Chapter for EPAM
This leadership shift marks a pivotal moment for EPAM as it embraces its next phase of growth and development. As Executive Chairman, Arkadiy Dobkin will maintain his pivotal contributions towards the vision and strategic direction of the company. He emphasizes that his role will focus on advancing key initiatives while ensuring the continuity of EPAM’s mission, which has been the foundation of its success over the past three decades.
In his own words, Dobkin remarked, “Over the past three decades, EPAM has been the defining project of my professional and personal journey. We started with a simple belief in the power of global talent and the conviction that software could change the world.” He highlighted the company’s impressive growth to include over 61,000 professionals across 55 countries while playing a crucial role in various sustainability and humanitarian endeavors.
Balazs Fejes is recognized for his instrumental role in EPAM's development over the past 20 years. From serving as the company’s first CTO to leading its presence in European and APAC markets, his extensive experience equips him uniquely for the demands of the CEO role. Fejes expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, stating, “I am honored to serve as EPAM's next CEO as we continue advancing the global growth strategy shaped under Arkadiy's leadership.”
A Legacy of Achievement
Under Dobkin's leadership, EPAM has achieved several critical milestones that have solidified its status as a global leader in IT services:
- - 1993: Founded EPAM Systems, aiming to provide world-class software engineering services.
- - 2012: Successfully completed its Initial Public Offering on the New York Stock Exchange.
- - 2015-2021: Established the Digital Product Engineering service model as a global standard and expanded into new markets across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
- - 2021: Achieved inclusion in the S&P 500 Index and recognized in the Fortune 100 Fastest-Growing Companies for three consecutive years.
- - 2022-2025: Guided the company through humanitarian initiatives to support employees during geopolitical crises, particularly during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while advancing strategic initiatives focused on AI solutions.
These milestones reflect a journey characterized by innovation, resilience, and growth — a legacy that Dobkin is confident will continue under Fejes’s leadership.
Strategic Growth and Future Directions
As EPAM enters this new chapter, the company aims to leverage the expertise of its leadership team to maintain its industry momentum. Fejes's commitment to continue evolving EPAM's unique value proposition in the digital transformation sector is notable. He is poised to build on the existing foundations by enhancing engineering and consulting capabilities to better serve clients in their AI-gen enabled journeys.
Moreover, John Michael Mayoras, Lead Independent Director of EPAM, expressed confidence that this transition is timely and thoughtful. He commented, “Arkadiy's vision and leadership have been instrumental in shaping EPAM's growth strategy and its succession plan.” This sentiment is echoed across the board as both short- and long-term strategies are aligned for sustained growth and leadership within the IT services landscape.
In summary, the upcoming leadership transition at EPAM Systems promises to maintain the company's legacy of innovation and excellence in software engineering and transformation services as it looks ahead to future opportunities and challenges in the tech sector.