Turning enterprise IT into an AI-native operation.
I lead enterprise IT for a global organization's Asia-Pacific region — service management, infrastructure, vendors, and budget — and I'm rebuilding how that function works around AI: governance, agent tooling, and a data foundation the whole operation can stand on.
A pragmatic IT leader, mid-transformation.
I'm Max Bao — an IT director carrying a full remit: strategy, budget, service operations, security, and the people who keep a complex multi-market operation running. My current work is an AI transformation — taking a traditional IT department and rebuilding it as something AI-native, rather than bolting new tools onto old processes.
I care about the unglamorous parts that decide whether technology actually holds up: ITIL-grade service management, incident response, disaster recovery, and vendor decisions you have to live with for years. Good infrastructure is invisible. That's the goal.
Home base is Vancouver, BC — Canadian permanent resident, family settled here — as I complete a 9-year regional IT leadership chapter across eight Asia-Pacific markets. No sponsorship needed, no relocation friction.
Four pillars I'm building the function on.
The AI transformation isn't one project. It's four layers that have to hold together, from governance at the top to data at the base. See it in practice →
Localized Governance
A governance layer that keeps AI adoption safe and compliant inside a regulated, China-based operation, instead of leaving it to chance.
Agent + Skill Architecture
A two-layer model where reusable skills sit beneath autonomous agents, so capability compounds across the team instead of being rebuilt for every task.
Operating Cadence
A get-things-done operating system for the team, so AI turns into throughput people actually ship, not demos that impress once and disappear.
Data Foundation
A clean, trusted data base layer so every downstream agent and decision is built on something solid rather than on guesswork.
Outcomes, not adjectives.
PMP · ITIL · CCNP Security · MCSE · Harvard Business School AI for Leaders
What sits on my desk.
Let's talk.
Open to the right IT leadership role.
If you're hiring for IT leadership, service management, or an enterprise AI-adoption build, in Greater Vancouver or remote across Canada, I'd be glad to hear from you. The fastest way to reach me is email.