SecretCon 2026
Forward Deploying your Career in the AI Age
Grant Ecker
Abstract:
Career success comes from “forward deploying” yourself into real business problems: embedding AI into your work, replacing repetitive low‑value tasks, and driving measurable outcomes. From which skills are valuable to build, tips on human-centered roles, and areas of focus that matter most, we will walk through a practical path on being, becoming, or remaining visible in the AI age.
Grant Ecker
VP Enterprise Architecture, Ecolab
CEO, Chief Architect Network
Grant Ecker is the Vice President of Enterprise Architecture at Ecolab, and the Founder of the Chief Architect Network.
Previously, Grant served as the VP and Chief Enterprise Architect at Danaher, the VP of Architecture at Walgreens Boots Alliance, and held a similar role at Medtronic. Grant has grown into leadership roles at Lowe’s Home Improvement and General Mills.
He is a Certified Coach, a board advisor, an MBA from the Carlson School, and a BSCS from Washington University in St. Louis.
Chief architects are encouraged to join nearly 700 of their peers in the chiefachitectnetwork.com