Iwo Szapar

Hybrid Work Expert

🚀 Remote-First Activist | Top 50 Remote Influencer | Since 2017, shaping the future of remote-first world

Aloha, I'm Iwo Szapar! Over the years, I've helped transform how over 3,000 companies approach work, leading to more efficient and enjoyable professional lives. 🌍

Key Achievements:

▪️Co-created the AI Maturity Index with Harvard researchers, democratizing access to enterprise-grade AI readiness insights
▪️Advised Ministry of Communications and Technology of Saudi Arabia on AI up-skilling for startups
▪️Launched world's first certification program for remote workers: Remote-how Academy, back in 2018.
▪️Established strategic partnerships with 150 companies, including Asana, Deel, Remote, and Safetywing.
▪️Created an expert community of 250+ consultants from companies such as GitLab, Netflix, and Hubspot.
▪️Co-organized 3 editions of Remote Future Summit, reaching over 11,000 attendees and featuring 140 speakers.

Born in Gdansk, Poland, I've embraced the 'slowmad' lifestyle, living in various countries while working remotely. This journey has enriched my perspective and fueled my passion for innovation. When I'm not working, you can find me reading history books, following international affairs, or indulging in my hobbies as a dog lover, amateur surfer, and DJ.

Connect with me to explore how you/your company can work smarter! 🚀

🚀Remote Work Advocate & Co-founder

Remote-how helps companies make remote & hybrid work, work. Since 2017. 

🤓 Remote-how Marketplace - the world’s leading remote & hybrid work experts marketplace. Work on your consulting and advisory projects with 200+ pre-vetted practitioners from top distributed companies. 

🚀 Remote-how Campus - a community where leaders of hybrid teams come to connect, learn and grow together with access to live leadership development programs, mentoring services, and more.

🚀 Our AI Maturity Index got acquired by ISG (Information Services Group).

Didn’t think a random virtual coffee with a stranger would turn out this way...

18 months ago, Eryn and I started talking about AI adoption chaos.

Everyone had opinions.
Nobody had data.

We launched this as a research project.

It evolved into a diagnostic tool.
Using AI to assess… AI maturity in under 15 minutes.

Our system interviewed 6,000+ professionals across 75 countries.

The data was clear:
• 92% of companies are increasing AI investment
• Only 1% consider themselves AI-mature

Companies weren’t struggling with AI tools.

They were struggling with knowing where to start.

ISG noticed.
They partnered with us.
Then became our biggest client.

Today, they acquired us.

That’s not how acquisitions usually work.
But maybe it’s how they should.
They knew the product deeply.
We knew their vision.
The fit was obvious.

ISG brings research capabilities we couldn’t build alone.
Global reach to take this from thousands to millions.
Resources to turn our platform into enterprise infrastructure.

I’m genuinely excited about what we’ll build together.

Now, zooming out for a second.

It’s been 8 years of building.

First Remote-how.
Then Remote-First Institute.
Now AI Maturity Index.

Many mistakes.
Many lessons.

And now — first exit.

I’m relieved before I’m excited 😅

Eryn — you made this possible.

That “virtual coffee stranger” became an incredible co-founder who pushed me, challenged me, and helped me grow fast.

Thank you. Truly. ❤️ 

Fun fact: we met only twice in real life. 
Once in Lisbon (where we decided to launch the company together - see picture), and second time in Saudi Arabia.

This entire journey was 100% remote.

To the 6,000+ people who took the assessment and trusted us with their data:
You made this possible. Every benchmark came from you.

To Steven, Hannah, and the entire ISG team: You believed in the platform long before the acquisition. That partnership gave us confidence this would work. Thanks a bunch!!!

And to everyone who thought:
“Just another AI survey” — fair skepticism.
We had to earn trust with data quality.

Now we close the 92% / 1% gap.

At scale.

With resources that matter.
Companies investing in AI need to know where they stand.
We’re building the infrastructure to show them.

PS. Yes — I am VERY excited. Like… a lot.

PS2. Full press release → link in comments 👇

Co-Creator of AI Maturity Index (Acquired by ISG) 🤙 Vibe Worker

Enabling agility | Delivering value | Agile Coach & Advanced Scrum Master | Trainer | Wealth Coach

Overall:
20 years of demonstrated experience in Development, Quality Engineering and Project Management with exceptional leadership, process improvement, delivery and managerial skills. 

Using Amazon Q AIDLC (AI driven development life cycle) platform for planning, predicting & monitoring quality product delivery on time while managing developer efficiency & productivity

Has over 11 years of experience in Agile & traditional project management disciplines and Scrum/Kanban

Pearson:
Delivered the top critical Janus (Mastering) project in Pearson in moving the second largest revenue generating (400M USD per annum) Pearson platform to AWS Cloud.

Managed the Mastering BAU team consisting 9 teams (8 SL/1US) consisting 60+ members with a dedicated Core of 2 DEV Directors, 2 DEV Managers, 2 QE Managers, 5 Product Team and Program Management.

Spearheaded Pearson Agile Training team and TAMI Initiative (Team Agile Maturity Index) which are two of major PMO goals for each year.

E25:
Owning complex project deliveries run across multiple project teams (Minimum project 250,000 USD) plus platinum client maintenance and new feature delivery. Overlooking & helping the company to align on agile with focused training while further streamlining & improving the overall delivery process.

Amused:
Responsible for overall delivery. Identifying and implementing process BPs, streamlining and enhancing proper work conduct to ensure customer satisfaction with expected quality. Reporting, KPIs plus tracking anomalies for improvement. (Revenue 2M-4M USD monthly)

Enabling, coaching & training Scrum Masters, Product Owners, BA and Teams for agile/scrum practices.

Kumudu Bandarage

Identifying such within your own space is the first step towards doing things right

Many #believed this kind of shift was impossible. But a historic #change at the #top is now cascading impacting the #middle and the #ground level, step by step

#change is hard, but it is #great #srilanka

No alternative text description for this image

The acquisition of #WealthOS by the world’s largest bank #JPMorgan stands as a powerful testament to Sri Lankan #talent and #engineering excellence

This is our moment right here, right now to #recognize the global #impact we are capable of #delivering

Let's Go 🚀

Anton Padmasiri Chamat Arambewela

Founder & CEO, Saint Clair | Advisory & Capital to Governments, Investors & Scale-ups | Asia-Europe Capital Diplomacy

𝗝𝗣𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗢𝗦 — a fintech built entirely by Sri Lankan engineers in Colombo, selling into the UK pensions market — and they're keeping every single developer. When the world's largest bank retains emerging-market talent as integral rather than transitional, it validates a formula worth watching: developed-market positioning paired with cost-advantaged Sri Lankan engineering.

Read the full analysis → https://lnkd.in/d35p_eHx

#SaintClairIntelligence #CapitalDiplomacy #SriLanka #FinTech #CapitalDiplomacy

taplio

The Battle

Iwo Szapar

Kumudu Bandarage

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreIwo Szapar's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreKumudu Bandarage's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Iwo Szapar

Kumudu Bandarage

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Iwo Szapar's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreKumudu Bandarage's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreIwo Szapar's LinkedIn Performance