About Danilo McGarry

THE SHORT STORY

I was born in Latin America in the 80s with zero English and no access to technology. When I was about 6 years old, I moved to the US and then soon after to England. I studied at the University of Bath, the UK's no.1 business school, and began a successful career in banking, eventually becoming one of the youngest directors at Royal Bank of Canada during the financial crisis, and later the head of AI for Citigroup on a global scale. Seeking to use my skills to help people, I joined UnitedHealth Group, America's 5th largest company, where I worked with a great team running some of the world's largest tech and AI programs. I am thrilled and humbled that my work in AI and digital transformation has earned me rankings among the top 20, 25, and 50 most influential people in the AI industry. As a recognized AI expert, advisor, and speaker, I educate millions worldwide, with my methods taught in leading institutions around the globe.

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THE LONGER VERSION

I was born in Latin America—a large, less economically developed part of the world—in the 80s, a time when technology was a distant dream, and everyday life was untouched by computers or telephones. English was a language I didn't speak. At six, my world expanded as I moved to Florida, USA, and experienced the Western world for the first time, where learning English became a necessity. By seven or eight, I had moved again, this time to England. My English was still minimal, but I found ways to connect and make friends through chess and sports, eventually captaining several sports teams.

I faced bullying, particularly for my red hair (which today I learn is “the in thing!”) and my initial inability to speak English. Rather than letting it break me, I used it as fuel to excel, turning adversity into a motivator. Ironically, I now get paid tens of thousands to speak—so thank you to the haters!

At 15-16, my family traveled extensively due to my father's work building golf courses (no, I can’t play golf that well anymore). By 18, I managed to study business and technology at the University of Bath (at the time Bath University was no.1 in the UK and top 50 in Europe for business—not bad for a kid who was the first in his family to go to University). At Bath University I thrived, winning competitions and starting my career in banking at BNP Paribas. My trajectory quickly took me to JP Morgan, Motorola, and then to Royal Bank of Canada (RBC).

My career took a pivotal turn when I joined RBC, Canada's largest bank, during the financial meltdown (literally a meltdown, it felt like the world was ending) sparked by Lehman Brothers' collapse. Faced with potential layoffs and the tragic reality of a team member's suicide (and many others around me in other banks), I spent a night crafting a plan to save the bank—using technology such as automation and AI to make RBC faster and more efficient, putting us in a favorable position to win clients over from failing banks. The next day, after persistently seeking a senior executive's attention (I followed him to lunch, to the toilet, and was refused by his secretary three times in under two hours!), I was given a brief chance to present my ideas—9 minutes and 40-something seconds to be exact. During those 9 minutes, with half an eye twitching and incredibly sweaty palms from the lack of sleep, I presented my grand plan. My naïveté was evident, and the senior executive smirked and nodded, but my determination earned me the opportunity to lead and transform my team, eventually making me one of the youngest directors at RBC. This period involved relentless hard work, often clocking in 90 hours a week, managing teams across 12 countries.

After six exhausting years in the financial sector, probably one of the worst times the industry had faced in history, I sought new challenges. I established an AI and digital transformation consultancy in Dubai, working with clients across various sectors, including the government, utilities, other consultancies, and healthcare. However, after four whirlwind years in the region, family called, and I returned to Ireland to care for my father.

Back in Ireland, a new opportunity arose with Citigroup Bank, where I became the global head of AI and Machine Learning. Under my leadership, Citigroup was recognized as a leader in AI, surpassing competitors like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. But my thirst to use my skills in tech and AI to help people led me to UnitedHealth Group, America's fifth-largest company, where I spearheaded one of the largest AI programs in the world, aiming to improve healthcare processes and outcomes, helping millions of people receive better healthcare.

The grueling commute from Belfast to Dublin (a seven-hour round trip I took every single day for a year!) and the prospect of moving to the US prompted another career shift. I joined a business services company where I was one of the key people to help it undergo massive transformation, contributing to its valuation increase from $900 million to $4.9 billion over four years—one of the most successful transformation stories in decades.

Throughout my entire career in banking, consulting, utilities, tech, and healthcare, I have remained dedicated to my mission of spreading AI knowledge worldwide—not with all the hot air and fluff, but giving people knowledge on how to really use the latest technology to truly improve or fix real business and personal pain points. As a globally recognized speaker and AI practitioner, I aim to educate and inspire others about the transformative potential of AI. My work has earned me rankings among the top 20, 25, and 50 most influential people in technology globally, and my methods are taught in many computer science and business schools around the world—not bad for a kid that for his first 10 years didn’t have access to technology and could not even speak English.

Every year, over 200,000 people attend my speeches in person, and over 3 million people enjoy my content across nearly every country, and I have traveled to 70 countries thus far. If I could do all this, I hope this is inspiration that anyone can do anything in life, as long as they set their mind to it and stay focused.