Matt Perry
Director Technical Automation & AI Innovation
Currently at Holland America Line (Carnival Corporation)
Visionary technology leader with 25+ years delivering enterprise-scale AI solutions, cloud architecture, and data-driven business transformation. Leading global teams of professionals and multi-million-dollar initiatives. Navy veteran with a foundation in leadership and mission-critical operations.
Expertise
Core Competencies
Artificial Intelligence
Software Architecture
Data & Analytics
Leadership
Career
Professional Experience
Oct 2024 - Present
Holland America Line
Director - Technical Automation & Technical Integrations
Seattle, WA (Remote)
- Lead global team of ~50 professionals; oversee multi-million-dollar capital budgets
- Pioneered enterprise AI strategy adopted across Carnival brands, championed by CEO and Board
- Architected production AI solutions using Anthropic Claude LLMs, AWS Bedrock, Step Functions, Lambda
- Delivered first proprietary AI products: Crew Onboarding automation, AskAnswers knowledge base
- Established API standards and Java microservice layer handling 10M+ daily transactions
2016 - 2024
SAS Institute
Principal/Advisory Pre-Sales Technical Architect
Cary, NC
- Drove $10M+ in pipeline annually through 50+ strategic Fortune 500 engagements
- Built custom analytics replacing Palantir at BNSF; delivered $823K McDonald's price optimization
- Developed $3.6M real-time bot detection system for travel bookings processing 3,400+ TPS
- Created Viya Data Editor evaluated by SAS R&D and Dr. Goodnight for enterprise deployment
2011 - 2016
SAS Institute
Principal Training Consultant
Cary, NC
- Ranked #1 SAS instructor globally in 2014 and 2015
- Developed SAS Demand Driven Forecasting curriculum; taught across US, Helsinki, and Barcelona
2001 - 2011
SAS Institute
Senior Software Developer & Consultant
Cary, NC
- Led front-end development for flagship products including SAS Drug Development
- Architected BI dashboards for enterprise clients in healthcare, finance, and utilities
Recognition
Awards & Achievements
Travel Bookings Deal
Real-time bot detection system processing 3,400+ transactions per second
Global SAS Instructor
Top-ranked instructor worldwide in 2014 and 2015 based on customer evaluations
Top Advisory Performer
SAS Customer Advisory Performer of the Year recognition
Viya Thought Leader
Patent contributor for Outlier Detection System innovation
Carnival Recognition
Recognized for exceptional client impact and relationship building
Major Railroad Recognition
Continuous Improvement in Quality award for application excellence
Background
Education & Service
Education
Academic Credentials
MBA, Information Technology Management
North Carolina State University
BBA, Computer Information Systems (Honors)
James Madison University
Certifications
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner - Advanced SAS Programming - Base SAS Programming
Military
United States Navy
Sonar Watch Supervisor & Sonar Technician
December 1993 - February 1999 - Jacksonville, FL
First sailor on ship to qualify as Sonar Supervisor during first enlistment
Led team of 10 sonar technicians in mission-critical operations
Operation Sharp Guard
NATO enforcement deployment to European locations
Awards & Qualifications
Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal - ESWS Qualified - Letter of Commendation
Connect
Let's Talk
Interested in discussing AI strategy, enterprise architecture, or potential collaborations? I'd love to hear from you.