Kamran Akbarzadeh
CEO, Project Control Academy
Award-Winning Author, Leadership and Success Expert Coach
United States
CEO, Project Control Academy
Award-Winning Author, Leadership and Success Expert Coach
United States
Dr. Kamran Akbarzadeh is the CEO of Project Control Academy and a recognized leader in personal & project leadership development, and the application of AI in project-driven organizations. With a career spanning technical engineering, project leadership, and executive education, he brings a rare combination of deep domain expertise and forward-looking innovation.
Kamran has worked with industry leaders such as Shell and Schlumberger, where he held roles as a project manager, program leader, R&D Engineer, and global subject matter expert. His work has contributed to major initiatives in research as well as technology development and implementation with over 50 technical publications.
As CEO of Project Control Academy, Kamran has helped train and empower thousands of project professionals across more than 150 countries. Under his leadership, the academy has become a global platform for advancing both the technical and leadership capabilities required to deliver successful projects in today’s rapidly evolving environment.
In recent years, Kamran has been at the forefront of integrating Artificial Intelligence into project controls and project management practices. Through his work on AI-enabled methodologies, he equips professionals and organizations with practical tools to enhance decision-making, automate workflows, and drive performance at scale.
He is also the co-chair of the annual Project Control Summit, a leading global conference that brings together industry experts, technology providers, and project leaders to explore the future of project delivery.
An award-winning author of Leadership Soup and Get What You Want, Kamran is a passionate advocate for purposeful leadership. His philosophy centers on empowering individuals to combine technical excellence with emotional intelligence, enabling them to lead with clarity, influence, and impact.
Through speaking, training, and advisory work, Kamran partners with organizations and professionals to bridge the gap between strategy and execution—helping them not only deliver projects successfully, but also grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled world.
To learn more about Kamran, please visit his profile on LinkedIn.
The Summit starts with a spark, and this is it. Conference Chairs Shohreh Ghorbani and Kamran Akbarzadeh will officially open Project Control Summit 2026 and set the tone for everything that follows with an energizing keynote on this year’s theme: Going the Extra Mile in Project Controls. This isn’t a “welcome and housekeeping” moment. It’s a rallying call for project professionals who are ready to raise the bar on performance, influence, and real-world impact. Come for the inspiration, leave with clarity—and step into the Summit ready to go all in.
From Hype to Hands-On in Project Controls Management
Everyone is talking about AI. But very few are actually using it to run better projects
Scroll through LinkedIn, industry news, or conference agendas and it feels like AI is everywhere. Vendors are promising “AI-powered” everything. Articles warn that AI will change your job. Panels debate the future of project delivery. Yet when you go back to your day job, you are still wrestling with spreadsheets, cost reports, schedule updates, variance explanations, risks, changes, and delays.
In this opening keynote, Shohreh Ghorbani and Kamran Akbarzadeh will help bridge the gap between AI hype and the daily reality of project controls. Through practical examples and real-world perspective, they will explore what it means to go the extra mile with AI and where it can truly support better project work. You will leave this keynote with clearer insight, fresh ideas, and greater confidence in how to think about AI in a practical and meaningful way
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