Andy Hilliard, CEO, Accelerance

At age 26, Andy Hilliard had a quarter-life crisis that changed the trajectory of his life. In an effort to find himself, Andy joined the Peace Corps in 1988. On assignment in Costa Rica, he fell in love with the culture—and the woman who became his wife. The experience led Andy to dedicate himself to enriching businesses and individuals through valuable cultural exchange.  As CEO of Accelerance, Andy helps companies find the talent they need to scale high performing, globally distributed software engineering and product development teams.  Andy and Accelerance travel the world, assessing and certifying development partners with a proprietary matching system, so clients can connect with confidence to the top 1% of outsourcing partners worldwide. The Accelerance team also helps clients optimize their outsourcing partner relationships through mutual understanding, communication, and effective management.  Previously, Andy founded the groundbreaking nearshore software development services company, Isthmus Costa Rica. He began his global software services career as a Division Manager at Cognizant Technology Solutions during its formative years.  Currently living in Kenwood, California, Andy has visited more than 60 countries. He holds an MBA in International Business, Finance, and Marketing from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.