Darren Surch is one of only 28 individuals ever honored as a Lifetime IBM Champion by IBM and one of just two Lifetime IBM Champions for IBM Z. The IBM Champions program is an elite global community of over 1,400 external experts across all IBM technologies, celebrated for their thought leadership, exceptional expertise, and significant contributions to the IBM technical community.

In addition, Darren has been named an Open Mainframe Project Ambassador by The Linux Foundation and plays an active role in the Mainframe Skills Council. As a prominent speaker and thought leader, he is widely recognized for his insights on mainframe workforce training and digital credentialing.

As CEO of Interskill Learning, Darren leads one of the most influential organizations in mainframe workforce training. Interskill delivers over a million hours of mainframe training annually and is responsible for powering more than 80% of all IBM digital badges awarded for mainframe education.