Jackson Aimiuwu: From Tech Skeptic to AWS Leader

He Wasn’t Even Into Tech

Jackson Aimiuwu wasn’t the kid who grew up building gadgets or coding apps. At 19, he touched a computer for the first time. It wasn’t love at first click, but that moment planted a seed.

He pushed through his first year at the University of Calgary without even owning a computer. Still, he chose to study computer science. What helped? A cousin who worked in tech showed him how tech and business could work together.

That was enough to keep him going.

From Zero to Architecting at Scale

After school, Jackson landed a role at EMC (now Dell) in Toronto. His job as a senior solutions architect soon expanded. He became team lead on a major project with Canadian Tire, the country’s second-largest retailer.

Between 2016 and 2019, Jackson and his team helped the company rethink how it served customers. They built Canadian Tire’s first private cloud and worked hand-in-hand with the company’s CTO.

That project involved 50 team members. It touched all areas of the business and involved 18,000 employees. By the time COVID hit, the systems Jackson’s team built were already helping the company stay strong.

Enter AWS

After Canadian Tire, Jackson asked himself, “How can I do this at scale?” His answer: Amazon Web Services (AWS). He joined in 2019 and has since been promoted multiple times.

Now, he’s Head of Solutions Architecture for the U.S. Financial Services Payments industry at AWS. His team supports clients in banking, manufacturing, retail, and mining.

What does he love most? Helping big businesses solve real problems using cloud tech.

Using His Seat to Open Doors

Jackson noticed something else along the way: there weren’t many Black people in senior tech roles. He decided to do something about it.

At AWS, he launched mentorship programs focused on Black and minority students. Through the “Reach Back” program, he helped organize free AWS training and certification for girls in high school and women in university.

So far, over 1,000 women across North America have been impacted. His goal? Make sure more people like him get into the room and stay there.

What We Can Learn from Jackson Aimiuwu

He didn’t start with a dream to work in tech. He didn’t even have a computer. But through hard work, mentorship, and vision, he’s now helping lead the future of payments at AWS.

And he’s making sure others have the chance to do the same.