CTO and Inclusive Tech Leader Bridging the Gap Between Global Culture and Ethical AI Through the Power of Deep Listening
Long before Rezza Moieni was navigating the complexities of Artificial Intelligence and global data ethics, he was a young boy in the city of Sari, Iran, sitting with his grandmother. Amidst the greenery of the Caspian Sea region, she imparted a lesson that would become the cornerstone of his leadership philosophy: “Deep Listening is the first thing a leader should do.” She taught him that the solution to any strategic challenge is almost always found within the collective wisdom of the team—if the leader is quiet enough to hear it. This early realization—that human connection is the primary engine of success—has guided Moieni from the podiums of state swimming championships to his current role as a global leader in inclusive technology.
Today, as the Chief Technology Officer and Project Director at Cultural Infusion’s Atlas, Moieni is a prominent voice in the conversation surrounding AI and data ethics. A TEDx speaker and researcher, he operates at the high-stakes intersection of technology and humanity, ensuring that the digital tools of tomorrow do not just process data, but truly understand the diverse cultures they serve.
From Gifted Classrooms to National Waves
Rezza Moieni’s journey began in Tehran, but his formative years were spent in Sari, where his academic prowess earned him a place at the prestigious “Gifted School.” This environment allowed him to transcend standard curricula and fostered a lifelong hunger for innovation. However, it wasn’t just the classroom that shaped him; it was the water. As a state champion in swimming and water polo, Moieni was thrust into leadership at a very early age.
“Whenever designing a strategy for my team, first I have to listen to my team, and usually the solution is somewhere there! This will make the team more motivated.”
This philosophy bore immediate fruit, leading his teams to numerous awards and cementing his belief that leadership is a collaborative art form. His professional career began with similar distinction. After ranking in the top 0.05% of the national University Admission Exam, he was headhunted by Iran’s national broadcasting company while still a freshman. Immersed in the “Analog Switch Off” era of the early 2000s, he gained rare, ground-level experience in transitioning national infrastructures from analog to digital—a technical baptism by fire that would later serve as the bedrock of his expertise in Information Security and systems design.
Overcoming the “Local Experience” Hurdle
In 2015, after thirteen years as a technical director in Iran, Moieni moved to Australia, ready for a new chapter. However, he soon faced a challenge familiar to many highly skilled immigrants: the “lack of local experience” barrier. Rather than being deterred, Moieni leaned into his technical roots and volunteered at Cultural Infusion for a sound engineering project.
Fate intervened when the company suffered a major IT disaster. Drawing on his deep knowledge of Disaster Recovery Planning and Cisco systems, Moieni stepped in to restore the company’s data and re-engineer their entire infrastructure. His impact was so immediate and profound that he was offered the IT Manager position on the spot, quickly ascending to Project Director and eventually CTO.
Under his technical stewardship, Cultural Infusion’s Diversity Atlas—a world-first data-driven tool for measuring cultural diversity—has expanded to over 42 countries, impacting over half a million people. His colleague, Senior Software Engineer Christopher A., reflects on this period of growth: “Rezza’s leadership and vision were instrumental in transforming complex cultural concepts into engaging digital experiences… showcasing his ability to merge technical expertise with social impact.”
Ethical AI and the Power of the Pilot
As a researcher and lecturer in Cyber Security, Moieni’s focus has shifted toward the ethical implications of the tools we build. He is a fierce advocate for “Human-Centered” design that goes beyond Western norms. His recent research, including papers on AI chatbot architecture and DEI career trajectories, emphasizes that technology can either be a “homogenizer” that divides us or a tool that allows diversified growth.
In his mentorship roles, Moieni is known as the “Happy Helper,” a leader who prioritizes the growth of his team above his own accolades. Kripa Jose, a former intern, recalls: “Rezza created an environment where laughter and learning went hand in hand… His guidance was a steady hand leading us towards our goals while allowing us the freedom to explore and learn on our own.”
For Moieni, the stakes of this work are personal and profound. He often cites Marshall McLuhan’s observation: “We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us.” He warns that if our digital tools are built on narrow or biased cultural data, they quietly retrain how we see ourselves and each other.
A Call to the Next Generation
Looking toward the future, Moieni remains mesmerized by new technology but remains a critical “pilot” of its direction. His advice to Gen Z is clear: do not be passive consumers of algorithms. “Think of AI as a copilot and yourself as the pilot,” he insists. He envisions a world where culture, ethics, and diverse lived experiences are not afterthoughts, but the very center of every system we design.
Whether he is lecturing on applied cryptography or speaking on a TEDx stage, Rezza Moieni continues to lead with the “Deep Listening” he learned as a child. His legacy is one of technical brilliance tempered by radical empathy—a reminder that in an age of increasingly complex machines, our most powerful tool remains our humanity.
Editorial Note
Rezza Moieni’s career serves as a masterclass in resilience and the power of merging technical mastery with cultural intelligence. His journey reminds us that diversity is not just a metric to be measured, but a lens through which we must view the future of innovation. As we move further into the age of AI, may we all adopt Moieni’s philosophy: to listen deeply, to build ethically, and to always remain the pilot of our own technological destiny.
