How a childhood moment in Japan shaped the journey of one Distinguished Engineer
On a winter morning in Japan years ago, a young Gongyi Liu awoke to an unexpected sight in his backyard: a little deer, about the same height as himself, crafted entirely from natural materials from the garden.
The installation was the work of Liu’s father, an aspiring artist who had spent the night building it with a combination of twigs and branches. Intended as a surprise for his son, the effort had done something greater.
“My father showed me firsthand that innovation isn’t necessarily expensive or complex,” said Liu. “It is possible to create something delightful by being creative and resourceful.”
From left: Kyndryl’s 2025 Class of Distinguished Engineers, Suraj Subramanian and Dr. Gongyi Liu.
That moment of childhood wonder kicked off a lifelong drive to create innovations that resonate — experiences that are not only inventive but deeply meaningful to those who encounter them. Today, Liu holds a PhD in systems information engineering and is a Distinguished Engineer at Kyndryl, one of the most prestigious accolades within the organization and the broader technology sector.
As a Distinguished Engineer, Liu joins a group of remarkable honorees from prior years.
“My father showed me firsthand that innovation isn’t necessarily expensive or complex. It is possible to create something delightful by being creative and resourceful.”
Liu has played a central role in modernizing cloud and IT operations for major enterprise customers while also helping to pioneer an AI private cloud initiative in Japan. His focus — data modernization and scaled AI deployment through Kyndryl Bridge — is designed to streamline operations and establish consistent delivery models across industries. The initiative reflects a broader push to embed intelligence and agility into enterprise infrastructure at scale.
“As we expand our capabilities on Kyndryl Bridge, I’m excited by the efficiency and speed at which we can solve business issues in the future. To me, it’s more than a platform — it is a tool that facilitates innovation,” he said.
But even for an accomplished innovator like Liu, taking risks and making bold decisions doesn’t come easily. Liu said he has intentionally tried to pick challenges that would force him out of his comfort zone throughout his career.
“It’s never easy to venture into the unknown,” he said, “but to succeed, you must put your hand up and take a chance on yourself — even if you think you’re not ready yet.”
Collaboration is fuel for innovation
For Liu, innovation isn’t just about algorithms or infrastructure — it’s about people. Despite a career defined by technical achievement, Liu speaks less about systems and more about the relationships that have shaped his path.
“When was honey made with just one bee in the hive?” he said. “My career has been shaped by so many people — from university friends to Kyndryl mentors, as well as customers and alliance partners.”
Liu credits much of his success to a culture of shared knowledge and mutual support. His leadership style emphasizes team-building and cross-functional collaboration, values he sees as essential to meaningful innovation.
“With a strong local presence, I’m always looking for ways to collaborate globally — even if it means learning to communicate in multiple languages,” he said. “It has significantly broadened my perspectives in ways I never expected.”
Liu’s approach reflects a growing recognition in the tech sector that the most enduring breakthroughs don’t happen in isolation. Instead, they often begin with a conversation.
Innovation doesn’t end at work — it is everywhere
Throughout his career, Liu has taken on roles ranging from technical specialist to architect, tackling complex business challenges for Kyndryl’s global customers. But when the workday ends and his children return home from school, he turns his attention to a different challenge: dinner.
A passionate home cook, Liu enjoys transforming simple ingredients into nourishing meals for his family. It’s a daily exercise in creativity that mirrors his professional approach to problem-solving.
At home and work, Liu, much like his father did years earlier, applies the same inventive mindset. Whether designing enterprise systems or crafting a weeknight meal, he views innovation as a way of thinking — driven by curiosity, care and the joy of shared experience. The satisfaction he finds in his children’s delight at the dinner table reflects his fulfillment from delivering meaningful solutions at work.
