Thomas Ahl

Pioneer
DISC Type : DSi

VP of Infrastructure and Operations at O'Reilly Auto Parts

Cypress, Texas, United States

Overview

Thomas is a senior IT executive and the current VP of Infrastructure and Operations at OReilly Auto Parts. He specializes in IT infrastructure, cloud technologies, and cybersecurity, with a track record of leading teams to achieve significant results. People who have worked with him describe him as a passionate and strong leader with an innate ability to drive change.

Outside of his technology career, Thomas is dedicated to community service, for which he received a National Jefferson Award after leading a complete community center remodel. He is also a highly accomplished martial artist, holding a 4th Degree Black Belt, and serves as a high-ranking examiner in Ju-Jutsu.

Unique fact: Thomas once worked at NORAD with a high-level security clearance, giving him a view of technologies decades before they became public.

Personality Overview

Decisive But Friendly

Driven But Considerate

Friendly But Fast

If they are convinced, they can become very strong champions for your product  They combine a unique set of diverse traits where they are fast and friendly but can slow down to be thorough when needed They have the unique ability to win both love and respect from their team (or outsiders)

Topics They Care About

Autonomous AI
He recently posted about the shift from generative to autonomous AI, viewing it as the next significant wave for IT leaders to prepare for.
IT Leadership
His career is defined by senior leadership roles where he builds and revitalizes teams to drive innovation and operational excellence in rapidly changing environments.
Cloud Transformation
He has a history of driving "cloud-first" cultural changes, introducing and integrating Azure and AWS environments in previous roles.

Media Appearances

Thomas has no verified media appearances

Work History

4-2025
VP of Infrastructure and Operations at O'Reilly Auto Parts
3-2023 - 4-2025
VP of Infrastructure and Operations at Academy Sports + Outdoors
4-2021 - 1-2022
Chief Technology Officer at Empower Pharmacy
1-2020 - 2-2023
Chief Technology Officer at DataDefense Partners
10-2015 - 1-2020
CTO - Senior IT Leader at Visionworks of America

Education

Education details unavailable from Southeastern Oklahoma State University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 24 Location : Cypress, Texas, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : VP of Infrastructure and Operations at O'Reilly Auto Parts
URL has been copied!

Insights For Selling To Thomas

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Showcase existing customers and use case-studies to grab their attention
  • Mostly stick to your standard pitch and qualifying script, but add some stories or anecdotes to it
  • Use phrases like ‘your decision will’, ‘you will impact’ etc.

DONT's

  • Don't lean very heavily into providing too much information, sharing whitepapers etc.
  • Avoid focusing only on the product or its ROI, keep building trust subtly
  • Don’t be too verbose or overly friendly; a little bit, however, is fine

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Thomas is

  • Nothing less than a strong combination of proof of results, relationship and high levels of professionalism is effective with them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Thomas

  • They can say no while staying friendly, but can also be pursuaded to reconsider

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Thomas move?

  • They are generally fast movers and can take quick decisions
  • Can Thomas take some risk or not?

  • They have high risk-appetite but can get ahead of themselves once in a while. Observe carefully

You And Thomas

Personality Compatibility


Other O'Reilly Auto Parts Employees

Explore more public profiles from related professionals at the same organization.

More Profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

Search more profiles

Looking for someone else? Search here for anyone.

Or visit Humantic AI to know more.