Joel Hron is Chief Technology Officer at Thomson Reuters, where he leads Product Engineering and AI R&D across Legal, Tax, Audit, Trade, Compliance, and Risk. In 2025, he was named to the Forbes CIO Next List and recently joined both the Wall Street Journal and CNBC Technology Councils.

Joel is driving the next wave of innovation in professional technology by combining human expertise with advanced AI to solve complex knowledge-work challenges. Since joining Thomson Reuters in 2022 through the acquisition of ThoughtTrace, where he served as CTO, he has helped reshape the company’s technology strategy and accelerate its AI transformation.

While leading TR Labs and AI, Joel’s teams launched seven generative AI products in 18 months, including AI assistants for legal research, tax research, and contract drafting. These solutions are redefining how professionals work — compressing expert tasks from days to minutes while maintaining the trust, accuracy, and rigor required in regulated industries.

Joel is passionate about modernizing legacy systems and building technology that delivers real-world impact. He builds high-performing teams grounded in trust, transparency, and customer-first thinking, pairing ambition and creativity with accountability for outcomes.

His vision for AI is not to replace professionals, but to scale their expertise. He believes AI should elevate judgment, expand access to trusted knowledge, and empower professionals to focus on higher-value work.

Before becoming CTO, Joel led Thomson Reuters global AI strategy and helped lay the foundation for its most ambitious product launches. His career has taken him across continents, including time in London, Africa, and Switzerland. He recently returned to his hometown of New Orleans with his family.

Joel holds a master's in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor's in engineering from Texas Christian University. He believes the pace of AI demands continuous learning — and that curiosity matters more than credentials.