This month, Planet Mainframe celebrates influential mainframers nominated by the community.
Today, we recognize an advocate for accessibility, mainframe education, and mentorship.
Niall Ashley
Security Consultant, Vertali
Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom
Connect with Niall on:
View the entire 2025 Influential Mainframers group here.
Niall Ashley is increasingly visible in the mainframe community with technical contributions and a commitment to making the platform more approachable and future-ready.
“Niall is helpful, kind, generous, supportive—both a team player and a leader,” said one nominator. Another shared, “He’s worked hard year after year to support newcomers and experienced professionals alike, always with a focus on community and education.”
As an IBM Champion and active contributor, Niall has published over two dozen articles on LinkedIn, WAVEZ, and the IBM Community. To date, he delivered nine sessions and participated in four panels at industry events, including GSE UK and IBM TechXchange. He also appeared on podcasts such as TishTalksTech and Diary of a Mainframer.
He regularly engages with students and aspiring technologists, offering mentorship, facilitating scholarship opportunities, and speaking at universities on cybersecurity and mainframe careers. He works with WAVEZ and the Open Mainframe Project, believing in the mission and purpose of each.
Niall advocates for the future uses of the mainframe by promoting modern interfaces like GUIs and APIs as alternatives to traditional green screens. He also gives his time to causes outside tech, including mental health education and youth engagement through the Air Cadets.
Through his writing, mentoring, speaking, and volunteer work, Niall exemplifies leadership grounded in service. His contributions are building a stronger mainframe ecosystem—and a more welcoming one.
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