About Alan Trefler
Born 1956. Alan Trefler is an American chess player, businessperson, political economist and computer scientist.
Alan N. Trefler (born March 10, 1956) is an American billionaire businessman and chess master best known as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Pegasystems, With a 52 percent ownership stake in Pegasystems, his net worth surpassed $1 billion in 2013 Trefler was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts owned and operated Trefler's, a restorer of art and furniture. This business is still family owned and operating as of 2021. Working at his family's store while young in 1973. and considered going professional, later applying the same business techniques to teaching computers how to process business rules.
Founder of Pegasystems He founded Pegasystems in April 1983, taking on the roles of CEO and chairman at the age of 27. on NASDAQ. Trefler remained clerk of Pegasystems Inc. until June 1999, and president until October 1999. In March 2010, Pegasystems acquired Chordiant for around $161.5 million, which gave Pegasystems access to new markets such as telecommunications and healthcare. The Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council named him their Public Company CEO of the Year in 2011. His Pegasystems salary was $751,526 in 2014. That year, Business Insider ranked him the eighth lowest paid CEO in the tech industry.
In 2014 he authored and published Build for Change, a book focused on the management of customers and business processes. A Forbes contributor related that the book made "a convincing argument" that companies needed to prepare for changes in customer behavior, or face negative repercussions.
Pegasystems had 3,000 employees, 30 offices, and "more than half a billion dollars in revenue" by early 2015. Trefler has been recognized by the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs, Trefler made the Forbes Billionaire's List in March 2017.
Chess career A master-level chess player Trefler competed in a charity chess tournament in 2010 alongside grandmasters such as Garry Kasparov They established The Trefler Foundation which seeks to improve urban public education in the Boston area.
Personal life Trefler married his wife Pamela Reinhard in 1992, who at the time was working as an investment banker. The couple reside in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Publishing history
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Important facts
People in Alan Trefler's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Alan Trefler?
American businessman
When was Alan Trefler born?
Alan Trefler was born on 10 March 1956 in Boston.
What is Alan Trefler's occupation?
Alan Trefler is a chess player, businessperson, political economist and computer scientist.
What nationality is Alan Trefler?
Alan Trefler is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Alan Trefler. https://biography.guide/alan-trefler/
MLA: "Alan Trefler." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/alan-trefler/.
Chicago: "Alan Trefler." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/alan-trefler/.
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