Xabier Muruaga
Global Head of AI & Data @ Iberdrola · AI Architect · Adjunct Professor @ IE University
I architect production AI and agentic systems where security, governance, and assurance are structural decisions — not layers added after deployment. My work covers LLM gateways, RAG pipelines, agentic systems, and control planes, with runtime controls, threat boundaries, and audit-ready evidence designed into the architecture from day one.
At Iberdrola, I lead global AI and Data, owning architecture, security, and technical governance, and shaping the platform foundations behind GenAI and agent initiatives at Europe's largest regulated energy operator. A major part of my work translates AI security risks into enforceable controls and assurance evidence aligned with OWASP LLM and agentic AI guidance, MITRE ATLAS, CSA MAESTRO, NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act, and ISO/IEC 42001.
I contribute to industry standards as a founding consortium member of AIUC-1, contributor to the OWASP GenAI Security Project, and member of the CSA AI Safety Working Group. I also teach ML Systems and MLOps at IE University, with a focus on the architecture and controls required to operate AI safely at scale.
Experience
AI Safety Working Group Member
Contributing to practical guidance on AI threat modeling, security controls, and risk frameworks for enterprise AI, LLM, and agentic systems.
Technologies & Skills
OWASP GenAI Security Project Contributor
Contributing to OWASP initiatives on AI security standards, LLM application security, and secure adoption of agentic AI systems.
Technologies & Skills
Founding Consortium Member
Founding member of the AIUC-1 consortium, working with 50 leaders across industry and academia to shape standards for agentic AI governance, security, assurance, and safe production deployment.
Technologies & Skills
Adjunct Professor – Artificial Intelligence
Design and teach the MLOps / ML Systems course in the Master in Business Analytics and Data Science, focused on the architecture, operating models, and lifecycle practices required for production-grade AI systems.
Technologies & Skills
Global Head of AI & Data
Leading Iberdrola’s Global AI & Data Center, responsible for enterprise AI and GenAI platforms, reference architectures, and the technical controls and assurance needed to run production AI systems worldwide. My mandate is to turn AI into a dependable production capability, moving from isolated PoCs to a repeatable platform and operating model that scales GenAI and agentic AI with controlled risk, cost, and auditability.
Key Achievements
- Delivered secure production AI foundations across Azure and AWS, enabling RAG and agentic systems with controls for prompt injection, data leakage, evaluation gates, and end-to-end observability.
- Industrialized reusable building blocks including LLM gateway, retrieval, tracing and telemetry, and policy-as-code guardrails to reduce time to production and improve consistency.
- Operationalized Responsible AI, AI Security, and assurance evidence through traceability, policy enforcement signals, evaluation controls, and decision records across the delivery lifecycle.
Technologies & Skills
Guest Lecturer – Artificial Intelligence
Deliver guest lectures on Artificial Intelligence for the Master’s in Entrepreneurship & Open Innovation, focusing on how AI, data and experimentation enable new business models.
Technologies & Skills
Global Cloud & AI Architect
Led global cloud and AI architecture initiatives across AWS and Azure, defining scalable, enterprise-wide reference architectures and platform foundations. Drove the integration of Generative AI as a first-class capability, accelerating adoption while strengthening security, reliability, and platform standards.
Key Achievements
- Defined scalable, enterprise-wide reference architectures across AWS and Azure, strengthening security, reliability, and platform standards.
- Shipped early AI foundations (access patterns, shared services, governance gates) adopted across multiple teams.
- Defined practical Responsible AI implementation guidance and controls for production delivery.
Technologies & Skills
Global Head of Technology – Smart Solutions
Defined and led the technology strategy, systems architecture, and platform evolution for Iberdrola's Retail Smart Solutions division from inception to scale. Scaled and guided multidisciplinary technology teams delivering smart home, solar, and EV charging solutions to millions of users, introducing early AI-driven automation across customer operations.
Key Achievements
- Scaled smart solution products to millions of users across multiple countries.
- Launched internal automation platforms for critical business processes, significantly improving operational efficiency.
- Increased customer acquisition by significantly improving digital experiences and scalability.
Technologies & Skills
Head of Technology – Metering & Industry Processes UK
Led the technology function and systems architecture for metering and industry processes in the UK, heading the metering technology teams supporting millions of customers. Defined the technical roadmap for Smart Metering platforms and data-driven operational systems, improving billing accuracy, automation, and operational efficiency.
Key Achievements
- Defined technical roadmap and architecture for Smart Metering platforms at scale.
- Introduced advanced analytics and decision-support capabilities for metering operations and forecasting.
- Significantly reduced billing errors through improved data processing and system integration.
Technologies & Skills
Senior Systems Analyst – Technology Centre of Excellence UK
Drove the technical design and integration of large-scale enterprise systems, modernizing complex legacy platforms through integration with SAP IS-U and CRM. Defined scalable integration patterns that improved system reliability, data consistency, and operational visibility across metering operations.
Key Achievements
- Delivered large-scale consolidation of legacy systems into a unified SAP IS-U/CRM platform.
- Defined scalable integration patterns improving reliability and data consistency.
- Improved operational visibility across metering operations.
Technologies & Skills
Technology Strategy Consultant
Advised IBEX-35 clients on technology strategy, focusing on transformation programs and digitalization initiatives. Designed and led delivery of impactful technology solutions, including an inter-company reconciliation system that streamlined month-end financial processing. Consulted directly with C-level stakeholders to align technology delivery with evolving business needs.
Key Achievements
- Designed and delivered an inter-company reconciliation system for an IBEX-35 client.
- Materially reduced month-end financial processing time.
- Consulted with C-level stakeholders to align technology delivery with strategic business objectives.
Technologies & Skills
Software Engineer
Engineered enterprise applications for clients in the energy and insurance sectors. Built a real-time wind-farm monitoring platform for a major Spanish utility. Contributed across the full software development lifecycle, from requirements and architectural design through to implementation, testing, and deployment.
Key Achievements
- Engineered a real-time monitoring platform for wind farms from the ground up.
- Implemented a Java EE solution with robust, high-performance data processing capabilities.
- Delivered the system successfully for a major Spanish utility company.
Technologies & Skills
Architecture & Security Focus Areas
Enterprise AI Architecture
AI Security Architecture
Governance & Compliance
Cloud & Platform
Certifications
Professional Certifications
Threat Modeling AI/ML Systems
IriusRisk • 2026
AI Governance
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford • 2026
Generative AI: Governance, Policy, and Emerging Regulation
University of Michigan • 2026
Auditing Generative AI: Strategy, Analysis & Risk Mitigation
ISACA • 2025
MLOps Zoomcamp
DataTalksClub • 2025
Machine Learning in Production
DeepLearning.AI • 2025
AI Agents
Hugging Face • 2025
Data Engineering Specialization
Amazon Web Services • 2024
Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate
Microsoft • 2024
NVIDIA AI Infrastructure and Operations
NVIDIA • 2024
Responsible AI
Google Cloud • 2024
Generative AI for Executives and Business Leaders
IBM • 2024
Computer Vision
Kaggle • 2024
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
Amazon Web Services • 2023
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
Microsoft • 2023
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
Microsoft • 2023
HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
HashiCorp • 2023
Generative AI with Large Language Models
DeepLearning.AI • 2023
Machine Learning Certificate
Stanford Online • 2016
Education
Universidad Internacional de La Rioja
2023 - 2024MSc, Artificial Intelligence
GPA: 4.0/4.0. Thesis: ML/DL classification of hazardous asteroids (European ADELA project). Focus on applied ML and model evaluation across end-to-end AI pipelines.
EOI Business School
2011 - 2013Executive MSc, Business
Executive MSc focused on business strategy, operating models, and tech-driven transformation.
Tilburg University
2010 - 2011MSc, Computer Science & Industrial Engineering (Exchange)
International exchange. Computer science, systems engineering, and applied optimization.
University of Deusto
2004 - 2011MSc, Computer Science & Industrial Engineering
Dual degree. Final thesis: Scalable peer-to-peer platform in Python (top distinction 10/10). Strong base in distributed systems and software architecture.