# Ali Athar

> Ali Athar is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of itim Group plc, a London-based retail software business established in 1993. A Cambridge graduate and former IBM database specialist, he moved from systems integration and retail consulting into software that connects stores, online sales, stock, pricing and suppliers.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at itim Group plc
- **Organizations:** itim Group plc, IBM, Inforem, CSC, Retail Trust
- **Nationality:** Indian
- **Education:** University of Cambridge
- **Known for:** Founded itim and oversaw its transition from consulting to retail software., Led itim at its June 2021 AIM admission., itim and Majestic Wine won three 2025 Retail Systems Awards for their shared projects.

## Career timeline

- **Before 1982** — Graduated from Cambridge University and spent five years as a database specialist at IBM.
- **1982** — Started Inforem, a systems design and integration company focused on retail.
- **Before 1993** — Spent two years as a director at CSC after its acquisition of Inforem.
- **1993** — Established itim as a consulting business.
- **1999** — itim began moving into proprietary software.
- **2004** — itim focused exclusively on digital technology.
- **2021** — itim joined AIM on 28 June, raising £8 million before expenses.
- **2024** — Discussed the release of the UNIFY platform in a May interview.
- **2026** — itim launched itimAIQ during the first half of the year.

## Achievements

- Founded itim and oversaw its transition from consulting to retail software.
- Led itim at its June 2021 AIM admission.
- itim and Majestic Wine won three 2025 Retail Systems Awards for their shared projects.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — On 22 September, itim reported £8.6 million revenue and £0.2 million profit before tax for the six months to 30 June 2026. Athar highlighted existing customers and South American operations.
- **2026-03** — Full-year 2025 results included a £464,000 pre-tax loss and a write-off connected with customer Quiz Clothing entering administration.
- **2026-06** — The September interim announcement confirmed itimAIQ launched during the first half of 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://www.itim.com/
- LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/aliathar55

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ali-athar
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21