Dr. Joe Perez is a game-changing professional who has made an impressive impact on the world of IT, health & human services, and higher education. With advanced degrees in education, Joe started his career as an educator and continued to further his education by earning a doctorate in education with a double minor in computers and theology. His career focus changed to IT in the early 1990’s when he started working as a Computer Consultant at NC State University. Three promotions later, Dr. Perez ended his successful 25-year career at NC State as Business Intelligence Specialist when he took another promotion to become Senior Business Analyst at the NC Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) in the fall of 2017.

Notably, Dr. Perez has been featured on multiple billboards in the iconic Times Square, a testament to his remarkable achievements and influence worldwide. This recognition, along with his Top 10 Global Thought Leader Rankings in IT Strategy & Big Data on Thinkers360 for four consecutive years (2023 through 2026) and Gartner Peer Community Ambassador of the Year (2023-2024), reflect his dedication and impact in the industry.

Having achieved significant success throughout his career, Dr. Perez's accomplishments include being promoted to Senior Systems Specialist and Team Leader, a position he has excelled in while showcasing his expertise and leadership skills. In addition to his full-time analytics/BI leadership role at DHHS, Joe was named fractional Chief Technology Officer at a North Carolina firm in October 2020 and Strategy Director at InnovoraMind in March 2026. A prolific, Amazon bestselling author with multiple #1 new releases, more than 22,000 followers on LinkedIn, and several professional certifications, he has consistently proven to be a much sought-after resource, highly-recommended international keynote speaker, data analytics & visualization expert, and specialist in efficiency and process improvement.

Perez, a recipient of the IOT Industry Insights 2021 Thought Leader of the Year award, speaks at numerous conferences each year, and continues to be in high demand to this day, expanding his reach into dozens of countries around the globe, impacting thousands. Thanks to these outstanding accomplishments and influential presence as a leading expert in the industry, Dr. Perez has been welcomed into several prestigious Thought Leader communities. He was recently inducted into both the IIBA Bluegrass Hall of Fame and the United Nations Global Network of Data Officers and Statisticians and was selected to be a Distinguished Fellow in the Public Sector Network's Future Government Institute.

Dr. Perez's passion for teaching has never waned, whether as a speaker, workshop facilitator, podcast guest, conference emcee, or team leader; inspiring countless individuals to strive for excellence. He cherishes spending time with his wife and children, who he considers to be the "best things that ever happened to me." Besides being a gifted musician, singer, pianist, and composer, Joe serves in his church's Hispanic ministry. He even manages to publish a monthly military newsletter, The Patriot News, which has gained widespread recognition. His unwavering commitment to his community is an inspiration to all. To stay in shape, Perez hits the gym, and he loves watching Star Trek reruns to relax. "I'm a firm believer that if I'm not innovating, then I'm stagnating," says Joe. His devotion to innovation, his boundless energy, and his constant drive for excellence are the hallmarks of a truly exceptional individual, thus making Dr. Joe a perfect fit to inspire and engage your audience, leaving a lasting impact on your event.

Dr. Joe Perez is a game-changing professional who has made an impressive impact on the world of IT, health & human services, and higher education. With advanced degrees in education, Joe started his career as an educator and continued to further his ... Show more

Marco Dal Pino is working in IT for more than 30 years as Developer, Team Leader, PM and Cloud Architect.
He mostly experienced Microsoft dev Platforms around .NET, for LOB, Desktop, Mobile and embedded apps.
He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and a Speaker at the main technical conferences all around the world.
He is part of the staff of DotNetToscana a community focused on Microsoft technologies.
He received many awards from IT companies as independent Advisor like:
Microsoft MVP, Intel BlackBelt & Innovator, Nokia DevChamp, Hackster Live Ambassador
He works in Microsoft as a Senior Technical Consultant.

Marco Dal Pino is working in IT for more than 30 years as Developer, Team Leader, PM and Cloud Architect. He mostly experienced Microsoft dev Platforms around .NET, for LOB, Desktop, Mobile and embedded apps. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and... Show more

I've been working as a .NET developer for over 20 years now in a variety of industries including government, retail and manufacturing. But I've been hacking around with computer code since I was old enough to read my Dad's copy of the ZX Spectrum BASIC coders manual.

I've been speaking about Functional C# at various user groups and conferences around the UK, USA, Europe and Australia and am particularly interested in seeing just how far we can push C# without breaking it.

In 2023 I released my first technical book: "Functional Programming with C#", published by O'Reilly Media.

When I'm not coding, or running after my two small children, I have been known to enjoy the classic series of Doctor Who, Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks, Cryptic Crosswords, and rather more coffee than is probably good for me.

I've been working as a .NET developer for over 20 years now in a variety of industries including government, retail and manufacturing. But I've been hacking around with computer code since I was old enough to read my Dad's copy of the ZX Spectrum BAS... Show more

Yannick (a Microsoft 365 & Business Applications MVP) was born and raised in SharePoint, starting his career in 2011 when SharePoint 2010 was still new and shiny. The changing reality of the cloud made him expand his knowledge to the whole of Microsoft 365, Azure, and Power Platform. He is a Managing Partner and Cloud Solution Architect at Qubix, a Belgium-based consultancy firm, responsible for the technical underpinnings of products and solutions. Problem-solving and development are his passions, and he is still working day-to-day with code. He always asks the important questions: How does it work? What do you want to achieve? Does it have an API? Do we really need development for this? Where's the coffee?

Yannick (a Microsoft 365 & Business Applications MVP) was born and raised in SharePoint, starting his career in 2011 when SharePoint 2010 was still new and shiny. The changing reality of the cloud made him expand his knowledge to the whole of Microso... Show more

I'm a passionate and customer-focused solutions architect with deep expertise in IoT, Cloud, .NET, and industrial applications. Microsoft has recognized my contributions with the MVP award since 2014 for Azure, and since 2024 specifically for Azure IoT.

With a background as an independent architect and developer, I’ve built a career around designing scalable, real-world solutions that bridge the gap between modern cloud technologies and industrial needs. I’m a frequent speaker at major tech community events across Italy, sharing knowledge on Azure, IoT, and .NET development.
As the community lead of 1NN0VA, a Microsoft-recognized tech community in Pordenone, Italy, I’m passionate about fostering innovation, mentoring developers, and supporting local tech growth. In 2016, I authored a book on Microsoft Azure to help others embrace the platform's potential.
At heart, I’m a missed researcher and a retro computing lover. I enjoy developing retrogames and playing with his Commodore 64, diving into sci-fi and comic books, and relaxing with a good streaming serie.

I'm a passionate and customer-focused solutions architect with deep expertise in IoT, Cloud, .NET, and industrial applications. Microsoft has recognized my contributions with the MVP award since 2014 for Azure, and since 2024 specifically for Azure I... Show more

Prashant G Bhoyar is an Enterprise AI Architect at AvePoint, a Microsoft AI & Business Applications MVP, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer with 20+ years of experience. He specializes in agentic AI, multi-agent systems, Forward Deployed Engineering, and the Microsoft AI ecosystem. As a trusted advisor and international speaker, he helps organizations accelerate AI adoption and move from prototypes to secure, scalable, production-ready solutions.

As an AI Architect, Prashant serves as a trusted advisor to executives, technology leaders, architects, and delivery teams. He helps organizations move AI initiatives from business vision and technical discovery through architecture, rapid prototyping, governance, implementation planning, production readiness, and enterprise adoption.

Prashant specializes in agentic AI, multi-agent systems, retrieval-augmented generation, AI assistants, model evaluation, Responsible AI, and enterprise integration using Microsoft Foundry, Microsoft Agent Framework, Copilot Studio, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure AI, LangChain, Python, C#, Azure Functions, Logic Apps, Microsoft Graph, Dataverse, and Power Platform.

His approach combines enterprise architecture with forward-deployed AI engineering. He works closely with customer and delivery teams to understand complex business processes, validate solutions rapidly, remove technical blockers, translate field insights into reusable architectures, and accelerate the journey from prototype to secure, scalable production implementation.

Prashant founded the Northern Virginia AI/ML User Group and leads monthly community programs focused on artificial intelligence, machine learning, AI agents, advanced prompt engineering, Microsoft Foundry, Copilot Studio, and Microsoft Fabric. He has designed and delivered executive briefings, conference sessions, technical demonstrations, hands-on labs, and workshops for more than 400 developers, architects, technology leaders, and business users.

He is a Microsoft Artificial Intelligence and Business Applications MVP for 10 consecutive years, a Microsoft Certified Trainer, co-author of “PowerShell for Office 365,” and a recipient of the Antarctic Service Medal of the United States of America. He has presented at Microsoft Build, Microsoft AI Tour, Global AI Bootcamp, and major technology conferences around the world.

Prashant is available for keynote presentations, conference sessions, executive briefings, enterprise AI architecture workshops, forward-deployed AI engineering advisory, and hands-on training on Microsoft AI technologies.

Prashant G Bhoyar is an Enterprise AI Architect at AvePoint, a Microsoft AI & Business Applications MVP, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer with 20+ years of experience. He specializes in agentic AI, multi-agent systems, Forward Deployed Engineering, ... Show more

They call me Shortcut Shari...Why? I believe we should all work smarter, not harder and I love keyboards shortcuts. I've been using SharePoint since before it was even called SharePoint and I'm excited to share my knowledge and expertise who are as excited as technology as I am. I know stuff and I love to SHARE it!

My focus is the "People Side of Change". As a Microsoft 365 Solutions Architect and Consultant that grew up right along with SharePoint, my practical knowledge of the Microsoft Productivity stack coupled with my passion for empowerment via learning makes me an excellent resource as a consultant and evangelist for Microsoft 365. My philosophies for information architecture and SharePoint design are centered on solving business challenges with technology and ensuring usability and adoption for the organization.

As for my experience, I'm a Microsoft Certified Trainer, a Microsoft Certified Specialist Master, consultant, presenter, author and evangelist. When I'm not architecting SharePoint magic as a consultant, I'm in the classroom or creating online learning for LinkedIN Learning, ClipTraining.com and Pluralsight. Join me for my sessions, I promise they will not only be informative, but they will also be FUN!

They call me Shortcut Shari...Why? I believe we should all work smarter, not harder and I love keyboards shortcuts. I've been using SharePoint since before it was even called SharePoint and I'm excited to share my knowledge and expertise who are as ... Show more

Thorsten Pickhan works at Microsoft and has been focused on Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Teams Phone, and Copilot for many years. As a speaker, blogger, YouTuber, and community advocate, he regularly shares his knowledge at conferences, user groups, and through his blog and YouTube channel.

From 2021 to 2025, he was honored as a Microsoft MVP in recognition of his contributions to the Microsoft community, particularly in the areas of Microsoft Teams and Copilot. After joining Microsoft, he retired the MVP title in accordance with the program requirements.

His areas of expertise include modern collaboration, communication solutions, and the productive use of AI within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

Thorsten Pickhan works at Microsoft and has been focused on Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Teams Phone, and Copilot for many years. As a speaker, blogger, YouTuber, and community advocate, he regularly shares his knowledge at conferences, user group... Show more

I like lots of stuff 👉 Power Platform 💘 Dynamics 365 🚀 Azure 🧙‍♂️

Microsoft MVP ✍ blogs at https://nckr.de 🚀 Founded https://dhino.io

I worked for over 15 years with Microsoft Biz Apps as a solution architect / developer, starting with Business Central, nowadays loving the Power Platform & Azure

Building repeatable software has always been my passion and I'm continuing to talk about the best ways to do that 🙂

I like lots of stuff 👉 Power Platform 💘 Dynamics 365 🚀 Azure 🧙‍♂️ Microsoft MVP ✍ blogs at https://nckr.de 🚀 Founded https://dhino.io I worked for over 15 years with Microsoft Biz Apps as a solution architect / developer, starting with Bus... Show more

With a passion for enhancing organizational effectiveness through digitalization and process optimization, Tomasz brings extensive expertise as a seasoned Business Analyst. As a distinguished Microsoft Power Platform expert, recognized with the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) title and multiple certifications, including Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), Tomasz possesses a robust analytical acumen. With proficiency in SharePoint, Nintex, Webcon, and other process implementation tools, Tomasz continuously updates his knowledge to deliver cutting-edge solutions and shares insights with both clients and technical communities.

Renowned for crafting user-friendly business processes and applications, Tomasz prioritizes simplicity and reliability, ensuring seamless adoption and comprehension. As a dedicated co-organizer of community events in Poland and an active blogger, Tomasz contributes actively to the technical community and serves as an esteemed international speaker.

With a passion for enhancing organizational effectiveness through digitalization and process optimization, Tomasz brings extensive expertise as a seasoned Business Analyst. As a distinguished Microsoft Power Platform expert, recognized with the Micro... Show more

Ivar Grimstad is the Jakarta EE Developer Advocate at Eclipse Foundation. He is a Norwegian Java Champion and JUG Leader based in Sweden.

Besides advocating the Jakarta EE technologies, Ivar is contributing to the Jakarta EE specifications as well as being the PMC Lead for Eclipse Enterprise for Java (EE4J). He is also one of the specification leads for Jakarta MVC and represents Eclipse Foundation on the JCP Executive Committee.

Ivar is also involved in a wide range of other open-source projects and communities. He is a frequent speaker at International developer conferences.

Ivar Grimstad is the Jakarta EE Developer Advocate at Eclipse Foundation. He is a Norwegian Java Champion and JUG Leader based in Sweden. Besides advocating the Jakarta EE technologies, Ivar is contributing to the Jakarta EE specifications as well... Show more

With a Master's degree in Statistics and 20+ years of experience architecting data warehouses and analytical solutions, I help organizations turn raw data into real business insight.

I co-organise the NZ Business Intelligence – Power BI User Group and the Auckland Artificial Intelligence Meetup, and regularly speak at conferences and events around the world.

Knowledge-sharing is more than a hobby for me — it's a passion. I teach game development to primary school kids in my spare time, and more recently, I've started introducing 10–15 year old kids to databases and Power BI. Watching their creativity unfold never fails to amaze me — it's a powerful reminder of what the next generation is capable of.

With a Master's degree in Statistics and 20+ years of experience architecting data warehouses and analytical solutions, I help organizations turn raw data into real business insight. I co-organise the NZ Business Intelligence – Power BI User Group... Show more

Jonah Andersson is a tech entrepreneur, Principal Cloud Engineer Architect and published book author.
She works as a IT Consultant with different tech hats. With a background in Computer Science and System Development, Jonah specializes in .NET technologies and excels in cloud development, particularly within Microsoft Azure. Passionate about solving complex problems and crafting modern applications, Jonah works with cloud platforms like Azure, and her expertise in cloud computing and development has earned her international recognition. She is recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional and Microsoft Certified Trainer for her contributions to the tech industry.

Her book, 'Learning Microsoft Azure: Cloud Computing and Development Fundamentals' (O'Reilly), further highlights her expertise and the depth of her technical knowledge.

She actively engages in tech communities and international events such as Microsoft Ignite. She values genuine inspiration and connections, and shares insights with fellow developers. Jonah's leadership extends beyond her technical expertise. As the founder and leader of the Azure User Group Sweden, she guides, inspires, and leads others in tech. She is also an MCT Community Lead from Sweden, helping and supporting fellow Microsoft Certified Trainers in the community.

Her advocacy for gender equality and inclusion in tech, recognized by her Developer of the Year awards in 2023 at the Nordic Women in Tech Awards and in 2024 at Developers Day, is a testament to her commitment to making the tech industry a more inclusive space. She actively mentors aspiring women in tech careers and co-hosts the Extend Women In Tech Podcast, to inspire inclusive tech for all.

Jonah Andersson is a tech entrepreneur, Principal Cloud Engineer Architect and published book author. She works as a IT Consultant with different tech hats. With a background in Computer Science and System Development, Jonah specializes in .NET te... Show more

Michelle Sandford is a Developer Engagement Leader who writes code, builds with GitHub and Azure AI, and learns out loud. She likes sharing what’s useful (and what isn’t), and believes shipping is better than talking about it:

- A community builder, connecting MVPs, user groups, universities, and developer communities into thriving ecosystems that learn together and lift each other higher.
- A technical storyteller, Michelle shapes how the world talks about AI‑powered engineering and Azure innovation bringing clarity, curiosity, and creativity to every conversation.
- A program strategist, designing scalable, repeatable motions that help developers grow their capability and confidence at pace with a rapidly evolving industry.
- A bridge between engineering and the field making sure developers feel heard, supported, and empowered, from the first line of code to the final production push.

Michelle Sandford is a Developer Engagement Leader who writes code, builds with GitHub and Azure AI, and learns out loud. She likes sharing what’s useful (and what isn’t), and believes shipping is better than talking about it: - A community builde... Show more

Daniel Laskewitz is a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft. Half of his week goes into Copilot Studio, Copilot Cowork, Scout, GitHub Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot, usually with something unfinished open on screen. The other half he spends with the people building the same things, in sessions and workshops and in the community, and what they tell him goes back to the product teams.

On stage he talks about getting an agent past the demo. Wiring it to real systems with MCP, working out when a plain connector is the better answer, and the part nobody puts in a keynote: making the thing safe to hand to somebody else. He has been speaking since 2015, often with a co-speaker.

Daniel Laskewitz is a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft. Half of his week goes into Copilot Studio, Copilot Cowork, Scout, GitHub Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot, usually with something unfinished open on screen. The other half he spends with t... Show more

Nikki Chapple is a Principal Cloud Architect at CloudWay and a dual Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in Microsoft 365 and Security. She specialises in AI and agent governance, Microsoft Purview, and helping organisations build trusted data foundations for AI across Microsoft 365, Copilot and AI agents.

With more than 35 years of experience spanning IT and business, Nikki helps organisations understand where sensitive information is overshared or exposed, strengthen data security and governance, and implement Microsoft Purview to protect critical information. Her work enables organisations to adopt AI and deploy AI agents with confidence by ensuring data remains trusted, secure and well-governed.

Nikki believes successful AI adoption starts with trusted, governed data, not the AI itself. As organisations embrace AI agents and autonomous workflows, she helps them establish the governance, security and compliance foundations needed to manage this new risk surface responsibly.

Nikki co-authored the Governance, Risk & Compliance competency of the Microsoft 365 Maturity Model and was recognised in Microsoft's People of Purview (2025) and with the UK Community Award for Security & Compliance Evangelist (2023). She is an international conference speaker, blogs at nikkichapple.com, and co-hosts the AI Governance & Data Security Show.

Nikki Chapple is a Principal Cloud Architect at CloudWay and a dual Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in Microsoft 365 and Security. She specialises in AI and agent governance, Microsoft Purview, and helping organisations build trusted data ... Show more

Arthur (or Art, take your pick) has been a software engineer for 22 years and has worked on things as exciting as analysis software for casinos and things as boring as banking websites. He is an advocate for talking openly about mental health and psychology in the technical world, and he spends a lot of time thinking about how we program and why we program, and about the tools, structures, cultures, and mental processes that help and hinder us from our ultimate goal of writing amazing things. His hair is brown and his thorax is a shiny blue color.

Arthur (or Art, take your pick) has been a software engineer for 22 years and has worked on things as exciting as analysis software for casinos and things as boring as banking websites. He is an advocate for talking openly about mental health and psy... Show more

Pavlo is a Staff Software Engineer at Meta. He is also a Google Developer Expert for Android and Kotlin. Previously he worked at Lyft, Turo and Grab on mobile infrastructure. He develops Android apps, focusing on mobile performance, developer productivity, and infrastructure.

Pavlo is a Staff Software Engineer at Meta. He is also a Google Developer Expert for Android and Kotlin. Previously he worked at Lyft, Turo and Grab on mobile infrastructure. He develops Android apps, focusing on mobile performance, developer product... Show more

Maxim Salnikov is a tech community enthusiast based in Oslo. With more than two decades of experience as a developer, he shares his expertise in the web platform, cloud computing, and AI by speaking at and delivering training for developer audiences worldwide.

By day, Maxim supports developer teams across Europe as a Senior Solution Engineer at Microsoft, focusing on AI-native developer tools and platforms. He is also an active builder of developer tooling, creating and maintaining AI agent assets that help engineers adopt AI-assisted development more effectively.

In the evenings, Maxim runs events for some of Norway’s largest web, AI, and cloud developer communities. He is passionate about exploring the possibilities of Generative AI, with a strong focus on developer productivity. To share insights and connect with practitioners globally, he founded and organized the Prompt Engineering Conference, the key global event dedicated entirely to prompting from the engineering discipline perspective.

Maxim Salnikov is a tech community enthusiast based in Oslo. With more than two decades of experience as a developer, he shares his expertise in the web platform, cloud computing, and AI by speaking at and delivering training for developer audiences ... Show more

Ryan Mangan is the founder and CEO of EfficientEther, which builds software for the people who run Microsoft estates. Its products help MSPs and IT teams cut Microsoft waste, track every configuration change, find the AI nobody is watching, and move legacy Windows applications to MSIX. He also founded Systech IT Solutions, a Microsoft-focused managed service provider he has run since 2013.

Ryan has worked in IT for more than 20 years. He started as a telecommunications specialist in the Royal Engineers, then ran IT for two colleges before moving into consultancy. Along the way he has worked across network engineering, virtualisation, legacy applications and cloud services, writing his own tools as he went.

AI now runs through all of his work, as a user, a builder and a researcher. He leads EfficientEther's ISO 42001 AI management system, writes on large language models for Computer Weekly, and uses AI in vulnerability and patching research. He also built and open-sourced an MCP server and agent skill that lets AI agents audit and configure Parallels RAS farms. He led a published study of 3,261 real Windows applications packaged as MSIX, in which 80% packaged automatically.

He co-wrote Mastering Azure Virtual Desktop, which has sold more than 78,000 copies across two editions, and wrote An Introduction to MSIX App Attach. His technical blog reached over four million visitors in ten years, and he has written for the BCS's IT Now magazine.

Ryan is a double Microsoft MVP for Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, a Parallels VIPP, a Chartered Fellow of the BCS (FBCS CITP) and a member of TechTarget's Desktop Management Editorial Advisory Board. Since 2018 he has spoken at more than 35 events, including Parallels VIPP, E2EVC, EUC Forum, VMworld, VMware Explore, WorkPlace Ninja Summit, Experts Live Netherlands, Global Azure and AVD Tech Fest. His audiences range from developers and IT professionals to health and safety professionals. His talks are practical: real estates, real numbers and live demos.

Ryan Mangan is the founder and CEO of EfficientEther, which builds software for the people who run Microsoft estates. Its products help MSPs and IT teams cut Microsoft waste, track every configuration change, find the AI nobody is watching, and move ... Show more

Dylan Beattie is an independent consultant who has been building data-driven web applications since the 1990s. He’s managed teams, taught workshops, and worked on everything from tiny standalone websites to complex distributed systems. He’s a Microsoft MVP, and he regularly speaks at conferences and user groups all over the world.

Dylan is the creator of the Rockstar programming language, and the founder, vocalist and lead guitarist with The Linebreakers, the world's greatest nerd comedy classic rock disco alt punk covers band.

Dylan Beattie is an independent consultant who has been building data-driven web applications since the 1990s. He’s managed teams, taught workshops, and worked on everything from tiny standalone websites to complex distributed systems. He’s a Microso... Show more

I am an Azure Data Platform professional working predominantly with Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL Pools), Data Factory, SQL Server and Power BI. I hold an MSc in Business Intelligence and Data Mining. I am a former Microsoft Data Platform MVP.

I am an Azure Data Platform professional working predominantly with Azure Synapse Analytics (SQL Pools), Data Factory, SQL Server and Power BI. I hold an MSc in Business Intelligence and Data Mining. I am a former Microsoft Data Platform MVP. Show more

Melissa Houghton is a Principal Software Engineer at MakerX, a Microsoft MVP in Developer Technologies, an international conference speaker, and a technical community event organiser. She is a Women in Tech WA 2023 Tech [+] Award Winner.

She is a driven software engineer and excellent leader with extensive experience in end-to-end application development and delivery. She enjoys solving complex problems and is always open to learning new things, with current work focused on TypeScript, Azure and AI.

Originally from California, Melissa has called Melbourne and Perth home and now lives in Australia’s South West, raising her twin girls.

Melissa Houghton is a Principal Software Engineer at MakerX, a Microsoft MVP in Developer Technologies, an international conference speaker, and a technical community event organiser. She is a Women in Tech WA 2023 Tech [+] Award Winner. She is a ... Show more

Sergey Chubarov is a cloud security consultant, red teamer, Microsoft MVP, and Microsoft Certified Trainer with more than 15 years of experience in cybersecurity. His work spans offensive security, cloud security, and AI, helping organizations identify and mitigate real-world threats.

He is a frequent speaker at Black Hat, DEF CON, Hacker Halted, Wild West Hackin' Fest, and other international conferences. Sergey is known for highly practical sessions featuring live demonstrations, real attack scenarios, and actionable defensive guidance.

Sergey Chubarov is a cloud security consultant, red teamer, Microsoft MVP, and Microsoft Certified Trainer with more than 15 years of experience in cybersecurity. His work spans offensive security, cloud security, and AI, helping organizations identi... Show more

I am a polyglot coding architect with over 20 years of experience delivering solutions in government, healthcare, finance, and e-commerce. During that time, I have worked for the DTI, Reuters, Sungard, Misys, Beazley, Huddle, and Just Eat Takeaway, delivering everything from bespoke enterprise solutions and 'shrink-wrapped' products for thousands of customers to SaaS applications for hundreds of thousands of customers.

I am an experienced systems architect with a strong knowledge of OO, TDD/BDD, DDD, EDA, CQRS/ES, REST, Messaging, Design Patterns, Architectural Styles, ATAM, and Agile Engineering Practices.

I switched to AI Software Engineering in January 2026.

I frequently contribute to OSS and own: https://github.com/BrighterCommand. I speak regularly at user groups and conferences worldwide on architecture and software craftsmanship. I run public workshops teaching messaging, event-driven, and reactive architectures.

I am a polyglot coding architect with over 20 years of experience delivering solutions in government, healthcare, finance, and e-commerce. During that time, I have worked for the DTI, Reuters, Sungard, Misys, Beazley, Huddle, and Just Eat Takeaway, d... Show more

Doing AI stuff since before it was cool!
• Developer / DBA / Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) focusing on Microsoft's Data Platform, AI, Azure, IoT and Security.
• Developing information and multimedia systems, DBA, project and IT management, for over 27 years.
• Speaker with over 350+ sessions delivered since 2015 at international conferences and community events (mostly in-person before pandemic times) on multiple technologies, Internet Governance and Human Rights, as well as volunteer and moderator.
• Organiser and founder at technical communities: IT Pro Portugal, PowerShell Portugal, Data Community Portugal, and multiple other online communities such as IPv6 Portugal, DNSSEC Portugal, etc.
• Organiser of technical events: Global AI Bootcamp Lisboa, Global Power Platform Bootcamp Lisboa, Ctrl-Alt-Shell, Ctrl-Alt-Xmas, Global Diversity CFP Day Lisboa, Power BI Roadshow Lisboa, Programar Saturday, Community Evenings, etc.
• Go to https://Andy.PT and you'll know the same as the NSA...

Note: The sessions listed below have been presented in at least one or more events. The list of events below only includes Sessionize-driven events.

Doing AI stuff since before it was cool! • Developer / DBA / Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) focusing on Microsoft's Data Platform, AI, Azure, IoT and Security. • Developing information and multimedia systems, DBA, project and IT management, for ... Show more

Chirag is an Independent Consultant & Trainer at Patel Consulting, based in London UK, focusing on enabling secure & compliant collaboration and productivity solutions in organisations using Generative AI, Microsoft 365 and Purview technologies.

With over 25 years of experience in technology professional services and training delivery, Chirag’s career spans from database development & administration, implementing collaboration & information management solutions to cloud deployments & migrations. Key roles include, Product Owner, Solution Architect & Engineer specialising hands-on delivery of technical solutions with demonstrated results in designing & implementing secure, reliable, scalable and fault tolerant mission critical enterprise solutions. Chirag’s contributions extends to various channels and partners on practical consultancy, classroom training, and personalised training with clients in many sectors, he establishes himself as leader and problem solver on projects for broad adoption of tech and is also a regular speaker at community events.

Chirag holds MSc in Business Systems Analysis & Design and is a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), TOGAF Certified Architect, BCS Chartered IT Professional and a recipient of Microsoft MVP award every year since 2020. He is also an Approved Chartered Membership Assessor at BCS (British Computer Society).

Chirag is an Independent Consultant & Trainer at Patel Consulting, based in London UK, focusing on enabling secure & compliant collaboration and productivity solutions in organisations using Generative AI, Microsoft 365 and Purview technologies. W... Show more

Vignesh Ganesan is an Enterprise Technology Strategist, international speaker, and 6-time Microsoft MVP with over 16 years of experience helping global organizations modernize their digital workplace, cloud, security, and enterprise AI capabilities.

Throughout his career, Vignesh has worked with leading global organizations including Meta, Microsoft, Deloitte, Avanade, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Pitney Bowes, Alstom, and Cognizant, delivering enterprise-scale transformation initiatives across Microsoft 365, Azure, Google Workspace, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and AI-powered workplaces.

His expertise spans Enterprise AI, Microsoft 365 Copilot, AI Governance, Microsoft Security, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Defender, Entra ID, Azure, cloud architecture, digital workplace modernization, Zero Trust, and enterprise collaboration platforms. He is particularly passionate about helping organizations adopt AI responsibly by balancing innovation with governance, security, compliance, and operational excellence.

Vignesh is a frequent speaker at international conferences, community events, webinars, and user groups, where he shares practical insights on Microsoft technologies, cloud transformation, security, and enterprise AI. He has authored 400+ technical articles, produced extensive educational content for the Microsoft community, and continues to mentor and educate IT professionals worldwide.

He currently holds 30+ Microsoft certifications, 3 Google Cloud certifications, along with TOGAF®, PMP®, ITIL®, AIGP, and several other industry credentials.

Whether he's advising enterprise leaders, designing large-scale transformation strategies, or speaking on stage, Vignesh is passionate about enabling organizations to embrace the next generation of secure, AI-powered digital workplaces.

Vignesh Ganesan is an Enterprise Technology Strategist, international speaker, and 6-time Microsoft MVP with over 16 years of experience helping global organizations modernize their digital workplace, cloud, security, and enterprise AI capabilities. ... Show more

Henry Been is an independent architect and developer from The Netherlands. He enjoys working with software development teams to create and deliver software for the Azure cloud. His interests include Azure, Agile, DevOps, software architecture and the design and implementation of testable and maintainable software. Besides his work he is a speaker at international conferences, is the author of two books, and creates online training courses for Pluralsight and A Cloud Guru. For his work in the community, he has been awarded the Microsoft MVP Award since 2019. To follow Henry, you can go to his blog henrybeen.nl or look him up on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrybeen

Henry Been is an independent architect and developer from The Netherlands. He enjoys working with software development teams to create and deliver software for the Azure cloud. His interests include Azure, Agile, DevOps, software architecture and the... Show more

Microsoft MVP (M365 and AI Platform), MCT

A results oriented consultant with experience in Microsoft Technologies especially with Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Microsoft Azure. Experienced in design, implementation, configuration, and maintenance of several large-scale projects.

Author of books:
➟ Mastering SharePoint Framework (BPB Publications), Amazon bestseller
➟ Understanding Hybrid Environments in SharePoint 2019 (Apress)
➟ Up and Running on Microsoft Viva Connections (Apress)

Organizer of Pune Tech Community (https://www.meetup.com/pune-tech-community/)

Microsoft MVP (M365 and AI Platform), MCT A results oriented consultant with experience in Microsoft Technologies especially with Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Microsoft Azure. Experienced in design, implementation, configuration, and mainten... Show more