Dr. Nico Jacobs started his career as a data mining researcher at the university of Leuven, Belgium. He joined U2U in 2004 as an instructor, author and technology strategist. His current technical expertise focuses on Power BI and Data Engineering/Data Science on Microsoft Azure. As a passionate trainer, Nico likes to inspire his students to gain a thorough knowledge on the subject. Nico regularly speaks at local and international conferences. You can see what he’s up to by following @SqlWaldorf on Twitter .

Dr. Nico Jacobs started his career as a data mining researcher at the university of Leuven, Belgium. He joined U2U in 2004 as an instructor, author and technology strategist. His current technical expertise focuses on Power BI and Data Engineering/Da... Show more

Community leader and CNCF ambassador, Alessandro has spent the last few years building cloud native infrastructures for Microsoft customers, animating the Dutch community, and training others to pass the CKx exams. He has passion for all things cloud native, he's been around open source for 25 years and recently moved to a new Developer Relations role. Twitter handle: @bongo

Community leader and CNCF ambassador, Alessandro has spent the last few years building cloud native infrastructures for Microsoft customers, animating the Dutch community, and training others to pass the CKx exams. He has passion for all things cloud... Show more

Nico Vermeir is a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, where he has a strong focus on application innovation and AI.

Being a strong believer in the importance of communities he tries to share knowledge wherever he can, be it on BlueSky, at a user group or conference. He has spoken on many international conferences such as NDC Oslo, NDC Sydney, NDC London, Swetugg, Build Stuff, DotNext.
Nico is a former Microsoft MVP in Developer Technologies, crew member of Techorama BE and NL and crew member of VISUG, Belgium's largest .NET user group.

In his spare time he enjoys brewing (and tasting) beer, playing the guitar, riding his Harley-Davidson and doing Karate.

Nico Vermeir is a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, where he has a strong focus on application innovation and AI. Being a strong believer in the importance of communities he tries to share knowledge wherever he can, be it on BlueSky, at a use... Show more

Microsoft MVP | Sessionize Top 3% speaker 2022 & 2023

Jon specialises in Microsoft 365 with over 10 years of experience in consultancy and pre-sales; Jon is passionate about Microsoft products and especially enjoys the Microsoft Defender and Intune suites.

Jon particularly likes discussing Microsoft Security and Windows 365 and holds a Microsoft MVP in Intune and Windows 365.

Microsoft MVP | Sessionize Top 3% speaker 2022 & 2023 Jon specialises in Microsoft 365 with over 10 years of experience in consultancy and pre-sales; Jon is passionate about Microsoft products and especially enjoys the Microsoft Defender and Intun... Show more

Marc is a Sr Developer Advocate at Diagrid and enjoys sharing knowledge on how to build distributed applications. He's one of the Dapr Community Managers, and he loves helping developers to achieve more every day.

You might have seen Marc at a developer meetup or conference, since he's a regular speaker and event-organizer in the area of Dapr, Azure cloud, and serverless technologies. From 2019 to 2025 Marc received the Microsoft Azure MVP award for his community contributions.

In his spare time, Marc likes to give attention to the creative part of his brain. He likes to create pixel art (check out VSCode Pets), code visuals & music, and create an occasional retro game.

Marc is a Sr Developer Advocate at Diagrid and enjoys sharing knowledge on how to build distributed applications. He's one of the Dapr Community Managers, and he loves helping developers to achieve more every day. You might have seen Marc at a dev... Show more

20 years as consultant, dev, tech lead, project manager, trainer, team leader, speaker around SharePoint and M365 technologies and fond of topics around #compliance, #GDPR, #ITSec, #AI, #documentManagement, #recordsManagement, #lean, #scrum, #roi.
Various aMS events around the world + MWCP Paris organizer.

20 years as consultant, dev, tech lead, project manager, trainer, team leader, speaker around SharePoint and M365 technologies and fond of topics around #compliance, #GDPR, #ITSec, #AI, #documentManagement, #recordsManagement, #lean, #scrum, #roi. V... Show more

Dr. Aaron N. Cutshall is a proven leader in Healthcare Informatics with 40 years of experience in application and database analysis, design, and development. He focuses on clinical quality measures and massive databases. He actively speaks nationwide at conferences and user group sessions on health informatics, data architecture, database development, analytics, and professional development topics.

Dr. Aaron N. Cutshall is a proven leader in Healthcare Informatics with 40 years of experience in application and database analysis, design, and development. He focuses on clinical quality measures and massive databases. He actively speaks nationwide... Show more

Co-Author of 'Signals & Levers (ITRevolution, September 2026)', 'Coaching for Learning; the Art and Practice' and 'Create Your Dojo; Upskilling Your Organization for Digital Evolution,' Joel helps organizations evolve through learning. This combines a blend of systems thinking, XP, agile, lean, devops and product thinking practices all to embrace learning in the context of work.
With deep experience in architecture modernization, blending product discovery with delivery and architecture, and systems thinking, Joel helps organizations make it easier for their teams to do great work.

Co-Author of 'Signals & Levers (ITRevolution, September 2026)', 'Coaching for Learning; the Art and Practice' and 'Create Your Dojo; Upskilling Your Organization for Digital Evolution,' Joel helps organizations evolve through learning. This combines... Show more

Tim Spann is the Senior Solution Engineer - Financial Services working with Snowflake, Cortex AI, Apache NiFi, Apache Iceberg, Python, Apache Polaris, Streamlit, Cloud Data, Vectors, Data, Generative AI, ML, Hugging Face, Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, Pytorch, big data, the IoT, machine learning, and deep learning. Tim has over a decade of experience with the IoT, big data, distributed computing, streaming technologies, and Java programming. Previously, he was a Principal Developer Advocate at Zilliz/Milvus, Principal Developer Advocate at Cloudera, Developer Advocate at StreamNative, Principal Field Engineer at Cloudera, a Senior Solutions Architect at AirisData and a senior field engineer at Pivotal. He holds a BS and MS in computer science.

https://medium.com/@tspann
https://www.youtube.com/@FLaNK-Stack

Tim Spann is the Senior Solution Engineer - Financial Services working with Snowflake, Cortex AI, Apache NiFi, Apache Iceberg, Python, Apache Polaris, Streamlit, Cloud Data, Vectors, Data, Generative AI, ML, Hugging Face, Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, ... Show more

Vivek Yadav is an Enterprise Solutions Architect at FlutterFlow and a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Flutter & Dart, with 8+ years of experience building and scaling production-grade mobile applications.

He has worked across startups, mid-size companies, and large enterprises, leading architecture and delivery of real-world apps. One of his published applications has surpassed 20+ million downloads on the App Store and Play Store, reflecting his strong focus on scalability, performance, and maintainable front-end architecture.

Vivek is deeply involved in the Flutter ecosystem as a speaker, mentor, and educator. He regularly helps teams and developers move from framework knowledge to product-ready engineering, covering topics such as Flutter architecture, FlutterFlow, front-end best practices, and building apps at scale.

As a speaker, Vivek is known for practical, experience-driven talks that bridge the gap between development and product thinking—helping audiences ship better apps with confidence.

Vivek Yadav is an Enterprise Solutions Architect at FlutterFlow and a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Flutter & Dart, with 8+ years of experience building and scaling production-grade mobile applications. He has worked across startups, mid-size ... Show more

Marcel Meurer has a vast history in IT Consulting and the development of solutions and tools. Today, he is Vice President for Azure Solutions at LoginVSI and has a long history of doing and leading professional IT services.

His technical focus is on Microsoft Azure platform services, and he has been recognized as a Microsoft Azure MVP since 2016, having also been honored with the Azure Virtual Desktop MVP award.

Since 2021, Marcel has also run the company ITProCloud GmbH. The company focuses on delivering cloud-based solutions for all types of companies. The well-known solutions for managing Azure Virtual Desktop easily and automatically are Hydra for Azure Virtual Desktop or WVDAdmin. ITProCloud was acquired in 2025 by LoginVSI, which continues to create the right solution for the right purpose and make it available to customers.

Marcel's journey in the IT industry began in the early 1990s, a time when personal computers were just emerging (and before that, the Commodore 64 was the norm). His focus on assembler and hardware-related programming, particularly in the context of the IoT of the 1990s, showcases his early dedication and passion for the field.

In 1995, he began studying electrical engineering. During his studies, machine learning and neural networks were among his favorite topics. In addition to his studies, he worked for a small computer company in Aachen, where he developed operating systems and applications using automated methods on multiple computers.

Marcel Meurer graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Aachen.

Marcel Meurer has a vast history in IT Consulting and the development of solutions and tools. Today, he is Vice President for Azure Solutions at LoginVSI and has a long history of doing and leading professional IT services. His technical focus is ... Show more

Suzanne is a seasoned technology leader with a deep focus on developer productivity and innovation strategy. At Microsoft, she partners with customer CTOs and senior executives across EMEA to elevate the developer experience through AI, Azure, and GitHub. With a background spanning software engineering, platform architecture, and executive advisory roles.

Suzanne brings a pragmatic yet visionary approach to driving transformation at scale. Her mission is clear: empower developers, enable innovation, and align technology with strategic outcomes.

Suzanne is a seasoned technology leader with a deep focus on developer productivity and innovation strategy. At Microsoft, she partners with customer CTOs and senior executives across EMEA to elevate the developer experience through AI, Azure, and Gi... Show more

Global CTO of the Microsoft Alliance at NTT DATA Corp. | Microsoft MVP Azure & AI Platform.
Passionate about new technologies, highlighting Netcore , Microsoft Azure, Xamarin, IA, Bots and ASP.NET. Passionate about team management. I contribute to the developers community writing articles in my personal blog and giving speeches in numerous events. I am also one of the Netcoreconf leads.

Global CTO of the Microsoft Alliance at NTT DATA Corp. | Microsoft MVP Azure & AI Platform. Passionate about new technologies, highlighting Netcore , Microsoft Azure, Xamarin, IA, Bots and ASP.NET. Passionate about team management. I contribute to ... Show more

Rachel is a 2x Microsoft MVP for .NET and Web Development; she is also a 6x Umbraco MVP. Rachel has been a developer for over 25 years, working in the Microsoft .Net stack. She is passionate about accessibility, supporting and encouraging future developers, and in her spare time, she enjoys scuba diving. She also drinks copious amounts of tea.

Rachel is a 2x Microsoft MVP for .NET and Web Development; she is also a 6x Umbraco MVP. Rachel has been a developer for over 25 years, working in the Microsoft .Net stack. She is passionate about accessibility, supporting and encouraging future dev... Show more

Ines Akrap is a Frontend Engineer, Google Developer Expert, and co-author of Building the Sustainable Web. She is a Solutions Engineer at Storyblok and co-chairs the W3C Sustainable Web Interest Group, where she helps shape global guidelines for a more resilient internet.

She focuses on helping developers build systems that work in the real world, balancing performance, accessibility, and long-term impact. Her work explores the decisions behind the code. What we choose to build, what we choose to leave out, and how those choices shape the web we leave behind.

When not at her laptop, she is practicing real-world constraints with two small humans.

Ines Akrap is a Frontend Engineer, Google Developer Expert, and co-author of Building the Sustainable Web. She is a Solutions Engineer at Storyblok and co-chairs the W3C Sustainable Web Interest Group, where she helps shape global guidelines for a mo... Show more

Shivay Lamba is a software developer specializing in DevOps, Machine Learning and Full Stack Development.

He is an Open Source Enthusiast and has been part of various programs like Google Code In and Google Summer of Code as a Mentor and is currently a MLH Fellow. He has also worked at organizations like Amazon, EY, Genpact. He is a Tensorflow.JS SIG member and community lead from India.

Shivay Lamba is a software developer specializing in DevOps, Machine Learning and Full Stack Development. He is an Open Source Enthusiast and has been part of various programs like Google Code In and Google Summer of Code as a Mentor and is curre... Show more

Ron Dagdag brings over 25 years of experience as a software artisan to his role as Research Engineering Manager at Thomson Reuters, where he leads teams to develop transformative AI solutions. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Ron is an active member of the tech community, recognized as a Microsoft MVP in AI, Mixed Reality, and IoT. Ron is an international speaker, sharing his knowledge at industry events, and remains an active maker and tinkerer with a passion for Augmented Intelligence.
🚀 Code > Create > Coach > Repeat.

Ron Dagdag brings over 25 years of experience as a software artisan to his role as Research Engineering Manager at Thomson Reuters, where he leads teams to develop transformative AI solutions. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Ron is ... Show more

As the founder of both (Havens Consulting & Analytic Endeavors) and a Microsoft MVP, Reid is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in technology, organizational management, and business analytics. With a Master's Degree in Organizational Development and a background in consulting for Fortune 10, 50, and 500 companies, Reid has the knowledge and expertise to help your organization succeed.

In addition to his corporate experience, Reid is also a highly sought-after instructor, teaching Business Intelligence, reporting, and data visualization at the University of Washington and other universities. His passion for education extends beyond the classroom, as he has co-authored the DP-500 Enterprise Azure Analyst certification exam for Microsoft and developed numerous training curriculums delivered to companies around the world.

As the founder of both (Havens Consulting & Analytic Endeavors) and a Microsoft MVP, Reid is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in technology, organizational management, and business analytics. With a Master's Degree in Organizationa... Show more

I'm Taiob Ali, a Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 19 years of experience designing and implementing data solutions across finance, e-commerce, and healthcare. My expertise includes the Microsoft Data Platform, MongoDB, Azure AI, and Python for data-driven innovation.

As a dedicated community advocate, I've presented at over 100 events worldwide, including SQL Saturdays, Data Saturdays, and international conferences. I founded the Database Professionals Virtual Meetup Group, serve on the New England SQL Server User Group and SQL Saturday boards, and contribute regularly to Microsoft Learn, where my work is featured in the Contributor Stories.

I'm Taiob Ali, a Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 19 years of experience designing and implementing data solutions across finance, e-commerce, and healthcare. My expertise includes the Microsoft Data Platform, MongoDB, Azure AI, and Python for d... Show more

Peter Zaitsev is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Percona, Coroot and other tech companies. As one of the leading experts in Open Source strategy and database optimization, Peter has applied his technical knowledge and entrepreneurial drive to contribute as a board member and advisor to several open source startups. Additionally, Peter is the co-author of the book "High Performance MySQL: Optimization, Backup and Replication," one of the most popular books on MySQL performance.

Peter Zaitsev is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Percona, Coroot and other tech companies. As one of the leading experts in Open Source strategy and database optimization, Peter has applied his technical knowledge and entrepreneurial drive to contr... Show more

Gethyn is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and consultant helping organisations modernise their data platforms with SQL Server, Azure, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, and AI. He leads a UK consultancy that supports clients across Europe and North America with migrations, high-availability design, performance engineering, analytics strategy, and data governance. A Microsoft Certified Trainer with over 200 courses delivered, he speaks widely on data transformation, analytics, and the future of AI-powered business.

Gethyn is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and consultant helping organisations modernise their data platforms with SQL Server, Azure, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, and AI. He leads a UK consultancy that supports clients across Europe and North America wi... Show more

Ståle Hansen is the Founder, CEO and Digital Wellbeing coach at CloudWay. He is currently awarded as Copilot MVP and is a Microsoft Regional Director with over a decade working with Microsoft 365 and hybrid solutions. His passion is working smart in Microsoft 365 powered by Copilot. He is an international public speaker since 2012 and has spoken at conferences such as Microsoft Ignite, Experts Live and the Microsoft 365 Conference. In 2023, he won the Wellness Champion Award at ESPC for his GTD inspired productivity concept, Digital Wellbeing, which you can find on his YouTube channel with more than 4500 subscribers and 400 000 views.

Ståle Hansen is the Founder, CEO and Digital Wellbeing coach at CloudWay. He is currently awarded as Copilot MVP and is a Microsoft Regional Director with over a decade working with Microsoft 365 and hybrid solutions. His passion is working smart in ... Show more

Olivier Van Steenlandt is a Business Intelligence Professional who spent most of his early career assisting retail companies to get more value of their data using the Microsoft BI Stack (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, Power BI).

As his first experience in the field (in Business Intelligence), Olivier worked as a Big Data Analyst using tools such as Hadoop and Spark.

In 2015 the focus changed to traditional data warehousing & reporting using SSIS, SSRS & MicroStrategy. A bit later, around June 2019, the opportunity arose to fill the position of BI Teamlead. In this function he was able to set up a hybrid BI Team (team members in Belgium and Belarus).

Early 2020, Olivier joined the dataMinds crew as a core member, assisting to organise several events.

Around April 2021, Olivier started a new position as BI Teamlead in another Retail Company to support business growth. Besides the challenge to help the BI Team grow and deliver projects on time, he started to use SSAS & Power BI.

In April 2025, Olivier stepped away from internal positions and became an independent consultant.

When Olivier is not working there is a high chance that you find him on a football field, studying (BI Related), playing music (Saxophone / Piano) or cooking.

Olivier Van Steenlandt is a Business Intelligence Professional who spent most of his early career assisting retail companies to get more value of their data using the Microsoft BI Stack (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, Power BI). As his first experience in the ... Show more

Dennis is a Microsoft MVP and Principal Consultant at Dutch Microsoft consultancy firm Aviva Solutions. With 29 years of experience under his belt as a software architect and/or lead developer, he specializes in designing full-stack enterprise solutions based on .NET as well as providing coaching on all aspects of designing, building, documenting, deploying and maintaining software systems in an agile world. He is the author of several open-source projects, including Fluent Assertions, Pathy, Reflectify, PackageGuard, and several .NET Solution Templates, and has been maintaining coding guidelines for C# since 2001. You can find him on Twitter, Mastodon and BlueSky.

Dennis is a Microsoft MVP and Principal Consultant at Dutch Microsoft consultancy firm Aviva Solutions. With 29 years of experience under his belt as a software architect and/or lead developer, he specializes in designing full-stack enterprise soluti... Show more

Wesley is a Customer Success Engineer at Duende Software, helping Duende's customers to be successful by assisting developers with issues, documenting common problems and teaching about security / identity.

He's also a Microsoft MVP, board member of the VISUG meetup in Belgium and speaker at meetups and conferences, such as NDC London and Sydney, Copenhagen Developer Festival, WeAreDevelopers Berlin, Update Conference, TechDays, DevConf, DeveloperDays and Techorama.

Wesley is a Customer Success Engineer at Duende Software, helping Duende's customers to be successful by assisting developers with issues, documenting common problems and teaching about security / identity. He's also a Microsoft MVP, board member ... Show more

Namrata is currently working as Power Platform Developer. She has previously worked in KPMG as a Full Stack Developer and was a Gold Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador.

Driving passion for Accessibility and Sustainability using AI and Technology around the World !
Beside work, enjoying being artistic and creative.

Namrata is currently working as Power Platform Developer. She has previously worked in KPMG as a Full Stack Developer and was a Gold Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador. Driving passion for Accessibility and Sustainability using AI and Technology a... Show more

Michael Johnson is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and co-lead of the Johannesburg Data Platform User Group. Professionally, he is the owner and principal consultant at Cobalt Analytics, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Michael regularly presents at many local and international user groups and conferences on topics including data engineering and analytics.

Michael Johnson is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and co-lead of the Johannesburg Data Platform User Group. Professionally, he is the owner and principal consultant at Cobalt Analytics, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Michael regularly presents a... Show more

Dwayne is the CEO and Owner of Captain Hyperscaler, LLC. He was previously the Global Principal Cloud Security Lead for Eviden, an atos business. He is also a Microsoft MVP for Security and Azure, and an author, trainer, and product manager with over 30 years of experience in the IT industry. He is certified in AKYLADE Cyber Resilience, AI Security, and Risk Management; ISC2 for CC, CGRC, CCSP, CSSLP, SSCP, CISSP-ISSMP, CISSP-ISSAP, and CISSP; ISACA CRISC, CISM, CISA; EC-Council C|SCU and Associate C|CISO; CompTIA Cloud+; AI CERTs Ethics, Executive, Everyone, Prompt Engineer, Educator, Project Manager; CSA CCSK, and in multiple Azure and M365 roles, including Microsoft Cybersecurity Architect Expert, Azure Solution Architect Expert, AWS Solution Architect Associate, Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft Security Analyst Associate, Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator Associate, Microsoft Information Protection Administrator Associate, Azure Security Engineer Associate, and Microsoft 365 Security Administrator Associate. He also has his AWS Solutions Architect Associate and PMI Project Management Professional.

In addition to creating curriculum, training, and blog writing, Dwayne is also an APMG Accredited Trainer for ISACA, an Authorized Trainer for AKYLADE, a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Regional Lead and an ISC2 Authorized Trainer. Dwayne has also authored three books for Packt Publishing that are available on Amazon at https://aka.ms/dwaynesbooks.

Dwayne is the CEO and Owner of Captain Hyperscaler, LLC. He was previously the Global Principal Cloud Security Lead for Eviden, an atos business. He is also a Microsoft MVP for Security and Azure, and an author, trainer, and product manager with ove... Show more

Annie Talvasto is an award-winning international technology speaker and leader. She has spoken at over 100+ tech events worldwide, including KubeCon + CloudNativeCon and Microsoft Build & Ignite. She has been recognized with the CNCF Ambassador, Azure & AI Platform MVP awards. She has co-organized the Kubernetes & CNCF Finland meetup since 2017. In the past, she has also served as a track chair for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon, Program Chair for Secure AI Summit (powered by Cloud Native) and hosted Cloud Native Live, a weekly livestream by CNCF, for over 3 years.

Annie Talvasto is an award-winning international technology speaker and leader. She has spoken at over 100+ tech events worldwide, including KubeCon + CloudNativeCon and Microsoft Build & Ignite. She has been recognized with the CNCF Ambassador, Azur... Show more

Microsoft Bizz Apps MVP and seasoned technology leader with over 18 years of global experience designing and delivering intelligent solutions across diverse industries. As an AI Solutions Specialist and Power Platform Architect, Alex has been at the forefront of integrating Cognitive Services, developing enterprise-grade chatbots and Copilot solutions, and driving automation through RPA and low-code platforms. His expertise spans cloud architecture on Azure and Microsoft 365, with a strong focus on empowering organizations through innovation, scalability, and user-centric design. A passionate advocate for digital transformation, Alex combines technical excellence with a deep understanding of business needs to create impactful solutions that bridge people and technology.

AI Solutions Specialist / Copilot Studio / Copilot / Power Platform Architect / RPA / Cloud Architect / Azure / M365 /Fabric

Microsoft Bizz Apps MVP and seasoned technology leader with over 18 years of global experience designing and delivering intelligent solutions across diverse industries. As an AI Solutions Specialist and Power Platform Architect, Alex has been at the ... Show more