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

Barbara Forbes is an Azure Architect & consultant at Zure in the Netherlands, a Microsoft Azure MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), and a GitHub Star. She works at the intersection of technology, strategy, education, and development. Her focus is on the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework, Generative AI, Infrastructure as Code, PowerShell, and GitHub.
Barbara loves explaining things in an accessible manner; in person, as a teacher for LinkedIn Learning and as a frequent speaker at conferences and user groups. She is actively involved in the tech community, including being part of the organization of European events

Barbara Forbes is an Azure Architect & consultant at Zure in the Netherlands, a Microsoft Azure MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), and a GitHub Star. She works at the intersection of technology, strategy, education, and development. Her focus is... Show more

Back in 2010 I began my career in IT.
After a brief stint as ERP Consultant, I transitioned into Data Realm.

Over the years, I explored the world of data from various perspectives, working both as a DBA and a BI Architect.

I'm a Microsoft Certified Professional at different levels in databases, BI and Azure areas.

Microsoft MVP for Data Platform category x4 and Microsoft Fabric Super User.

I'm one of the leaders of Power BI User Group in Italy and I'd been speaker during the Power Platform World Tour and Global Power Platform Bootcamp stops in Italy.

You can find me speaking at Azure Saturday, SQL Saturday, Data Saturday, and other community events across Europe.

I served as a technical reviewer for the books “Extending Power BI with Python and R”, "Microsoft Power BI Quick Start Guide" and “Power BI Cookbook, 3rd Edition”.

Last but not least, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal addicted!

Back in 2010 I began my career in IT. After a brief stint as ERP Consultant, I transitioned into Data Realm. Over the years, I explored the world of data from various perspectives, working both as a DBA and a BI Architect. I'm a Microsoft Cert... Show more

Since 2012 I’ve been working in the field of IT in different positions. Now I am the product lead Automation + AI for the transformation department of OGD ict-diensten. I’m responsible for the propositions regarding Power Platform, AI and Automation. Besides that I also consult a multitude of customers about these topics and their cloud platforms. Due to this broad range of topics I work with on a daily basis, I’ve developed a passion for connecting them all together. When I’m not working on improving specific systems I’m looking into how the systems can work together to create even more value. I also write on my blog https://www.autosysops.com about the solutions I find.

Since 2012 I’ve been working in the field of IT in different positions. Now I am the product lead Automation + AI for the transformation department of OGD ict-diensten. I’m responsible for the propositions regarding Power Platform, AI and Automation.... Show more

Giorgi is a software developer with almost two decades of experience. He works mainly with C#, ASP.NET Core, REST, GraphQL, MAUI, Xamarin, Entity Framework Core, AWS, Azure, and SQL Server. He has also worked with many other frameworks and systems such as ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET Web API, WCF, Avalonia, WinForms, Oracle, and many more.

Giorgi has spoken at several conferences such as NDC Copenhagen, .NET Day Switzerland, Update Conference, Developer Week (DWX), KCDC, .NET Conf 2023, JetBrains .NET Day Online ’23, and so on.

Giorgi is an open-source author and contributor on GitHub, Microsoft MVP, and a member of the .NET Foundation.

Giorgi is a software developer with almost two decades of experience. He works mainly with C#, ASP.NET Core, REST, GraphQL, MAUI, Xamarin, Entity Framework Core, AWS, Azure, and SQL Server. He has also worked with many other frameworks and systems su... Show more

Mary is a Technical Solutions Architect and Advocate in the Emerging Technology area. She started as an engineer in Unix/C, then transitioned to Java around 2000 and has never looked back since then. After 20+ years of being a software engineer and technical architect, she discovered her true passion in developer and customer advocacy. Most recently she has serviced companies of various sizes such as IBM, US Cellular, Bank of America, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, in topic areas that included Java, GenAI, Streaming systems, Open source, Cloud and Distributed messaging systems. She is also a very active tech community leader outside of her day job. She is the President of the Chicago Java Users Group (CJUG), and the Chicago Organizer of the AI Collective Chicago Chapter.

Mary is a Technical Solutions Architect and Advocate in the Emerging Technology area. She started as an engineer in Unix/C, then transitioned to Java around 2000 and has never looked back since then. After 20+ years of being a software engineer and... Show more

Eldert is always enthusiastic about embarking on new journeys with the Cloud, and Azure in particular. He is very passionate about growing his dreams and teams, and goes above and beyond to help those with the same spark. Eldert comes from a background as a cloud solution architect and Technology Lead, was an Azure MVP for 5 consecutive years, and is now working as a Principal Product Manager at Microsoft for Azure Service Bus.

Always having a smile on his face, Eldert can be found delivering noteworthy sessions at in-person conferences, meetups, and online platforms. He values sharing and spreading knowledge while building genuine connections regardless of background and expertise. His goal is to bring people closer and work together to influence the outcome and optimize the future of Cloud technologies.

Eldert is always enthusiastic about embarking on new journeys with the Cloud, and Azure in particular. He is very passionate about growing his dreams and teams, and goes above and beyond to help those with the same spark. Eldert comes from a backgrou... Show more

Poornima is a .Net developer with over 10 years of experience in .Net. She is passionate about learning new technologies and keeping herself up-to-date with the latest developments in technology. Outside her work, Poornima enjoys music and is undergoing training in Indian Classical music. Based in Langley, UK she mothers a little girl and spends her spare time reading, cooking and watching movies.

Poornima is a .Net developer with over 10 years of experience in .Net. She is passionate about learning new technologies and keeping herself up-to-date with the latest developments in technology. Outside her work, Poornima enjoys music and is undergo... Show more

Hi there. I am Valerie Junk.
I am passionate about creating insights from data and designing dashboards using Power BI. With my expertise in data analytics and visualization, I support companies in developing effective data-driven strategies that yield results and take the business to the next level.
Microsoft Data Platform MVP

Hi there. I am Valerie Junk. I am passionate about creating insights from data and designing dashboards using Power BI. With my expertise in data analytics and visualization, I support companies in developing effective data-driven strategies that y... 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

Mathias is a data enthusiast with a great passion for the synergy between data analytics and cloud data platforms.

As a Senior Director at Inspari he works with building up clients' data capabilities, implementing data platform technologies and all-in-all maximize the impact of their data.

Being a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, he is very passionate about sharing anything with community, especially something around turning data into impact!

With a background in Product Development and Innovation, Mathias brings a unique 'Data Product' perspective to the realm of data architecture, and is obsessed with the bigger picture. With his slightly rebellious attitude, he's not afraid to challenge the status quo and break industry norms to find new and better solutions.

Mathias is a data enthusiast with a great passion for the synergy between data analytics and cloud data platforms. As a Senior Director at Inspari he works with building up clients' data capabilities, implementing data platform technologies and a... Show more

Jason Romans is a Business Intelligence engineer in Nashville, TN working with the Microsoft Business Intelligence stack. Jason is a Microsoft MVP who started his career as a DBA and over the years moved to working in his passion of Business Intelligence and data modeling. His first computer was a Commodore 64 and he's been hooked ever since.

Jason Romans is a Business Intelligence engineer in Nashville, TN working with the Microsoft Business Intelligence stack. Jason is a Microsoft MVP who started his career as a DBA and over the years moved to working in his passion of Business Intellig... Show more

Johnny Hooyberghs is a managing partner and consultant for Involved NV, part of the Cronos group, since 2014 focusing on software architecture, backend development and a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for Azure and Developer Technologies since 2020. Prior to joining Involved as a consultant, he has had experience developing software for the health-care sector since 2008. Johnny has been passionate about software development using the .NET stack, cloud native development using the Microsoft Azure cloud stack and quantum computing. Johnny has spent 10 years of his free time teaching software development courses for the adult education institute CVO Antwerpen and has been enjoying public speaking these past 6 years. When Johnny is not working, he likes to spend his time on self-education, quantum computing, some casual video gaming, travelling the world and visiting as many theme parks as possible.

Johnny Hooyberghs is a managing partner and consultant for Involved NV, part of the Cronos group, since 2014 focusing on software architecture, backend development and a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for Azure and Developer Technologies since ... Show more

A seasoned Full Cycle Web Development Expert and R&D Manager, brings over two decades of experience, skillfully leading both local and international development teams from concept to delivery. As a recognized public speaker and blog writer, he also makes notable contributions to the open-source community.

In addition, Daniel leads the "NG-Heroes" meetup, creating networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities within the tech industry. Beyond his professional endeavors, he values family time above all else, proudly owning the title of "The Best Developer in the World," humorously awarded by his wife. Combining technical leadership, community involvement, and a strong family focus.

A seasoned Full Cycle Web Development Expert and R&D Manager, brings over two decades of experience, skillfully leading both local and international development teams from concept to delivery. As a recognized public speaker and blog writer, he also m... Show more

As a Data Analytics and ML/AI Specialist, my mission is to break down complex concepts into easily understandable terms and practical, production-ready code. I create hands-on tutorials, open-source projects, and live demos that help developers build real-world solutions with Python—from RAG systems and agentic workflows to multimodal applications.

Through conference talks, workshops, and accessible educational resources, I empower developers to confidently implement advanced technologies in their projects, regardless of their starting skill level. My goal is simple: turn complex AI/ML theory into deployable solutions that developers can use immediately.

As a Data Analytics and ML/AI Specialist, my mission is to break down complex concepts into easily understandable terms and practical, production-ready code. I create hands-on tutorials, open-source projects, and live demos that help developers build... 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

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

Rie Merritt has been working with SQL Server since 1999, when she started as a data analyst for a non-profit. She has worked in many industries over the years including pharmaceutical, e-commerce, legal, financial, education and both federal & state government. She is currently Principal PM Manager with Microsoft Azure Data, serving as the Influencers, Community & Events lead. She is liaison between the product group and Influencers, User Groups, MVPs & Super Users, and her team owns the FabCon workstream for Engineering. She is based out of Redmond, but works remotely from her home near Atlanta.

Since 2010, Rie has done extensive work with the SQL Community. She was an MVP in the Data Platform for three years, speaking frequently at conferences across the US and moderating webinars, WIT panels and career panels. She has also served co-leader of the Women in Technology Virtual Group and Executive Director of SQL Saturday Atlanta. Currently, Rie helps run the Atlanta Azure Data User Group heading up Microsoft’s efforts for the Azure Data Community.

Rie Merritt has been working with SQL Server since 1999, when she started as a data analyst for a non-profit. She has worked in many industries over the years including pharmaceutical, e-commerce, legal, financial, education and both federal & state ... Show more

Guy works for Redis as a Developer Advocate. Combining his decades of experience in writing software with a passion for learning—and for sharing what he has learned—Guy explores interesting topics and spreads the knowledge he has gained around developer communities worldwide.

Teaching and community have long been a focus for Guy. He ran a local JavaScript meetup in Ohio for more than a decade and has served on the selection committees of numerous conferences. He'll happily speak anywhere that will have him and has even has helped teach programming at a prison in Central Ohio.

In his personal life, Guy is a hard-boiled geek interested in role-playing games, science fiction, and technology. He also has a slightly less geeky interest in history and linguistics. He has an entire wall of role-playing games and science fiction books, speaks Spanish like a two-year old, and is a ham radio operator—callsign W8GUY.

Guy lives in Ohio with his wife. His three sons are adults now and are all moved out. He is immensely proud of the men they have become.

Guy works for Redis as a Developer Advocate. Combining his decades of experience in writing software with a passion for learning—and for sharing what he has learned—Guy explores interesting topics and spreads the knowledge he has gained around develo... 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

Hi, I’m Michiel Hamers — a Principal Cloud Expert, Implementation Manager, Trainer, and former Microsoft MVP with over 25 years of experience in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Since 2000, I’ve been helping organizations successfully adopt and optimize Microsoft technologies, with a focus on Azure, cloud architecture, performance, and cost management. As a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and experienced consultant, I bridge strategy and execution, guiding both public and private sector teams through complex technical transformations.

I regularly speak at international conferences such as Developer Week, PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit, Global Azure, AzConf Chennai, Azure Fest, DevConf APG, FutureTech, and Dutch Cloud Meetup. I’m passionate about delivering hands-on workshops and tailored in-company trainings, helping teams sharpen their Azure, automation, and application lifecycle skills.

My mission is clear: help people and organizations get the most out of the cloud — with control, clarity, and confidence. Whether coaching colleagues, giving workshops, or advising on cloud-native modernization, I combine deep technical knowledge with a pragmatic, people-focused approach.

When I’m not working, I enjoy life with Sandra — cooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. For me, technology is about empowering people, not just systems.

Let’s connect and build something great together.

Hi, I’m Michiel Hamers — a Principal Cloud Expert, Implementation Manager, Trainer, and former Microsoft MVP with over 25 years of experience in the Microsoft ecosystem. Since 2000, I’ve been helping organizations successfully adopt and optimize M... Show more

Pragati is a Data Platform MVP (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional).
Fabric Consultant who works towards generating and delivering data insights to various customers. She holds a Master’s degree in Data Science and Analytics from Royal Holloway University of London.
She is skilled in various tools and technologies like Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, Microsoft Excel, Azure ML Studio, Azure Databricks Pyspark and SQL.
She has been using Power BI for few years now and is recognized as a Superuser on the Microsoft Fabric Community.
Outside work she enjoys photography, loves hiking, she is a trained Indian classical singer and has a passion for painting. She even has her Instagram page dedicated to painting.

Microsoft MVP: https://mvp.microsoft.com/en-us/PublicProfile/5004163?fullName=Pragati%20Jain

Pragati is a Data Platform MVP (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional). Fabric Consultant who works towards generating and delivering data insights to various customers. She holds a Master’s degree in Data Science and Analytics from Royal Holloway Un... 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

💫📊 Freelance: data visualization and AI training
🧑‍🏫🤖 IA/ML Instructor @ LinkedIn Learning
🎨🚀 #PBICoreVisuals Community Representative
🙆🏻‍♀️💡 Top LinkedIn Data Visualization Voice
🏅💻 Microsoft MVP Data Platform & AI Platform

I trust the power of data and persuasive communication.

💫📊 Freelance: data visualization and AI training 🧑‍🏫🤖 IA/ML Instructor @ LinkedIn Learning 🎨🚀 #PBICoreVisuals Community Representative 🙆🏻‍♀️💡 Top LinkedIn Data Visualization Voice 🏅💻 Microsoft MVP Data Platform & AI Platform I trus... 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

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

Seasoned software engineer with experience that spans nearly a decade, with technical expertise in micro-frontend architecture and web performance. Enthusiastic public speaker with a passion for crafting exceptional web experiences. Business domain expertise in areas like EdTech, HealthTech and Digital Identity.

For the last couple of years in leadership roles, inspiring a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, collaboration and psychological safety within the organization. Leading with empathy, honesty and passion, empowering team with trust and autonomy.

Seasoned software engineer with experience that spans nearly a decade, with technical expertise in micro-frontend architecture and web performance. Enthusiastic public speaker with a passion for crafting exceptional web experiences. Business domain e... Show more

Meet Gerald Versluis, software engineer at Microsoft, who wields the power of .NET MAUI to conquer any project that comes his way. With a career spanning over a decade, he's tackled it all, from frontend to backend and everything in between, using Azure, ASP.NET, and all the other .NET goodies.

But it wasn't until he discovered the magic of Xamarin that he truly fell in love with mobile and cross-platform development, becoming an active community member and sharing his knowledge through writing, tweeting, and presentations. When he's not saving the world of software, you can find him on Twitter @jfversluis, blogging at https://blog.verslu.is, or making videos on his YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/GeraldVersluis.

Meet Gerald Versluis, software engineer at Microsoft, who wields the power of .NET MAUI to conquer any project that comes his way. With a career spanning over a decade, he's tackled it all, from frontend to backend and everything in between, using Az... Show more

With a zest culture hacker and a dose of product coach, I wear the mask of product manager on a daily basis. I like to take care of a close-knit team crafting a software that works in a healthy and psychologically secure environment.

Avec un zeste de culture hacker et une dose de coach produit, je porte le masque de product manager au quotidien. J'aime m'occuper d'une équipe soudée qui conçoit un logiciel qui fonctionne dans un environnement sain et psychologiquement sûr.

With a zest culture hacker and a dose of product coach, I wear the mask of product manager on a daily basis. I like to take care of a close-knit team crafting a software that works in a healthy and psychologically secure environment. Avec un zeste... Show more

Wolfgang Strasser, an experienced data consultant at ACP CUBIDO in Austria, specializes in leveraging the Microsoft Data Platform to drive analytics and data strategy transformations. With extensive experience in SQL Server, Azure Data Services, Power BI, and Microsoft Fabric, Wolfgang has established himself as a key resource for businesses aiming to optimize their data processes.

As a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Wolfgang has a proven track record of excellence in data architecture, analytics, and data governance. He first was awarded in 2015 and since then rewarded every year.

Wolfgang's commitment to the data community is evident through his active participation in national and international conferences, workshops, and online platforms, where he shares insights, best practices, and technical knowledge. He is one of the organizers of Data Community Austria Day (Data Saturday Vienna).

Wolfgang Strasser, an experienced data consultant at ACP CUBIDO in Austria, specializes in leveraging the Microsoft Data Platform to drive analytics and data strategy transformations. With extensive experience in SQL Server, Azure Data Services, Powe... Show more