Vesa “Vesku” Nopanen is Principal Consultant for AI-Native Future Work at Sulava MEA, the leading Microsoft Copilot and AI enablement partner in the Middle East and Africa. A Microsoft MVP (AI & Microsoft 365) since 2019, Vesku helps organizations become Frontier Firms where people and AI agents collaborate and co-create together.

With 30+ years in enterprise IT, Vesku specializes in transforming workplaces through Microsoft AI and cloud technologies: Copilot, Azure AI, Teams, Loop, Copilot Studio, and beyond. He pairs deep technical expertise with a passion for better worklife — enabling co-creation between humans and AI.
He writes https://futurework.blog, speaks at global conferences, and organizes community events that accelerate the shift toward an AI-Native future.

🔗 linktr.ee/vesanopanen

Vesa “Vesku” Nopanen is Principal Consultant for AI-Native Future Work at Sulava MEA, the leading Microsoft Copilot and AI enablement partner in the Middle East and Africa. A Microsoft MVP (AI & Microsoft 365) since 2019, Vesku helps organizations be... Show more

Peter is a Cloud & Security Architect based in Denmark with extensive experience in the IT industry, specializing in Messaging, Collaboration, and Cloud security. Since 1996, he has been a consultant, focusing on technologies such as Microsoft 365, Exchange Server, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive for Business, Office 365, Purview Information Protection, and Microsoft Defender Security products.

Peter holds the prestigious Microsoft Certified Solutions Master (MCSM) certification in Exchange and has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP in Microsoft 365. He is a seasoned speaker, having presented at numerous high-profile events, including the European SharePoint Conference, European Collab Summit, Nordic Infrastructure Conference, Workplace Ninja Summit, Microsoft Campus Days, and various local User Group events.

In addition to his professional work, Peter leads the Danish WorkPlace Ninja User Group, which focuses on advancing knowledge in Microsoft Modern Workplace, Productivity, and Security.

Peter is a Cloud & Security Architect based in Denmark with extensive experience in the IT industry, specializing in Messaging, Collaboration, and Cloud security. Since 1996, he has been a consultant, focusing on technologies such as Microsoft 365, E... Show more

Kanwal Khipple is the CEO and Founder of 2toLead, a trailblazing consulting firm dedicated to innovative digital workplace transformations. Over the past decade, he has established himself as a trusted authority in creating engaging, award-winning employee experiences that seamlessly blend design, technology, and human-centric thinking. Recognized by the Nielsen Norman Group for designing two Top 10 Intranets, Kanwal continues to influence how modern organizations enhance collaboration, learning, and performance.

As AI reshapes how employees interact with information and one another, Kanwal focuses on leveraging cutting-edge tools—like personalization engines, intelligent chatbots, and workplace analytics—to drive meaningful, future-ready workplaces. A long-standing Microsoft 365 community contributor and Microsoft and Business Applications MVP since 2009, he frequently speaks on the value of embracing emerging technologies to amplify rather than replace human connection. His mission is to ensure that as we evolve our workplaces with AI, we do so ethically, responsibly, and with enduring human value at the core.

Kanwal Khipple is the CEO and Founder of 2toLead, a trailblazing consulting firm dedicated to innovative digital workplace transformations. Over the past decade, he has established himself as a trusted authority in creating engaging, award-winning em... Show more

I am a Tech Lead and Azure Solution Architect from the Netherlands, with over a decade of experience spanning startups, enterprise organizations, and international teams. I thrive at the intersection of technology, strategy, and leadership, helping companies deliver software to customers using DevOps practices and Cloud-Native architectures.

Being on the line between IT and business is where I feel most at home—creating technical solutions that address real user needs while driving teams toward success. I enjoy coaching and leading teams to embrace new technologies and ways of working, fostering collaboration and continuous improvement.

Outside of my work for clients, I have a passion for sharing knowledge. I am a co-author of Azure Infrastructure as Code (https://www.manning.com/books/azure-infrastructure-as-code), occasionally write blogs, and regularly speak at international conferences.

I am a Tech Lead and Azure Solution Architect from the Netherlands, with over a decade of experience spanning startups, enterprise organizations, and international teams. I thrive at the intersection of technology, strategy, and leadership, helping c... Show more

Scott McAllister is a Developer Advocate for Depot. He has been building web applications in several industries for over a decade. Now he's helping others learn about a wide range of web and infrastructure technologies. When he's not coding, writing or speaking he enjoys long walks with his wife, skipping rocks with his kids, and is happy whenever Seattle Sounders FC, Manchester City, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Bulls, Seattle Storm, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Reign FC, St. Louis Blues, Seattle Kraken, Barcelona, Fiorentina, Borussia Dortmund or Mainz 05 can manage a win.

Scott McAllister is a Developer Advocate for Depot. He has been building web applications in several industries for over a decade. Now he's helping others learn about a wide range of web and infrastructure technologies. When he's not coding, writing ... Show more

Ginger Grant is a distinguished Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), renowned for her deep expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, AI, data warehousing, and the evolving landscape of Microsoft Fabric. As a sought-after consultant, Ginger empowers organizations to harness the full potential of their data ecosystems.

Beyond consulting, Ginger is a prolific thought leader and speaker for both keynotes and technical training. She contributes regularly as a columnist for Code Magazine, authors insightful books, and shares practical knowledge on her blog, DesertIsleSQL.com. Her educational impact spans a wide range of technologies, including Azure Synapse Analytics, Python, and Azure Machine Learning, making her a trusted voice in the data community.

Whether on stage, in print, or in the classroom, Ginger’s passion for data and commitment to knowledge-sharing make her a standout figure in the world of data and AI.

Ginger Grant is a distinguished Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), renowned for her deep expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, AI, data warehousing, and the evolving landscape of Microsoft Fabric. As a sou... Show more

Gregor Reimling is a Microsoft MVP in Azure and Security, and Chief Azure Technologist at adesso SE. He leads technical strategy and implementation for Azure, focusing on enterprise-scale architectures, cloud security, governance, hybrid environments, and migration.
Gregor is a passionate community advocate, regularly speaking at international Microsoft and community conferences. He runs a popular Azure blog and co-hosts the Cloud Inspires podcast. He is the founder of the Azure Bonn Meetup, a thriving user group with over 1,000 members, and co-founder of the Cloud Identity Summit, an annual event focused on identity and security.
As a Microsoft Certified Trainer, Gregor empowers professionals through hands-on training and mentorship, helping organisations maximise their cloud potential.

Gregor Reimling is a Microsoft MVP in Azure and Security, and Chief Azure Technologist at adesso SE. He leads technical strategy and implementation for Azure, focusing on enterprise-scale architectures, cloud security, governance, hybrid environments... Show more

Aman is a serial AI entrepreneur with 3 successful exits and over a dozen digital/AI products. His journey began as an ML researcher at TU Wien, where he pioneered CNN for large-scale recommendation systems. A pillar of the South Florida tech scene, Aman leads the AI Collective Miami Chapter. Aman has delivered 100+ tech talks with his signature Miro Diagram style storytelling, which has inspired thousands of founders, executives, and developers worldwide, establishing him as a two-time Most Active Speaker and respected AI innovator.

Aman is a serial AI entrepreneur with 3 successful exits and over a dozen digital/AI products. His journey began as an ML researcher at TU Wien, where he pioneered CNN for large-scale recommendation systems. A pillar of the South Florida tech scene, ... 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

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

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

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

Dean Schuster has been envisioning and creating human-centered digital products since the advent of the commercial web. He is founder and owner of the user experience strategy firm truematter, leading the team to help national and international organizations change the way they do business online. He travels all over the world to speak and teach, mentoring professionals and challenging teams to a higher standard for digital experiences.

Dean is also an avid ultra-marathoner and trail racer, often found in out-of-the-way places, including Antarctica.

Dean Schuster has been envisioning and creating human-centered digital products since the advent of the commercial web. He is founder and owner of the user experience strategy firm truematter, leading the team to help national and international organ... Show more

Alberto Acerbis is a hands-on software architect with a strong background in distributed systems. Recognized as a Microsoft MVP in .NET technologies, he actively contributes to the tech community.
In his role, Alberto helps customers transform their ideas into robust and scalable solutions. Beyond his professional work, he is a passionate technical speaker, having delivered numerous sessions at conferences over the years.
His dedication to knowledge-sharing extends to the communities he has founded and actively participates in, fostering collaboration and continuous learning in the tech ecosystem.
Outside of technology, Alberto enjoys mountain activities in all seasons and has a keen interest in philosophy and other disciplines beyond the tech world.

Alberto Acerbis is a hands-on software architect with a strong background in distributed systems. Recognized as a Microsoft MVP in .NET technologies, he actively contributes to the tech community. In his role, Alberto helps customers transform their... 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

I'm a lifelong learner with a passion for creative problem-solving. I share my expertise and insights with the data community through talks, video content, and bringing people together with the DATA:Scotland event.

I'm a lifelong learner with a passion for creative problem-solving. I share my expertise and insights with the data community through talks, video content, and bringing people together with the DATA:Scotland event. Show more

Gerrit Grunwald is a software engineer that loves coding for around 40 years already. He is a true believer in open source and he is an active member of the Java community, where he founded and leads the Java User Group Münster (Germany), he is a JavaOne rockstar and a Java Champion. He is a speaker at conferences and user groups internationally and writes for several magazines.

Gerrit Grunwald is a software engineer that loves coding for around 40 years already. He is a true believer in open source and he is an active member of the Java community, where he founded and leads the Java User Group Münster (Germany), he is a Jav... 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

I'm Michel Murabito, Mich to my friends! Born in 1986 in Turin with Sicilian roots, I now live in Milan. My journey in software began at 12, coding for fun. At 18, I started my first job as a software developer and have continuously sought new challenges to grow and learn. Today,

I'm a Tech Evangelist @Fractal Cloud and a Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) Ambassador, sharing my passion for cloud native technologies with a community of curious minds. I'm also an organizer of the Cloud Native Days Italy (formerly KCD Italy) and KCD San Francisco Bay Area, fostering collaboration and innovation within the cloud native ecosystem.

I'm Michel Murabito, Mich to my friends! Born in 1986 in Turin with Sicilian roots, I now live in Milan. My journey in software began at 12, coding for fun. At 18, I started my first job as a software developer and have continuously sought new challe... Show more

Uwe Ricken has been working with IT systems since the early 1990s, with a deep focus on Microsoft SQL Server starting from his work on Membership Software for the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany - later rolled out across five European countries. His passion for SQL Server took off in 2007 when he joined Deutsche Bank AG as a database administrator, gaining hands-on experience in high-performance, enterprise-scale environments.

With over three decades of experience in database development and operations, Uwe earned the prestigious "Microsoft Certified Master – SQL Server 2008", the highest technical certification at the time. In 2013, he was honored with his first "Microsoft MVP Award" for his contributions to the SQL Server community across Germany and Europe.

Since 2010, Uwe has been sharing his expertise through his blog https://sqlmaster.de, offering deep dives into SQL Server internals, performance tuning, and real-world troubleshooting.

A regular speaker at international conferences and user groups, Uwe’s sessions focus on Database Internals, Indexing Strategies and Advanced SQL Development - always with a practical, performance-driven mindset.

Uwe Ricken has been working with IT systems since the early 1990s, with a deep focus on Microsoft SQL Server starting from his work on Membership Software for the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany - later rolled out across five European countri... 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

Responsable Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement & Power Platform chez Infoteam Business Solutions. Ma mission est d’accompagner les entreprises dans leurs projets de digitalisation des processus métiers.
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Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement & Power Platform Manager at Infoteam Business Solutions. My mission is to help companies with their business process digitalization projects.

Responsable Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement & Power Platform chez Infoteam Business Solutions. Ma mission est d’accompagner les entreprises dans leurs projets de digitalisation des processus métiers. -----------------------------------------------... Show more

Brian is a Microsoft Azure MVP, speaker, author, trainer, and .NET developer with deep expertise across cloud and application development. He holds MCSA: Web App Certification, MCSD: App Builder, and thirteen Azure and GitHub certifications, including Developer, Administrator, DevOps Engineer, Solutions Architect, Data Administrator, Security Engineer, AI Engineer, and Cosmos DB — along with multiple Fundamentals certifications. Since 2019, he has also been a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT).

Brian earned a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Along with 25 years of development experience, he brings over 15 years of experience teaching computer science, SQL databases, object-oriented programming (C#, VB.NET, Java), and Microsoft Office in online university settings and professional training environments.

As an educator and creator, Brian has developed numerous online training courses available across multiple platforms and has authored several books with APress, including Practical Entity Framework Core 10 (with two earlier editions) and Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure Certification Companion: Hands-on Preparation and Practice for Exam AZ-204.

Brian is a Microsoft Azure MVP, speaker, author, trainer, and .NET developer with deep expertise across cloud and application development. He holds MCSA: Web App Certification, MCSD: App Builder, and thirteen Azure and GitHub certifications, includin... Show more

Gabi Münster (she / her) started working with SQL Server technologies in 2005 during her time as Web Application developer. After 11 years as BI consultant / Data architect and being awarded Data Platform MVP since 2018, she joined Microsoft in March 2022 as part of the Azure Data Customer Advisory Team and works as a Principal Program Manager covering Fabric.
She speaks at regional chapter meetings, national and international conferences. Since 2016 she also supports a regional chapter as co-lead.
Apart from BI topics she also supports Diversity topics.

Gabi Münster (she / her) started working with SQL Server technologies in 2005 during her time as Web Application developer. After 11 years as BI consultant / Data architect and being awarded Data Platform MVP since 2018, she joined Microsoft in March... Show more

Christian Decker has been inextricably linked with Microsoft and the optimal use of tools for more than 20 years. After 9 years at Microsoft and over 12 years of experience with the best Microsoft Gold Partners, he is very familiar with Office 365 and Microsoft in general.
Christian is double MVP: Security and Teams - which reflects perfectly his passion

Christian Decker has been inextricably linked with Microsoft and the optimal use of tools for more than 20 years. After 9 years at Microsoft and over 12 years of experience with the best Microsoft Gold Partners, he is very familiar with Office 365 an... Show more

Laila Bougria is a Solutions Architect and Engineer with over 15 years of experience in the Microsoft .NET space. She's a keynote speaker, a Microsoft MVP in Azure and Developer Technologies, and frequently shares her knowledge and insights at conferences worldwide. Currently, Laila is busy building NServiceBus at Particular Software and solving distributed riddles. When she's not immersed in complex problems or code, Laila enjoys indulging in her favorite pastime - knitting! She finds that tangling the yarn into beautiful patterns helps untangle her thoughts.

Laila Bougria is a Solutions Architect and Engineer with over 15 years of experience in the Microsoft .NET space. She's a keynote speaker, a Microsoft MVP in Azure and Developer Technologies, and frequently shares her knowledge and insights at confer... Show more

Marino Wijay is a Canadian, Traveller, International Speaker, and Open Source Advocate and Architect for AI, API Platforms, Service Mesh, Kubernetes, and Networking. He is a CNCF Ambassador, Civo Cloud Ambassador, Lead Organizer for KubeHuddle Toronto, and Founder of EmpathyOps. He is passionate about technology and modern distributed systems. He will always fall back to the patterns of Networking and the ways of the OSI. Community building is his driving force; A modern Jedi Academy.

Marino Wijay is a Canadian, Traveller, International Speaker, and Open Source Advocate and Architect for AI, API Platforms, Service Mesh, Kubernetes, and Networking. He is a CNCF Ambassador, Civo Cloud Ambassador, Lead Organizer for KubeHuddle Toront... 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

Reitse began his computer days with GW Basic and quickly followed with Windows 3.11. After that, many computers followed, and, interrupted by human resource and psychology studies, he got into the IT work field around 2007. There, he encountered Oracle 9, which had a command line from 1980. At his current job, he met SQL Server. And loved it. Now he’s working with SQL 2008 to SQL 2019 on-premises and several Azure SQL Databases, supporting customers and tuning databases. New projects focus more on the Azure data platform as an architect, security advisor and data engineer. They include Fabric (Lakehouse and Realtime solutions), Data Factory and Synapse Analytics.

Reitse began his computer days with GW Basic and quickly followed with Windows 3.11. After that, many computers followed, and, interrupted by human resource and psychology studies, he got into the IT work field around 2007. There, he encountered Orac... Show more