Igniting the African Growth Story: Harnessing Data, AI, and ML to Empower Industries, Markets, and Lives.

As an Intrepreneur/Entrepreneur, I am fuelled by a burning passion for propelling business growth through effective processes and structures. However, my vision extends far beyond that. I firmly believe that the power of Data Insights, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning will serve as the catalysts propelling Africa into a realm of double-figure growth in sectors such as Agriculture, Financial Inclusion, Insurance Penetration, and more.

Forever a Mentee and student of life, I have amassed 9 years of invaluable experience as a dedicated and detail-oriented Project Lead/Owner. My journey has taken me through diverse environments, honing my skills in monitoring, maintaining, and surpassing client satisfaction goals and growth objectives through data-driven teams.

I hold a special interest in capturing the millennial market and leveraging Modelling Artificial Intelligence systems to unlock exponential growth opportunities in the African Market. To complement my expertise, I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Actuarial Science at the esteemed University of Nairobi.

Beyond my educational background and industry experience, I have founded two successful startups that showcase my commitment to driving technological advancements and intrinsic value in the world:

1. BimaSmart: An Insurance Evaluation platform revolutionizing risk assessment and pricing of micro-insurance. I successfully sold the concept to https://jetsure-agritech.com/ in 2016-2017.

2. Tose Technologies LTD: A groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning think tank focused on implementing AI in Agriculture Value Chains to mitigate risk associated with financial instruments. Though currently at the ideation stage, we are poised to embark on a proof of concept journey in October 2022.

Igniting the African Growth Story: Harnessing Data, AI, and ML to Empower Industries, Markets, and Lives. As an Intrepreneur/Entrepreneur, I am fuelled by a burning passion for propelling business growth through effective processes and structures.... Show more

William Assaf is a senior content developer on the Database Docs team at Microsoft and lead of Azure SQL docs. Formerly a Data Platform MVP and a consultant, and before that a .NET developer, William currently works with Microsoft product groups on content related to Microsoft SQL offerings, specifically over Azure SQL Database and Microsoft Fabric. As a consultant for 13 years he worked with clients on SQL Server and Azure SQL platform optimization, management, disaster recovery, and high availability, and led a multi-city team of senior consulting SQL DBA's. William has written for Microsoft SQL certification exams since 2011 and was the team lead author of the 2017, 2019, 2022 editions of "SQL Server Administration Inside Out" by Microsoft Press.

William is a past lead of the annual SQLSaturday Baton Rouge Planning Committee and is a big fan of data platform communities far and wide.

William Assaf is a senior content developer on the Database Docs team at Microsoft and lead of Azure SQL docs. Formerly a Data Platform MVP and a consultant, and before that a .NET developer, William currently works with Microsoft product groups on c... Show more

Cloud Adoption Engineer | Blogger "DevOps Experiences" 🚀 | Speaker | Co-organizer Microsoft Developer User Group Graz | Microsoft MVP | HashiCorp Ambassador

Cloud Adoption Engineer | Blogger "DevOps Experiences" 🚀 | Speaker | Co-organizer Microsoft Developer User Group Graz | Microsoft MVP | HashiCorp Ambassador Show more

My name is Marco and I have an incredible passion for technology which I had the privilege to turn into a job. I’ve been working with .NET since the first beta, focusing on ASP.NET and, more generally, anything that is web related. I’ve been an early adopter of Microsoft Azure – who remembers the portal in Silverlight? :) – and, since its introduction, Cloud technologies have represented the core of my professional interest.

Today I work in the beautiful London, where I’m playing my part in saving the planet being the CTO at Mondra. Getting involved in the .NET and Azure community is also a key aspect of my profession: I’m convinced that knowledge sharing is one of the best ways to improve our professional skills, and therefore I try to dedicate as much time as I can to activities such as writing articles or speaking at conferences and meetups. Thanks to that, I’ve been awarded as a Microsoft MVP for the last 15 years in a row.

My name is Marco and I have an incredible passion for technology which I had the privilege to turn into a job. I’ve been working with .NET since the first beta, focusing on ASP.NET and, more generally, anything that is web related. I’ve been an early... Show more

I am a Microsoft Business Applications MVP and Prosci® certified, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform functional lead. My experience is in business applications, CRM operations and enterprise change. With a FTSE 100 client background in Financial Services, CRM and Marketing across Microsoft, Adobe, and Salesforce platforms, I manage global transformation and adoption programs with deep human impact. I am also a speaker in the Microsoft Community, advocating as a human evangelist about user-centered design and enabling governance.

I am a Microsoft Business Applications MVP and Prosci® certified, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform functional lead. My experience is in business applications, CRM operations and enterprise change. With a FTSE 100 client background in Financial Service... Show more

As a Principal Product Manager within the Microsoft Fabric and Power BI team and as a Global Black Belt for Microsoft Dynamics 365, I've seen firsthand how valuable the data in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Apps built on Dataverse can be for the decision-makers. I've also worked through the challenges that are commonly faced by makers when bringing Power BI to Dataverse or vice versa.
I'm passionate about how valuable Dynamics 365 and The Microsoft Fabric data platform are when used together and I'm always excited to share and learn with other makers on the Power Platform to help them bring their data to life.

As a Principal Product Manager within the Microsoft Fabric and Power BI team and as a Global Black Belt for Microsoft Dynamics 365, I've seen firsthand how valuable the data in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Apps built on Dataverse can be for the d... Show more

Wesley is a Microsoft Azure MVP and is working as a Principal Azure Architect at Intercept. His day to day activities include designing, implementing and optimizing Azure solutions, focused on Cloud Native (Kubernetes) and platform engineering. When he’s not working on a project, he’s giving a workshop, training or test-driving new Azure features. As a big advocate of Cloud Native, Infrastructure as Code and DevOps you will probably hear him talking about any of these subjects at least a few times a day (or hour). If you want to talk Azure, get in touch!

Wesley is a Microsoft Azure MVP and is working as a Principal Azure Architect at Intercept. His day to day activities include designing, implementing and optimizing Azure solutions, focused on Cloud Native (Kubernetes) and platform engineering. When ... Show more

Currently based in Portugal, I have been serving as a Data Engineer for 7 years. My expertise lies in leveraging SSIS and SSAS technologies with SQL Server Datawarehouse, primarily focusing on building ETL over diverse sources in the health sector. My proficiency extends to utilizing Azure tools like DataFactory, Data Lake, and Azure Synapse to build ETL across various business domains.

Currently based in Portugal, I have been serving as a Data Engineer for 7 years. My expertise lies in leveraging SSIS and SSAS technologies with SQL Server Datawarehouse, primarily focusing on building ETL over diverse sources in the health sector. M... Show more

Jenkins is an 6 x M365 Copilot & M365 Development MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer who has been working on SharePoint for more than 22+ years, focusing on building custom solutions for Copilot, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Framework, Power Platform, Office 365 and SharePoint. Having a very strong background in development both front-end and back-end, he is riding the modern web development wave and helping community with learning latest development techniques. He has been working on SharePoint for 20 years, who started his career on SharePoint version 2003. He is living in Chennai, India providing innovative and cost-effective solutions. He holds two master’s degrees in information technology. He is passionate about SharePoint and actively blogs, organize events, speaks at events and International Conferences, most recently on the topics of Copilot, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Power Platform.

Jenkins is an 6 x M365 Copilot & M365 Development MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer who has been working on SharePoint for more than 22+ years, focusing on building custom solutions for Copilot, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Framework, Power Platform... Show more

Soy Roberto Navarro, Ingeniero Informático de profesión y por suerte de vocación y MVP en IA, llevo cerca de 20 años trabajando en el sector, y durante los últimos 7-8 dedicándome a tareas relacionadas con el BigData y la IA en Azure, aunque siempre me pico el mundillo este de contar cosas, de ayudar a la gente a meterse es este mundo hyper-loco, así que hace como unos 3 años me metí más de lleno en la “comunidad”, realizando charlas en diversos eventos de Azure, como el GlobalAIBootcamp, NetCoreConf, GlobalAzure, etc. escribiendo algún que otro post, mi propio canal de Youtube, etc. y aquí estoy ahora, como Evangelist en donde parte de mi trabajo es precisamente este, el de ayudar a la gente y las empresas a entender este mundo tan loco de los datos, la IA, etc.

Soy Roberto Navarro, Ingeniero Informático de profesión y por suerte de vocación y MVP en IA, llevo cerca de 20 años trabajando en el sector, y durante los últimos 7-8 dedicándome a tareas relacionadas con el BigData y la IA en Azure, aunque siempre ... Show more

20 years in tech, marketing and leadership roles. All about software delivery optimization. 5 years in technical and executive training. Expert in DevOps, Lean, Systems Thinking, Continuous Delivery, Cloud Native and Decentralized Systems. Coder, speaker, writer. Fixated on improving the ways humans collaborate by telling mind-provoking stories.

20 years in tech, marketing and leadership roles. All about software delivery optimization. 5 years in technical and executive training. Expert in DevOps, Lean, Systems Thinking, Continuous Delivery, Cloud Native and Decentralized Systems. Coder, sp... Show more

Professional Experience
More than 20 years of experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365
25 years of experience within different ERPs (SAP, Oracle Applications, Sage X3 and Dynamics 365)
University Invited Teacher
Career started in Portugal and moved to London 7 years ago
Different Roles in Consulting (Business Consultant, Functional Consultant, Project Manager, Programme Manager, Engagement Leader, Team Leader, Site Manager, Product Manager and Solution Architect)

Vertical Experience
Fashion, Food and Pharmaceutical (Retail and Manufacturing)
Real Estate

Some Personal
Food, Wine and Gin Lover
Runner (finished 4 marathons), Trekker (finished 10 ways of Camiño to Santiago), Padel and Bodyboarding

Professional Experience More than 20 years of experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 25 years of experience within different ERPs (SAP, Oracle Applications, Sage X3 and Dynamics 365) University Invited Teacher Career started in Portugal and move... Show more

Ruben is a distinguished leader in the world of Data Analytics and AI, currently holding the position of Global Lead of Data Analytics and AI at DUFRY HQ in Switzerland. As the Global Data Lead Architect, he plays a pivotal role in shaping data strategies for this global organization. With a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, Ruben is an active member of the PASS Spanish Group and has taken the initiative to found SQLSaturday events in both Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Power BI Days Spain.
Ruben's expertise is widely recognized, as evidenced by his Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) credentials in SQL Server. His remarkable contributions to the field have earned him the prestigious Microsoft MVP Data Platform award for 10 years in a row.
Ruben regularly takes the stage at SQLSaturday and PowerPlatform events, captivating audiences with his insights and expertise. Events such as the SQL Server 2008 R2 and 2014 Spanish launch event, Power BI Days, Power BI Virtual Conf, PASS BA Chicago, TugaIT, .NetCoreConf, European SharePoint Summit, TechNet Webcasts, Microsoft Partner Program, and SolidQ Summit.

Ruben is a distinguished leader in the world of Data Analytics and AI, currently holding the position of Global Lead of Data Analytics and AI at DUFRY HQ in Switzerland. As the Global Data Lead Architect, he plays a pivotal role in shaping data strat... Show more

Ben has been working with SQL Server since SQL Server 6.5, mainly in the BI/Datawarehousing field.

He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, a co-author of "SQL on Kubernetes", "Azure Arc-enabled Data Services Revealed", "SQL Server Big Data Clusters" and "The Biml Book" as well as a regular speaker at national and international events. He has also published multiple Video courses at Pluralsight and other platforms.

Ben is also a co-organizer of DataGrillen, New Stars of Data and dativerse as well as a volunteer and mentor for many other Data Platform events.

Ben has been working with SQL Server since SQL Server 6.5, mainly in the BI/Datawarehousing field. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, a co-author of "SQL on Kubernetes", "Azure Arc-enabled Data Services Revealed", "SQL Server Big Data Clusters" ... Show more

Pragati is a Data Platform MVP (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional).
Currently, she is working as a Manager at Avanade in UK and 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). Currently, she is working as a Manager at Avanade in UK and works towards generating and delivering data insights to various customers. She holds a Master’s degree in Data Scienc... Show more

Software Developer. In love with Web and .NET. I like to try and learn always something new.

I try to share my experience living the community. I'm the host of "Spike time" (https://www.ugidotnet.org/tv/3307/Spike-time) and sometimes you can find me live on my Twitch channel, writing code.

Currently working @ ABLE TECH S.P.A.

Software Developer. In love with Web and .NET. I like to try and learn always something new. I try to share my experience living the community. I'm the host of "Spike time" (https://www.ugidotnet.org/tv/3307/Spike-time) and sometimes you can find ... Show more

For the past 25 years, I've led global implementations of mission-critical business applications and AI in banking, automotive, telecommunications, and governments.
As passionate speaker, I was invited to present at dozens of conferences, sharing my expiriences from working at the largest organizarions in the world, including Microsoft and the United Nations.

For the past 25 years, I've led global implementations of mission-critical business applications and AI in banking, automotive, telecommunications, and governments. As passionate speaker, I was invited to present at dozens of conferences, sharing my... 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

Kevlin is an independent consultant, trainer, speaker and writer. His development interests and work with companies covers programming, practice and people. He is a contributor to the Modern Software Engineering YouTube channel. Kevlin is also co-author of two volumes in the Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture series, editor of 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know, co-editor of 97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know and former columnist for a number of magazines and sites.

Kevlin is an independent consultant, trainer, speaker and writer. His development interests and work with companies covers programming, practice and people. He is a contributor to the Modern Software Engineering YouTube channel. Kevlin is also co-aut... 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

Filip is the author of C# Smorgasbord and over 20 Pluralsight courses, speaker at events and user groups around the globe, Microsoft MVP for 11 years in a row. He loves teaching fellow developers how to master all things C# and .NET.

Filip is the author of C# Smorgasbord and over 20 Pluralsight courses, speaker at events and user groups around the globe, Microsoft MVP for 11 years in a row. He loves teaching fellow developers how to master all things C# and .NET. Show more

Eric D. Boyd is the Founder and CEO of responsiveX, a Microsoft Azure MVP, a Microsoft Regional Director, a regular conference speaker, and the co-author of Step-by-Step Azure SQL Database from Microsoft Press. He is so passionate about cloud, mobile and modern applications, that he founded responsiveX (www.responsiveX.com), a technology company that helps customers deliver great web, mobile and enterprise apps using the cloud and Azure. Eric launched his technology career almost two decades ago with a web development startup and has served in multiple roles since including developer, consultant, technology executive and business owner. You can find Eric blogging at http://www.EricDBoyd.com and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EricDBoyd.

Eric D. Boyd is the Founder and CEO of responsiveX, a Microsoft Azure MVP, a Microsoft Regional Director, a regular conference speaker, and the co-author of Step-by-Step Azure SQL Database from Microsoft Press. He is so passionate about cloud, mobile... Show more

Cathrine loves data and coding, as well as teaching and sharing knowledge 🤓 She is based in Norway and works as a Data & Analytics Principal Consultant in Evidi, focusing on Data Integration and Data Warehousing. Her core skills are Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory, Azure SQL, SQL Server and T-SQL development, but she enjoys everything from programming to data visualization. Outside of work she’s active in the Azure and Microsoft Data communities as a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, international speaker, blogger, organizer, and chronic volunteer. She blogs at cathrinew.net and posts as @cathrinew.net on Bluesky.

Cathrine loves data and coding, as well as teaching and sharing knowledge 🤓 She is based in Norway and works as a Data & Analytics Principal Consultant in Evidi, focusing on Data Integration and Data Warehousing. Her core skills are Microsoft Fabric... Show more

Dennes is a DBA and Data Platform MVP (2020-2023) living in Malta who loves Data Platform, including Azure Data Platform, Microsoft Fabric, SQL Server and recently got involved by Generative AI. In the past, he was married with software development, resulting in a total of more than 20 years of experience between Data Platform, cloud and software development. He moved to Malta after more than 10 years leading devSQL PASS Chapter in Rio de Janeiro and now is a member of the leadership team of MMDPUG PASS Chapter in Malta organizing meetings, events, and webcasts about Microsoft Data Platform. He is an MCT, MCSE in Data Platforms and BI, with more titles in software development. He can be found working for DTower Software and speaking in SQL Saturdays around Europe

Dennes is a DBA and Data Platform MVP (2020-2023) living in Malta who loves Data Platform, including Azure Data Platform, Microsoft Fabric, SQL Server and recently got involved by Generative AI. In the past, he was married with software development, ... Show more

Michael is an IT Process automation Expert with Customers all around the Globe, a Cloud and Datacenter MVP since 2015, and an au2mation enthusiast.

Michael is an IT Process automation Expert with Customers all around the Globe, a Cloud and Datacenter MVP since 2015, and an au2mation enthusiast. Show more

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

As a Principal Architect at Fellowmind he works with building up clients' data capabilities, implementing data platform technologies and all-in-all maximize the impact of their 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 Principal Architect at Fellowmind he works with building up clients' data capabilities, implementing data platform technologie... Show more

With over 15 years of experience in the field, I have developed a deep expertise in SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Viva, and now Copilot. I have received the Microsoft MVP award for my contributions in Microsoft 365 - Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Viva.

I am also a co-host and producer of the 365 Message Center Show, a weekly podcast that covers the latest updates and news from Microsoft 365. Additionally, I am a founder and leader of several community initiatives, such as Microsoft 365 Nashville, a free one-day event that features sessions from influential and respected Microsoft professionals, and Nashville Microsoft 365 & SharePoint Users Group, a local network of enthusiasts and experts. I am passionate about giving back and building the Microsoft technical community, as well as educating and inspiring others to embrace the potential of cloud technology.

With over 15 years of experience in the field, I have developed a deep expertise in SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Viva, and now Copilot. I have received the Microsoft MVP award for my contributions in Microsoft 365 - Microsoft 365 Copilot an... Show more

Geetha is a Solutions Architect and Customer Success professional specializing in big data management , storage , Kubernetes and Durable execution, with expertise in cloud-native and on-premises solutions. She ensures customer success and maturity by delivering effective, simplified solutions.

Geetha is a Solutions Architect and Customer Success professional specializing in big data management , storage , Kubernetes and Durable execution, with expertise in cloud-native and on-premises solutions. She ensures customer success and maturity by... Show more

Data Platform professional based in the Netherlands. Microsoft Certified Trainer and Data Platform MVP.

Many years experience with Microsoft Data Platforms. Along the way gained various Microsoft Certifications.

Held various roles over the years. Over that tome gained real-life experience with various Microsoft Data Platform offerings and ALM solutions such as Azure Devops and GitHub.

Involved with Microsoft technical community in various ways. Including blogs, videos, events and sharing various repositories in GitHub.

Data Platform professional based in the Netherlands. Microsoft Certified Trainer and Data Platform MVP. Many years experience with Microsoft Data Platforms. Along the way gained various Microsoft Certifications. Held various roles over the yea... Show more

Alex Soto is a Developer Advocate at IBM. He is passionate about the Java world and software automation and believes in the open-source software model. Alex is the co-author of Manning and O'Reilly books Testing Java Microservice, Quarkus Cookbook, Kubernetes Secrets Management, GitOps Cookbook, RHCE Ansible Automation Study Guide, Applied AI for Enterprise Java Development, and AI Agents with Java.
A Java Champion since 2017, he is also an international speaker (Devoxx, KubeCon, DevNexus, JavaOne, JavaLand, ...) and teacher at Salle URL University. You can follow him on Twitter (@alexsotob) to stay tuned to what’s happening in Java.

Alex Soto is a Developer Advocate at IBM. He is passionate about the Java world and software automation and believes in the open-source software model. Alex is the co-author of Manning and O'Reilly books Testing Java Microservice, Quarkus Cookbook, K... Show more