Ásgeir brings nearly two decades of experience in designing and implementing scalable data platforms using Microsoft technologies. With deep expertise in data architecture, data engineering, and analytics, he helps organizations turn complex data landscapes into streamlined, high-performing solutions. In addition to hands-on delivery, Ásgeir advises clients on governance, security, and platform strategy.

As a recognized Microsoft Data Platform MVP and active speaker at global data events, he stays ahead of industry trends and brings cutting-edge insights to every project. In addition to speaking at events Ásgeir is a co-organizer of Data Platform Next Step, Power BI Next Step and Power BI Cruise in Denmark.

Ásgeir focuses primarily on the data technologies in the Azure cloud.

Ásgeir is the co-author of Pro Power BI Administration from APRESS and the Power BI MVP book

Ásgeir is passionate about data and loves solving problem with BI.

Ásgeir brings nearly two decades of experience in designing and implementing scalable data platforms using Microsoft technologies. With deep expertise in data architecture, data engineering, and analytics, he helps organizations turn complex data lan... Show more

Software craftsman, husband, father, ex-sportsman and inquiring reader. Since I was young I have loved taking apart and reassembling things to understand how they work. Now, this passion has become my job: the step from Lego® to software development was small.
Finding the best possible solution so that a complex system can work at its best and making it run smoothly are the goals of my work. C# and Azure make up my survival toolkit and help me cruise through distributed systems and enterprise solutions, with ease.
Be it a command or an event, I try to do my best in contributing to the life of the communities that have adopted me, trying to “give back” at least a part of what I have received over these years.

Software craftsman, husband, father, ex-sportsman and inquiring reader. Since I was young I have loved taking apart and reassembling things to understand how they work. Now, this passion has become my job: the step from Lego® to software development ... Show more

David Yitzhak, Team leader of Big Data and Nosql databases
David Yitzhak has over 24 years of experience with SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase and PostgreSQL . He is an applicative & infrastructure DBA for relational and Nosql solutions (MongoDB, Redis), Hadoop CDH and Spark. David is a specialist in HA and DRP solutions, tuning, Machine learning , security, High Performance Computing, replication (Oracle & SQL Server), BI infrastructure and system engineering. David Yitzhak holds 3 Degrees from Technicon (Israel Institute of Technology): BSC Information System , MBA and ME (System engineering) and research associate in one of the enterprise Organization. He presents in Oracle open world 2010, Organize Oracle ILOUG for 3 years , SQL Server forums, Microsoft BI forums, Sqlsaturday 2016/17/18/19/20 , DATA SATURDAY , Power Camps , GroupBy Europe , Future Data Driven , Data Platforms GlobalHebrew , Code PaLOUsa 2021\2 , Pass summit 2021 and more …

David Yitzhak, Team leader of Big Data and Nosql databases David Yitzhak has over 24 years of experience with SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase and PostgreSQL . He is an applicative & infrastructure DBA for relational and Nosql solutions (MongoDB, Redis),... Show more

I work on open source projects around software tooling platforms. My current project is Zowe, which is part of the Linux Foundation and Open Mainframe Project where I am part of the leadership committee and an ambassador. Prior to Zowe I worked on Eclipse tooling and before that Java 2 Standard Edition. I enjoy astronomy, running, biking, piano, and in my spare time helping bring open source tooling to the mainframe computing platform for a new generation of Z heads.

I work on open source projects around software tooling platforms. My current project is Zowe, which is part of the Linux Foundation and Open Mainframe Project where I am part of the leadership committee and an ambassador. Prior to Zowe I worked on ... Show more

Dr Roushanak Rahmat is an Enterprise AI Architect (Forward Deployed Engineering – GenAI & Agentic AI), Google Developer Expert (AI & Cloud), and recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Tech (2025). With a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and over 15 years of experience across academia, research, and global enterprise industries, she specialises in designing and delivering large-scale Generative AI, Agentic AI, and advanced Deep Learning systems.

Her work focuses on translating cutting-edge AI research into production-ready enterprise solutions, including LLM-powered systems, RAG architectures, and multi-Agent frameworks across sectors such as healthcare, finance, energy, and retail. She has led enterprise AI transformation initiatives across global organisations and consulting environments, helping clients move from experimentation to scalable, production-grade AI adoption.

Alongside her industry work, she is an Associate Professor, where she teaches and mentors the next generation of AI professionals, with a strong focus on applied artificial intelligence and real-world system design. She is also an active public speaker and technical educator, delivering international talks and workshops on Generative AI, enterprise AI architecture, and emerging agentic systems, translating complex concepts into practical, industry-relevant insights.

She contributes actively to the global tech community through technical writing, digital content creation, and mentoring, building a wide audience around applied AI and career development in emerging technologies. She is passionate about bridging the gap between research and real-world AI adoption, while empowering the next generation of AI leaders.

Dr Roushanak Rahmat is an Enterprise AI Architect (Forward Deployed Engineering – GenAI & Agentic AI), Google Developer Expert (AI & Cloud), and recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Tech (2025). With a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and over 15 ... 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

With over 8 years of experience working with industry giants like McAfee, Juniper, and Fraunhofer, Sankalp has consistently been at the forefront of security innovation. He has expertise in building software systems that do intrusion detection and was one of the lead engineers in building McAfee’s IPS. Sankalp today leads efforts for scaling, improving network software stack and securing software systems.Sankalp is a leader in resiliency and reliability.

With over 8 years of experience working with industry giants like McAfee, Juniper, and Fraunhofer, Sankalp has consistently been at the forefront of security innovation. He has expertise in building software systems that do intrusion detection and wa... Show more

Sander Berkouwer works as an independent identity architect in the Netherlands, where he helps organizations make the most out of Microsoft products, services, strategies and technologies. Sander blogs on DirTeam.com. He regularly gets invited as speaker for his enthusiastic approach, his in-depth real-world knowledge and as the author of the much-appraised Active Directory Cookbooks. Sander has been awarded with the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award (for the last 16 years), Veeam Vanguard award (for the last 8 years) and VMware vExpert (for 3 years).

Sander Berkouwer works as an independent identity architect in the Netherlands, where he helps organizations make the most out of Microsoft products, services, strategies and technologies. Sander blogs on DirTeam.com. He regularly gets invited as spe... Show more

Mitchel Sellers is globally known as a 17-time Microsoft MVP, an ASPInsider, a DNN MVP, is an MCP (Microsoft .NET, ASP.NET and SQL Server), and CEO of IowaComputerGurus Inc. Sellers has a deep understanding of software development and when speaking focuses on proper architecture standards, performance, stability, security, and overall cost-effectiveness of delivered solutions. This message and his abilities resonate in the technical war room as well as the executive board room.

Mitchel is a prolific public speaker, presenting more than 400 sessions at user groups and conferences globally, such as DevUp, SDN, and Code PaLOUsa. Sellers has been the author of multiple books and a regular blogger on technology topics.

When Mitchel is not working in technology, you will find him flying his airplane, teaching others how to fly, or spending time with his family He is also actively involved in the Open Source Community working diligently to further the movement. Find out more about Sellers at his website http://www.mitchelsellers.com.

Mitchel Sellers is globally known as a 17-time Microsoft MVP, an ASPInsider, a DNN MVP, is an MCP (Microsoft .NET, ASP.NET and SQL Server), and CEO of IowaComputerGurus Inc. Sellers has a deep understanding of software development and when speaking f... Show more

Dan Vega is a Spring Developer Advocate at VMware Tanzu. He has been developing software for the web for over 20 years and his superpower is problem-solving. Dan is a blogger, YouTuber, course creator, and speaker. He is a lifelong learner and his passion is sharing his knowledge with the developer community. Dan lives near Cleveland Ohio with his beautiful wife and 2 daughters. When he isn’t writing code or teaching he enjoys spending time with his family, lifting weights, running, or reading a good book.

Dan Vega is a Spring Developer Advocate at VMware Tanzu. He has been developing software for the web for over 20 years and his superpower is problem-solving. Dan is a blogger, YouTuber, course creator, and speaker. He is a lifelong learner and his pa... Show more

Gerardo is a big fan of DevOps and cloud technologies. He loves to code interesting backend stuff in languages like NodeJs, Java, etc..... He participates as speaker and mentor in different software communities in Costa Rica. He is the first Google Developer Expert in Cloud and Docker captain of America Central.

Gerardo is a big fan of DevOps and cloud technologies. He loves to code interesting backend stuff in languages like NodeJs, Java, etc..... He participates as speaker and mentor in different software communities in Costa Rica. He is the first Google D... Show more

Driven by the mission to make people's lives easier, Tim Damen actively advocates for and builds a web that serves everyone equally. Tim is a frontend developer, web accessibility specialist, and engineering manager from Amsterdam, the Netherlands 🇳🇱. With over a decade of experience, primarily at major financial institutions, Tim has spoken at various conferences and meetups. He also hosts "focustrap," a podcast about digital accessibility.

Driven by the mission to make people's lives easier, Tim Damen actively advocates for and builds a web that serves everyone equally. Tim is a frontend developer, web accessibility specialist, and engineering manager from Amsterdam, the Netherlands 🇳... Show more

Christopher Schmidt is a Principal Program Manager with deep expertise in real-time data systems, specializing in message streaming and event-driven architectures. At the forefront of Microsoft’s efforts in modern data platforms, Christopher has led initiatives that transform how organizations harness streaming data for intelligent, scalable decision-making. His work spans resilient, low-latency pipelines to AI-led consumption technologies. 

Christopher Schmidt is a Principal Program Manager with deep expertise in real-time data systems, specializing in message streaming and event-driven architectures. At the forefront of Microsoft’s efforts in modern data platforms, Christopher has led ... Show more

Aleksandar Nikolić is a Microsoft Azure MVP and a co-founder of PowerShellMagazine.com, the ultimate online source for PowerShell enthusiasts. As a Microsoft Azure Advisor, he provides valuable feedback and insights to the Azure engineering team. With over 18 years of experience in system administration, he is a trusted trainer and speaker who travels the globe to share his knowledge and skills on Azure and PowerShell. He has spoken at prestigious IT events such as Microsoft Ignite, ESPC, NIC, Techorama, PowerShell Conference Europe, NTK, and various others.
You can find him on Twitter (https://twitter.com/alexandair) and LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandair).

Aleksandar Nikolić is a Microsoft Azure MVP and a co-founder of PowerShellMagazine.com, the ultimate online source for PowerShell enthusiasts. As a Microsoft Azure Advisor, he provides valuable feedback and insights to the Azure engineering team. Wit... Show more

Markus and his teams have been working on Java IDE and database tools, frameworks, as well as on various open-source projects for 20+ years. Markus is the CEO and founder of Cyrock.AI, Inc., which is the company behind the Eclipse open-source projects EclipseStore, Eclipse Serializer, and Eclipse Data Grid, powering Cyrock.AI as the first AI Memory based on a serverless microservices architecture. He is also the editor-in-chief for the free JAVAPRO magazine and the founder and co-organizer of the Java community conference series JCON. He is an independent editor for several magazines, and loves speaking at developer conferences and user groups around the world.

Markus and his teams have been working on Java IDE and database tools, frameworks, as well as on various open-source projects for 20+ years. Markus is the CEO and founder of Cyrock.AI, Inc., which is the company behind the Eclipse open-source project... Show more

Jérôme is a professional coach, agile coach, facilitator and trainer.
For 19 years, he has been one of the pioneers who have develop an agile culture within Lectra teams. He is now in charge of a team of internal coaches that he created and who support his company in its many changes.
Passionate about human dynamics, he has developed over the years an expertise in the fields of agility, change management and the management of teams and organizations.
Active member of the Agile community and of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council France, he likes to share his experience and his convictions through conferences and training.

Jérôme is a professional coach, agile coach, facilitator and trainer. For 19 years, he has been one of the pioneers who have develop an agile culture within Lectra teams. He is now in charge of a team of internal coaches that he created and who supp... Show more

Jess Pomfret is a Data Platform Engineer and a dual Microsoft MVP. She started working with SQL Server in 2011, and enjoys problem-solving and automating processes with PowerShell.

She also enjoys contributing to dbatools and dbachecks, two open source PowerShell modules that aid DBAs with automating the management of SQL Server instances. She has also contributed to the SqlServerDsc module, adding several new resources to use when configuring your SQL Servers.

She grew up in the South West of England and outside of her DBA life enjoys Crossfit, cycling and watching proper football.

Jess Pomfret is a Data Platform Engineer and a dual Microsoft MVP. She started working with SQL Server in 2011, and enjoys problem-solving and automating processes with PowerShell. She also enjoys contributing to dbatools and dbachecks, two open ... Show more

Anu Natarajan is a Data, AI, and Cloud Architect with over 25 years of experience delivering modern data platforms, AI solutions, and cloud-native applications. She is a Microsoft Data Platform & AI MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), and Microsoft Certified Trainer Community Lead, recognized for her technical expertise and community leadership.

As Founder and Director of Pearl Innovations Limited, Anu helps organizations harness the power of Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, Power BI, and AI to solve complex business challenges. Pearl Innovations is also committed to empowering women returning to the workforce by providing mentorship, real-world experience, and opportunities to build successful careers in technology.

Anu Natarajan is a Data, AI, and Cloud Architect with over 25 years of experience delivering modern data platforms, AI solutions, and cloud-native applications. She is a Microsoft Data Platform & AI MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), and Microso... Show more

Catalin Gheorghiu is a solution architect from Timisoara Romania. The current interests are in the area of (I)IoT, industrial mobile and cloud solutions. In addition to addressing the software development and architecture, is a trainer and consultant. In his spare time is member of the technical community, contributing with articles and blogs (signed MrSmersh), presentations to several user groups/meetups (also is RONUA Timisoara user group leader), and lecturing all over Romania and abroad.
Since 2011, every year he was awarded the Microsoft MVP Award. Is also a current holder of the Intel Software Innovator Award. Is a current Microsoft Certified Trainer.

Catalin Gheorghiu is a solution architect from Timisoara Romania. The current interests are in the area of (I)IoT, industrial mobile and cloud solutions. In addition to addressing the software development and architecture, is a trainer and consultant... Show more

Patrycja is a principal consultant and founder of Yon Labs, a startup developing automated tools for detecting and refactoring security vulnerabilities, performance anti-patterns, and cloud misconfigurations. She brings deep expertise in Java, C++, SRE, DevOps, security, performance optimization, and cloud technologies.

She is a regular speaker at leading software conferences, including KubeCon, JavaOne, Devoxx, JFokus, and others. Patrycja has been recognized as a Java Champion and holds titles such as Oracle Groundbreaker Ambassador, Oracle ACE Associate, and Oracle ACE Pro. In 2016, she was named one of the Top 10 Women in Tech in Poland.

Her interests focus on automated software engineering, particularly static and dynamic analysis techniques to support software verification, optimization, and deployment.

Patrycja is a principal consultant and founder of Yon Labs, a startup developing automated tools for detecting and refactoring security vulnerabilities, performance anti-patterns, and cloud misconfigurations. She brings deep expertise in Java, C++, S... Show more

Sven Peters, AI evangelist at Atlassian, has been studying trends in software development for the last 15 years, uncovering the cultural and technical attributes to help development teams work effectively and drive innovation. He has 20 years of experience in writing code, leading teams, and sharing his experience with thousands of developers at countless conferences in 25+ countries.

Sven Peters, AI evangelist at Atlassian, has been studying trends in software development for the last 15 years, uncovering the cultural and technical attributes to help development teams work effectively and drive innovation. He has 20 years of expe... Show more

Miley is a Developer Advocate committed to build and contribute to open source. She is the co-chair and keynote speaker for KubeCon+Open Source Summit and AI Dev China 2024. She works on WasmEdge runtime under Linux Foundation as the founding member for over 6 years. She talks at KubeCon, KCD Beijing+Shenzhen, CloudDay Italy, DevRelCon, Open Source Summit Japan, AWS User Group, Global AI Note, KubeDay Singapore etc. Miley writes tech content and organizes dev events, including KCDs, MCP and AI Agent Meetups, GOSIM AI PARIS, Wasm track at FOSDEM, in EU, the US, Asia, and more. She is also the lead organizer for GOSIM the open source AI conference.

Miley is a Developer Advocate committed to build and contribute to open source. She is the co-chair and keynote speaker for KubeCon+Open Source Summit and AI Dev China 2024. She works on WasmEdge runtime under Linux Foundation as the founding member ... Show more

Roman is a cybersecurity expert, engineer, and leader with 20 years of hands-on experience securing complex systems and products at scale. Currently Principal Architect at Red Hat, he leads open-source security strategy, upstream collaboration, and cross-industry initiatives focused on building trusted ecosystems. He has built and scaled programs across security architecture, threat modeling, secure development, vulnerability management, incident response, and security education - for both engineers and senior leadership. His work spans trusted AI, privacy, compliance, and secure software supply chains. Previously, Roman led Product Security & Privacy for Data Center and AI software at Intel. He is a Security Champion for several open-source projects and an active contributor to working groups under the OpenSSF, Eclipse Foundation, and other global initiatives. He is an official member of CEN/CLC and ETSI standardization groups, contributing to the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).

Roman is a cybersecurity expert, engineer, and leader with 20 years of hands-on experience securing complex systems and products at scale. Currently Principal Architect at Red Hat, he leads open-source security strategy, upstream collaboration, and c... Show more

Cloud Infrastructure Specialist,
Focused on designing and securing scalable cloud solutions across Azure, AWS, and GCP. Expertise in network/cloud security (VMware NSX, SIEM) and virtualization (VMware, Citrix) to drive resilient and efficient IT environments.

Cloud Infrastructure Specialist, Focused on designing and securing scalable cloud solutions across Azure, AWS, and GCP. Expertise in network/cloud security (VMware NSX, SIEM) and virtualization (VMware, Citrix) to drive resilient and efficient IT en... Show more

Cat is a Staff Product Manager at Syntasso, where she works at the intersection of developer experience, infrastructure strategy, and product design. With a background in enterprise platform tooling and developer productivity, she focuses on helping teams treat platforms as products that deliver measurable value. Cat brings experience from both engineering and product management roles in fast-scaling tech environments.

Cat is a Staff Product Manager at Syntasso, where she works at the intersection of developer experience, infrastructure strategy, and product design. With a background in enterprise platform tooling and developer productivity, she focuses on helping ... Show more

Santhosh is a results-oriented Senior Software Architect with over 18 years of experience leading and delivering innovative software solutions for enterprises specialising in financial institutions and cloud migration.

Over the last decade, Santhosh has worked with several leading Financial Institutions, such as JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity, and Visa, helping their teams accelerate their journey to the Cloud and modernise their application stacks while adhering to strict security requirements and regulatory guidelines.

He specializes in application modernization and cloud-native architectures and is keenly interested in achieving cost efficiency through innovative use of cloud-native and managed services.

With a penchant for AI and ML, he has spearheaded multiple innovative solutions on adopting Generative AI models and tools for real-world solutions while ensuring the solutions are built responsibly and securely.

Santhosh is a results-oriented Senior Software Architect with over 18 years of experience leading and delivering innovative software solutions for enterprises specialising in financial institutions and cloud migration. Over the last decade, Santho... Show more

Geoff Ables is a keynote speaker, best-selling author, and a Microsoft MVP recognized in the Copilot, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and Modern Work (SharePoint, Teams and Viva) categories.

A recognized thought leader on artificial intelligence and people-centric digital transformation, Geoff's most recent book, "The LUCK Principle: Business Results at the Intersection of People and Profit," delivers fresh insight and inspiration into the people, processes, and technologies driving business ROI today.

His firm, C5 Insight, has twice been named an Inc 5000 company, and advises clients on digital customer and employee experience projects.

Geoff is also an avid motorcycle and wine enthusiast and has appeared as a guest on TruTVs's, "The Impractical Jokers."

Geoff Ables is a keynote speaker, best-selling author, and a Microsoft MVP recognized in the Copilot, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and Modern Work (SharePoint, Teams and Viva) categories. A recognized thought leader on artificial intelligence an... Show more

Peter Ward is CEO of SoHo Dragon, a New York–based Microsoft Partner — though he began as a CTO and never entirely stopped behaving like one.

While much of the technology industry focuses on what’s new, Peter is more interested in what works. He has spent years helping organizations implement Microsoft cloud solutions by mastering proven capabilities and executing them without unnecessary drama.

A co-author of four SharePoint books and author of Leadership in a Zoom Economy with Microsoft Teams, Peter continues to contribute to GitHub and remains closely involved in Azure and Microsoft 365 delivery. He has a mild distrust of unnecessary complexity, a preference for projects delivered on time and on budget, and a habit of asking what organisations are really trying to optimize.

He believes most expensive technology mistakes look impressive at the time — and that simplicity is still enterprise IT’s most underused advantage.

Other traits
- Good O365 trainer and motivator
- Good at thinking on my feet in meetings or complex situations
- I find myself often being able to get to the heart of the issue whilst not ruffling too many feathers
- Love yoga, vegetarian food, and reading Malcolm Gladwell books

www.sohodragon.nyc
www.wardpeter.com

Peter Ward is CEO of SoHo Dragon, a New York–based Microsoft Partner — though he began as a CTO and never entirely stopped behaving like one. While much of the technology industry focuses on what’s new, Peter is more interested in what works. He h... Show more

Jeremy helps developers by sharing his own struggles, mostly in technology, but also with being more social as an introvert, understanding potential for learning, and playing banjo. He has worked as a corporate developer, as a Chief Improvement Officer at a startup, and as a contract developer. Currently, he teaches developers through online courses, workshops, tech articles, and conference talks. He spends most of his time in C# and has recently ventured into Go (golang) and Rust (rust-lang) to explore some of his favorite topics: interfaces, delegates, concurrency, and parallel programming.

Jeremy helps developers by sharing his own struggles, mostly in technology, but also with being more social as an introvert, understanding potential for learning, and playing banjo. He has worked as a corporate developer, as a Chief Improvement Offic... Show more

André is a Data Engineer and architect mostly in Azure. He has done a lot of DBA work on 1000’s of SQL Servers where he discovered his love for Powershell, architecting data solutions, building and tuning ETL processes (with BIML), and even implementing PDW. Having to wrangle a lot of data he's using Python, SparkSQL in Azure Databricks, Data Factory, dbt and Power BI as well these days. André is a Data Platform MPV since 2009, Dutch Microsoft Data Platform Meetup lead, organiser of Data Saturday Holland and Data & BI track volunteer for Techorama Holland

André is a Data Engineer and architect mostly in Azure. He has done a lot of DBA work on 1000’s of SQL Servers where he discovered his love for Powershell, architecting data solutions, building and tuning ETL processes (with BIML), and even implement... Show more