Business & Management

Professionals who specialize in the organization and oversight of business activities, as well as focus on planning, directing, and controlling company operations

Matt Bliss

Matt Bliss

Matt has been an Umbraco developer for 15 years, is a member of both the Umbraco CMS and Umbraco Cloud Advisory boards and a long time Umbraco Certified Master. When he's not at the keyboard you'll either find him with a camera view finder pressed to his eye taking black and white photographs or building things with Lego.

Matt has been an Umbraco developer for 15 years, is a member of both the Umbraco CMS and Umbraco Cloud Advisory boards and a long time Umbraco Certified Master. When he's not at the keyboard you'll either find him with a camera view finder pressed to... Show more

Girard Newkirk

Girard Newkirk

I am building the operating system for the Neighborhood Economy. I started my entrepreneurial journey 10 years ago in Silicon Valley, turning from a retail exec to a founder at 39.

My work sits at the intersection of economics, humanity, and community through Genesis Block, Newkirklytics, the Neighborhood Economy Index, and Newkirk Enterprises. I’m not talking about hypothetical frameworks or abstract policy theory. I’m designing and deploying real systems that make local economic activity visible, measurable, and investable, especially the micro-entrepreneurs, creators, informal workers, and neighborhood-level producers who have always powered our communities but rarely show up in the data.

I believe the future of prosperity isn’t top-down theories based on outdated economic models but rooted in local ownership, inclusive entrepreneurship, and circular capital systems that keep value circulating where people live. My work turns that belief into infrastructure. The Neighborhood Economy Index and our sector tools quantify what has long been unseen: the economic power of microbusinesses, shared kitchens, creatives, disabled entrepreneurs, local manufacturing ecosystems, and underserved communities across the U.S., the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa.

As a speaker, I bring together data, story, spirit, and strategy. I’ve lived this work for years, building entrepreneurial ecosystems, supporting founders who’ve been overlooked, creating pathways to upward mobility, and designing new economic systems that honor dignity and human possibility. My goal on every stage is simple: help leaders see the Neighborhood Economy differently, not as charity work or an “equity initiative,” but as a powerful engine of growth, resilience, and wealth creation that deserves real investment and serious strategy. It’s actually market inefficiency that needs to be corrected.

I’m here to shift the conversation from wealth extraction to community circulation, from scarcity to abundance, from invisibility to proof, from disconnected programs to systems that actually work. And I’m building alongside institutions, cities, universities, DFIs, foundations, and community leaders who believe, as I do, that the people closest to the problem are also closest to the solution; they need better tools, better data, and better support.

That is the work. That is the calling. And that is the Neighborhood Economy.

I am building the operating system for the Neighborhood Economy. I started my entrepreneurial journey 10 years ago in Silicon Valley, turning from a retail exec to a founder at 39. My work sits at the intersection of economics, humanity, and comm... Show more

Madalena Costa

Madalena Costa

Madalena Costa is the founder of Human × Intelligent, a brand and philosophy redefining how teams design AI-driven products that feel human. As a Product Experience & AI Strategist, she helps startups and scale-ups turn insights into action and build products people don’t want to leave.

She’s the creator of The Stickiness Loop, a retention flywheel framework for designing meaningful, habit-forming AI experiences. Known for her clarity, empathy and systems thinking, Madalena has spoken at global events in Europe and America.

Based in Lisbon, she co-leads Ladies that UX Lisbon and mentors women in tech worldwide. Through Human × Intelligent, her mission is to design technology that earns trust, inspires loyalty and connects intelligence with humanity.

Madalena Costa is the founder of Human × Intelligent, a brand and philosophy redefining how teams design AI-driven products that feel human. As a Product Experience & AI Strategist, she helps startups and scale-ups turn insights into action and build... Show more

Varun Raj

Varun Raj

Varun Raj is a cloud and AI practitioner with 19+ years of experience designing and operating large-scale cloud, data, and AI platforms. His work focuses on taking generative AI and large language models from experimentation into reliable, production-grade systems. He specializes in Kubernetes-based platform engineering, LLMOps, and operational governance across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, with an emphasis on reliability, cost control, and responsible AI adoption.

Varun Raj is a cloud and AI practitioner with 19+ years of experience designing and operating large-scale cloud, data, and AI platforms. His work focuses on taking generative AI and large language models from experimentation into reliable, production... Show more

Tiffany Laster

Tiffany Laster

Enthusiastic tech consultant. A master chef of digital strategy. Perpetually curious. Looking to innovate for national and global companies.

Enthusiastic tech consultant. A master chef of digital strategy. Perpetually curious. Looking to innovate for national and global companies. Show more

Nofar Bracha

Nofar Bracha

Nofar, a distinguished graduate of the IDF's prestigious MAMRAM programming course, served as a software developer and team leader in the OFEK software unit of the Israeli Air Force. She was the first developer at Joonko and later rose to the position of CTO. Currently, she serves as an engineering manager at Payoneer, where she applies her extensive technical and leadership expertise to drive innovation and team success.

With over a decade of hands-on experience as a software engineer and technology leader, Nofar brings a wealth of knowledge to her endeavors. She is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of tech leaders, managing the simulation program at BAOT, Israel's premier community of senior software engineers, data scientists, and women researchers. Beyond this, she actively mentors young women, empowering them to thrive in the tech world.

As a proud mother of three young children, Nofar exemplifies the balance of a multifaceted, accomplished professional and a dedicated parent.

Nofar, a distinguished graduate of the IDF's prestigious MAMRAM programming course, served as a software developer and team leader in the OFEK software unit of the Israeli Air Force. She was the first developer at Joonko and later rose to the positio... Show more

Artur Wojnar

Artur Wojnar

A software engineer with 15 years of experience, currently working as a hands-on Solutions Architect and consultant, helping development teams deliver better products. He focuses on collaboratively designing solutions with clients—evaluating ideas, assessing risks, and translating them into technical requirements aligned with business goals.

A software engineer with 15 years of experience, currently working as a hands-on Solutions Architect and consultant, helping development teams deliver better products. He focuses on collaboratively designing solutions with clients—evaluating ideas, a... Show more

Sheena Salwan

Sheena Salwan

Sheena Salwan is an AI/ML Manager at Accenture focused on building enterprise-grade Generative AI solutions that drive real business impact. Her work spans RAG architectures, AI agents, NLP, and end-to-end AI systems, helping organizations move from experimentation to scalable production leveraging cloud technologies such as Azure and AWS.

She brings a blend of technical depth and product thinking, shaped through years of delivering AI solutions for enterprise clients across global markets. Sheena also holds a Master’s degree in Data Science from The University of British Columbia.

As a technical speaker and Women in Data Science Ambassador, she enjoys breaking down complex AI topics into practical, “no-fluff” insights that teams can apply immediately. She is passionate about mentoring, community learning, and empowering more women to become leaders in technology.

Sheena Salwan is an AI/ML Manager at Accenture focused on building enterprise-grade Generative AI solutions that drive real business impact. Her work spans RAG architectures, AI agents, NLP, and end-to-end AI systems, helping organizations move from ... Show more

Felice Pescatore

Felice Pescatore

Felice Pescatore is responsible for accompanying organizations in developing the best balance between effectiveness and efficiency, supporting leaders in leading their organizations in the best possible way.
Computer Engineer, with an Executive MBA and a Master's Degree in Technology and Software Management, his action is guided by a deep conviction that the agile mindset is the driving force for organizations that aim for market leadership, thanks to adaptive operating models and a deep respect and appreciation of People, the real treasure for innovation.
In everyday life, his work is characterized by the conviction that only a pragmatic approach, linked to the context, can generate a real impact on things, independent of fashions, specific methods or infused beliefs.
Author of Intelligent Business Agility book and lead of the open project AgileConstellation, he is part of several international study and in-depth groups, such as those of PMI.
President and co-founder of the Agile Community Campania, he is constantly involved in themed communities, as well as speaker and co-organizer of the most important Italian and European Agile, Lean and DevOps, Project Management conferences.

Felice Pescatore is responsible for accompanying organizations in developing the best balance between effectiveness and efficiency, supporting leaders in leading their organizations in the best possible way. Computer Engineer, with an Executive MBA... Show more

Lee Twito

Lee Twito

https://linkedin.com/in/lee-twito

https://linkedin.com/in/lee-twito Show more

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