Many of us are exhausted when our nervous systems carry more than they were ever designed to hold, while the world still expects peak performance. Farhan Zahid steps into that gap and turns all of that pressure into a doorway for sustainable power, clearer thinking, and real breakthroughs in personal and professional wellness.

Farhan is the founder and CEO of KNKO, a concierge wellness company for high-performing leaders, teams, and member communities based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before KNKO, he spent years as a Chartered Accountant, Big 4 Internal Auditor and Head of Risk at a global investment firm. That experience means his keynotes and workshops connect wellbeing directly to performance, outcomes, and impact, helping individuals and organizations create tangible, measurable shifts instead of simply “feeling better.”

Alongside his corporate career, Farhan has trained as a clinical hypnotherapist, Master NLP practitioner, yoga teacher, massage therapist, and has worked as an auxiliary nurse in both clinical and psychiatric settings. He combines body-mind science, behavioral change, and practical tools into sessions that help people immediately regulate stress, deepen rest, and cultivate their energy in real-world conditions.

With 20+ years on stage, Farhan has spoken at organizational and industry conferences, board meetings, executive off-sites, company all-hands and private members clubs. Whether he is working with a leadership team, a full organization, or an individual, his aim is simple: to help people who carry a lot on their shoulders move through the world with more clarity, calm, sustainable power...and the capacity to perform at their best when it truly counts.

Many of us are exhausted when our nervous systems carry more than they were ever designed to hold, while the world still expects peak performance. Farhan Zahid steps into that gap and turns all of that pressure into a doorway for sustainable power, c... Show more

Boaz Ziniman is a Principal Developer Advocate at Amazon Web Services. He raises customer awareness of AWS services and, in particular, helps customers understand the benefits that the AWS Cloud can deliver. Boaz has many years of experience with web development and operations, architecture, IT management, and cloud. Prior to joining AWS, Boaz worked with a variety of key Israeli startups—managing development and operations teams as well as leading cloud adoption and partnerships with major cloud vendors.

Boaz Ziniman is a Principal Developer Advocate at Amazon Web Services. He raises customer awareness of AWS services and, in particular, helps customers understand the benefits that the AWS Cloud can deliver. Boaz has many years of experience with web... Show more

Fauwaz is the Sr. Director of B2B Strategy with 15 years of experience in electronic payment technology, specializing in ERP integration, payment security, and sales. He has a strong background in leading software sales teams at Nodus and EVO Payments, contributing significantly to strategic acquisitions. With expertise in various ERP systems like Microsoft Dynamics, Acumatica, Sage, and SAP, Fauwaz excels in driving partner success and customer satisfaction in the payment industry.

Fauwaz is the Sr. Director of B2B Strategy with 15 years of experience in electronic payment technology, specializing in ERP integration, payment security, and sales. He has a strong background in leading software sales teams at Nodus and EVO Payment... Show more

Jenna has worked in the competitive Silicon Valley recruiting industry for the past 13 years and works as an embedded resource within organization such as Netflix and Cisco Meraki to build strong, diverse technical teams. Her true passion lies in building recruiting organizations that set up early stage start-up companies for success.

A frequent presenter, Jenna is passionate about bringing a data-driven approach to best practices around hiring, recruiting, and DEI&B by incorporating findings from her research studies with over a decade of industry experience.

Jenna has worked in the competitive Silicon Valley recruiting industry for the past 13 years and works as an embedded resource within organization such as Netflix and Cisco Meraki to build strong, diverse technical teams. Her true passion lies in bui... Show more

I'm Sonja Alushi, Co-Founder of Lumina Project, Albania's first AI consulting company and AI Product Developer at Lufthansa Industry Solutions. This summer, I will serve as Course Assistant at MIT for "LLM Applications and Agentic AI" with Professor David Martinez, and I am developing my own AI course to launch following this experience.

My professional journey exemplifies the evolution of modern software engineering, from enterprise Software Engineer developer to AI strategist and thought leader in practical AI adoption. At Lufthansa Industry Solutions, I specialize in building enterprise microservices with Java, Spring Boot, and Quarkus for aviation systems while leading AI transformation initiatives across the organization.

My career progression includes serving as AI Strategist and AI Product Manager at By The People Technologies in New York, where I developed RAG systems, built MCP servers, and created AI implementation strategies for financial services, private equity, venture capital, and pharmaceutical sectors. The technical work was essential, but what truly transformed organizations was training their teams to integrate AI into their workflows. Research processes that required three days were completed in three hours once analysts understood how to collaborate effectively with these systems.

As an AI educator and strategist, I design and deliver comprehensive workshops on AI implementation, prompt engineering, and workflow automation for businesses, foundations, banks, and government institutions. Through Lumina Project, I have trained over 100 professionals across Albanian government ministries, financial institutions, and enterprises in practical AI adoption.

I hold a MIT Executive Education certification in "AI Strategies & Roadmap: Systems Engineering Approach to AI Development & Deployment" and was a speaker at the National Research Conference (READ), where I presented "Artificial Intelligence in Albanian Business: Navigating Implementation Complexities and Market Limitations." My research examined why AI projects fail in emerging markets, revealing challenges that prove universal across developed and developing economies alike.

I also have served as Programming Coach at SDA Albania, where I mentored aspiring developers and guide them through the fundamentals of software engineering and AI integration.

What distinguishes my approach is the recognition that technical capability alone does not drive successful AI adoption. I have witnessed this truth across Wall Street trading floors, government ministries in Tirana, and manufacturing facilities in Europe. Organizations invest in sophisticated AI tools but struggle with implementation because they underinvest in training their workforce. The most advanced AI system delivers zero value if people cannot use it effectively.

My mission is to bridge this gap between AI capability and organizational competence. I build production-ready intelligent systems while simultaneously ensuring that teams understand how to deploy, maintain, and continuously improve them. Through hands-on training workshops, strategic consulting, and practical implementation support, I help organizations move beyond proof-of-concept projects to achieve measurable business outcomes.

I am passionate about making AI accessible to enterprise developers and business professionals, demonstrating that successful AI transformation requires equal investment in technology and people.

I'm Sonja Alushi, Co-Founder of Lumina Project, Albania's first AI consulting company and AI Product Developer at Lufthansa Industry Solutions. This summer, I will serve as Course Assistant at MIT for "LLM Applications and Agentic AI" with Professor ... Show more

I’m an extrovert with over 10 years of multi-industry experience, skilled in Digital Marketing, Semantic SEO, Technical SEO, E-commerce management, customer service, and Amazon/eBay store operations. I plan and execute complete marketing and social media strategies, including budget management, content planning, and campaign implementation. I also have hands-on expertise in Google PPC, Bing PPC, and Amazon PPC.

I’m an extrovert with over 10 years of multi-industry experience, skilled in Digital Marketing, Semantic SEO, Technical SEO, E-commerce management, customer service, and Amazon/eBay store operations. I plan and execute complete marketing and social m... Show more

Dilara Zagitova is a Senior Talent Sourcer at Veeam Software, specializing in recruiting top tech talent across different programming languages and countries.

As the co-host of the podcast "HR-HR and Deploy" Dilara bridges the gap between HR and Tech, sharing unique insights into the IT industry. Her recruitment blog on LinkedIn covers talent sourcing, recruiting and tech topics both for HR professionals and programmers.

Dilara Zagitova is a Senior Talent Sourcer at Veeam Software, specializing in recruiting top tech talent across different programming languages and countries. As the co-host of the podcast "HR-HR and Deploy" Dilara bridges the gap between HR and T... Show more

For the last 12 years, I have been helping organisations use stories in valuable communication with customers and employees. Before that, I worked as an IT project manager and consultant for 20 years. That role involved a lot of talking, presenting and coaching. At the same time, I developed my creative side by taking classes in drama and improvisational theatre.

I got infected with the storytelling virus

The turning point came in 2006 when I saw a remarkable performance by an Amsterdam storyteller - I was overwhelmed. A few years later, I accidentally discovered that the art of storytelling has a huge impact in business too. Storytelling turned out to be a tool to facilitate change and greatly improve communication in organisations. Since then, I use storytelling every day as an effective and fun business tool.
Nowadays, I give inspiring presentations and training courses to entrepreneurs, managers and teams. I am co-founder of the Storytelling Guild in the Netherlands.

In my interactive keynotes, I demonstrate the power of storytelling when it comes to:

* leadership
* change
* teamwork
* corporate culture

You get a unique talk that is entertaining as well as inspiring. Because the talks are full of recognisable short stories, your audience will not be able to stop listening. The content of the presentation is always tailored to your audience. The audience will discover how the power of storytelling can make their (work) lives happier and more meaningful. They leave the room full of inspiration and with practical tips they can apply the same day.
This is not a Sit and Listen presentation. Your audience is engaged and given the chance to experience the power of storytelling for themselves.

For the last 12 years, I have been helping organisations use stories in valuable communication with customers and employees. Before that, I worked as an IT project manager and consultant for 20 years. That role involved a lot of talking, presenting a... Show more

Mani Erfan is a chemical engineer, international entrepreneur, and industrial executive with more than 33 years of experience in the global catalyst sector. Based in Houston, Texas, he has founded and led companies in catalyst manufacturing, purification, and recycling. He launched a catalyst company from the ground up and expanded it into a global enterprise with cumulative product sales exceeding $700 million before its sale in 2020. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of a catalyst-recycling business generating approximately $8 million in annual revenue.

Erfan was born in Iran in 1966. His father was a commercial pilot who recorded around 38,000 flight hours throughout his career. In 1983, at the age of 17, he moved to the United States and quickly adapted to a new culture and education system. He began his studies in Chemical Engineering at the University of Florida in 1984, completing 157 credit hours in less than four years. He graduated in August 1988 with high honors and a GPA of 3.88.

Erfan began his professional journey in Texas as a Process Engineer, evaluating chemical operations and recommending improvements. In 1990, he joined a Danish catalyst firm as a Sales Engineer responsible for a 26-state region. Within three years, he increased annual sales from $1.4 million to over $6 million and was promoted to Sales Manager, becoming the youngest to hold that role at the time.

In 1993, he became International Sales Manager at a Houston-based catalyst recycling company. Under his leadership, international revenue rose from $1 million to $11 million annually as operations expanded into new global markets. In 2000, he founded a new catalyst company with $50,000 in startup capital, growing it to peak annual sales of $40 million before its $38 million sale in 2020. He also established a consulting and industrial solutions firm that, by 2021, operated in more than 10 countries with annual revenue between $7.5 and $8 million.

Since 1992, he has led ministry efforts across several countries, founding a nonprofit organization, an online Bible college with 4,500 students, and support platforms reaching underserved communities. He has contributed several million dollars to charitable causes, donating $200,000 to $300,000 annually. Mani Erfan continues to lead in both industry and ministry.

Mani Erfan is a chemical engineer, international entrepreneur, and industrial executive with more than 33 years of experience in the global catalyst sector. Based in Houston, Texas, he has founded and led companies in catalyst manufacturing, purifica... Show more

Christina Aldan is a brand strategy consultant, keynote speaker, trainer, and mentor. She offers businesses brand consulting and creative content for everyday media. With over 18 years of experience in the digital realm, Christina is highly regarded for her approach to business, partnering with clients to find unique strategies that ensure their goals are met. Christina builds connections through her keynote addresses, training workshops, and technological education. She uses these tools to help individuals and businesses cultivate value in everyday media. Christina has delivered talks on all 7 continents, presenting training workshops for the Microsoft MVP community, Las Vegas Raiders, Yale School of Public Health, international corporations, and conferences worldwide. Christina uses her charisma and expertise to inspire others by mentoring women in business like herself. She also has sat on state and local boards supporting women in tech, entrepreneurship, mental health, and children with learning disabilities.

She is the recipient of the Las Vegas Women in Tech Community Service Award, the Distinguished Woman of the Year Award in STEM. Learn more at: Luckygirliegirl.com.

Christina Aldan is a brand strategy consultant, keynote speaker, trainer, and mentor. She offers businesses brand consulting and creative content for everyday media. With over 18 years of experience in the digital realm, Christina is highly regarded ... Show more