Business & Management

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

Pierre DeBois

Pierre DeBois

Pierre DeBois is the founder and CEO of Zimana, an analytics services firm that helps organizations achieve profitability improvements in marketing, Web development, and within their business operations. Zimana has provided services for businesses from many industries. Pierre’s articles are among CMSWire's Top 10 Digital Marketing Articles for 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Pierre has provided digital marketing and analytic workshops. His first major workshop was for the City of Chicago Treasurer’s Office as part of the 2014 Small Business Expo (SBE). He has also conducted several workshops since the 2014 SBE, including the following:

• A general marketing workshop and panel for General Assembly in Chicago
• CivicBLUE workshops for BlueLacuna, a business incubator in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago; CivicBLUE explained the importance of data science for developing community solutions
• The DX Summit, a marketing conference hosted by CMS Wire in 2015, 2016, and 2017
• R programming workshop at Interop ITX in Las Vegas
• Analytics workshop for Content Marketing World in Cleveland (2017).
• Google Analytics and R programming at Indy.Code and Nebraska.Code, developers conferences in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Council Bluffs, Iowa (Omaha), respectively.
• Sentiment Analysis at O’Reilly OSCON in Portland Oregon (2018).
• Tensorflow in R Programming; A Primer at DevFest KC 2019, Kansas City, MO.
• Tensorflow in R Programming; A Primer at Tom Tom AML, Charlottesville, VA
• Exploratory Data Analysis in R Programming, CodeMash, Sandusky, OH
• Juneteenth Conference (online)
• Signals, Cheetah Digital Media (online)
• CodePalousa, Louisville, KY (online)
• IndyCode, Indianapolis, IN - 2022
• CXSummit, Simpler Media, Austin, TX -2023
• Conversion Conference, Las Vegas, NV 2023
• Content Marketing World, Washington, DC 2023
• Marketing Analytics and Data Science conference, Washington, DC 2023
• CodeMash, Sandusky, OH 2024
• CommerceNow24 (online webinar), 2024
• Black Is Tech conference, Houston, TX 2024

His workshops have covered the gamut of business, data science, and programming topics, with a focus on JavaScript frameworks, Google Analytics, and R Programming.

Pierre is also an analytics tech and business intelligence writer. He has contributed articles to CMS Wire and ITProToday. He is also an associate editor of business book reviews for Small Business Trends, as well as credit as a technical editor for two Pearson/Que digital marketing publications.

Pierre has been featured in the Chicago Sun-Times, and was a presenter for the Google Get Your Business Online program. He successfully brought the program back to Gary Indiana in 2017.

Pierre is a Prairie View A & M University graduate (mechanical engineering) and a Georgia Tech graduate (MBA). He is a native of Gary, Indiana, serving small businesses and organizations throughout the United States.

Pierre DeBois is the founder and CEO of Zimana, an analytics services firm that helps organizations achieve profitability improvements in marketing, Web development, and within their business operations. Zimana has provided services for businesses fr... Show more

Richard Douglas

Richard Douglas

Richard Douglas is a Solutions Engineer at Redgate Software. He spent over 20 years working with SQL Server, Couchbase, and other database platforms. Notably at Quest, SentryOne, and Couchbase where he presented sessions at conferences around the world.
These days he helps companies scale to higher levels of performance with Redgate Software.

Richard Douglas is a Solutions Engineer at Redgate Software. He spent over 20 years working with SQL Server, Couchbase, and other database platforms. Notably at Quest, SentryOne, and Couchbase where he presented sessions at conferences around the wor... Show more

Ross Minney

Ross Minney

Ross is an Australian entrepreneur focused on developing innovative technology solutions for businesses and organisations. He has extensive experience in the tech industry and is passionate about creating products that make people’s lives easier.

Ross has always been passionate about tech – while Bezos was busy starting Amazon in his garage, Ross was programming bots to play computer games for him so he could beat his high-school mates. While he eventually grew out of that phase, it did leave him with an appreciation and passion for automation that motivated him to launch first Devhouse in 2005, then IT House in 2008 and eventually co-found House Digital in 2018.

Ross also loves to bring ideas to life – which includes everything from developing software, building furniture in his woodworking shop, creating 3D printed models, growing plants or whipping up a culinary storm for friends and family. If he can make it, grow it or cook it, he’s probably tried it!

Ross is an Australian entrepreneur focused on developing innovative technology solutions for businesses and organisations. He has extensive experience in the tech industry and is passionate about creating products that make people’s lives easier. ... Show more

Bryan Cassady

Bryan Cassady

Bryan is not your average speaker. He is a professor, worked as a consultant, authored two international bestseller books, serial entrepreneur and now with a mission: to teach 1 million innovators by 2027.

He has built companies in 6 countries, and trained 40,000+ leaders.

He’s also a former professional racquetball player turned mathematician, a United Nations professional who speaks four languages.

A researcher who has published on innovation, alignment, and social-media addiction. He’s co-created books with 50+ experts worldwide, including the international bestsellers CYCLES and The Generative Organization.

Bryan has lived on a beach with startups, painted huts in Africa, and sat in boardrooms on five continents. Wherever he goes, it’s people first: show up, do the work, keep your word.

Core belief: innovation isn’t about tools or technology. It’s about helping people believe they can make things better.

Bryan is not your average speaker. He is a professor, worked as a consultant, authored two international bestseller books, serial entrepreneur and now with a mission: to teach 1 million innovators by 2027. He has built companies in 6 countries, a... Show more

Vanessa Martens

Vanessa Martens

I'm passionate about creating meaningful work environment where people and businesses thrive. I manage Business Agile, , an Agile coaching & training company. In the last 7 years I've been involved in launching Agile at scale in clients such as BMW, Vodacom, Absa and numerous other companies. I've trained over 800 people and consulted on Agile and change initiatives on a SAP implementation, an Online Banking Channel and numerous Retail Apps.

I'm passionate about creating meaningful work environment where people and businesses thrive. I manage Business Agile, , an Agile coaching & training company. In the last 7 years I've been involved in launching Agile at scale in clients such as BMW, ... Show more

Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford is a seasoned entrepreneur and Managing Partner of Build Grow Scale, with more than 30 years of experience building and scaling businesses across retail, ecommerce, and technology-driven industries. He works closely with retail and DTC organizations to improve digital performance by identifying friction in the customer journey and optimizing how shoppers discover, evaluate, and purchase products online.

Matthew is widely recognized for his work in conversion optimization and customer experience, helping organizations unlock meaningful revenue growth without increasing traffic or marketing spend. His approach combines data analysis, behavioral insights, and practical operational frameworks that retail teams can apply across merchandising, marketing, and digital experience functions.

In addition to advising brands, Matthew has coached thousands of founders, marketers, and digital leaders through workshops, masterminds, and industry events, including hosting BGS Live 2018, North America’s largest ecommerce optimization conference. He regularly speaks on how retailers can drive profitable growth by improving digital execution, decision-making, and customer trust in an increasingly competitive retail landscape.

Matthew Stafford is a seasoned entrepreneur and Managing Partner of Build Grow Scale, with more than 30 years of experience building and scaling businesses across retail, ecommerce, and technology-driven industries. He works closely with retail and D... Show more

Candice Grobler

Candice Grobler

Candice Grobler is the founder of Candid Collab, a systems-savvy community consultancy helping solo founders and stretched teams build community-led marketing engines that scale revenue.

After a CPTSD diagnosis and a “you’re unemployable” jab from a well-meaning manager, Candice left the cubicle grind to forge a new model: one where neuro-spicy, outside-the-norm entrepreneurs could thrive through mentorship, scrappy systems, and candid community.

Today, she’s a sought-after mentor and speaker known for transforming sticky-note chaos into streamlined workflows and turning feast-or-famine floundering into steady, soul-aligned revenue. Her live talks, workshops, and interviews blend radical candour with practical playbooks, because life’s too short to build someone else’s empire (or burn out building your own).

Candice has helped dozens of founders grow recurring revenue, reduce burnout, and build communities that market for them, without agency retainers, bro-marketing gloss, or a selling out.

Candice Grobler is the founder of Candid Collab, a systems-savvy community consultancy helping solo founders and stretched teams build community-led marketing engines that scale revenue. After a CPTSD diagnosis and a “you’re unemployable” jab from... Show more

Hugo Morillo

Hugo Morillo

Independent software vendor specialized in software development and systems architecture. Experience in Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure, Power Platform and Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementations projects in different industries like retail, real estate, educational, public government, manufacturing, automotive, banking, insurance, professional services, et al. I help organizations transform their business processes using IT tools and techniques, creating a well-balanced software ecosystem. As a ClickDimensions Partner, I offer marketing automation solutions. I help Microsoft partners to develop business areas focused on Dynamics 365 CE Apps, Power Platform and Azure services

Independent software vendor specialized in software development and systems architecture. Experience in Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure, Power Platform and Microsoft Dynamics 365 implementations projects in different industries like retail, real estat... Show more

Maxim Schepelin

Maxim Schepelin

Maxim Schepelin has been an engineering leader in various industries, including Game Dev, e-commerce, and travel building teams capable of launching products from idea to world-scale. With over a decade of experience leading engineering teams, Maxim has mastered the art and science of management, as well as how to exit both Vim and Emacs.
Maxim continues exploring ways to build effective engineering teams that deliver value at a sustainable pace.

Maxim Schepelin has been an engineering leader in various industries, including Game Dev, e-commerce, and travel building teams capable of launching products from idea to world-scale. With over a decade of experience leading engineering teams, Maxim ... Show more

Shivam (anirudh) Nandy

Shivam (anirudh) Nandy

Hey, I’m Shivam a theoretical physicist who somehow ended up deep in the world of tech, startups, and cloud-native systems. I co-organize CNCF Kolkata and Grafana and Friends Kolkata, and I’m also part of the CNCF TAG for Developer Experience, where I contribute to improving how developers build and ship software.

I’ve always been obsessed with what’s happening under the hood from low-level systems and kernel-level programming to how distributed infra runs at scale. I absolutely love working with Rust and Go, and you’ll usually find me tinkering with Kubernetes, cloud platforms, and open-source tools. That’s my happy place.

I am part of a company that’s currently incubated at T-Hub Hyderabad, and we’ve been fortunate to be supported by the Department of Science and Technology (Delhi), AWS Startups, the NVIDIA Inception Program, and we’re also proud to be Meta Business Partners for our product wisemelon.ai, which is helping businesses rethink how they use AI bots.

More than anything, I care about showing young engineers especially students just entering college what real-world engineering actually looks like. There’s so much more than just writing code on a laptop. Systems, scale, and building things that people actually use that’s where the fun begins.

Hey, I’m Shivam a theoretical physicist who somehow ended up deep in the world of tech, startups, and cloud-native systems. I co-organize CNCF Kolkata and Grafana and Friends Kolkata, and I’m also part of the CNCF TAG for Developer Experience, where ... Show more

Rutuja Pawar

Rutuja Pawar

Rutuja is a Data & AI Consultant with a background in Computer Science and a Master’s in Data and Knowledge Engineering. With nearly nine years of experience, she has managed a diverse portfolio of leading industry clients while working across analytics, visualization, and AI strategy roles. She has led data initiatives, delivered BI solutions, and driven GenAI implementations across multiple business domains. Beyond her consulting work, Rutuja is a mentor and Design Thinking coach, and an experienced public speaker who translates complex technical challenges into human-centered solutions.

Rutuja is a Data & AI Consultant with a background in Computer Science and a Master’s in Data and Knowledge Engineering. With nearly nine years of experience, she has managed a diverse portfolio of leading industry clients while working across analyt... Show more

Jon Rivers

Jon Rivers

Jon, Co-founder of Marketeery, brings 20+ years of experience in Microsoft, MSPs, Tech Partners, and ISVs to boost business growth. Recognized as a partner community pioneer, Jon excels in social media, SEO, and AI as it impacts partners. He enjoys, crafting engaging content, and collaborating with designers. His tech, sales, and marketing expertise accelerates campaign success, making him a sought-after speaker at Microsoft-focused events.

Jon, Co-founder of Marketeery, brings 20+ years of experience in Microsoft, MSPs, Tech Partners, and ISVs to boost business growth. Recognized as a partner community pioneer, Jon excels in social media, SEO, and AI as it impacts partners. He enjoys, ... Show more

Piotr Rogala

Piotr Rogala

As a Principal Architect Azure at Nordcloud, I lead the development of advanced, optimized cloud solutions, primarily leveraging the Microsoft Azure platform. My core focus is empowering clients through their digital transformation journey, helping them maximize business potential and operational efficiency by designing highly optimized architectures.

My expertise and dedication to the community have been repeatedly recognized by Microsoft with the prestigious MVP (Most Valuable Professional) and MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) titles. Although I currently focus on architecture, I previously spent many years sharing my proprietary knowledge by conducting postgraduate courses at Polish universities.

Driven by a passion for promoting new technological solutions, I actively engage with the IT community: I organize specialized Azure workshops, speak as a presenter at conferences and meetups, and run my technical blog, https://justcloud.pl. My goal is to provide substantive support to fellow specialists advancing their career paths.

Away from the cloud, I am passionate about Japanese motoring and the thrill of car racing. In these pursuits, just as in code and architecture, I value the relentless pursuit of the highest quality and efficiency.

As a Principal Architect Azure at Nordcloud, I lead the development of advanced, optimized cloud solutions, primarily leveraging the Microsoft Azure platform. My core focus is empowering clients through their digital transformation journey, helping t... Show more

Rebecca Solano

Rebecca Solano

Rebecca is a hands-on, human-centered, collaborative organizational change leader interested in developing great teams and culture, co-creating large-scale strategic vision, driving value nimbly, and a believer in integrating change strategies to develop organizational resiliency and competitive edge. She has 5+ years in cross-industry OCM for ERP implementations and tech adoption, as well as over 10 years in strategic and business communications, including 6 years of bilingual business communication & advocacy.

Rebecca is a hands-on, human-centered, collaborative organizational change leader interested in developing great teams and culture, co-creating large-scale strategic vision, driving value nimbly, and a believer in integrating change strategies to dev... Show more

Ananya Ghosh Chowdhury

Ananya Ghosh Chowdhury

As a Senior AI Leader at Microsoft, Ananya Ghosh Chowdhury spearheads strategic initiatives and designs solutions that empower businesses to leverage advanced analytical and innovative AI technologies. With over 10 years of experience in data science, machine learning, data engineering, software engineering, and cloud technologies, Ananya brings a wealth of expertise to her role.

Committed to responsible AI adoption, Ananya is one of the few selected members worldwide as an AI 2030 Responsible AI Evangelist, an initiative aimed at mainstreaming responsible AI practices in transparency, fairness, and sustainability. She is also a council member of the AI Xecutive Council, an elite community of visionary leaders pioneering paths toward an AI-powered future. She actively mentors startups, entrepreneurs, and investors, and contributes to Women in Data Science (WiDS) as a mentor. Additionally, she creates technical content to share her insights.

Ananya is a member of the Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, a prestigious Marquis Who's Who Listee, and a member of the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, reflecting her commitment to continuous learning and growth. As a Data and AI leader at Microsoft, she excels in driving AI innovation within the retail sector, leading transformative AI strategies and demonstrating her technical expertise and deep understanding of retail challenges. Ananya advises organizations on using AI and advanced analytics to revolutionize their strategies, positioning herself as a key advisor in helping businesses achieve their goals through tailored AI solutions.

As a Senior AI Leader at Microsoft, Ananya Ghosh Chowdhury spearheads strategic initiatives and designs solutions that empower businesses to leverage advanced analytical and innovative AI technologies. With over 10 years of experience in data science... Show more

Trellis Usher

Trellis Usher

Trellis Usher is a powerhouse speaker, cancer survivor, and tech founder who's spent over two decades leading talent, culture, and transformation at global companies. Now, as Founder & CEO of Nova Health Labs, she’s pioneering AI-powered solutions to improve cancer care delivery. A sought-after voice on leadership, resilience, and the future of work, Trellis blends business acumen with deep humanity — sharing insights from the C-suite to the infusion center. She speaks candidly about what it means to lead as a Black woman, thrive after adversity, and build inclusive systems in technology, healthcare and beyond. Whether addressing executives, innovators, or emerging leaders, Trellis delivers truth with warmth, strategy with soul, and transformation with purpose.

Trellis Usher is a powerhouse speaker, cancer survivor, and tech founder who's spent over two decades leading talent, culture, and transformation at global companies. Now, as Founder & CEO of Nova Health Labs, she’s pioneering AI-powered solutions to... Show more

Dolapo Amusan

Dolapo Amusan

Dolapo is a Senior Product manager, leading the agentic commerce efforts in commercetools GmbH, to make headless commerce and shopping behaviors possible within popular Gen-AI chat platforms like ChatGPT. He has 9 years of technical product experience, and consults startups on making the best of artificial intelligence!

Dolapo is a Senior Product manager, leading the agentic commerce efforts in commercetools GmbH, to make headless commerce and shopping behaviors possible within popular Gen-AI chat platforms like ChatGPT. He has 9 years of technical product experien... Show more

Steph Houle

Steph Houle

Steph Houle is a design leader, coach, and consultant with over 15 years of experience shaping digital products from startups to Fortune 1 companies alike, including Walmart, Macy’s, and Calvin Klein. She blends her background in UX/UI and product design leadership with a deep commitment to human-centered design practices, helping teams and individuals navigate complexity with clarity, creativity, and resilience.

Through her coaching practice, Steph guides women and creative leaders to cultivate self-expression, intuitive authority, and sustainable ways of working. Her talks invite audiences into both practical frameworks and reflective pauses, bridging design methodologies with personal leadership.

Steph Houle is a design leader, coach, and consultant with over 15 years of experience shaping digital products from startups to Fortune 1 companies alike, including Walmart, Macy’s, and Calvin Klein. She blends her background in UX/UI and product de... Show more

Alex McPherson

Alex McPherson

Alex McPherson is a Senior FP&A Manager at RK&K, leading initiatives at the intersection of finance, engineering, and analytics. With over a decade of experience in financial modeling, capital planning, and data strategy, he has been a driving force in implementing Microsoft Fabric as a modern data platform. He specializes in budgeting/forecasting and has built AI-enabled audit and compliance solutions, including an LLM-powered tool that detects FAR risks in timesheet data. His work integrates data lakehouse architectures, ELT pipelines, and machine learning to break down silos, improve auditability, and deliver insights to leadership. Passionate about bridging innovation with business outcomes, Alex presents on data governance, risk detection, and modern BI ecosystems. He is pursuing an MBA at Penn State with a concentration in AI, further blending expertise in strategy, analytics, and organizational culture.

Alex McPherson is a Senior FP&A Manager at RK&K, leading initiatives at the intersection of finance, engineering, and analytics. With over a decade of experience in financial modeling, capital planning, and data strategy, he has been a driving force ... Show more

Alexander Arians

Alexander Arians

Alexander Arians is Chapter Lead at AXA and is responsible for several teams in the health insurance sector. With over fifteen years of experience in software development and leadership, he combines technical expertise with strategic thinking and a strong focus on the development of people and teams.

Alexander Arians is Chapter Lead at AXA and is responsible for several teams in the health insurance sector. With over fifteen years of experience in software development and leadership, he combines technical expertise with strategic thinking and a s... Show more

Erica Foley

Erica Foley

Erica Foley is a Portfolio Director with a passion for transforming project and program management through data and emerging technologies. With a strong background in professional services and software implementation, she leads strategic initiatives that blend AI, automation, and executive-level insights. Erica specializes in creating scorecards and dashboards that drive decision-making across complex portfolios, most recently applying AI capabilities within Business Central, F&O and Dynamics 365 CE. Her work bridges the gap between delivery teams and executive stakeholders, helping organizations unlock the full potential of AI-powered project management.

Erica Foley is a Portfolio Director with a passion for transforming project and program management through data and emerging technologies. With a strong background in professional services and software implementation, she leads strategic initiatives ... Show more

Anne Napolitano

Anne Napolitano

I’m Anne Napolitano, founder of Anne Napolitano Consulting, an accounting and advisory firm serving restaurants, breweries, bars, and food businesses across the United States. I’m a former chef turned accountant, which gives me a practical, operator-first perspective on finance.

My team and I help food and beverage leaders move beyond basic bookkeeping by turning complex financial data into clear, actionable insights. We focus on cash flow, profitability, pricing, labor, and growth—using tech-forward systems and visual reporting that make numbers easier to understand and use.

I believe accounting shouldn’t be intimidating or impersonal. By pairing seasoned financial expertise with genuine partnership and industry knowledge, I help operators make confident decisions, grow sustainably, and sleep better at night—so they can focus on what they do best: creating exceptional guest experiences.

I’m Anne Napolitano, founder of Anne Napolitano Consulting, an accounting and advisory firm serving restaurants, breweries, bars, and food businesses across the United States. I’m a former chef turned accountant, which gives me a practical, operator-... Show more

Gabriel Bernard

Gabriel Bernard

Je suis concepteur de jeux sérieux et sur-mesure depuis 2019 avec Imagine Expériences et cofondateur de Ludiz depuis 2023, une plateforme no-code dédiée à la création d’expériences gamifiées.

Depuis plusieurs années, je conçois et j’anime des dispositifs ludiques pour des entreprises, des institutions publiques et des organismes de formation, autour de thématiques comme la formation, l’onboarding, la communication interne, la sensibilisation, le marketing ou l’intelligence collective.

Je compte plus de 150 jeux et outils ludiques conçus sur-mesure à mon actif, et plus de 200 évènement ludiques physique ou virtuels animés.

Ludiz quand à elle, compte désormais plusieurs centaines d'utilisateurs (créateurs de contenus gamifiés) et déjà plus de 20 000 joueurs ont pu bénéficier de ces expériences !

Issu du monde de l’événementiel et du game design appliqué, je m’intéresse particulièrement à la manière dont le jeu peut devenir un outil vecteur de message et de mise en action.

Avec Ludiz, j’accompagne formateurs, RH, managers et designers dans la transformation de contenus existants en expériences interactives et engageantes. J’interviens régulièrement lors d’ateliers et d’événements professionnels pour partager une vision accessible et pratique de la gamification.

Je suis concepteur de jeux sérieux et sur-mesure depuis 2019 avec Imagine Expériences et cofondateur de Ludiz depuis 2023, une plateforme no-code dédiée à la création d’expériences gamifiées. Depuis plusieurs années, je conçois et j’anime des disp... Show more

Hakob Sharabkhanyan

Hakob Sharabkhanyan

I’m a technology entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and continuous learner.

I founded HackTech at 19 and grew it into a 70-person engineering firm with $3M ARR and clients in 25+ countries. After its acquisition by Civitta, I continue the journey as a Partner, combining deep engineering execution with advisory and strategic work.

I value long-term collaboration, strong personal relationships, and teams that care about outcomes, not slide decks.

Stanford LEAD participant. Speaker at industry events. Open to meaningful conversations.

I’m a technology entrepreneur, investor, speaker, and continuous learner. I founded HackTech at 19 and grew it into a 70-person engineering firm with $3M ARR and clients in 25+ countries. After its acquisition by Civitta, I continue the journey as... Show more

Nyaradzo Bere

Nyaradzo Bere

Nyaradzo (Naya) Bere is a software engineer, speaker, and content creator, best known as the creator behind @theblackfemaleengineer- a vibrant platform that empowers over 200,000+ current and aspiring tech professionals across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Naya earned her degree in Finance and Accounting but launched her tech career after learning to code in just 6 months. She went on to work as a Software Engineer at a Fortune 50 company. Her journey into tech was far from linear, and that’s exactly why her content resonates so widely. By sharing both the highlights and hurdles of her experience, Naya has built a brand grounded in transparency, encouragement, and empowerment.

At the heart of her work are values of accessibility, representation, and cultural fluency. Naya doesn’t just teach tech — she redefines what it looks like to belong in the industry.

Nyaradzo (Naya) Bere is a software engineer, speaker, and content creator, best known as the creator behind @theblackfemaleengineer- a vibrant platform that empowers over 200,000+ current and aspiring tech professionals across TikTok, Instagram, YouT... Show more

Matt Gaffin

Matt Gaffin

Matt leads AI strategy at Point of Rental Software, where he's transforming how thousands of equipment rental businesses operate globally through mobile, fintech, and AI platforms. He's also built one of the first AI-first development workflow engines in the industry, a systematic approach to context engineering that's turning skeptics into power users and compressing months of work into weeks.

Starting his career at 14 building software to pay for school, Matt has consistently worked at technology's bleeding edge: from building one of the first cloud-based web applications in the early 2000s to pioneering mobile-first enterprise solutions. Now he's implementing generative AI not just as a development tool, but as the interface that fundamentally changes how rental businesses interact with their software and how development teams build software in the first place.

What sets Matt apart is simple: he builds AI for people who don't care about AI. His customers care about equipment uptime, not algorithms. They need faster invoicing, not chatbots. This reality check drives everything from killing features that demo well but fail in the field, to building solutions that work on muddy job sites with spotty internet. He's not interested in what's possible with AI; he's interested in what's useful.

His Developer Handbook methodology teaches teams the difference between "vibe coding" (hoping AI figures it out) and context engineering (systematically giving AI what it needs to succeed). The results speak for themselves: converted skeptics, compressed timelines, and teams shipping work they didn't think was possible.

Matt speaks on practical AI implementation, including:

"From Stuck to Started: Your Practical Guide to AI" Battle-tested strategies that work whether you're on day one or year three of AI adoption.

"Beyond the Band-Aid: Stop Treating AI Like a Feature" Why stopping at AI assistants is denial, not innovation, and what happens when you rebuild for this new reality.

"Stop Prompting, Start Engineering" The difference between developers who gave up on AI and those getting breakthrough results isn't talent, it's discipline. Learn the systematic approaches (context engineering, agent orchestration, AI-first workflows) that treat AI like the engineering challenge it is, not a magic box you hope figures it out.

His sessions blend technical depth with business strategy, delivered with the candor of someone who's shipped products that both flopped spectacularly and scaled globally.

His current focus: building software that acts as a business's central nervous system, anticipating needs rather than waiting for commands. Think less "AI assistant" and more "AI that knows to order parts before equipment breaks."

Matt leads AI strategy at Point of Rental Software, where he's transforming how thousands of equipment rental businesses operate globally through mobile, fintech, and AI platforms. He's also built one of the first AI-first development workflow engine... Show more

Srilasya Volam

Srilasya Volam

I’m the CEO of a growth and venture-building consulting firm. I work with startups and nonprofits on growth strategy, venture development, and scaling execution. I’m passionate about speaking and teaching, and I regularly tutor, host discussions, and facilitate sessions focused on turning ideas into practical, real-world outcomes.

I’m the CEO of a growth and venture-building consulting firm. I work with startups and nonprofits on growth strategy, venture development, and scaling execution. I’m passionate about speaking and teaching, and I regularly tutor, host discussions, and... Show more

Mindy Vail

Mindy Vail

Mindy Vail is a leadership strategist and keynote speaker who helps organizations navigate change without losing their people or their minds.

With 25 years of experience across education, corporate leadership, and consulting, Mindy brings a rare blend of real-world operational insight and human-centered strategy. She’s worked inside organizations carrying the weight of change and alongside leadership teams tasked with executing it, when calendars are full, pressure is high, and AI is already embedded in the workflow.

Her work zeroes in on what actually moves change forward: clearer decisions, stronger alignment, psychological safety, and leadership behaviors that hold up when people are tired and under pressure. Grounded in change management and behavioral science, Mindy connects data, human behavior, and lived experience to help leaders understand not just what needs to change but why it’s hard and how to move through it.

Mindy’s sessions are practical, interactive, and refreshingly honest. She brings levity to work that doesn’t need to be so heavy, while still tackling the hard realities of resistance, accountability, trust, and the gap between strategy and execution. Audiences leave with language, clarity, and tools they can use immediately without the usual “great idea, now what?” hangover.

Outside the keynote stage, Mindy consults with organizations across the private sector, higher education, and municipal government, helping leadership teams build cultures that perform, adapt, and endure, long after the slide deck is closed.

Mindy Vail is a leadership strategist and keynote speaker who helps organizations navigate change without losing their people or their minds. With 25 years of experience across education, corporate leadership, and consulting, Mindy brings a rare b... Show more

Christian Lenz

Christian Lenz

With over 25 years of expertise in the Business Central domain, Christian has led transformative projects, optimizing processes and driving growth. His mission is to create value-driven work environments that empower teams. He has also created and hosted numerous events and learning environments for internal and external developers, helping them update and expand their skills.

As an accomplished speaker, Christian has shared insights at international conferences, including Directions EMEA and BCTechDays. His sessions or workshops provoke viewpoint shifts, offering strategic frameworks to keep organizations competitive in a dynamic landscape.

Beyond technical skills, Christian’s education in Design Thinking, Theory U, and Future Leadership equips him as a certified Organizational Designer. His holistic approach blends creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking to drive impactful change, even in complex situations where no prior knowledge exists.

Connect with Christian to explore innovative solutions and elevate your organization’s potential. 🎙️🚀

With over 25 years of expertise in the Business Central domain, Christian has led transformative projects, optimizing processes and driving growth. His mission is to create value-driven work environments that empower teams. He has also created and ho... Show more

Sam Cranford

Sam Cranford

Long-time agile jiggler, eXtreme programmer and agile catalyst, amateur bon vivant. Bilingual EN/FR - fr_US

Long-time agile jiggler, eXtreme programmer and agile catalyst, amateur bon vivant. Bilingual EN/FR - fr_US Show more

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