Jan Wysocki is a strategic IT advisor, coach, and educator who bridges the gap between business and technology. As the founder of Bits of IT, he helps non-technical leaders make informed tech decisions and empowers engineers to become better communicators and collaborators.
With over two decades of experience in software development, IT strategy, and leadership, Jan has worked across industries to translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights. He’s passionate about fostering digital literacy, building inclusive tech cultures, and making technology accessible — not intimidating.
Jan is also the author of Bits of IT: Your Commonsense Guide to the World of Computers and Software Development, a witty and insightful book that demystifies IT through humor, analogies, and real-world examples.
Whether he’s coaching engineers, advising executives, or speaking at conferences, Jan brings empathy, clarity, and a touch of irreverence to every conversation.

Jan Wysocki is a strategic IT advisor, coach, and educator who bridges the gap between business and technology. As the founder of Bits of IT, he helps non-technical leaders make informed tech decisions and empowers engineers to become better communic... Show more

Anuj Agarwal is an Application Engineering Technical Lead at Vanguard, based in Melbourne, Australia. With 17 years of experience in the software industry, Anuj has worked across diverse domains including telecom, embedded systems, IoT, consumer electronics, banking, and financial services. His career spans multiple continents—India, USA, South Korea, Europe, and now Australia, giving him a rich perspective on multicultural collaboration and global delivery.

An engineering graduate with an MBA, Anuj is a lifelong learner who thrives on solving complex problems and driving customer-focused innovation. He has held roles ranging from developer and architect to technical lead, and has worked with clients like NAB, Telstra (Belong), Samsung, Nokia, Bell Labs, Itron, and Vanguard.

Anuj leads with a people-first mindset, believing that great teams are built on compassion, understanding, and effective communication. He’s deeply committed to quality, customer value, and going the extra mile to deliver meaningful outcomes. Known for his positive attitude, social nature, and spiritual outlook, Anuj brings warmth and clarity to every project he leads.

His mission statement:
"To drive innovation and deliver customer-focused solutions with an emphasis on continuous learning, leadership, and quality in a positive, collaborative work environment."

His top values include:
- Customer Focus
- Continuous Learning
- Innovation
- Accountability
- Team Collaboration

Anuj Agarwal is an Application Engineering Technical Lead at Vanguard, based in Melbourne, Australia. With 17 years of experience in the software industry, Anuj has worked across diverse domains including telecom, embedded systems, IoT, consumer elec... Show more

Aarica J. Smith is a multi-certified Salesforce Consultant, Board Source Certified Consultant and SCRUM Certified project management and operations professional. Aarica thrives in concept development, using her consulting and management tools to transform ambiguous environments and concepts into actionable plans or implementations. She is highly creative when it comes to developing results-driven solutions, while ensuring alignment with necessary organization leaders of all levels.

Some of the work that she has accomplished with small businesses includes:

- Created company-wide and department-specific operational systems to streamline the business based on systems, not individual team members
- Developed a various company programs, including a diverse supplier program and employee professional development program
- Project managed cross-functional projects, engaging with external and internal key stakeholders to ensure on-time deliverables and successful project metrics
- Led change management initiatives with c-suite executives and department leaders.

In her previous roles of a non-profit professional, she has overseen a multi-million-dollar foundation grant to pilot national arts strategy to over 4K Boys & Girls Clubs globally, managed over $32M in corporate accounts, and grew a local cycling fundraising event from $450K to nearly a $1M event, making it the #4 premiere cycling fundraising event (out of 93 national events) for the organization.

A firm believer in education, Aarica earned her Master of Arts degree in Arts Administration from Savannah College of Art and Design, and her Bachelor of Arts in Economics, with a minor in French from Spelman College. In her spare time, she loves to travel the world with her family, experience amazing food, and volunteer in her community with her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Aarica J. Smith is a multi-certified Salesforce Consultant, Board Source Certified Consultant and SCRUM Certified project management and operations professional. Aarica thrives in concept development, using her consulting and management tools to tran... Show more

Feras Deiratany has been writing software at Progressive Insurance for the past 8 years. Most recently he helped launch, Progressive Life, the company’s entry to the Life Insurance market. He is involved with multiple social impact organizations in Cleveland like Global Shapers and GiveBackHack. Feras also loves to travel and try different foods along the way. He is originally from Syria and holds a Computer Science and Engineering degree from The Ohio State University.

Feras Deiratany has been writing software at Progressive Insurance for the past 8 years. Most recently he helped launch, Progressive Life, the company’s entry to the Life Insurance market. He is involved with multiple social impact organizations in C... Show more

With over 25 years blending strategic expertise and hands-on execution across business and technology, I have hands on experience in IT Service Management, Business Analysis, Service Design, Enterprise Architecture, and Cloud Consulting. Throughout my career I've partnered with private and public sector organisations, including working for major cloud providers like Microsoft and VMware.

This diverse background has enabled me to build extensive expertise. I firmly believe that, much like ecosystems, organizational improvement must embrace interconnectedness and continuous adaptation.

A persistent optimizer, continuous learner, and advocate for systems thinking, I believe frameworks and methodologies should facilitate—not dictate—progress. This is why I created 'unframed by ValueCraft Studio', a set of thoughts and questions to invite people to think laterally, to ideate 'together', to have purposeful conversations between disciplines, teams, and avoid siloed thinking.

I’m fluent in both English and Spanish.

With over 25 years blending strategic expertise and hands-on execution across business and technology, I have hands on experience in IT Service Management, Business Analysis, Service Design, Enterprise Architecture, and Cloud Consulting. Throughout m... Show more

Larry Mietus (Chief Excuse Obliterator) is the Founder of Speaking of Strategy. He is an engaging speaker, business consultant, author, podcaster, and educator with a wealth of practical, hands-on experience. His expertise encompasses leadership development, organizational design, employee engagement, and sales and marketing strategies. His clients run the gamut from "Mom and Pop" businesses to international enterprises. He is a frequent contributor on LinkedIn. Larry has also been quoted in HR Magazine, the most widely read and respected Human Resources publication in the world. He is a guest speaker for Vistage International, the world’s largest executive coaching organization. Larry is the author of “We Tried That Once” And Other Popular Excuses That Sabotage Business Success!

Larry Mietus (Chief Excuse Obliterator) is the Founder of Speaking of Strategy. He is an engaging speaker, business consultant, author, podcaster, and educator with a wealth of practical, hands-on experience. His expertise encompasses leadership ... Show more

Technology Executive @ NUAAV | Ex-Adobe, ZoomInfo | TEDx Speaker | 3X Serial Entrepreneur | ML Professor | 6 US Patents | TV Show Tech Finalist | Startup Canada Visa Entrepreneur | 40 under 40 | Angel Investor

Gaurav is a full-stack scientist delivering production-grade generative AI solutions with proven track record of ~80% process optimization and ~30% cost reduction. At Granicus, he architects scalable data platforms handling 20+ government data sources with complex identity resolution, pioneering autonomous agent mesh architectures that achieve 80% task completion without human intervention.

Key Innovations:
Advanced neural-symbolic architectures for enterprise document synthesis
Novel hallucination prevention systems with real-time knowledge verification
Behavioral verification frameworks for AI agent operational security
Custom model engineering: Distilled enterprise models achieving 85% Claude performance at 10% cost

Enterprise Impact:
Deployed Graph-RAG Knowledge Graphs with 92% precision, 90% recall, <3% hallucination rate
Architected microservices supporting 10M+ concurrent users with 99.99% uptime
Multi-cloud data processing: 10M+ events/minute with real-time streaming architectures

Technology Executive @ NUAAV | Ex-Adobe, ZoomInfo | TEDx Speaker | 3X Serial Entrepreneur | ML Professor | 6 US Patents | TV Show Tech Finalist | Startup Canada Visa Entrepreneur | 40 under 40 | Angel Investor Gaurav is a full-stack scientist deli... Show more

Dr. Ewa Antczak is an internationally recognized Behavioral Scientist, psychologist, and AI innovator dedicated to creating safer and more empathetic digital environments. With over two decades of professional experience, she has guided more than 15,000 individuals through her clinical and educational work, with expertise in emotional intelligence, gifted behavior, and youth mental health.
A published author of several books and peer-reviewed papers on behavior and attitude change, she completed her doctorate at the age of 24 while serving as a researcher and lecturer at the Polish Academy of Sciences and University of Social Sciences and Humanities, specializing in personality and the role of narrative mode in behavior change.
She is the founder of Felixa, a pioneering AI-powered platform that proactively detects and transforms harmful behavior in online communities, strengthening trust, collaboration, and inclusion. Her work uniquely bridges behavioral science with advanced technology, setting new standards for how societies can address digital safety and human well-being.
Dr. Antczak also created IdealMe, a personal development system that builds emotional intelligence and resilience in individuals and teams, and Talk2Alex, an app that has supported thousands of young people in regulating emotions and behaviors, particularly during the pandemic. She also serves on the Boards of Resilient Children Canada and the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO).
A frequent speaker at global conferences, Dr. Antczak continues to influence leaders, innovators, and policymakers at the intersection of psychology, technology, and human progress.

Dr. Ewa Antczak is an internationally recognized Behavioral Scientist, psychologist, and AI innovator dedicated to creating safer and more empathetic digital environments. With over two decades of professional experience, she has guided more than 15,... Show more

Directions for Partner Board Member since 2011
Chairman Diections for Partners 2015 to 2021
Managing Director Tecman Deutschland GmbH
Shareholder of various VAR's and ISV's
Expert for business development in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central ecosystem and ISV space
Member of the German Dynamics IMACP Chapter
Proven Business Coach and podcast creator

Christian lives in Hamburg/Germany, in his free time you can find him often on the golf course, sailing (sometimes) or rowing on his inhouse rowing erg or creating the latest edition of his newest podcast about emotions together with his friends. He is also an AI / Copilot enthusiast and like to play poker.

Directions for Partner Board Member since 2011 Chairman Diections for Partners 2015 to 2021 Managing Director Tecman Deutschland GmbH Shareholder of various VAR's and ISV's Expert for business development in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Ce... Show more

With over 25 years at the forefront of digital innovation, Steve brings deep expertise in application architecture, team leadership, and digital transformation. As Executive Director of Delivery for NTT Data, he leverages this experience to champion agile product development and solve the complex challenges of modern digital ecosystems. He is passionate about building high-performing teams and fostering a collaborative environment where innovation thrives. He leads diverse teams encompassing software architecture, data science, business intelligence, interactive engineering, DevOps, creative design, application development, and quality control, ensuring seamless service and delivery. Steve's insights into continuous innovation and his commitment to team empowerment make him a respected leader in the digital space.

With over 25 years at the forefront of digital innovation, Steve brings deep expertise in application architecture, team leadership, and digital transformation. As Executive Director of Delivery for NTT Data, he leverages this experience to champion... Show more