Ed is a 23-year QuickBooks veteran. He has been a multi-year Top 100 ProAdvisor and is a QBO Advanced Certified ProAdvisor, a Certified Enterprise Solutions ProAdvisor, and an SOS Inventory Certified Consultant. Ed specializes in advanced QuickBooks reporting, QuickBooks integrations, inventory management for retail, manufacturing and distribution, eCommerce, and contractors.

Ed is a 23-year QuickBooks veteran. He has been a multi-year Top 100 ProAdvisor and is a QBO Advanced Certified ProAdvisor, a Certified Enterprise Solutions ProAdvisor, and an SOS Inventory Certified Consultant. Ed specializes in advanced QuickBook... Show more

Jonas Mayer is a Principal Consultant at TNG Technology Consulting. He leads TNG's Innovation Hacking team that develops experiences and prototypes that showcase cutting-edge technologies in soft- and hardware. Since 2018 he's been working on countless projects in computer vision, GenAI, LLMs and robotics - from market-leading Realtime Deepfakes, an LLM Shitposting AI, all the way to dancing humanoid robots. As a conference speaker, he has presented the Innovation Hacking projects at over a hundred conferences all across IT and tech. Prior to joining TNG, Jonas studied Informatics: Games Engineering at TU Munich.

Jonas Mayer is a Principal Consultant at TNG Technology Consulting. He leads TNG's Innovation Hacking team that develops experiences and prototypes that showcase cutting-edge technologies in soft- and hardware. Since 2018 he's been working on countle... Show more

Andrzej Kotok, officially Andrii Kotok, is an entrepreneur and technical specialist with experience in window and door systems, wood renovation and the development of local service businesses. He is the founder of Serwis-Pro and Expert-Serwis and Co-Founder of KAN, a Polish AI Visibility Agency.

His experience combines building and running service businesses with hands-on knowledge of window and door servicing and wood renovation. Years of direct work with customers have given him practical experience in understanding customer needs, sales, long-term relationship building, and the organization and development of service businesses.

Today, he also applies this experience at KAN, where he is responsible for relationships and communication with Polish-speaking clients. He combines an inside understanding of local service businesses with a practical approach to increasing their visibility in answers from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI.

Andrzej Kotok, officially Andrii Kotok, is an entrepreneur and technical specialist with experience in window and door systems, wood renovation and the development of local service businesses. He is the founder of Serwis-Pro and Expert-Serwis and Co-... Show more

After more than twenty years as software developer and architect Ralf passes via a phase as business analyst towards his passion: "software testing".
His focus lies on (automated) functional and system testing. He accompanies teams to improve development and test processes and optimize QA measures.

After more than twenty years as software developer and architect Ralf passes via a phase as business analyst towards his passion: "software testing". His focus lies on (automated) functional and system testing. He accompanies teams to improve develo... Show more

Sabrina Engling leads the AI Solutions Team at Trusted Shops and drives AI adoption and innovation across the entire company. Her focus is on scalable AI solutions, AI operations, and agentic commerce. She combines technical expertise with strategic business acumen, bringing together both perspectives - from the architecture of scalable AI systems to business value.

Beyond her corporate role, Sabrina is a dedicated advocate for tech education and serves as Chairwoman of the NGO TechLabs, helping thousands of people build digital skills. As an AWS Commmunity Builder for AI Engineering, alumna of the AWS She Builds mentoring program, a certified AI Manager, and a recent AI hackathon winner, she is committed to empowering more women to take the leap into AI and cloud technologies.

Sabrina Engling leads the AI Solutions Team at Trusted Shops and drives AI adoption and innovation across the entire company. Her focus is on scalable AI solutions, AI operations, and agentic commerce. She combines technical expertise with strategic ... Show more

Georgina has been working in Data Science since 2011. For many years she was a coding data scientist in R, Python and PySpark, but for the last 7 years she's been leading international data teams.

She is now leads Software Engineers at Morningstar Credit, working on the sophisticated data products for Morningstar customers.

She's been through hiring cycles and layoff cycles, major tech stack overhauls, massive data science projects and forensic audits. She's figured out how to keep diverse, remote data teams happy, productive and collaborative, at least 80% of the time.

Georgina has been working in Data Science since 2011. For many years she was a coding data scientist in R, Python and PySpark, but for the last 7 years she's been leading international data teams. She is now leads Software Engineers at Morningsta... Show more

IT Pro | #GenAI aficionado #Automation expert | #community public speaker | CPL(H) Helicopter Pilot & Theory Instructor | VR simmer | #biker | dog hotel owner

IT Pro | #GenAI aficionado #Automation expert | #community public speaker | CPL(H) Helicopter Pilot & Theory Instructor | VR simmer | #biker | dog hotel owner Show more

Ancienne astrophysicienne devenue coach d'organisation et coach professionnelle depuis plus de 9 ans. Je guide les équipes de direction dans la construction et l'exécution de leur stratégie d'amélioration continue, tout en accompagnant individuellement dirigeant·es et particuliers dans leurs objectifs personnels et professionnels.

TEDx speaker, je crée des conférences interactives en mobilisant les sciences humaines, une approche systémique et des expériences concrètes d'accompagnement en entreprise.
Mon objectif : faire bouger les lignes sur des sujets qui impactent profondément notre quotidien.

Ancienne astrophysicienne devenue coach d'organisation et coach professionnelle depuis plus de 9 ans. Je guide les équipes de direction dans la construction et l'exécution de leur stratégie d'amélioration continue, tout en accompagnant individuelleme... Show more

Samuel Bomate Amakiri (Boma) is a Software Engineer and Co-Founder/CEO of Squegy, an on-demand marketplace connecting clients with verified artisans. He also develops the mobile layer for RosieVision, an AI assistant for cognitive decline, as a Software Engineer at AR-Worx, where he focuses on implementing on-device object detection with Roboflow.

Samuel Bomate Amakiri (Boma) is a Software Engineer and Co-Founder/CEO of Squegy, an on-demand marketplace connecting clients with verified artisans. He also develops the mobile layer for RosieVision, an AI assistant for cognitive decline, as a Softw... Show more

My name is Adam, and I am an internationally recognized software architect, consultant, marketing and strategy engineer, and book writer with over 15 years of experience in software architecture and development across a range of domains. In my career, I worked with all layers of the software engineering and multiple types of applications, including logistics, e-commerce, machine learning, data analysis, and database management. I am always interested in digging deeper, exploring machine code, and going through implementation details to better understand the internals of the technologies I use every day. That's why I like debugging, decompiling and disassembling the code to understand memory models, concurrency problems and other details hidden deep inside. In my free time, I play ping-pong, watch Woody Allen's movies and blog stuff at http://blog.adamfurmanek.pl

My name is Adam, and I am an internationally recognized software architect, consultant, marketing and strategy engineer, and book writer with over 15 years of experience in software architecture and development across a range of domains. In my career... Show more

Eric van Hofwegen brings over 20 years of expertise in Microsoft Dynamics, specializing in analyzing complex business requirements, leading impactful workshops, delivering tailored product specifications, and modeling business processes. He is passionate about helping businesses and partners through strategic insights and practical solutions, ensuring they maximize the value of their Dynamics investments.

Eric van Hofwegen brings over 20 years of expertise in Microsoft Dynamics, specializing in analyzing complex business requirements, leading impactful workshops, delivering tailored product specifications, and modeling business processes. He is passio... Show more

Ki-Youn (Keon) Jung is co-founder and CEO of EON, building execution infrastructure for reliable and economically scalable AI agents. Before EON, she designed semiconductor processors and developed AI and IoT platform strategies for a $20B business. She earned her MBA from MIT Sloan and authored three books on machine learning and data visualization. Her work focuses on the systems, incentives, and product architecture required to turn frontier AI into repeatable real-world work.

Ki-Youn (Keon) Jung is co-founder and CEO of EON, building execution infrastructure for reliable and economically scalable AI agents. Before EON, she designed semiconductor processors and developed AI and IoT platform strategies for a $20B business. ... Show more

Yesha Patel is an Enterprise Solution Architect at IBM specializing in AI-driven commerce, leadership, and business transformation. She leads enterprise-scale digital transformation initiatives focused on modern commerce platforms, cloud-native architectures, customer experience, and intelligent digital ecosystems.

Her expertise spans enterprise architecture, strategic solutioning, API-first ecosystems, and large-scale transformation programs across Retail, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Manufacturing. Beyond client delivery, Yesha actively contributes to the technology community as a speaker, mentor, judge, and IEEE volunteer focused on AI, innovation, leadership, and digital transformation.

Yesha Patel is an Enterprise Solution Architect at IBM specializing in AI-driven commerce, leadership, and business transformation. She leads enterprise-scale digital transformation initiatives focused on modern commerce platforms, cloud-native archi... Show more

Parichay Das is a technology leader and AI practitioner with 15+ years of experience across Artificial Intelligence, Data & Analytics, and Cloud Computing. He works with global enterprises to navigate AI transformation, combining strategic thinking and technical expertise to turn emerging technologies into meaningful business outcomes.

A gold medalist with a Master’s degree, Parichay is an active technology speaker, panelist, industry chair, and judge at leading technology forums. He has taught and mentored 1,000+ professionals and learners, and actively contributes to open-source communities, helping advance knowledge, innovation, and collaboration across the AI and technology ecosystem. He is a Distinguished ARM Ambassador.

Parichay Das is a technology leader and AI practitioner with 15+ years of experience across Artificial Intelligence, Data & Analytics, and Cloud Computing. He works with global enterprises to navigate AI transformation, combining strategic thinking a... Show more

Kunal Tiwary is an Engineering Manager - Data based in Melbourne. He began his career in software engineering and has since worked across data, analytics and machine learning in retail, banking and internet publishing.
His current focus is leading engineering teams, modernising data platforms and developing AI-native ways of working. He is interested in how AI can improve development, collaboration and delivery, supported by shared knowledge, sound engineering practices and human judgement.
An advocate for functional programming, Kunal enjoys sharing practical lessons with engineering communities about building dependable systems and helping teams grow.

Kunal Tiwary is an Engineering Manager - Data based in Melbourne. He began his career in software engineering and has since worked across data, analytics and machine learning in retail, banking and internet publishing. His current focus is leading e... Show more

Nominated designer of the week by one of Nigeria's leading Tech startups, HerTechTrail Academy, Divine Chinyere Ezendiokwere is a passionate and admirable product designer and content creator. With a background in content writing and storytelling, her career expands over several industries including volunteering, teen advocacy, public speaking, and lifestyle.

Divine is a graduate of Plant Science and Biotechnology from a Nigerian university. She is a leadership builder who delivers high-energy keynote presentations that challenge audiences to leverage their focus and pay attention to what matters most at work and in life.

Oh, did we mention that she is from Anambra and a lastborn? Why does it matter? Well, it means that she's a bit mischievous, pretty witty, and a little cheeky. She is also an unofficial food lover... and an enthusiastic adventurer.

Nominated designer of the week by one of Nigeria's leading Tech startups, HerTechTrail Academy, Divine Chinyere Ezendiokwere is a passionate and admirable product designer and content creator. With a background in content writing and storytelling, he... Show more

As the data leader, I am passionate about making AI real for the digital customers and transforming the business processes with data, advanced ML & deep learning algorithms. I have close to 18 years of experience in delivering innovative and impactful solutions for various banking sectors and retail & consumer goods. My core competencies include AI strategy, data science, NLP, Generative AI and process automation and optimization through global AI platforms.

I am driven by the vision of empowering the data science community and creating a culture of learning and collaboration. Some of the volunteer roles are Google Women Techmaker Ambassador, IEEE ICWITE Core Member. Juror for AnitaB.org GHCI event 2024.

Some of my recent accolades in field of Data Science and AI are Digital Leader of the Year 2024 - UBSForums, Tech DE&I Leader Award 2024 - Analytics India Magazine, AI & Data Science Leader of the Year 2023 - womentech Network, Minsky Award of AI Excellence 2023 - GCC AI Visionary Award, Women in Tech/Product 2023 - herKey

As the data leader, I am passionate about making AI real for the digital customers and transforming the business processes with data, advanced ML & deep learning algorithms. I have close to 18 years of experience in delivering innovative and impactfu... Show more

Dan is a CPA with over 30 years of experience in the ERP industry. During this time, he has worked in many different roles allowing him to truly understand the complete industry. The combined experience of marketing, sales, presales, consulting and training allows him to provide a truly unique perspective to prospects and customers.

Most recently he has specialized in Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply Chain, Business Intelligence and Power Platform, helping customers and partners understand their pains with reporting and analyzing the volumes of data they have. He has helped them identify proper solutions so they can truly gain value from their data.

In addition, Dan is an Adjunct Professor of Business teaching Accounting Information Systems and Data Analytics. He is also the leader of the Southern California Dynamics 365 user group.

He is a frequent speaker and presenter at Microsoft and other related industry conferences and events including Microsoft Convergence, AXUG Summit, Microsoft Technical Conference and Power BI World Tour. He was recently recognized as a DUG Product Expert Superhero.

Dan is a CPA with over 30 years of experience in the ERP industry. During this time, he has worked in many different roles allowing him to truly understand the complete industry. The combined experience of marketing, sales, presales, consulting and t... Show more

Donzap Dongmo est le fondateur et CEO d’APLiG, une entreprise technologique camerounaise spécialisée dans la conception et le développement de solutions numériques. Il travaille à la création de produits destinés à connecter les personnes, les entreprises et les opportunités grâce à la technologie. À travers APLiG et son produit Zolo, une plateforme orientée vers les opportunités et offres locales, il développe une approche combinant technologie, géolocalisation, services numériques et développement de l’écosystème local. Son expérience porte notamment sur la conception de produits numériques, l’entrepreneuriat technologique, la structuration de projets et la recherche de partenariats pour accompagner leur développement. Il s’intéresse particulièrement à la manière dont les startups africaines peuvent transformer des besoins locaux en solutions numériques durables et capables de se développer à grande échelle.

Donzap Dongmo est le fondateur et CEO d’APLiG, une entreprise technologique camerounaise spécialisée dans la conception et le développement de solutions numériques. Il travaille à la création de produits destinés à connecter les personnes, les entrep... Show more

Warren is the CTO of Authress and an AWS Community Builder who believes that "in theory, practice and theory are the same, but in practice, they differ." As a Cloud Security Architect and international speaker, he's built a reputation as a "Tech Entertainer"—delivering hard engineering truths with a side of wit. He focuses on the physics of software reliability, arguing that unmaintained code is a liability. When he designing securing strategies, he is likely on stage dismantling the latest industry hype.

Warren is the CTO of Authress and an AWS Community Builder who believes that "in theory, practice and theory are the same, but in practice, they differ." As a Cloud Security Architect and international speaker, he's built a reputation as a "Tech Ente... Show more

Güldeniz is an AI Engineer with five years of experience across telecommunications and search, having worked at companies including Insider One and TurkNet. She holds a degree in Astronomy and Space Sciences and is currently building her own venture, Preflight. An active community contributor, she organizes tech events and workshops and regularly delivers talks and hands-on sessions in Türkiye.

Güldeniz is an AI Engineer with five years of experience across telecommunications and search, having worked at companies including Insider One and TurkNet. She holds a degree in Astronomy and Space Sciences and is currently building her own venture,... Show more

Colin Griffin is CEO at Krumware, and a Co-Chair of the CNCF Platforms Working Group. Colin Griffin is a software engineer by trade, specializing in cloud-native application and infrastructure development; with an emphasis on developer enablement and platform engineering. He founded Krumware with the goal of enabling companies to build better environments for their developers, through technology development.
Krumware helps organizations build better software.

Colin Griffin is CEO at Krumware, and a Co-Chair of the CNCF Platforms Working Group. Colin Griffin is a software engineer by trade, specializing in cloud-native application and infrastructure development; with an emphasis on developer enablement and... Show more

More than 300,000 members, over $30 million paid in claims, and a 98 percent customer satisfaction rate describe the company Vajira Samararatne has built. An entrepreneur, business consultant, and business executive, he founded CoverageX, a rapidly growing provider of vehicle protection plans and home warranty services with strong third-party review scores. His model is customer-first by design, resting on transparency, direct support, and simplified claims management in a field long faulted for complicated contracts and uneven service.

CoverageX operates across two product lines that share a customer concern: the unpredictable cost of keeping essential things working.

On the automotive side, repair bills have risen with advances in automotive technology, electronic systems, sensors, and drivetrain complexity. CoverageX vehicle service contracts are designed to help owners manage those unexpected costs. The company illustrates the exposure with a specific figure, citing an average engine repair cost of approximately $9,292 for a driver without protection coverage, which reframes a service contract as practical financial planning rather than an optional luxury.

On the home side, Vajira Samararatne moved the company into home warranty services so it could serve homeowners facing repair and replacement bills on household systems and appliances. Those plans cover heating systems, cooling systems, plumbing infrastructure, electrical systems, refrigerators, and water heaters, with optional add-ons available for swimming pools, spas, guest houses, wine coolers, and additional air conditioning units. Rather than requiring several disconnected policies, the company folds systems and appliance protection into one comprehensive plan that customers tailor with add-ons.

Automotive coverage is organized into four primary tiers.

Essential focuses on core mechanical systems, covering engines, transmissions, drivetrains, seals, gaskets, and applicable turbocharger components. Signature expands into electrical systems, air conditioning, and suspension components. Premium introduces advanced technology coverage and broader system protection. Executive is exclusionary, meaning systems are covered unless they are specifically listed as exceptions.

Locked-in pricing runs alongside the tiers. Under this feature, promoted throughout Vajira Samararatne's tenure, CoverageX says customers can maintain their coverage rate for life as long as their policy stays active, a response to buyers worried about rising service costs and future premium increases.

Protection companies have historically leaned on contracts and exclusions, leaving consumers unsure what coverage really meant. Vajira Samararatne founded CoverageX with the opposite instinct: protection services should feel supportive, not complicated, and clarity became the company's identity.

CoverageX states openly how vehicle service contracts work, what they include, and what they leave out. It also puts out educational material on claims procedures, roadside assistance, repair coordination, and the maintenance responsibilities customers retain. In practice, that philosophy shows up as online quotes delivered in minutes, roadside assistance included with vehicle protection plans, claims support available 24 hours a day, year-round, and approved repairs paid directly to repair facilities.

Scale in this industry depends on operational structure. Customer support, claims management, and payment systems have to work together, and CoverageX formalized that into a four-step claims process.

The member contacts the claims department and reports the issue. Qualifying automotive claims may include temporary transportation support while the vehicle is out of service. Claims advisors then review the coverage and coordinate with the repair facility. Finally, CoverageX pays the approved repair shop directly.

That last step is a deliberate choice. Direct payment means customers are not forced to absorb a large out-of-pocket repair expense and then wait on reimbursement.

Under Vajira Samararatne, customer experience functions as a central business strategy rather than a support function. Many companies advertise good service. CoverageX puts service quality at the front of its public identity.

Company materials report a 98 percent customer satisfaction rate and a 4.5-star rating on both Google and Trustpilot, and the company promotes an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau as part of its trust-building work. The 30-day money-back guarantee serves the same purpose from the buyer's side, lowering the risk for new customers and easing hesitation among consumers uncertain about protection plans.

Relationships with established automotive and service brands form another pillar of Vajira Samararatne's leadership. Publicly listed partners include AAMCO, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Meineke, Pep Boys, Take 5 Oil Change, and Valvoline.

Each relationship strengthens the operational network while adding recognizable names to the service ecosystem customers rely on. That matters because CoverageX operates nationwide, and access to reliable repair and service networks is what keeps the experience consistent from one part of the country to another.

The through line in Vajira Samararatne's work is straightforward. He has built a business in which the promises made at the point of sale- clear terms, fixed pricing, fast support, and direct payment- are the same promises the operation is engineered to keep.

More than 300,000 members, over $30 million paid in claims, and a 98 percent customer satisfaction rate describe the company Vajira Samararatne has built. An entrepreneur, business consultant, and business executive, he founded CoverageX, a rapidly g... Show more

As the Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption, Activation, and Deployment Leader at EY Americas, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation is at the core of my responsibilities. With a focus on strategy execution, I facilitate widespread adoption and maximize the utility of Microsoft 365, ensuring our cross-functional teams are engaged and the value of collaborative technologies is fully leveraged.

My tenure as a 10-time Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in M365 Copilot and Microsoft Viva underscores my commitment to community leadership and sharing best practices in technology use. The ability to navigate and influence digital transformation empowers our strategic relationship with Microsoft, enriching our go-to-market strategies and enhancing program management through top-to-top collaborative endeavors.

As the Microsoft 365 Copilot Adoption, Activation, and Deployment Leader at EY Americas, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation is at the core of my responsibilities. With a focus on strategy execution, I facilitate widespread a... Show more

Chris Pipito is a software product development coach. Since 2012, Chris has been coaching organizations in multiple industries including Automotive, Financial, Insurance, Retail, Health Care, and Scientific and Technical Services. He is the founder of DDD Philly, a community group focused on helping people learn & practice Domain-Driven Design (DDD). He is a public speaker sharing his experiences, both in-person and virtual, to help people and teams improve. Chris is currently writing a book on Flow and Teaming, drawing on his hands-on experience coaching organizations and teams. Since 2022, Chris has been coaching teams and organizations in the dojo, an immersive learning environment where teams learn, practice, and improve their capabilities all while delivering their real-world work within the constraints of their organization.

Sites of Interest: chrispipito.com; chrispipito.substack.com; dojoandco.com; softwareteaming.com; dddunitedstates.com

Chris Pipito is a software product development coach. Since 2012, Chris has been coaching organizations in multiple industries including Automotive, Financial, Insurance, Retail, Health Care, and Scientific and Technical Services. He is the founder o... Show more

I work as a Senior Engineering Manager on CoreWeave's Physical AI team, leading engineering teams building the systems that train and deploy AI for the physical world - robotics, autonomous systems, and industrial applications. Previously I operated distributed backend systems at hyperscale at Meta and led payments infrastructure at Teya, a UK fintech unicorn serving 75,000+ European merchants, with earlier roles at Playtech. I work at intersection of large-scale distributed systems, ML infrastructure, and engineering leadership. My experience spans multiple domains including fintech, social media, e-commerce, and gambling, utilising both top-down and bottom-up approaches.
Also I am established speaker at industry events and conferences across Europe (Ukraine, Portugal, UK), based in London.

I work as a Senior Engineering Manager on CoreWeave's Physical AI team, leading engineering teams building the systems that train and deploy AI for the physical world - robotics, autonomous systems, and industrial applications. Previously I operated ... Show more

An experienced and certified Product Designer, with experience in different sectors including retail, beauty, fintech and ed-tech. I delivered my first talk at UX London 2026 and loved it. I got great feedback from it and I would like to bring my perspective to more events.

An experienced and certified Product Designer, with experience in different sectors including retail, beauty, fintech and ed-tech. I delivered my first talk at UX London 2026 and loved it. I got great feedback from it and I would like to bring my per... Show more

Ishan Shah is a Software Engineer with 10+ years of experience designing and delivering large-scale, event-driven, and cloud-native systems across PayPal, Nordstrom, and Securonix. He has built real-time data platforms, CDC pipelines, inventory and decisioning systems, and high-throughput search and analytics infrastructure.

His work increasingly sits at the intersection of AI and engineering operations, including AI-assisted development workflows, context engineering, agent guardrails, and AI-native reliability patterns. Ishan is especially interested in practical approaches to autonomous software development, AI SRE, incident-response agents, and “AI gardening” — managing context, memory, and entropy in long-running agentic systems.

He mentors teams on reliability, observability, schema governance, and scalable platform design, with deep expertise in Java, Kafka, Debezium, AWS, Redis, Postgres, DynamoDB, and distributed systems.

Ishan Shah is a Software Engineer with 10+ years of experience designing and delivering large-scale, event-driven, and cloud-native systems across PayPal, Nordstrom, and Securonix. He has built real-time data platforms, CDC pipelines, inventory and d... Show more

Andrea Elliott is the CEO, Founder, and Managing Partner of EMG Advisory, the AI-native governance, risk and strategy practice serving regulated, high-stakes industries including Quantum Computing and Financial Services. She most recently served as Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer at a publicly traded global payments technology company, where she led a global risk and compliance transformation, built the company's AI governance framework, and led the outstanding CFPB & State AG Consent Orders to full regulatory compliance, with zero reportable incidents during her tenure. She also designed and led the GRC technology transformation to drive internal risk intelligence, transparency, and enterprise accountability, providing an end-to-end, 360 perspective on risk throughout the enterprise. With 15-plus years across risk, compliance, governance, ethics, and legal, Andrea brings a foresight practitioner's perspective to AI governance failures and mitigation. She is the author of (1) The Deadline on Implicit Governance, (2) The Proportionality Problem, (3) The Architecture of Intuition, (4) The Quiet Rewiring, (5) Bounded Autonomy, (6) The Compounding Bet, and (7) The Missing Middle. She holds a JD from Emory Law [Bankruptcy Journal & Transactional Certificate], an MBA from UGA [Finance focus with an emphasis in Consulting], and the AIGP credential from IAPP. Her undergraduate studies at Auburn University included Architecture, Industrial Design, and Business Administration.

From Andrea: "AI is rewriting what industries can do, and the leaders who govern it with seriousness and imagination will reshape theirs rather than scramble to catch up. I help those leaders imagine beyond what AI makes possible today, then usher them through the transformation for the betterment of the people their industries serve.

It starts with something deceptively simple: helping organizations make sound AI decisions they can stand behind, quickly and confidently. Done right, that discipline is not a brake on ambition. It is what lets a company reimagine what is possible with AI.

My work sits at the intersection of law, risk, ethics, strategy, and systems design. After 15+ years in risk and compliance roles, most recently as Chief Compliance Officer where I built the company's AI governance framework from the ground up, I founded EMG Advisory on a conviction: AI does not need more hype. It needs structure, accountability, and leaders who treat risk as a strategic discipline.

That is the part most people miss. Governance, Risk, and Compliance, done well, is not what slows AI down. It decides where you can afford to move fast and where you cannot, and it is inseparable from strategy; your AI strategy does not survive without it.

The other half of how I work is AI-native wiring. I think in systems, synthesize fast, and collaborate with AI at the conceptual layer as a cognitive partner, translating complexity into strategic clarity. It is also how EMG itself is built: I practice the responsible, operationalized AI I help my clients deploy.

I work with organizations that want to use AI strategically, responsibly, and with foresight. I help leaders:

Turn AI risk and compliance into strategic advantage
Make defensible AI decisions at the speed of business
Translate regulatory ambiguity into operational clarity
Anticipate second- and third-order effects before they surface
Design governance that works in practice, not just on paper

The regulatory landscape shifts faster than most AI roadmaps, and the patchwork of overlapping laws and standards leaves even willing organizations unsure what they must comply with. Pair that with AI that stalls in committee and governance impeccable on paper that no one operates by, and the gap becomes clear. Closing it is where I do my best work.

But closing the gap is the floor, not the ceiling. The organizations that govern AI with seriousness and imagination will not just keep up; they will transform what their industries can do for the people who depend on them. That is the future I am building toward."

Andrea Elliott is the CEO, Founder, and Managing Partner of EMG Advisory, the AI-native governance, risk and strategy practice serving regulated, high-stakes industries including Quantum Computing and Financial Services. She most recently served as C... Show more

Stacy leads the Fanatics App and client platforms in the Fanatics Ecosystem. She is a multifaceted, international keynote speaker noted for her work in diversity advocacy, tech democracy, and "real-talk" leadership development. She has been a mobile specialist her whole career and worked on nearly every aspect of the ecosystem, currently specializing in engaging, fan-first Sports experiences for Fanatics. Her work has been featured on sites like Wired, Gizmodo, and Geek.com in addition to being mentioned directly in published books and being named to WWC's "100 Technologists to Watch". You can catch Stacy posting advice on LinkedIn, traveling to conferences, or working in her local DFW community as an educator and mentor for all career stages.

Stacy leads the Fanatics App and client platforms in the Fanatics Ecosystem. She is a multifaceted, international keynote speaker noted for her work in diversity advocacy, tech democracy, and "real-talk" leadership development. She has been a mobile ... Show more