Speaker Bio: Dr. Anita Renee’ Johnson
Dr. Anita Renee’ Johnson is a Financial Behaviorist, Educator, and Author dedicated to transforming the way individuals and institutions understand money. She teaches Economics and Finance at the University of Maryland Global Campus, where she mentors diverse global learners, including U.S. military students, by integrating behavioral finance and cross‑cultural perspectives into financial literacy.
Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in 21st-Century Finance and multiple advanced degrees in philosophy, taxation, and accounting. Her research examines financial trauma, socialization, and women’s empowerment, with a particular focus on the financial narratives of African American women. She is the author of several books, including "The Hidden Psychological Effects of Money on Black Women" and "Being Broke is Maddening," and has presented at national conferences such as the Financial Therapy Association and SFEPD’s Financial Literacy Leadership Conference.
As founder of Anita R Johnson & Associates, Inc., she has developed innovative financial education programs, retreats, and media platforms that empower communities to find their financial voice. Recognized nationally for her leadership and community impact, Dr. Johnson brings an engaging, interactive style that equips participants with practical tools to reframe financial behaviors, reduce resistance to change, and align empowerment with institutional transformation.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Anita Renee’ Johnson Dr. Anita Renee’ Johnson is a Financial Behaviorist, Educator, and Author dedicated to transforming the way individuals and institutions understand money. She teaches Economics and Finance at the University of M... Show more

I am working with banking technology for 25 years+ and leading cloud and integration projects at ING since 2020.

I am working with banking technology for 25 years+ and leading cloud and integration projects at ING since 2020. Show more

Junaid Ayomide is a fintech compliance and risk professional with a strong legal foundation and hands-on experience across regulated financial services and high-growth technology environments. Trained in law and holding an LL.B from the University of Lagos, she brings a legal-first mindset to modern compliance challenges, combining statutory interpretation with practical execution.

Her experience spans AML and CTF controls, fraud detection, sanctions investigations, chargebacks, enhanced due diligence, and regulatory reporting. Ayomide has worked on complex transaction reviews, high-risk customer assessments, and sanctions screening aligned with international frameworks, while also contributing to audit readiness and compliance process improvements through automation and operational optimization.

As a speaker, Ayomide focuses on how legal principles translate into real-world compliance decisions within tech-driven organizations. She is particularly interested in bridging the gap between compliance, engineering, and product teams to build defensible, scalable systems without slowing innovation.

Junaid Ayomide is a fintech compliance and risk professional with a strong legal foundation and hands-on experience across regulated financial services and high-growth technology environments. Trained in law and holding an LL.B from the University of... Show more

Economista, Universidad de Lima; MsC Computación, Universidad de Chile. CEO & Founder de Inka Strategies. Relator y consultor internacional de ALIDE (Asociación Latinoamericana de Instituciones Financieras para el Desarrollo) en temas de gobernanza, calidad, gestión del cambio cultural, transformación digital, IA Generativa y Automatización de Procesos. Académico de pre y post grado en universidades chilenas y extranjeras.

Economista, Universidad de Lima; MsC Computación, Universidad de Chile. CEO & Founder de Inka Strategies. Relator y consultor internacional de ALIDE (Asociación Latinoamericana de Instituciones Financieras para el Desarrollo) en temas de gobernanza, ... Show more

Venakata is a Senior Manager in Software Engineering at Capital One, with a strong foundation in backend systemts, AI/ML and financial technologies. Formerly at JPMorgan Chase. Holds Master's degree in Business Analytics and Information Management, and is passionate about blending technology with leadership to drive impactful innovation.

Venakata is a Senior Manager in Software Engineering at Capital One, with a strong foundation in backend systemts, AI/ML and financial technologies. Formerly at JPMorgan Chase. Holds Master's degree in Business Analytics and Information Management, a... Show more

I am a Data Scientist at ING's Engineering & Reliability department, working on AIOps cases with a focus on IT change and incident data. Also, part-time a PhD Candidate at Delft University of Technology's Software Engineering Group.

I am a Data Scientist at ING's Engineering & Reliability department, working on AIOps cases with a focus on IT change and incident data. Also, part-time a PhD Candidate at Delft University of Technology's Software Engineering Group. Show more

Mirabror is a software engineering consultant at IBM specialising in backend/AI engineering. He has several years of experience across fintech and insurance sectors in IT consulting, including design, building and deployment of scalable software solutions and pipelines. With a strong background in mathematics and computer science, Mirabror challenges himself in solving complex engineering problems.

Mirabror is a software engineering consultant at IBM specialising in backend/AI engineering. He has several years of experience across fintech and insurance sectors in IT consulting, including design, building and deployment of scalable software solu... Show more

Experienced Data & Business Analyst with experience in fintech, telecom, and consulting, specializing in credit risk analytics, portfolio performance monitoring, and data-driven strategy. Skilled in SQL, Python, Tableau, and predictive modeling to deliver actionable insights and optimize lending decisions.

Experienced Data & Business Analyst with experience in fintech, telecom, and consulting, specializing in credit risk analytics, portfolio performance monitoring, and data-driven strategy. Skilled in SQL, Python, Tableau, and predictive modeling to de... Show more

Paul is a seasoned data professional with over 30 years in Ireland’s financial services industry, bringing deep expertise in data transformation, analytics, and business intelligence.

Paul is a seasoned data professional with over 30 years in Ireland’s financial services industry, bringing deep expertise in data transformation, analytics, and business intelligence. Show more

Monica Houston is a multifaceted business advisor. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Master of Personal Financial Planning (MSPFP), she serves clients in the corporate, entrepreneurial, and personal finance arenas. In the corporate arena, she has overseen the risk assurance function for numerous entities as the Chief Audit Officer for 10+ years including South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission, National Futures Association, City of Modesto, CA and Cuyahoga County, OH. An inaugural alumnus of Ernst & Young, her audit and consulting experience spans over 30 years and includes numerous Fortune 500 companies. As principal of Monica Houston CPAs, she shepherds clients in the areas of business foundation, operations, strategy, and succession; helping them to successfully live out their dreams of entrepreneurship. She is co-author of The Black Woman’s Business Bible & Workbook. Her passion for legacy building and generational living, as well as her innate understanding of finances, has afforded her the opportunity to positively influence the financial futures of countless families as a teacher, mentor, coach, author, advocate, and board member of financial literacy programs.
A consummate professional, Monica is committed to her work and serves as a beacon for such in her community. She serves on the Academic Executive Committee of the Association of International Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). She also serves on the Audit Committee for Delta Community Credit Union, Georgia’s largest credit union with 26 branch offices and over $6 Billion in assets. She further serves as a member of the Syracuse University Multicultural Advancement Council, an organization that supports and advocates for African American and Latino alumni and students as well as manages and raises funds for the $3M+ Our Time Has Come Scholarship endowment fund. In the spirit of establishing legacy, she recently committed to the endowment of the SU Black and Latino Accounting Scholarship Fund.

Monica Houston is a multifaceted business advisor. As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and Master of Personal Financial Planning (MSPFP), she serves clients in the co... Show more

Ravi Rane, Senior Software Engineering Manager, is a technology lead on the Enterprise Data team, bringing over 18 years of experience in developing scalable and resilient data platforms. His background spans both startups and major corporations within the payment and banking sectors, including Capital One. Ravi is dedicated to fostering collaborative environments that prioritize clean code, scalable architecture and continuous delivery, ensuring the successful launch of impactful products.

Ravi Rane, Senior Software Engineering Manager, is a technology lead on the Enterprise Data team, bringing over 18 years of experience in developing scalable and resilient data platforms. His background spans both startups and major corporations with... Show more

Jairo Espinoza is a DevOps Engineer in the banking sector, with over 3 years of experience in automation and infrastructure. With a background in software development, he drives the adoption of IaC and modern practices that help software teams shift from a pipeline-focused approach to internal self-service platforms.

Jairo Espinoza is a DevOps Engineer in the banking sector, with over 3 years of experience in automation and infrastructure. With a background in software development, he drives the adoption of IaC and modern practices that help software teams shift ... Show more

A technology leader and entrepreneur, Ram specializes in building and coaching multicultural engineering teams, with expertise spanning software architecture, modern engineering practices, IT operations, values-based leadership, and cross-cultural collaboration. With a focus on FinTech, Mobile, IoT, Cloud, Data Management, AI, and DevOps, Ram practices a “people-first, business-next, technology-later” philosophy, leveraging collective wisdom to drive innovation and growth.

Drawing on diverse experiences across consulting, product development, and customer-facing organizations, Ram currently leads several engineering teams and oversees product engineering for an upcoming payments digital bank in the Dutch market. Previously, as Founder & CTO, Ram led FlyBy, an autonomous drone delivery startup recognized as a Top 30 Finalist in an EU-wide competition.

A technology leader and entrepreneur, Ram specializes in building and coaching multicultural engineering teams, with expertise spanning software architecture, modern engineering practices, IT operations, values-based leadership, and cross-cultural co... Show more

He studied Software Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology.

Early in his career, he worked as a tutor and later as an assistant lecturer on courses such as "Software Engineering and Project Management" and "Quality Software Engineering".

In recent years, he has been serving as Backend Chapter Lead and Architect at Erste Group, where he has contributed to building George, one of Europe’s leading online banking platforms.

He studied Software Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology. Early in his career, he worked as a tutor and later as an assistant lecturer on courses such as "Software Engineering and Project Management" and "Quality Software Engineering... Show more

Alistair started out as a Chartered Accountant, but always felt there was a more obvious and less bureaucratic way of delivering an outcome. He came across Agile in 2017 and never looked back. Here was a way of doing things and achieving results which confirmed what he had been trying to do all his life.

In 2003 Alistair and his wife decided that every year they would a) learn a new skill, b) do something new and c) go somewhere new. They are living proof that we can reclaim the natural agility we were born with.

Alistair started out as a Chartered Accountant, but always felt there was a more obvious and less bureaucratic way of delivering an outcome. He came across Agile in 2017 and never looked back. Here was a way of doing things and achieving results whic... Show more

Justin is a complete TypeScript nerd and expert in building financial systems. He's been building finance software for over 13 years and has invented a completely new ledgering method to create systems where it's impossible to create loss.

Justin is a complete TypeScript nerd and expert in building financial systems. He's been building finance software for over 13 years and has invented a completely new ledgering method to create systems where it's impossible to create loss. Show more

Erin Sykes’ perseverance and ability to anticipate trends are what have driven her success. Erin strives to help clients reach their unique goals with discreet, individualized attention and action-orientation.

Specializing in helping clients year-round in Palm Beach, The Hamptons, New York City, and the New Jersey coast, Erin utilizes her combined background in finance and construction to take an analytical and qualitative approach to amplifying clients’ return on investment.

With a background in commercial and luxury residential construction at her family’s 120+ year-old firm and certification as a LEED AP – New Construction, Erin understands how to optimize new development and intricate renovation using sustainable and architecturally-appropriate materials and methodology.

As a business news contributor, Erin is responsible for developing and translating real estate trend data into consumer and industry insights. She reports on monthly housing starts, new developments, rate changes and general industry trends for all major news outlets.

Erin is often interviewed by Fox Business News, CNBC, TODAY, CNN, NBC Nightly News, The Real Deal, Bloomberg, Mansion Global, Forbes, TechCrunch, and Inc. She holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor's in Finance and International Business from Villanova University.

Erin resides between Palm Beach, NYC & Longport, NJ and is deeply involved with the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, Opportunity, Inc., and the Southampton Hospital Foundation.

Follow Erin on Instagram and Twitter @SykesStyle

Erin Sykes’ perseverance and ability to anticipate trends are what have driven her success. Erin strives to help clients reach their unique goals with discreet, individualized attention and action-orientation. Specializing in helping clients year... Show more

Thorsten has been a consultant and key account manager in the Dynamics environment for 25 years. Previously, he was employed in industry as a financial controller. After 15 years of project business at various VARs, he has now been in charge of CKL Software GmbH for 10 years.

Thorsten has been a consultant and key account manager in the Dynamics environment for 25 years. Previously, he was employed in industry as a financial controller. After 15 years of project business at various VARs, he has now been in charge of CKL S... Show more

I have a degree in Accounting and Finance from UCLV, Cuba. I am passionate about the world of finance and how new technologies can bring value and efficiency to this sector. I am able to adapt to changes and learn new tools and methodologies. I consider myself a proactive and collaborative person with leadership skills. I have participated in several academic projects as a team leader, where I have demonstrated my ability to listen, communicate and make decisions together.

Currently I am a BaBI, and not precisely because of age, but because I have been learning about Business Intelligence (BI) as a little one, taking small steps, looking, interacting with data and tools and sometimes I have even run a little 🤓.

I have a degree in Accounting and Finance from UCLV, Cuba. I am passionate about the world of finance and how new technologies can bring value and efficiency to this sector. I am able to adapt to changes and learn new tools and methodologies. I consi... Show more

Soy un apasionado del Product Management con más de 15 años de experiencia desarrollando y escalando productos en la industria financiera, tanto en B2C como en B2B. Mi trayectoria se ha centrado en liderar y construir equipos de producto con un enfoque en el growth mindset, fomentando la colaboración, la innovación y la orientación a resultados para desarrollar negocios de impacto.

Mi enfoque combina estrategia basada en datos, comprensión profunda de los usuarios y un liderazgo centrado en el growth mindset. Creo firmemente en el poder de los equipos bien liderados: ágiles, autónomos y orientados a resultados. Juntos, logramos construir productos que no solo destacan, sino que también tienen un impacto duradero en los negocios.

Además, como mentor y coach en Product Management, apoyo a líderes y profesionales emergentes a superar desafíos, perfeccionar sus habilidades y crecer en sus carreras. Acompaño a Product Managers, CPOs y CEOs a desarrollar equipos alineados con la innovación, la colaboración y el crecimiento continuo.

Soy un apasionado del Product Management con más de 15 años de experiencia desarrollando y escalando productos en la industria financiera, tanto en B2C como en B2B. Mi trayectoria se ha centrado en liderar y construir equipos de producto con un enfoq... Show more

IT consulting and corporate professional with strongly positive attitude and significant experience
- Business intelligence modeling, using various tools, with 10+ years of finance industry knowledge
- Strong business orientation and strategic sense with hands-on experience in building and managing very efficient teams, leading successful organization wide projects, acting as key player and facilitator of significant organizational changes
- Embracing and interested in advanced technology and analytical methods used to create real value in organization’s decision making process
- More than a decade of development experience in databases and object oriented programming, using tools like Microsoft SQL Server, .NET, Oracle, Informatica, Business Objects and Tableau

Fluent with English and using German as a working language. I'm also experienced in holding lectures, conference presentations as well as trainings.

Interested in B- and C-level positions in banking, and CTO and similar roles in other industries.

IT consulting and corporate professional with strongly positive attitude and significant experience - Business intelligence modeling, using various tools, with 10+ years of finance industry knowledge - Strong business orientation and strategic sens... Show more

Laurens is a technology and innovation enthusiast with an academic background in humanities. He is passionate about linguistics, effective communication, and fostering collaboration to drive business value. Laurens aims to combine these competences to get the right people in the same room to work together and create innovative solutions.

As Product Owner of the EKS and AKS platforms at NN Group, a leading Dutch financial enterprise, Laurens leads a team focused on platform engineering. The team's goal is to deliver more than just a container runtime, as they are building a standardized platform for building platforms. Their mission is to deliver a universal and extensible cloud-native API in order to improve the developer experience on the platform.

Laurens is a technology and innovation enthusiast with an academic background in humanities. He is passionate about linguistics, effective communication, and fostering collaboration to drive business value. Laurens aims to combine these competences t... Show more

Enzo Villani is a serial entrepreneur and corporate strategist for Fortune 500 companies, startups, private equity funds, and fintech companies. Mr. Villani is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Transform Holdings and Founder of Alpha Liquid Terminal, the first all-In terminal to provide best-execution across all tradable assets.

Alpha Transform Holdings (ATH) has three distinct business lines. Asset Management and Venture Investing, this includes Alpha Sigma Capital Web 3 Fund and Alpha Liquid OTC Momentum Fund. ATH second business line are Products and Services that assist digital asset market participants. These products include Content Syndicate and Blockchain Wire. With over 4500 customers, Blockchain Wire is the leading press release news distribution in crypto.

Enzo is the founder of the Alpha Liquid Terminal, dedicated to creating a single terminal that can be leveraged across market participants for research, investing and trading in cryptocurrencies, RWAs, private share markets, equities, and options, empowered by AI.

Mr. Villani was Chief Strategy Officer of Transform Group. Transform Group represented the launch of over 47% of the alt-coin market capitalization in 2019 and was the head of international strategy and innovation at OKX.

Throughout his career, Enzo has raised $1B as a corporate strategist, private equity partner and M&A entrepreneur. Mr. Villani was co-founder of Nasdaq Global Corporate Solutions, and two strategic M&A consolidations focused in the areas of public company stakeholder solutions. Mr. Villani was Chief Strategy Officer representing over 10,000 public company including the Nasdaq 100, DJIA, and FTSE 50. Mr. Villani holds an MBA from The Johnson School at Cornell University.

Enzo Villani is a serial entrepreneur and corporate strategist for Fortune 500 companies, startups, private equity funds, and fintech companies. Mr. Villani is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Transform Holdings and Founder of Alpha Liqu... Show more

Leading the charge for Backpack in Europe, an ecosystem comprising Backpack Exchange, a fully regulated crypto exchange, Backpack Wallet, a self-custodial wallet, and Mad Lads, the top NFT community on Solana.

Brings 14+ years of experience working at global financial institutions, new ventures and regulated virtual assets service providers, lectures about Crypto at the College of Europe, the leading postgraduate school for European public policy, and is a proud MadLad.

Leading the charge for Backpack in Europe, an ecosystem comprising Backpack Exchange, a fully regulated crypto exchange, Backpack Wallet, a self-custodial wallet, and Mad Lads, the top NFT community on Solana. Brings 14+ years of experience workin... Show more

With 13+ years at Barclays, Deloitte and now at 3VRM, Andrew drives digital transformation through strategic expertise and global technology implementations

With 13+ years at Barclays, Deloitte and now at 3VRM, Andrew drives digital transformation through strategic expertise and global technology implementations Show more

Jamie Trull is a Financial Literacy Coach and Profit Strategist who helps small business owners understand the finance side of their business. Prior to becoming an online entrepreneur, Jamie spent her career rising in the ranks of Finance Leadership in the Coca-Cola System. After leaving the Corporate world in search of a more balanced and fulfilling life, Jamie leveraged her background and her CPA designation to serve women-owned businesses as a Virtual CFO. Recognizing that there was a lack of truly accessible and understandable financial education resources for small business owners, Jamie pivoted her business toward creating resources to help fill that gap and impact more people. Today Jamie has helped tens of thousands of business owners feel more confident about their finances through her resources and programs.
Jamie recently founded a second business, Power in Numbers, which is a marketplace designed to allow small business owners to access digital products and services offered by a variety of financial professionals.

Jamie Trull is a Financial Literacy Coach and Profit Strategist who helps small business owners understand the finance side of their business. Prior to becoming an online entrepreneur, Jamie spent her career rising in the ranks of Finance Leadership ... Show more

Henry Gilbert, PhD is Head of AI & Data Infrastructure at Arta Finance, where he leads global teams building low‑latency trading pipelines, large‑scale data‑ingestion systems, and the LLM‑powered advisory agents that serve Arta’s clients. A former principal engineer in quantitative finance, Henry has spent the past year translating that rigor into safe, regulator‑ready large‑language‑model tooling for wealth management. He is a seasoned presenter, with talks ranging from deep‑tech LLM conferences to live investor demos, and is equally comfortable coding on the front line or steering cross‑functional engineering roadmaps. ​

Henry Gilbert, PhD is Head of AI & Data Infrastructure at Arta Finance, where he leads global teams building low‑latency trading pipelines, large‑scale data‑ingestion systems, and the LLM‑powered advisory agents that serve Arta’s clients. A former pr... Show more

Denis joined Morgan Stanley in March, 2023 as an Enterprise Architect within Tech Strategy. In this role, he partners with the divisional architecture groups maturing the architectural culture and enabling Tech Strategy and Modernization initiatives across the firm.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Denis served as a Director of Transformation & Innovation for the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). In that role, he was responsible for architecture frameworks, enablement pipelines and product/service lines for Private and Public Cloud. Prior to that role, Denis led the firms first DevOps Program that included the introduction of Agile, Application and Infrastructure Modernization and Developer Productivity initiatives. In both roles, he was an active advocate for developer productivity, architecture as a service and open-source initiatives.

Denis passionate about client impact, delivering value and maturing the organization by bringing technology and business together.

Denis joined Morgan Stanley in March, 2023 as an Enterprise Architect within Tech Strategy. In this role, he partners with the divisional architecture groups maturing the architectural culture and enabling Tech Strategy and Modernization initiatives ... Show more

Ionut Sontea is an experienced Agile Organizational Coach with more than 12 years’ experience working in different agile roles from Scrum Master to Agile Coach.

Working in the Head-Office team of Agile Coaches that supports the change of the entire Group into an adaptive organization.

While extensively supporting 2 of the Raiffeisen Network Banks in their overall adaptive transformation, he has worked on all levels of the organization, wearing different hats based on the needs: change agent, organizational coach, scrum master, personal coach, team coach, trainer or mentor.

In his role he is working with different areas of the organization from platform to product and customer journey teams, helping business and IT work together in their agile journey.

Ionut Sontea is an experienced Agile Organizational Coach with more than 12 years’ experience working in different agile roles from Scrum Master to Agile Coach. Working in the Head-Office team of Agile Coaches that supports the change of the enti... Show more

Alan is a seasoned technology leader with 20+ years in digital transformation and operational excellence across the investment banking sector. Spearheading multimillion-pound initiatives in technology change, pricing and regulatory compliance in the UK, Europe, and the US, he's known for driving strategy and commercial success using disruptive technology and customer-centric delivery.

Alan is a seasoned technology leader with 20+ years in digital transformation and operational excellence across the investment banking sector. Spearheading multimillion-pound initiatives in technology change, pricing and regulatory compliance in the ... Show more