Finance & Banking

Experienced individuals involved in financial services, including banking, investment, insurance, and real estate

Dinoy Raj

Dinoy Raj

Dinoy Raj is a Product Engineer and Android specialist with a deep focus on building scalable, high-performance mobile experiences using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. Currently at Strollby, he architects multi-module B2B and B2C travel applications, specializing in unified design systems and complex booking infrastructures.

Recognized as one of the most active speakers of 2025 on Sessionize ranking in the top 3% of 71,000+ speakers globally Dinoy is a frequent face at international conferences. He has shared his expertise on On-Device AI, custom launchers, and modern Android architecture at Droidcon Abu Dhabi ’25, Droidcon Uganda '25, DevFest Dubai ’25, DevFest Mumbai ’25. Dinoy will be also Speaking at FOSSASIA 2026.

A pioneer in the mobile AI space, Dinoy has successfully integrated On-Device AI into production apps, leveraging Google Gemini Nano and the Prompt API to create "Smart Search" features and "Generative UI" frameworks. He is also the creator of Simple Launcher: Minimalist.

Dinoy Raj is a Product Engineer and Android specialist with a deep focus on building scalable, high-performance mobile experiences using Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. Currently at Strollby, he architects multi-module B2B and B2C travel applications, sp... Show more

David Drever

David Drever

David is an Associate Director with Protiviti Canada and a 10-time Microsoft 365 & Security MVP with 25 years of experience working within information technology. For 20 years, David has assisted organizations to collaborate efficiently and effectively within SharePoint and Microsoft 365. David assists companies to understand their compliance needs and how to protect their data. He has helped organizations build data protection programs to safeguard their most sensitive information while ensuring the business can collaborate and work with their content. Over the past 25 years, David has built a great deal of experience in a wide variety of areas in IT, ranging from Desktop\Server support to development in C++ and .NET technologies. He has added value to many clients in several sectors, including utilities, government, banking, and agriculture.

David is a knowledgeable and sought-after international speaker within IT circles and is consulted regularly by companies formulating their digital workplace strategies and compliance platforms.

David blogs at http://daviddrever.com

David is an Associate Director with Protiviti Canada and a 10-time Microsoft 365 & Security MVP with 25 years of experience working within information technology. For 20 years, David has assisted organizations to collaborate efficiently and effective... Show more

Balkrishna Rawool

Balkrishna Rawool

Balkrishna works as an engineering lead at ING Bank. He is a frequent speaker at renowned tech conferences. He has passion for continuous learning and genuine desire to sharing knowledge. Although he has been working with Java for many years, he finds latest developments in Java quite exciting. He is also an Oracle ACE Associate for Java.

Balkrishna works as an engineering lead at ING Bank. He is a frequent speaker at renowned tech conferences. He has passion for continuous learning and genuine desire to sharing knowledge. Although he has been working with Java for many years, he find... Show more

Samir Makwana

Samir Makwana

Samir Makwana empowers enterprises and government agencies to harness the full power of Microsoft Cloud—and especially its cutting-edge AI stack—to build secure, value-driven businesses. With 17 years as a software developer, pre-sales engineer, and solution architect, he’s architected end-to-end IT transformations that blend security, automation, and collaboration.

A true AI evangelist, Samir designs PoCs and production systems leveraging Azure AI services (Cognitive Services, Azure OpenAI, Semantic Kernel), Copilot Studio, and Power Platform AI—applying deep prompt engineering, vector search/RAG patterns, and grounding techniques to deliver next-gen user experiences. He’s integrated generative AI agents into Office 365 and custom apps, automated workflows with Power Automate and Logic Apps, and secured data with Zero Trust and Microsoft Purview.

As Founder & Principal Architect of Cloudtrify Inc., Samir crafts both short- and long-term cloud-native and AI solutions that drive ROI, user adoption, and maintainability—always with responsible AI and compliance top-of-mind.

Samir Makwana empowers enterprises and government agencies to harness the full power of Microsoft Cloud—and especially its cutting-edge AI stack—to build secure, value-driven businesses. With 17 years as a software developer, pre-sales engineer, and ... Show more

Maryleen Amaizu

Maryleen Amaizu

Dr. Maryleen Amaizu is a seasoned machine learning engineer and AI specialist with extensive experience developing privacy-aware AI and data solutions across diverse domains including healthcare, finance, public sector, and beyond. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where she focused on privacy-preserving machine learning systems.

At Redgate Software, Maryleen builds privacy-aware AI-integrated software to ensure compliance and safe test data sharing. She has worked on synthetic data generation, text anonymisation, LLM-based masking dataset generation, intelligent PII classification, and privacy evaluation framework.

Her expertise and impact have been recognized with several accolades, including the AI Champion of the Year award by Bupa Everywoman in Technology in 2025 and the Excellence Award in Data Protection and Information Privacy from the Young CISO Network in 2022.

Dr. Maryleen Amaizu is a seasoned machine learning engineer and AI specialist with extensive experience developing privacy-aware AI and data solutions across diverse domains including healthcare, finance, public sector, and beyond. She holds a PhD in... Show more

Abid Jamil

Abid Jamil

Abid Jamil is a software engineering leader, author, and international technology speaker based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with over a decade of experience building and scaling technology products.

Currently an Engineering Manager at Gathern, he leads engineering teams across growth, fintech, and payments, focusing on scalable systems, engineering excellence, and delivering measurable business outcomes.

Throughout his career, Abid has worked across fintech, e-commerce, logistics, travel, classifieds, and education. His expertise spans engineering leadership, software architecture, system design, cloud computing, mobile development, and performance engineering.

Beyond his professional career, Abid is an active contributor to the global technology community. He has spoken at international conferences, including droidcon, DevFest, and AWS Community Day. He is also a former university lecturer and has authored more than 18 research publications.

He is the author of *The Engineer's Operating System: 18 Lessons to Build Your Skills, Visibility, Network, and Leadership* and *Crack Backend Interviews: A Progressive Guide from Junior Backend Engineer to Head of Engineering*.

Through his books, speaking engagements, and writing, Abid shares practical lessons from real-world engineering challenges, career development, and leadership, helping engineers grow beyond writing code and build meaningful, sustainable careers.

Learn more at https://abidjamil.com.

Abid Jamil is a software engineering leader, author, and international technology speaker based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with over a decade of experience building and scaling technology products. Currently an Engineering Manager at Gathern, he lea... Show more

Budhaditya Bhattacharya

Budhaditya Bhattacharya

Budha is the Director of Product Ecosystem at Tyk, where he leads product education, ecosystem expansion, and adoption of open standards. He is the co-creator of the API platform maturity model, course instructor, conference speaker, and host of Tyk's annual LEAP conferences.

As the elected board chair of the OpenAPI Initiative, he is responsible for increasing membership, defining the value proposition, and driving the adoption of OAS, Arazzo, and Overlays.

Part product strategist, part developer advocate, and part storyteller, he’s on a mission to remove friction from API ecosystems by breaking down tech complexities preferably with a great metaphor and a well-placed pun.

Budha is the Director of Product Ecosystem at Tyk, where he leads product education, ecosystem expansion, and adoption of open standards. He is the co-creator of the API platform maturity model, course instructor, conference speaker, and host of Tyk'... Show more

Natalie Johnson

Natalie Johnson

Natalie Johnson is a renowned consultant, performance coach, author and business motivational speaker with over three decades of experience transforming cultures worldwide. As the Co-founder and Chief Visionary of Vidl Work, Natalie specializes in optimizing organizational performance by increasing energy, fostering team connections, and developing courageous leaders.

With a background in human performance, including psychology, physiology, and resilience, Natalie is a sought-after speaker and trainer, known for her engaging, high-energy presentations. Her impactful work has earned her numerous accolades, including the Enterprising Women of the Year Award, Champion of Healthcare, and Business Leader Woman Extraordinaire.

Natalie's dynamic speaking style and expertise in topics such as intentional culture, leadership development, and effective communication have made her a respected figure in the business world. Her ability to inspire and empower audiences to achieve their full potential has made her a valuable asset to organizations seeking to thrive in today's competitive landscape.

Natalie Johnson is a renowned consultant, performance coach, author and business motivational speaker with over three decades of experience transforming cultures worldwide. As the Co-founder and Chief Visionary of Vidl Work, Natalie specializes in op... Show more

Jean-Yves Klein

Jean-Yves Klein

Senior Agile Coach, Jean-Yves Klein has worn many hats: developer, project manager, program director, head of IT… This diverse background gives him a 360° view of agility — from hands-on delivery to executive strategy.

Certified in PMI, SAFe, and Disciplined Agile, he has coached teams across IT, mechanical engineering, electronics, marketing, and legal. His approach is always tailored to the team, the project, and the organization — no cookie-cutter solutions here.

A passionate educator, he has designed over 10 Serious Games, including several with LEGO, to bring Agile, SAFe, DevOps, and key roles like Product Owner and Scrum Master to life. With him, learning is hands-on, fun, and unforgettable.

Senior Agile Coach, Jean-Yves Klein has worn many hats: developer, project manager, program director, head of IT… This diverse background gives him a 360° view of agility — from hands-on delivery to executive strategy. Certified in PMI, SAFe, and ... Show more

Manpreet Singh

Manpreet Singh

Manpreet leads the Modern Workplace AI Solutions Team at Cognizant, where he designs and scales transformative Microsoft-based solutions for global enterprises. Partnering with leadership across diverse verticals—from Media and Entertainment to Financial Services and Healthcare—Manpreet orchestrates Agentic AI strategies that move beyond simple automation to create truly autonomous, intelligent ecosystems. His mission is to redefine the "Agentic Experience," ensuring that AI doesn't just respond to prompts but proactively solves business friction for global customers. As a Microsoft MVP in M365 and AI, he bridges the gap between complex architectural innovation and real-world business impact.

Beyond his leadership at Cognizant, Manpreet is a titan in the technical community. A revered MVP, his insights have reached a staggering 10 million+ readers through his extensive library of articles and blogs. He is the driving force behind numerous annual boot camps, hackathons, and fundraisers, all aimed at nurturing the next generation of tech talent. Whether he is architecting a unified AI Command Center for a Fortune 500 firm or mentoring the next generation of developers, Manpreet is driven by a relentless "human-first" philosophy. Amidst the rapid evolution of the AI landscape, he remains easily recognizable by his warm smile—a reflection of his genuine passion for empowering organizations to achieve more through the power of Agentic AI.

Manpreet leads the Modern Workplace AI Solutions Team at Cognizant, where he designs and scales transformative Microsoft-based solutions for global enterprises. Partnering with leadership across diverse verticals—from Media and Entertainment to Finan... Show more

Sandra Kiel

Sandra Kiel

Sandra is a Microsoft MVP, speaker, and entrepreneur driven by one question: how can digital work feel more intuitive, motivating, and human? As founder of a company rooted in gaming and interactive experiences, she brings game thinking into the Microsoft ecosystem—from Microsoft 365 and Copilot experiences to Business applications and Collaboration workflows. Sandra translates proven game UX patterns into adoption-friendly solutions that help people navigate complexity with confidence.

Beyond technology, Sandra is a passionate community builder. She actively creates spaces where people connect, learn, and grow and she is especially committed to helping new speakers find their voice. Because her own speaker journey started late, she knows how intimidating the stage can feel. As a woman in tech, she also understands what it takes to be seen and taken seriously, and she mentors others to step forward, build confidence, and shape their own path in the community.

Sandra is a Microsoft MVP, speaker, and entrepreneur driven by one question: how can digital work feel more intuitive, motivating, and human? As founder of a company rooted in gaming and interactive experiences, she brings game thinking into the Micr... Show more

Marcus Noble

Marcus Noble

Marcus is a platform engineer at Monzo, a UK based bank committed to making money work for everyone, helping build their infrastructure platform. His main area of focus in recent years has been around Go, Kubernetes, containers and DevOps but originally started out as a web developer and JavaScript enthusiast. A self-described “tinkerer”, when not building Kubernetes solutions, Marcus likes to dabble with 3D printing and experimenting with smart home tech.

Marcus is a platform engineer at Monzo, a UK based bank committed to making money work for everyone, helping build their infrastructure platform. His main area of focus in recent years has been around Go, Kubernetes, containers and DevOps but origina... Show more

Rob Sewell

Rob Sewell

Rob was a SQL Server DBA with a passion for PowerShell, Azure, Automation, and SQL (PaaS geddit?). Now he just helps people make things. He is a Data Platform MVP and an Azure MVP, a PowerShell Conference Europe organiser, and maintainer of many open-source projects. He has spoken at and volunteered at many Data and PowerShell events all over the world. He is a proud supporter of the Data and PowerShell communities.

He relishes sharing and learning and can be found doing both via Social Medias and his blog. He spends most of his time looking at a screen and loves to solve problems. He knows that looking at a screen so much is bad for him because his wife tells him so. Thus, he is often out riding his bike as his eyes are not good enough to play cricket any more.

He has a fabulous beard

Rob was a SQL Server DBA with a passion for PowerShell, Azure, Automation, and SQL (PaaS geddit?). Now he just helps people make things. He is a Data Platform MVP and an Azure MVP, a PowerShell Conference Europe organiser, and maintainer of many open... Show more

Timothy Spann

Timothy Spann

Tim Spann is the Senior Solution Engineer - Financial Services working with Snowflake, Cortex AI, Apache NiFi, Apache Iceberg, Python, Apache Polaris, Streamlit, Cloud Data, Vectors, Data, Generative AI, ML, Hugging Face, Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, Pytorch, big data, the IoT, machine learning, and deep learning. Tim has over a decade of experience with the IoT, big data, distributed computing, streaming technologies, and Java programming. Previously, he was a Principal Developer Advocate at Zilliz/Milvus, Principal Developer Advocate at Cloudera, Developer Advocate at StreamNative, Principal Field Engineer at Cloudera, a Senior Solutions Architect at AirisData and a senior field engineer at Pivotal. He holds a BS and MS in computer science.

https://medium.com/@tspann
https://www.youtube.com/@FLaNK-Stack

Tim Spann is the Senior Solution Engineer - Financial Services working with Snowflake, Cortex AI, Apache NiFi, Apache Iceberg, Python, Apache Polaris, Streamlit, Cloud Data, Vectors, Data, Generative AI, ML, Hugging Face, Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, ... Show more

Pat Petersen

Pat Petersen

Pat Petersen is a Director at RSM US LLP, a leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services. He has more than 20 years of experience in Information Technology and leads the Collaboration and Voice consulting practice at RSM. Pat specializes in Microsoft 365 platforms, such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, PowerApps, Power Automate, and Copilot. In addition, he has extensive knowledge and experience in administration and training on these platforms and has conducted various customer immersion experiences and training sessions for RSM clients.

Pat Petersen is a Director at RSM US LLP, a leading provider of audit, tax and consulting services. He has more than 20 years of experience in Information Technology and leads the Collaboration and Voice consulting practice at RSM. Pat specializes in... Show more

Ryan Edge

Ryan Edge

Ryan Edge is a software engineer and Flutter GDE living in Charlotte, North Carolina. His primary focus is front-end mobile and web development using Flutter and React. His secondary focus is back-end development with technologies including Node.js, GraphQL, Vercel, Supabase, and Firebase. He is a co-author of the "Cross-Platform UIs with Flutter" book.

Ryan Edge has 10+ years of experience ranging from maintaining large-scale systems to developing internal and commercial web, mobile, and desktop applications using various technologies.

Ryan Edge is a community organizer of Flutter Charlotte and GDG Charlotte. He is passionate about creating software that has a tangible positive impact on the lives of its users, furthering diversity in the developer community, and mentoring young software engineers.

Ryan Edge is a software engineer and Flutter GDE living in Charlotte, North Carolina. His primary focus is front-end mobile and web development using Flutter and React. His secondary focus is back-end development with technologies including Node.js,... Show more

Elliott Leighton-Woodruff

Elliott Leighton-Woodruff

Enterprise Architect and Microsoft MVP specialising in Azure and Infrastructure as Code for regulated industries.
With deep expertise in Azure architecture, platform engineering and cloud-native technologies, I deliver solutions that strengthen compliance, unlock efficiency, and empower transformation.
I’m passionate about sharing knowledge, writing technical blogs, presenting at conferences, and mentoring the next generation of cloud professionals. I help teams and individuals build secure, auditable systems that drive real business outcomes in the UK and beyond.

Enterprise Architect and Microsoft MVP specialising in Azure and Infrastructure as Code for regulated industries. With deep expertise in Azure architecture, platform engineering and cloud-native technologies, I deliver solutions that strengthen com... Show more

Ángel Díaz-Maroto Álvarez

Ángel Díaz-Maroto Álvarez

Angel is an energetic and forward-thinking Agile coach specializing in leadership development and organizational agility. His pragmatism and experience in organizational coaching and Business Agility are the driving forces behind his methods. Throughout his 15+ years of hands-on experience as a coach, trainer, and mentor, Angel has provided expert guidance to organizations and Agile leaders in North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Angel’s leadership has been particularly notorious at the ING Group, where he has performed as the first Agile Champion at ING Spain and chairman of the first Global ING Agile Experts Group since 2010. He has also supported companies from more than 40 countries, contributing to the Agile journeys of King, Toyota, Falabella, Banco de Chile, Roche, BBVA, Sunhotels, DEWA, FAB, PZU Group and the Catalan Institute of Oncology.

Angel holds the Scrum Alliance’s highest-level certifications in the field. Being the first Spanish CST (Certified Scrum Trainer), the first Spanish CEC (Certified Enterprise Coach), and the first European CALE (Certified Agile Leadership Educator).

Angel is also a PCC (Certified Professional Coach) by the International Coach Federation, a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), Certified specialist in team coaching and systemic leadership, Management 3.0 facilitator, Certified Kanban Management Professional (KMP), Certified LargeScaleScrum Practitioner (CLP), Certified SAFe® Program Consultant (SPC), Licensed NLP Practitioner and TTI-certified Behaviour and Motivation Analyst.

In addition, Angel has participated as a speaker and keynote at more than 60 international conferences and Agile events worldwide and has been a significant contributor to the international Agile community since 2009.

Angel is an energetic and forward-thinking Agile coach specializing in leadership development and organizational agility. His pragmatism and experience in organizational coaching and Business Agility are the driving forces behind his methods. Through... Show more

Uwe Ricken

Uwe Ricken

Uwe Ricken has been working with IT systems since the early 1990s, with a deep focus on Microsoft SQL Server starting from his work on Membership Software for the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany - later rolled out across five European countries. His passion for SQL Server took off in 2007 when he joined Deutsche Bank AG as a database administrator, gaining hands-on experience in high-performance, enterprise-scale environments.

With over three decades of experience in database development and operations, Uwe earned the prestigious "Microsoft Certified Master – SQL Server 2008", the highest technical certification at the time. In 2013, he was honored with his first "Microsoft MVP Award" for his contributions to the SQL Server community across Germany and Europe.

Since 2010, Uwe has been sharing his expertise through his blog https://sqlmaster.de, offering deep dives into SQL Server internals, performance tuning, and real-world troubleshooting.

A regular speaker at international conferences and user groups, Uwe’s sessions focus on Database Internals, Indexing Strategies and Advanced SQL Development - always with a practical, performance-driven mindset.

Uwe Ricken has been working with IT systems since the early 1990s, with a deep focus on Microsoft SQL Server starting from his work on Membership Software for the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany - later rolled out across five European countri... Show more

Danica Fine

Danica Fine

Danica began her career as a software engineer in financial services and pivoted to developer relations, where she focussed primarily on open source technologies such as Apache Kafka® and Apache Flink®. She now leads the open source advocacy efforts at Snowflake, supporting Apache Iceberg™ and Apache Polaris™, serves as a Jupyter Foundation Board member, and is a member of the Apache Software Foundation.

She can be found on X (Bluesky and Mastodon) @TheDanicaFine.

Danica began her career as a software engineer in financial services and pivoted to developer relations, where she focussed primarily on open source technologies such as Apache Kafka® and Apache Flink®. She now leads the open source advocacy efforts ... Show more

Magno Logan

Magno Logan

Magno Logan is the Head of Product Security at Fellow.ai and focuses on AppSec reviews, security architecture, and fostering a positive security culture. He contributed to MITRE ATT&CK for Containers, published research on Kubernetes, container, and CI/CD supply-chain attacks, and maintains awesome-k8s-security on GitHub. His recent work focuses on AI security.
He is also a Cyber Training Specialist at the Bank of Canada and an Investor and Advisor at GoHacking, where he has taught more than 35k students. Magno founded Brazil's OWASP Paraíba chapter in 2011 and has spoken at DEF CON, KubeCon, SecTor, NorthSec, Global AppSec, SANS, and BSides.

Magno Logan is the Head of Product Security at Fellow.ai and focuses on AppSec reviews, security architecture, and fostering a positive security culture. He contributed to MITRE ATT&CK for Containers, published research on Kubernetes, container, and ... Show more

Hannah Olukoye

Hannah Olukoye

Great people build great technology. That belief shapes how I lead.

I’m an Engineering Manager with experience across fintech, banking, and automotive. I started out building engineering teams from scratch at fast-growing startups in digital healthcare and entertainment, and that early work still informs how I approach team design and culture.

My work centers on three things: simplifying complexity, reducing friction in how developers build and ship, and applying AI-assisted workflows only where they genuinely empower engineers. I also coach and mentor others, especially women, to pursue careers in tech.

Great people build great technology. That belief shapes how I lead. I’m an Engineering Manager with experience across fintech, banking, and automotive. I started out building engineering teams from scratch at fast-growing startups in digital healt... Show more

Brian Odhiambo

Brian Odhiambo

Senior Mobile Engineer, Google Developer Expert and mobile architect based in Nairobi, Kenya. I build robust applications and help engineering teams across Sub-Saharan Africa optimize their mobile workflows. With a deep passion for build products users love and scalable mobile architecture. Am a Google for Startups Africa mentor, guiding regional startups on Android architecture and engineering efficiency.

Senior Mobile Engineer, Google Developer Expert and mobile architect based in Nairobi, Kenya. I build robust applications and help engineering teams across Sub-Saharan Africa optimize their mobile workflows. With a deep passion for build products use... Show more

Stéphane Di Cesare

Stéphane Di Cesare

Stéphane Di Cesare is a Senior Platform Engineer, focusing on platform architecture and platform experience at the German online bank DKB. He is helping to increase the adoption of the bank's container platform by acting as an advocate for the platform users, and ensuring that the platform is finding the best compromise between user needs and business needs.
He is a former Accenture and VMware employee, and has background with technology consulting, infrastructure automation, sales, support and QA.

Stéphane Di Cesare is a Senior Platform Engineer, focusing on platform architecture and platform experience at the German online bank DKB. He is helping to increase the adoption of the bank's container platform by acting as an advocate for the platfo... Show more

Eric D. Schabell

Eric D. Schabell

Eric is renowned in the development community as a speaker, lecturer, author, baseball expert, open source maintainer and CNCF Ambassador. As Technology Advocate Lead at SUSE, he chooses roles that allow him to help the world understand the challenges they are facing with cloud native, development, and observability. He brings a unique perspective to the stage with a professional life dedicated to sharing his deep expertise of open source technologies and organizations. More on https://www.schabell.org.

Eric is renowned in the development community as a speaker, lecturer, author, baseball expert, open source maintainer and CNCF Ambassador. As Technology Advocate Lead at SUSE, he chooses roles that allow him to help the world understand the challenge... Show more

Javiera Laso

Javiera Laso

I’m a Lead software engineer and architect with a background in biotechnology. I specialize in modernizing legacy systems, transforming them into scalable, efficient, and maintainable solutions. I focus on applying Domain-Driven Design (DDD) principles to create software that not only meets technical requirements but also aligns with business goals.

I have experience designing modular, cloud-ready architectures and using techniques like microservices and event-driven design to solve complex challenges. I’m passionate about continuous learning and improvement, and I enjoy mentoring teams and promoting best practices in software development. My approach combines deep technical knowledge with a practical understanding of business objectives, ensuring that the solutions I deliver are both effective and future-ready.

I’m a Lead software engineer and architect with a background in biotechnology. I specialize in modernizing legacy systems, transforming them into scalable, efficient, and maintainable solutions. I focus on applying Domain-Driven Design (DDD) principl... Show more

Jeff Watkins

Jeff Watkins

Founder of NorthStar Intelligence, Jeff Watkins, is a seasoned CAIO, CTO and CPTO who has spent his career leading technology, product, and AI organisations through rapid growth and reinvention. He’s steered engineering, product, cloud, cybersecurity, and AI strategy teams through major transformations, turning ambitious ideas into secure, human-centred digital experiences for some of the world’s best-known brands.

A lifelong technologist, Jeff brings over 25 years of hands-on experience across financial services, healthcare, the public sector and retail. He’s founded and led multiple cybersecurity teams and is a vocal champion of secure-by-design practices for generative AI. With an MSc in Cybersecurity and a second Master’s in Artificial Intelligence, he’s currently researching and writing a book on the topic of anthropomorphised LLM agents and deception detection.

On the international circuit, Jeff is a sought-after keynote speaker, headlining events such as Webinale (Berlin), AppDevCon (Amsterdam), the International JavaScript Conference (London), and Edinburgh Napier’s PlusEquals5 summit. His candid, story-driven take on the collision of AI, cybersecurity, culture and human behaviour resonates with audiences from engineers to executives.
He also co-hosts the multi-award-winning Compromising Positions podcast, where he interviews psychologists, anthropologists, UX researchers and security leaders to bring fresh, outsider insight to cyber. His thought leadership has been featured in Wired, Forbes, Raconteur, IT Pro, Business Cloud, and Information Age, and he’s a regular commentator for the wider technology and security press.

Whether mentoring emerging leaders, building prototypes, or demystifying AI on stage, Jeff’s mission is simple: build technology that elevates people, never the other way around.

Founder of NorthStar Intelligence, Jeff Watkins, is a seasoned CAIO, CTO and CPTO who has spent his career leading technology, product, and AI organisations through rapid growth and reinvention. He’s steered engineering, product, cloud, cybersecurity... Show more

Jigyasa Grover

Jigyasa Grover

12-time award-winning AI visionary and 'Sculpting Data For ML' author Jigyasa Grover drives rider personalization innovation at Uber after transforming Twitter/X, Facebook/Meta, Faire, and Bordo AI with large-scale ML systems. Handpicked by Google for their I/O keynote, she serves on Google's Developer Advisory Board while advising social search engine Diem and other Silicon Valley startups.

As a sought-after LinkedIn Learning instructor, Jigyasa educates thousands of professionals worldwide on cutting-edge AI-powered applications and agentic AI systems, solidifying her status as a thought leader in artificial intelligence education. As a Google Developer Expert, Women Techmaker Ambassador, and World Economic Forum Global Shaper, Jigyasa has also been featured in Business Insider, VentureBeat, and International Business Times, and has elevated panels with Harvard University, Preston-Werner Ventures, Norwegian Business School, Humanitarian Frontier in AI, Women in Data, and more to her name.

The UC San Diego alumna has secured funding from the Canadian and Norwegian governments, the Linux Foundation, and multiple tech giants, enabling work that transcends geographical boundaries. With 200+ media features and contributions to open source recognized by Apache and Python Software Foundations, she mentors next-generation talent while shaping AI's future through advisory roles at Bezoku AI, Las Positas College, and various AI forums.

12-time award-winning AI visionary and 'Sculpting Data For ML' author Jigyasa Grover drives rider personalization innovation at Uber after transforming Twitter/X, Facebook/Meta, Faire, and Bordo AI with large-scale ML systems. Handpicked by Google fo... Show more

Ginger Grant

Ginger Grant

Ginger Grant is a distinguished Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), renowned for her deep expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, AI, data warehousing, and the evolving landscape of Microsoft Fabric. As a sought-after consultant, Ginger empowers organizations to harness the full potential of their data ecosystems.

Beyond consulting, Ginger is a prolific thought leader and speaker for both keynotes and technical training. She contributes regularly as a columnist for Code Magazine, authors insightful books, and shares practical knowledge on her blog, DesertIsleSQL.com. Her educational impact spans a wide range of technologies, including Azure Synapse Analytics, Python, and Azure Machine Learning, making her a trusted voice in the data community.

Whether on stage, in print, or in the classroom, Ginger’s passion for data and commitment to knowledge-sharing make her a standout figure in the world of data and AI.

Ginger Grant is a distinguished Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), renowned for her deep expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, AI, data warehousing, and the evolving landscape of Microsoft Fabric. As a sou... Show more

Ram Bansal

Ram Bansal

As Developer Advocate, Ram prioritizes empowering and educating developers on how to use technology to create innovative products, features, and services. Ram can typically be found conversing with the VAST developer community in order to better understand their needs and facilitate product development that helps to maximize their value. Prior to VAST, Ram was a senior developer advocate at Nylas, senior software engineer at Drop and Rangle.io. He holds a degree in engineering.

As Developer Advocate, Ram prioritizes empowering and educating developers on how to use technology to create innovative products, features, and services. Ram can typically be found conversing with the VAST developer community in order to better unde... Show more

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