Inspired by those in the community that have gone before me, I try to share what I learn by looking at what the services from Microsoft can offer, understanding challenges people have and bringing those two things together. Having learned from 13 years in Financial Services, I moved into the world of consulting, currently acting as Director, owning Copilot and Agents within the UK at Avanade.

I am lucky enough to have been awarded as a Microsoft MVP in Microsoft 365 for Copilot and Copilot Extensibility and co-host the award winning Copilot Connection podcast as well as blogging and sharing videos.

Inspired by those in the community that have gone before me, I try to share what I learn by looking at what the services from Microsoft can offer, understanding challenges people have and bringing those two things together. Having learned from 13 yea... Show more

Software Engineer in Nagoya, Japan, building industrial IoT systems where web browsers talk directly to factory hardware through the Web Serial API. Ruby Core contributor with standard-library code shipped in Ruby 3.4 and Ruby 4.0. Uses AI coding agents daily under constraints most developers never face: production code that controls physical manufacturing lines, a code-review culture rooted in 引き算の美学 (the aesthetics of subtraction), and a rule that says if you change one line, verify every possible case. Speaker at DroidKaigi (Japan), DevFest Pescara (Italy), Helvetic Ruby (Switzerland), and Balkan Ruby (Bulgaria).

Software Engineer in Nagoya, Japan, building industrial IoT systems where web browsers talk directly to factory hardware through the Web Serial API. Ruby Core contributor with standard-library code shipped in Ruby 3.4 and Ruby 4.0. Uses AI coding age... Show more

Enterprise architect with multiple job experiences in different fields, from banking to aerospace, with a spice of DevOps and other less known methodologies

Enterprise architect with multiple job experiences in different fields, from banking to aerospace, with a spice of DevOps and other less known methodologies Show more

Emanuele is an entrepreneur, engineer, and researcher passionate about achieving impact with AI.

After earning his PhD in machine learning and working as a guest researcher at EPFL in Lausanne, he is now co-founder and Head of AI at xtream, a company that applies AI to solve complex business challenges. xtream was acquired by TeamSystem in September 2025.

Emanuele is also a professor of AI at the Catholic University of Milan and has been a guest lecturer at Italian, Swiss, and Polish universities.

He has published 8 papers in international journals with 175+ citations and contributed to over 30 international conferences, including AMLD Lausanne, ODSC London, WeAreDevelopers Berlin, PyData Berlin, PyData Paris, PyCon Italy, the Swiss Python Summit, and Codemotion Milan and Rome.

Emanuele is an entrepreneur, engineer, and researcher passionate about achieving impact with AI. After earning his PhD in machine learning and working as a guest researcher at EPFL in Lausanne, he is now co-founder and Head of AI at xtream, a comp... Show more

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

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

David vonThenen is an AI/ML Engineer where he focuses on production AI systems, enterprise AI data retrieval strategy, and architectures for explainable, governable, and reliable AI. His work spans agentic solutions, various RAG architectures, AI memory systems, multi-agent solutions, OpenSearch, data lineage, provenance, and AI governance.

David has more than 20 years of experience building production software across AI/ML, speech and NLP, Kubernetes, cloud-native platforms, storage, virtualization, and backup/recovery. He combines hands-on engineering with technical strategy, open-source leadership, developer advocacy, and customer integrations.

He has spoken at NVIDIA GTC, Devoxx (France, Poland, Greece, UK, Morocco), Open Data Science Conference (ODSC), WeAreDevelopers, and SCaLE on topics including explainable AI, agentic systems, model quantization, multimodal ML, and small language model training. His mission is to help teams move beyond AI prototypes and build systems that are observable, reproducible, trustworthy, and ready for production.

David vonThenen is an AI/ML Engineer where he focuses on production AI systems, enterprise AI data retrieval strategy, and architectures for explainable, governable, and reliable AI. His work spans agentic solutions, various RAG architectures, AI mem... Show more

Surbhi Pokharna is a seasoned data professional with over two decades of experience in data architecture, database administration, and large-scale enterprise data solutions in the financial domain. She specializes in operationalizing data platforms in client-facing roles, delivering robust relational and advanced analytics solutions for both transactional systems and data warehouses.
Currently, Surbhi leads enterprise-scale cloud data migrations across SQL Server, Snowflake, Azure SQL, and Managed Instance, while actively designing next-generation data analytics platforms leveraging Snowflake.
She is a board member of the New England SQL Server User Group, part of the Snowflake Data Superhero 2026 program, and an active member of PASS. Surbhi is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences and community events, including PASS Summit, Snowflake User Groups, Azure Data User Groups, Data Saturdays, and SQLBits.

Surbhi Pokharna is a seasoned data professional with over two decades of experience in data architecture, database administration, and large-scale enterprise data solutions in the financial domain. She specializes in operationalizing data platforms i... Show more

Pradumna Saraf is an Open Source Developer, Docker Captain, Microsoft MVP, and DevOps Professional. He works with Go, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud infrastructure, with a strong focus on container security and building reliable, scalable systems.

He actively contributes to open source and has mentored hundreds of developers in getting started with open source and modern DevOps practices. Pradumna shares practical insights on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn around DevOps, container security, and open source tools. He also enjoys speaking at meetups and events, focusing on real-world, hands-on learning.

Pradumna Saraf is an Open Source Developer, Docker Captain, Microsoft MVP, and DevOps Professional. He works with Go, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud infrastructure, with a strong focus on container security and building reliable, scal... Show more

4X Fast track recognized Solution Architect/Delivery Director , HCLTECH

Delivery Director – Microsoft Business Applications with 20+ years' experience, leading enterprise-scale transformation programmes across Europe in AI-powered delivery, Power Platform, Dynamics 365, and intelligent automation.

Drives strategic delivery across complex engagements — hyperautomation, Power Platform strategy, executive stakeholder advisory, and large-scale distributed team leadership.

4x Microsoft FastTrack Recognized Solution Architect. Leads the Bristol D365 & Power Platform User Group

4X Fast track recognized Solution Architect/Delivery Director , HCLTECH Delivery Director – Microsoft Business Applications with 20+ years' experience, leading enterprise-scale transformation programmes across Europe in AI-powered delivery, Power ... Show more

Atuoha Anthony is a Senior Mobile Software Engineer with a track record of building scalable, high-performance applications across various platforms, including Android, iOS, web, and others, primarily using Flutter & Dart, alongside Kotlin and Swift, and leveraging AI.

Atuoha Anthony is a Senior Mobile Software Engineer with a track record of building scalable, high-performance applications across various platforms, including Android, iOS, web, and others, primarily using Flutter & Dart, alongside Kotlin and Swift,... Show more

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

Andrew Madson leads Developer Relations at Perplexity, where he builds global programs that help developers and data teams adopt modern data and AI tooling. He has built DevRel, education, and evangelism functions at Fivetran, Tobiko Data, and Dremio, delivering technical content, large-scale community programs, and keynotes across major industry conferences.

Andrew is a published author of the O’Reilly “Definitive Guide to Apache Polaris” and a graduate professor of data science and engineering. Andrew previously led AI and data teams at Arizona State University, J.P. Morgan Chase, and MassMutual among others.

Andrew Madson leads Developer Relations at Perplexity, where he builds global programs that help developers and data teams adopt modern data and AI tooling. He has built DevRel, education, and evangelism functions at Fivetran, Tobiko Data, and Dremio... Show more

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

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

I work at the intersection of AI Adoption, technology communities, and tech events, helping companies, developers, and ecosystems turn emerging technologies into real-world adoption and business opportunities.

I am an Oracle ACE Associate and IBM Champion, Co-Founder of HumaSynk, and Founder and Leader of the Quarkus Club community. I am also a SouJava member, speaker, community leader, and technology event organizer.

Through HumaSynk, I focus on creating strategies and experiences that connect technology, people, and business. This includes AI adoption initiatives, hands-on workshops, community engagement, technology conferences, and ecosystem activation across Latin America.

I am also Co-Founder and organizer of DevConverge LATAM, an initiative created to connect developer communities, technology leaders, and companies across the region.

My current mission is to help organizations move beyond simply talking about AI and start adopting it in practice, connecting technology providers with developers, builders, leaders, and companies through communities, practical experiences, and high-impact technology events.

I work at the intersection of AI Adoption, technology communities, and tech events, helping companies, developers, and ecosystems turn emerging technologies into real-world adoption and business opportunities. I am an Oracle ACE Associate and IBM ... Show more

Clemens Vasters is Lead Architect in Microsoft’s Azure Messaging team that builds and operates a fleet of hyper-scale messaging services, including Event Grid, Service Bus, Event Hubs, Stream Analytics and Microsoft Fabric Eventstreams. Clemens represents Microsoft in messaging standardisation in OASIS (AMQP, MQTT) and CNCF (CloudEvents, xRegistry) and writes too much code for being an "Architect". He looks back at nearly 30 years in professional software development and has seen the same fashion come and go a few times.

Clemens Vasters is Lead Architect in Microsoft’s Azure Messaging team that builds and operates a fleet of hyper-scale messaging services, including Event Grid, Service Bus, Event Hubs, Stream Analytics and Microsoft Fabric Eventstreams. Clemens repre... Show more

Passionate about leveraging the power of Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Committed to delivering top tier services and solutions that empower productivity. My dedication to staying abreast to the latest tools and maintains a high level of integrity has not only facilitated to transformation through technology but also contributed to the ongoing pursuit of excellence in my field.

Passionate about leveraging the power of Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Committed to delivering top tier services and solutions that empower productivity. My dedication to staying abreast to the latest tools and maintains a high level of integrity has not ... Show more

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

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

Daniel is a Microsoft .NET MVP and software consultant at Lean TECHniques. He helps teams deliver high-quality software while adopting modern practices such as effective CI/CD, automated testing, AI usage, and product management. With experience spanning multiple industries, including finance, retail, and agriculture, he has served as a technical coach, agile coach, and tech lead, with a primary background as a software developer. Outside of work, he enjoys playing piano and guitar, swing dancing, and game development.

Daniel is a Microsoft .NET MVP and software consultant at Lean TECHniques. He helps teams deliver high-quality software while adopting modern practices such as effective CI/CD, automated testing, AI usage, and product management. With experience span... Show more

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

Building intuitive products

Building intuitive products Show more

Your friendly neighbourhood Data Engineer. My background is in Finance, but I have had the pleasure to be working in IT for the past 8 or so years. In my daily life, I design and build scalable data solutions in the Azure cloud.

Your friendly neighbourhood Data Engineer. My background is in Finance, but I have had the pleasure to be working in IT for the past 8 or so years. In my daily life, I design and build scalable data solutions in the Azure cloud. Show more

Vivek Yadav is an Enterprise Solutions Architect at FlutterFlow and a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Flutter & Dart, with 8+ years of experience building and scaling production-grade mobile applications.

He has worked across startups, mid-size companies, and large enterprises, leading architecture and delivery of real-world apps. One of his published applications has surpassed 20+ million downloads on the App Store and Play Store, reflecting his strong focus on scalability, performance, and maintainable front-end architecture.

Vivek is deeply involved in the Flutter ecosystem as a speaker, mentor, and educator. He regularly helps teams and developers move from framework knowledge to product-ready engineering, covering topics such as Flutter architecture, FlutterFlow, front-end best practices, and building apps at scale.

As a speaker, Vivek is known for practical, experience-driven talks that bridge the gap between development and product thinking—helping audiences ship better apps with confidence.

Vivek Yadav is an Enterprise Solutions Architect at FlutterFlow and a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Flutter & Dart, with 8+ years of experience building and scaling production-grade mobile applications. He has worked across startups, mid-size ... Show more

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

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

Kristyna Ferris is a solution architect at P3 Adaptive. Her experience includes implementing and managing enterprise-level Power BI instance, training teams on reporting best practices, and building templates for scalable analytics. Passionate about participating and growing the data community, she enjoys co-writing on Data on Wheels (dataonwheels.com) and speaking at various events. She also a co-organizer for Lexington Data Technology Group.

Kristyna Ferris is a solution architect at P3 Adaptive. Her experience includes implementing and managing enterprise-level Power BI instance, training teams on reporting best practices, and building templates for scalable analytics. Passionate about ... Show more

Carly is a Senior Manager in Developer Advocacy at Elastic, based in London, UK. Before joining Elastic in 2022, she spent over 10 years working as a technologist at a large investment bank, specialising in front-end web development and agility. She is a UI developer, who occasionally dabbles in writing backend services, a speaker and a regular blogger.

She enjoys cooking, photography, drinking tea, and chasing after her young son in her spare time.

Carly is a Senior Manager in Developer Advocacy at Elastic, based in London, UK. Before joining Elastic in 2022, she spent over 10 years working as a technologist at a large investment bank, specialising in front-end web development and agility. She ... Show more

I am a Father, International Speaker, Software Engineer, and Architect at Visionet Deutschland GmbH, currently living in Germany. My interests range from technology to travel. I am also interested in coaching, entrepreneurship, reading, vlogging and programming.

I am a Father, International Speaker, Software Engineer, and Architect at Visionet Deutschland GmbH, currently living in Germany. My interests range from technology to travel. I am also interested in coaching, entrepreneurship, reading, vlogging and ... Show more