James Bartlett is a Principal Consultant at P3 Adaptive, a Microsoft Data Platform MVP Alum, and co-host of "The Drill Down with Ahmad and James," which is an interactive video livestream on LinkedIn that focuses on Microsoft Fabric and Power BI. James is also a co-organizer of the Higher Education Power BI User Group, and he has given presentations at conferences and user groups all over the world, with his most notable recent appearances being at Data Point Prague, FabCon Europe, Power BI Next Step, and RADACAD's Power BI and Fabric Global Summit. In his free time, James likes to write and contribute to open-source software, play the guitar, produce electronic music, post articles on his blog at DataVolume.xyz, and volunteer with a nonprofit organization called Tech Journey, whose mission is "to inspire youth to increase their knowledge and interest in technology by providing engaging learning opportunities led by technology professionals."

James Bartlett is a Principal Consultant at P3 Adaptive, a Microsoft Data Platform MVP Alum, and co-host of "The Drill Down with Ahmad and James," which is an interactive video livestream on LinkedIn that focuses on Microsoft Fabric and Power BI. Jam... Show more

Josh Garverick is Chief Technical Architect at Xebia and a multi-year Microsoft MVP with 20+ years of enterprise experience across finance, healthcare, transportation, logistics, retail and consumer products, oil and gas, and insurance. His current work centers on agentic transformation: multi-agent architecture built on Microsoft Agent Framework and Semantic Kernel, MCP-based tooling, and the governance and cost controls that keep an AI asset estate manageable at enterprise scale. He is the creator of ARIA (Asset Registry for Intelligent Agents), an open source reference architecture for classifying, governing, and distributing AI assets. Josh authored "Migrating to Azure" and contributed to "The Developer's Guide to Azure," "Implementing Event-Driven Microservices Architecture in .NET 7," and "Azure Integration Guide for Business," along with several online courses.

Josh Garverick is Chief Technical Architect at Xebia and a multi-year Microsoft MVP with 20+ years of enterprise experience across finance, healthcare, transportation, logistics, retail and consumer products, oil and gas, and insurance. His current w... Show more

Markus and his teams have been working on Java IDE and database tools, frameworks, as well as on various open-source projects for 20+ years. Markus is the CEO and founder of Cyrock.AI, Inc., which is the company behind the Eclipse open-source projects EclipseStore, Eclipse Serializer, and Eclipse Data Grid, powering Cyrock.AI as the first AI Memory based on a serverless microservices architecture. He is also the editor-in-chief for the free JAVAPRO magazine and the founder and co-organizer of the Java community conference series JCON. He is an independent editor for several magazines, and loves speaking at developer conferences and user groups around the world.

Markus and his teams have been working on Java IDE and database tools, frameworks, as well as on various open-source projects for 20+ years. Markus is the CEO and founder of Cyrock.AI, Inc., which is the company behind the Eclipse open-source project... Show more

I am an AI Engineer and Researcher holding a PhD in Computer Science, driven by a desire to unravel complex mysteries and build elegant, scalable solutions. My career spans across high-impact domains—including cybersecurity, FinTech, Blockchain, and gaming—giving me a unique perspective on applying cutting-edge machine learning to real-world challenges.
Most recently, my work has focused on the frontier of intelligent automation and autonomous decision-making. Across my last two professional endeavors, I have deeply specialized in designing and implementing advanced AI agents for vulnerability reports classification and developing prediction Agents within open-source frameworks. By leveraging modern architectures and distributed systems, I focus on taking complex AI models from the research phase and building them into production-ready platforms.
Outside of engineering, I stay curious about the world by exploring astrophysics, organizing tech community events or giving talks around AI, and volunteering in urban family gardens. Let’s connect to talk about the future of AI agents, machine learning, or open-source innovation!

I am an AI Engineer and Researcher holding a PhD in Computer Science, driven by a desire to unravel complex mysteries and build elegant, scalable solutions. My career spans across high-impact domains—including cybersecurity, FinTech, Blockchain, and ... Show more

Elena is a highly-rated professional speaker with 20+ years of experience as a leadership coach, group facilitator and collegiate faculty member. Elena works with groups, individuals, and organizations to amplify their authenticity and empower them to become effective leaders. Elena is the President of and Lead Consultant with Marquetti Consulting.

Elena is a highly-rated professional speaker with 20+ years of experience as a leadership coach, group facilitator and collegiate faculty member. Elena works with groups, individuals, and organizations to amplify their authenticity and empower them t... Show more

Dr. Darrin “Boomer” Williams is an international professional basketball champion, entrepreneur, Human Resources leader, bestselling author, and keynote speaker dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations through leadership, resilience, and personal development.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Williams built an international athletic career spanning 10 professional seasons across Europe, South America, and the United States. A two-time Italian League Champion and former Kosovo All-Star, he developed a unique understanding of high-performance environments, cross-cultural leadership, teamwork, and overcoming adversity.

Beyond professional athletics, Dr. Williams has established himself as an entrepreneur and organizational leader. As the founder of Ambassy International and Ambassy Cares Foundation, he has created initiatives supporting international athlete development, mentorship, education, and professional opportunities.

His experience in Human Resources leadership within the education sector further strengthens his expertise in talent development, employee engagement, organizational culture, and workforce effectiveness.

Dr. Williams holds a bachelor's degree in Communications from Loyola University Chicago and graduate qualifications in Business Administration and Human Resources. He is also pursuing doctoral studies in International Business.

As a professional speaker, he delivers engaging keynotes and interactive workshops addressing leadership development, business growth, workplace wellness, emotional resilience, personal branding, and high-performing teams.

Combining championship-level experience with practical business insights and inspirational storytelling, Dr. Williams equips audiences with actionable strategies to overcome challenges, strengthen relationships, and achieve sustainable success.

**His guiding message: True championship success begins with personal growth, disciplined action, and the commitment to add value to others.**

Dr. Darrin “Boomer” Williams is an international professional basketball champion, entrepreneur, Human Resources leader, bestselling author, and keynote speaker dedicated to empowering individuals and organizations through leadership, resilience, and... Show more

Mou Rakshit is a Senior Manager of Data, AI & Analytics Engineering at Accenture/Avanade and a Principal Data & AI Solution Architect specializing in building modern, unified, AI-ready data platforms using Microsoft Fabric and Databricks. She leads enterprise-scale data strategy and platform architecture initiatives that enable organizations to move from fragmented analytics environments to governed, high-performance lakehouse ecosystems.

Her work focuses on designing scalable medallion architectures, implementing robust governance models, enabling real-time intelligence, and operationalizing AI and advanced analytics across the enterprise. Mou bridges executive strategy with hands-on technical execution, ensuring that modern data platforms are production-ready, resilient, and aligned to business outcomes.

She holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Wayne State University and a Master’s in Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan.

A Databricks Champion and frequent industry speaker, Mou shares practical frameworks and real-world lessons on architecting unified data foundations that power AI at scale.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mourakshit/
https://credentials.databricks.com/profile/mourakshit34507/wallet

Mou Rakshit is a Senior Manager of Data, AI & Analytics Engineering at Accenture/Avanade and a Principal Data & AI Solution Architect specializing in building modern, unified, AI-ready data platforms using Microsoft Fabric and Databricks. She leads e... Show more

Patrick Kelley is a CISO and executive security advisor with nearly 30 years across information security, critical infrastructure, and network forensics. Over that career he has delivered CISO and security-advisory services to hundreds of organizations — from enterprises with boards and regulatory obligations to ultra-high-net-worth families in entertainment. He pairs boardroom-level risk communication with deep technical work in SOC operations, OT/ICS security, AI-assisted detection, incident response, and offensive security.

Patrick has delivered more than 120 talks and trainings since 2012, including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DEF CON's Packet Hacking Village, and GridSecCon; spoken on panels alongside the FBI, CIA, and NSA; trained for NERC, CISA, CRISP, and E-ISAC; lectured in cybersecurity programs at CUNY, Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, and the University of California; and been featured in Fortune, CNN, NBC News, The Guardian, and Krebs on Security. He is the author of The First 90 Days as CISO and CBI-CS: An Introduction to Burnout Intelligence.

Patrick Kelley is a CISO and executive security advisor with nearly 30 years across information security, critical infrastructure, and network forensics. Over that career he has delivered CISO and security-advisory services to hundreds of organizatio... Show more

Catedrática de Derecho civil en la Universitat Politècnica de València
Licenciada y Doctora en Derecho por la Universitat de València
Investigadora principal de distintos proyectos competitivos
Premio UPV a la transferencia de conocimiento

Catedrática de Derecho civil en la Universitat Politècnica de València Licenciada y Doctora en Derecho por la Universitat de València Investigadora principal de distintos proyectos competitivos Premio UPV a la transferencia de conocimiento Show more

Burcu Taşpınar is a mechatronics engineer and data scientist working at the intersection of engineering, data and digitalization. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechatronics Engineering from Johannes Kepler University Linz and has experience in engineering simulation, industrial analytics and data-driven product management.

Having grown up internationally across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, she has developed a strong interest in how people experience places, technology and information differently across cultures. Her interests span machine learning, digital twins and human-centered AI. She is also exploring Local Perspectives, a concept investigating how data, AI and local knowledge can be combined to create more personalized ways of experiencing cities, and is active internationally as a technology and hackathon mentor.

Burcu Taşpınar is a mechatronics engineer and data scientist working at the intersection of engineering, data and digitalization. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechatronics Engineering from Johannes Kepler University Linz and has exper... Show more

I'm a graduate of Biomedical Engineering at Wrocław University of Technology. During my studies, I fell in love with programming, especially creating Android apps. I have over 4 years of commercial experience and in my spare time I'm maintaining multiple open-source libraries with over 1000 monthly users.

I'm a graduate of Biomedical Engineering at Wrocław University of Technology. During my studies, I fell in love with programming, especially creating Android apps. I have over 4 years of commercial experience and in my spare time I'm maintaining mult... Show more

Few executive biographies begin with explosives, a fire helmet, and a German manufacturer. Christopher Portelli, an engineer by training, is a business executive with more than two decades of organization-building on Long Island to his name, and a United States Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal veteran before that. Since 2013, he has served as Managing Director and President of SONOTEC US Inc., the American entity of German ultrasonic technology manufacturer SONOTEC GmbH, which he grew from a single employee with no customers into a 15-person organization supporting eight figures in annual revenue. He also owns Alpha Performance Clinic, a men's health and hormone optimization practice with locations in East Setauket and Bohemia, New York, and he lives in East Setauket. His record repeats one pattern: technical depth married to commercial accountability, and service that began in the Navy and continued through two decades in a volunteer fire department.

Christopher Portelli's career began in the United States Navy, where he served as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician and reached the rank of Petty Officer Second Class (E-5). EOD is counted among the military's most selective specialties, and the job amounts to locating, identifying, rendering safe, and disposing of explosive hazards: improvised explosive devices, mines, and unexploded ordnance. Precision and composure are prerequisites, and the technician is accountable for consequential decisions made without complete information.

The pattern held after the Navy. Christopher Portelli joined the Central Islip Fire Department on Long Island in 2002 and remains a member today. He climbed through every rank, serving as Lieutenant, then Captain, then seven years as a chief officer, and from 2019 to 2021 as Chief of the Department. In that role, he commanded emergency operations for about 180 volunteer firefighters and led the department through the COVID-19 pandemic, authoring its formal response protocols amid significant uncertainty. Counting the Navy years alongside the firehouse years, Chris Portelli has devoted roughly twenty-eight years to military and volunteer emergency response.

Education came in stages. Christopher Portelli earned his Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 2004, his Master of Business Administration from the New York Institute of Technology in 2006, and further studies in Electronic Engineering Technology at the State University of New York at Farmingdale.

His engineering career began at MITEQ Inc. in Hauppauge, New York, where he worked from 2001 to 2004 as an associate engineer and senior technician, producing microwave and RF components for defense and satellite communications customers. From 2004 to 2007, Veeco Instruments in Plainview, New York had him as system engineer and product manager, a job covering engineering systems and full product lifecycles for advanced semiconductor and industrial process equipment.

Engineering training plus an MBA moved Christopher Portelli into commercial leadership, with technology still in front of him. Between 2007 and 201,1 he was Director of Sales at VJ Technologies, Inc. in Bohemia, New York, responsible for United States sales at a manufacturer of X-ray and computed-tomography inspection systems, with aerospace, defense, electronics, and additive manufacturing customers on the roster and product positioning, trade show strategy, and lead generation for long-cycle capital equipment sales in his portfolio.

Introtek International, LP in Edgewood, New York, from 2011 to 2012, where, as Sales Manager, he sold non-invasive ultrasonic sensing technology into medical device and bioprocessing OEM design programs, building the application-selling experience his own company would later build on. From 2012 to 2013, he was Director of Sales and Marketing at Bufab in New York, running United States sales and marketing for a global supply-chain partner in fasteners and C-parts and moving the business toward value-added, total-cost-of-ownership selling.

The part of his record drawing the most attention is SONOTEC US Inc., the American subsidiary of SONOTEC GmbH of Halle, Germany, which he founded and still leads. He arrived in 2013 as the company's only American employee, with neither customers nor infrastructure to work from, and has carried full profit-and-loss responsibility for the Americas ever since across sales, operations, service, finance, facilities, and personnel. He brought the entity to fifteen people and eight figures in annual revenue, and he holds a twenty-five percent minority equity interest in the business he created.

The scope covered everything a founder-operator handles, starting with the legal and financial infrastructure. A customer base grew from nothing to include Amgen, Genentech, Sanofi, Bayer, and Repligen, and a national distributor network took shape alongside it, serving a second and entirely separate market. A wider mandate for the American entity came from his negotiations with the parent board, which approved in-country calibration and service capability, along with carrying every product line, removing transatlantic turnaround times as a competitive liability. A purpose-built facility in Hauppauge, New York supporting sales, service, and inventory for the Americas came from a site selection, relocation, and build-out process he ran, and the material agreements run through him too: customer supply and quality agreements, distributor contracts, and intercompany transfer pricing terms with the parent.

Hiring was his responsibility across the organization, and today he directs a five-person sales team, the distributor channel, and all marketing and demand generation for the Americas. He sets United States commercial strategy in concert with the parent's managing directors and board in Germany and defends the forecast on which their production planning depends. The words that recur when colleagues and customers talk about him are direct, transparent, and relationship-driven: an executive who delivers difficult news early instead of managing an account on optimism he does not have.

The second business, Alpha Performance Clinic, is owned by Christopher Portelli and offers men's health and hormone optimization care from locations in East Setauket and Bohemia, New York. Its premise came out of what he saw in the military and the fire service: that men, veterans and first responders, and men in their forties and fifties especially, receive too little support around preventive health and long-term vitality, and respond best to care offered without judgment or gimmicks. Much of the practice's operational backbone is his own work, from the patient education materials and clinical protocols through to a custom, HIPAA-hardened practice management application.

His giving traces the same line. He donates to the food pantry at St. Patrick's Church in Smithtown, New York, which kept food on his family's table as a child. A son, James, wears number 43 as a defender for the 2034 Express East youth lacrosse team, and Christopher Portelli supports the program.

One operating philosophy holds together the bomb disposal, the fire department, the American manufacturing entity, the medical practice, and the youth lacrosse sideline: carry the whole thing yourself, put in the plumbing nobody volunteers for, be straight with people, and stay put when it gets hard. Following it took SONOTEC US Inc. from one employee to fifteen. It produced pandemic protocols for a 180-member volunteer department, and explains why Chris Portelli wrote his own clinic's clinical protocols and built its practice management application rather than hand that off. Christopher Portelli is now considering executive leadership opportunities where technical depth, commercial ownership, and hands-on operating experience can build something again.

Few executive biographies begin with explosives, a fire helmet, and a German manufacturer. Christopher Portelli, an engineer by training, is a business executive with more than two decades of organization-building on Long Island to his name, and a Un... Show more

Matt Fenner is a finance and operations executive with more than 30 years of experience helping entrepreneurs and investors build scalable, high-value businesses. He currently serves as COO of Caplin Ventures, a Jacksonville, Florida investment firm managing 10 operating companies and 20+ passive investments across healthcare staffing, technology, engineering, and professional sports.

Matt is available to speak on topics including: M&A strategy and execution, financial management for growth-stage companies, building and exiting micro-cap businesses, private investment strategy, and operational leadership in diversified portfolios. He holds an MBA in Finance and a BBA in Accounting from the University of North Florida.

Matt Fenner is a finance and operations executive with more than 30 years of experience helping entrepreneurs and investors build scalable, high-value businesses. He currently serves as COO of Caplin Ventures, a Jacksonville, Florida investment firm ... Show more

Elizabeth Orji is a distinguished senior technology strategist, AI project director, and digital governance expert operating at the vital intersection of emerging technology, ethical policy, and industrial transformation. As the Executive Director of the Global Network for Cyber Solutions (GNC), Chief Operating Officer of the Nigeria Forum for AI Governance (NFAIG), and the Senior AI Associate and Project Management Lead for the AI for Social Impact & Development (AI4SID) initiative, she dedicates her career to engineering scalable, sovereign technological frameworks that drive sustainable economic and societal development.

With a robust technical foundation rooted in an MSc in Computer Science and an academic trajectory navigating AI and Robotics, Elizabeth brings a deeply practical, field-tested perspective to the global tech stage. Her multifaceted expertise spans big data architectures, agentic workflows, and decentralized systems. She serves as an AI Subject Matter Expert for General Assembly and a guest lecturer at the SAE Institute, where she shapes the next generation of technical leaders.

A steadfast champion for inclusive innovation, Elizabeth sits on the Influence Board of the British Computer Society (BCS) and actively leads pioneering frameworks for ethical AI governance. Her work centers on moving emerging tech ecosystems from passive consumption to active creation—fostering data dignity, digital infrastructure autonomy, and collaborative development frameworks built to empower local communities.

An accomplished speaker, international tech judge, and ecosystem architect, Elizabeth routinely delivers thought-provoking keynotes that bridge the gap between complex technological theory and real-world, high-impact execution.

Elizabeth Orji is a distinguished senior technology strategist, AI project director, and digital governance expert operating at the vital intersection of emerging technology, ethical policy, and industrial transformation. As the Executive Director of... Show more

Kateryna Turuntseva is AI Implementation Lead and co-founder at Plant Wisdom AI. She builds AI services on Azure and Microsoft Foundry that review engineering documentation for pharma manufacturing. For Pfizer, she and her business partner built a knowledge base for six Global Engineering departments and one of the first Copilot knowledge agents for SharePoint, on Azure OpenAI GPT-3.5, before Microsoft added the "Create agent" button. She is a Microsoft Global Community Initiative Regional Leader.

Kateryna Turuntseva is AI Implementation Lead and co-founder at Plant Wisdom AI. She builds AI services on Azure and Microsoft Foundry that review engineering documentation for pharma manufacturing. For Pfizer, she and her business partner built a kn... Show more

Master en Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia por la UNAM, académica en la Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, docente en Colegio Nacional de Educación Profesional Técnica, Coordinadora académica del diplomado "Administración y marketing para clínicas y hospitales veterinarios" en la FMVZ-UNAM, con múltiples diplomados y certificaciones en el área Educación, Veterinaria y tecnologías para la educación.
Ganadora del 2do. Lugar a nivel nacional en el Hackathon AI, 2021, CONALEP en “Automatiza tu clase con Power Platform y MS TEAMS”. Ganadora del primer lugar como asesora en proyectos de sustentabilidad en la primera competencia de generación de Nudges de América Latina. Autora de artículos sobre temas de emprendimiento y sustentabilidad.
Ganadora Techfluencer por los Globant Award Women that Build
Conferencista internacional en congresos y seminarios veterinarios.
Conferencista internacional en congresos y seminarios para docentes.
Creadora de contenidos educativos en la plataforma You Tube (Edutuber).
Canvassador
Canva Educator Creator
Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert
MVP Microsoft 2021-2024

Master en Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia por la UNAM, académica en la Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, docente en Colegio Nacional de Educación Profesional Técnica, Coordinadora académica del diplomado "Administración y marketing para ... Show more

Barney Lawrence has over a decade's experience helping people make the most of their data on the Microsoft data platform.
Having moved from the guy who knows Excel, to Data Analyst, to Accidental BI Developer and finally to Actual BI Developer, he now works as a consultant.
He currently works as a Senior Consultant for Simpson Associates an award-winning Microsoft partner where he specializes in local government and health data.

Barney Lawrence has over a decade's experience helping people make the most of their data on the Microsoft data platform. Having moved from the guy who knows Excel, to Data Analyst, to Accidental BI Developer and finally to Actual BI Developer, he ... Show more

Raza is a Senior iOS Developer at MyPostcard.com in Berlin, with 13+ years building iOS apps. He leads the iOS team and has been building AI agent workflows into their production development process. Former community manager for Swift Pakistan.

Raza is a Senior iOS Developer at MyPostcard.com in Berlin, with 13+ years building iOS apps. He leads the iOS team and has been building AI agent workflows into their production development process. Former community manager for Swift Pakistan. Show more

Jovan Glasgow helps growing organizations lead their people through change, so it actually sticks: leaders who stay, teams that adopt, results that last.

He is a Top 30 Global Speaker, the founder of Glasgow International and the author of Deeper Than Motivation. Over 13+ years he has developed more than 500 leaders across 100+ organizations, and he holds a 5.0 rating across 120+ Google reviews. He has been featured on NBC 5's Texas Today.

Jovan's work starts from one observation: change rarely stalls on strategy. It stalls on belief. His Belief-Behavior Gap framework closes the distance between what people agree to and what they actually do, working on three levels: mindset (how leaders see the change), heartset (how they carry it) and skillset (what they do differently).

Before founding Glasgow International, he was promoted four times in five years in corporate leadership roles, so he knows what it's like to be handed a team without a playbook. His sessions are interactive, built around the audience's real changes, and designed so the learning holds long after the event.

Jovan Glasgow helps growing organizations lead their people through change, so it actually sticks: leaders who stay, teams that adopt, results that last. He is a Top 30 Global Speaker, the founder of Glasgow International and the author of Deeper ... Show more

Giridhar Raj Singh Chowhan is a seasoned software leader with over 17 years of international experience, including more than 13 years at Microsoft. Currently serving as a Senior Partner Solution Architect at Microsoft USA, he has built a distinguished career spanning multiple roles as Technical Program Manager, Solutions Architect, Technical Lead, and Software Engineer across diverse industries including retail, healthcare, agriculture, and manufacturing.
Throughout his tenure at Microsoft, Giridhar has been instrumental in designing and launching major cloud solutions, including Microsoft Cloud for Retail Products (Store Operations Assist, Personalized Shopping AI Agent and Store Operations AI Agent), Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, and Microsoft Vaccination Management. His technical expertise encompasses the full Microsoft ecosystem: Dynamics 365 ERP and CRM applications, Azure services, Power Platform, AI solutions, and data integration platforms—a rare combination that positions him as a unique asset in the digital transformation landscape.
Giridhar's impact extends beyond technical contributions. He led the technical workstream for New Zealand's largest farming co-op digital transformation, one of Microsoft's top 5 global projects, generating multimillion-dollar returns. His work on COVID-19 vaccination portals for King County and Montgomery County demonstrated his ability to deliver critical solutions under pressure. He has authored comprehensive training materials published on Microsoft Learn and contributed to Well Architected frameworks for healthcare and sustainability industries.
As owner and moderator of a LinkedIn technical community with over 14,000 members, including executives from major technology companies, Giridhar actively fosters industry knowledge sharing. His expertise is recognized globally—he was ranked #77 among Microsoft Dynamics Top 100 Influential People worldwide and #6 in Asia by DynamicsWorld.co.uk in 2012.
Giridhar's extensive certification portfolio includes multiple Microsoft Dynamics, Azure, and Power Platform credentials, reinforcing his technical depth. His international experience across the USA, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand, combined with his mentorship of numerous professionals, reflects his commitment to driving innovation and developing talent in the technology sector and is an official member and expert panelist in Forbes Technology Council.

Giridhar Raj Singh Chowhan is a seasoned software leader with over 17 years of international experience, including more than 13 years at Microsoft. Currently serving as a Senior Partner Solution Architect at Microsoft USA, he has built a distinguishe... Show more

Bishal Sapkota is a Melbourne-based software engineer, entrepreneur, and educator with over a decade of experience building software and helping teams put new technologies to work. His work spans cloud infrastructure, microservices, and AI systems, with a current focus on foundation models and agentic AI. Through Outback Yak, he works on customer projects and builds products of his own, including K cha khabar, a bilingual news intelligence platform for Nepal.

A long-time advocate for open source and vendor neutrality, Bishal believes developers should have a say in where their software runs and how it evolves. That interest has taken him from cloud-native technologies such as Kubernetes and Linkerd to building an entirely open-source web mapping stack. It also explains his enthusiasm for open-weight AI: the freedom to experiment, adapt models, and take more control over the systems he builds.

Bishal shares what he learns through his courses, his podcast, *The Path to Tech*, and talks at developer meetups and conferences. His teaching draws on projects he has built, decisions he has had to make, and the tradeoffs that rarely fit into a product announcement. He enjoys making technical ideas approachable and giving people something useful to try themselves.

Away from the keyboard, he enjoys playing basketball and mentoring developers finding their way in the industry.

Learn more: https://bishal.io/

Bishal Sapkota is a Melbourne-based software engineer, entrepreneur, and educator with over a decade of experience building software and helping teams put new technologies to work. His work spans cloud infrastructure, microservices, and AI systems, w... Show more

Rupesh Kumar has more than 20 years of Information Technology (IT) experience in managing Enterprise level DevOps initiatives in federal and commercial sector. He has led mission-critical, strategic projects in the various industries, including planning complex custom software solutions that align business goals with technology solutions to drive process improvements, competitive advantage, and bottom-line gains. He currently works as a Principal in DevOps for Humana and leads their Platform Architecture stream to enhance Engineer experience. He is a certified AWS Solutions Architect, Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert and hold US patent and a provisional patent. He is also the recipient of DevOps World 2020 Innovation Award.

Rupesh Kumar has more than 20 years of Information Technology (IT) experience in managing Enterprise level DevOps initiatives in federal and commercial sector. He has led mission-critical, strategic projects in the various industries, including plann... Show more

Computing specialist with years of experience in high-demand computing environments, virtualization, and HPC. Works as a consultant in architecture and optimization of high-performance systems. Developed significant projects with leading research institutions and renowned figures in both national and international computing, focusing on machine learning and neural networks. Notable projects include: Prediction of Cysteine Protease Inhibitors for Trypanocidal Agents and Cancer (USP); Simulation of spacecraft control and orbital guidance (LAC-INPE); Research on astrophysical plasmas and space turbulence (ITA); Research in astrophysics and molecular physics (UNIVAP), among others.

Computing specialist with years of experience in high-demand computing environments, virtualization, and HPC. Works as a consultant in architecture and optimization of high-performance systems. Developed significant projects with leading research ins... Show more

Electronic Engineer and Senior Director of Engineering at Syneos Health, with over 15 years of experience across software development, testing, DevOps, architecture, and technical leadership. His career spans companies including adidas, Globant, and Syneos Health, combining hands-on technical expertise with a passion for helping people grow. Proudly Colombian, Sergio brings curiosity, energy, and a love for life to the teams he leads and the challenges he takes on.

Electronic Engineer and Senior Director of Engineering at Syneos Health, with over 15 years of experience across software development, testing, DevOps, architecture, and technical leadership. His career spans companies including adidas, Globant, and ... Show more

Sachidananda (Sachin) Singh is a Senior Engineering Manager at Hims & Hers Health, where he leads supply chain and fulfillment engineering. He has 17 years of engineering experience, including roles at Hims, AWS and Wayfair. His expertise spans distributed systems, cloud infrastructure and applied AI. He is based in Austin, Texas.

He is the author of Supply Chains Are Distributed Systems, a book connecting engineering principles with physical operations.

Sachidananda (Sachin) Singh is a Senior Engineering Manager at Hims & Hers Health, where he leads supply chain and fulfillment engineering. He has 17 years of engineering experience, including roles at Hims, AWS and Wayfair. His expertise spans distr... Show more

Mya Tyler is a speaker, executive coach, and strategic advisor who helps leaders and organizations align work, vision, and values so they can achieve more, struggle less, and build impact that multiplies. With more than 25 years of experience leading large-scale transformation, she brings executive depth, practical insight, and a human-centered approach to leadership, growth, and change.

As the founder of Tapestry AG and Hustle to Wholeness™, Mya works with high-performing leaders and organizations who are delivering results but feel the strain of doing it unsustainably.

Known for her calm, direct, and deeply relatable style, Mya creates space for honest reflection while offering practical tools people can apply right away. She believes success and well-being do not have to compete, and that the strongest leadership is rooted in alignment, clarity, and integrity.

Mya Tyler is a speaker, executive coach, and strategic advisor who helps leaders and organizations align work, vision, and values so they can achieve more, struggle less, and build impact that multiplies. With more than 25 years of experience leading... Show more

Abi leads multiple CICS development teams for IBM in Hursley, and is passionate about supporting learning, enabling growth, and building careers, especially around neuroinclusion. She is also a Senior Inventor.

Abi leads multiple CICS development teams for IBM in Hursley, and is passionate about supporting learning, enabling growth, and building careers, especially around neuroinclusion. She is also a Senior Inventor. Show more

Angel Ceballos is an architect of defensible systems.

Her work focuses on how complex data and decision systems are designed, governed, and held accountable in real-world environments. Rather than treating governance as documentation or policy layered on top of technology, she builds it directly into system architecture.

With a foundation in data engineering and enterprise architecture, Angel designs and implements accountable infrastructure that governs risk, fairness, and long-term resilience. She challenges organizations to move beyond performance metrics and build systems that withstand scrutiny, degrade safely under stress, and produce defensible evidence by design.

Her mission is to ensure accountability and safety are not policy add-ons but engineered foundations that preserve the human voice, lived experience and narrative behind the number.

Angel Ceballos is an architect of defensible systems. Her work focuses on how complex data and decision systems are designed, governed, and held accountable in real-world environments. Rather than treating governance as documentation or policy lay... Show more

Eve Pardi is a Microsoft AI MVP and Senior Engineer in GenAI Tech Enablement at The LEGO Group, where she builds and scales AI and agentic systems across the organization. With more than a decade of experience in data science, NLP, and Azure-based AI engineering, she focuses on designing practical, responsible, and production‑ready AI solutions.

As a long‑time community leader and international speaker, Eve shares insights on generative AI, agentic architectures, and applied machine learning at conferences and meetups around the world.

Her mission is to make advanced AI accessible, reliable, and impactful, empowering both organizations and individuals to build the next generation of intelligent systems.

Eve Pardi is a Microsoft AI MVP and Senior Engineer in GenAI Tech Enablement at The LEGO Group, where she builds and scales AI and agentic systems across the organization. With more than a decade of experience in data science, NLP, and Azure-based AI... Show more

Steffen Pohlenz is Head of ARC | Architecture. Resilience. Control. at all4cloud core / Evora Group and has over 30 years of experience as CIO, CISO, BCM Manager, and Enterprise Architect. He specializes in digital resilience, enterprise architecture, identity governance, business continuity, and cloud recoverability, helping organizations make digital fragility visible and resilience measurable.

Steffen Pohlenz is Head of ARC | Architecture. Resilience. Control. at all4cloud core / Evora Group and has over 30 years of experience as CIO, CISO, BCM Manager, and Enterprise Architect. He specializes in digital resilience, enterprise architecture... Show more