Caroline Nicole Letaru is a globally recognized Career Coach and Talent Strategist at Kazini Consults, with over 6 years of experience empowering tech professionals across 12+ countries. She is known for helping developers and emerging tech leaders unlock international opportunities through strategic career planning, skill building, and high-impact coaching.

Nicole has led technical recruitment for global institutions such as the United Nations and UNHCR, and has coached over 500+ professionals including software engineers, PowerShell, UX designers, and AI specialists helping them transition into global careers and remote work ecosystems.

She is a seasoned international speaker who has graced renowned stages including the International AIDS Society Conference (Germany), Going Global Conference (UK), and the SCORE Conference (Tanzania). Her thought leadership earned her the Best Essay Award at the South American Business Forum (SABF) in Argentina, recognizing her voice on youth, development, and innovation.

Nicole’s work focuses on building future-proof careers for African professionals in tech. Through Kazini Consults, she leads a community-first approach that equips talents to scale their impact with confidence, clarity, and visibility.

Caroline Nicole Letaru is a globally recognized Career Coach and Talent Strategist at Kazini Consults, with over 6 years of experience empowering tech professionals across 12+ countries. She is known for helping developers and emerging tech leaders u... Show more

Driven by courage, curiosity, and compassion, Becca "Bex" Hiller knows valued people deliver value. She also knows ideas supply focus and fuel, while ACTION drives goals forward toward success.

Bex helps humans reach agility potential, and her own agility shines through sharpened improv skills, a mighty pen, a hungry brain, and a passion for teaching and coaching. She has spent over two decades in product, project, and people growth spaces helping folks articulate their mission, then take mission-critical action to DELIVER. She puts growth and connection at the helm and enables, engages, and expands forward momentum, stoking peak performance (without sacrificing values, vision, or voice).

Her mission: Uncover your purpose. Pivot when life happens. Dare to deliver.
Her top interests: connection, community building, purposeful creativity, and potatoes.

Bex is currently based in Rochester, NY.

Driven by courage, curiosity, and compassion, Becca "Bex" Hiller knows valued people deliver value. She also knows ideas supply focus and fuel, while ACTION drives goals forward toward success. Bex helps humans reach agility potential, and her own... Show more

Inge Amdal Halvorsen is a developer, historian, philosopher, teacher, and storyteller. With a genuine interest in quirky and esoteric knowledge, and a penchant for diving into rabbit holes, he is a fountain of footnotes and fun facts. With a blend of mythology, code, and curious observations, his talks are certain to make audiences laugh, think, and occasionally question reality.

Inge Amdal Halvorsen is a developer, historian, philosopher, teacher, and storyteller. With a genuine interest in quirky and esoteric knowledge, and a penchant for diving into rabbit holes, he is a fountain of footnotes and fun facts. With a blend of... Show more

Samah Alafeef

Founder and CEO of Metanoia Training and Consulting

Project Management Professional and Regional Officer of the International Federation of Global and Green Information and Communication Technology (IFGICT).
Samah Alafeef a computer engineer brought a broad range of technical and data management skills to her extensive work experience. Samah holds a master's degree in Project Management Engineering and a diploma in Humanitarian Logistics and Supply chain. The combination of managerial and technical skills she has in both the Humanitarian and Commercial sectors enabled her to serve as a consultant in various aspects related to management and technology. Samah is a PMP® certified, Risk RMP ® certified, Agile ACP certified, certified Microsoft innovative educator, and certified green IT professional. She is coaching people and organizations to develop their professional images, being agile, and jump to a higher professional level.

Samah Alafeef Founder and CEO of Metanoia Training and Consulting Project Management Professional and Regional Officer of the International Federation of Global and Green Information and Communication Technology (IFGICT). Samah Alafeef a compu... Show more

Since 1999 in IT – Practical – Simplifier – #BulletPointFree Public Speaker - Microsoft Certified Trainer - Likes sharing knowledge – Projects and changes only – Has also a technical focus – Acts as bridge between business and technology – Founded DerkIT in 2017 - Guides complex decisions and reduces them to the essence – Believes that humor, clarity, and simplicity are most important.

Since 1999 in IT – Practical – Simplifier – #BulletPointFree Public Speaker - Microsoft Certified Trainer - Likes sharing knowledge – Projects and changes only – Has also a technical focus – Acts as bridge between business and technology – Founded ... Show more

Chris Honda stumbled into security after trying a dozen different career paths. He specializes in building Security/GRC programs from scratch, strives to give back as much and as often as he can, and is your biggest fan & cheerleader.

Chris Honda stumbled into security after trying a dozen different career paths. He specializes in building Security/GRC programs from scratch, strives to give back as much and as often as he can, and is your biggest fan & cheerleader. Show more

Je suis tombée dans l'agilité il y a déjà pas mal d'années, sans en connaître le nom. Ce mindset, ainsi que ses valeurs et principes, sont pour moi cruciaux pour toute organisation, toute démarche, tout projet. Non pas que les méthodes liées à l'agilité soient toujours les + adaptées, mais ce mindset fondé sur l'humain, l'écoute, la co-construction, l'adaptation et la création de valeur est transposable à toutes les échelles. Je suis aujourd'hui coach pour les équipes agiles, et j'accompagne aussi l'individu et les organisations à se transformer.

Je suis tombée dans l'agilité il y a déjà pas mal d'années, sans en connaître le nom. Ce mindset, ainsi que ses valeurs et principes, sont pour moi cruciaux pour toute organisation, toute démarche, tout projet. Non pas que les méthodes liées à l'agil... Show more

Ray Kim is an advocate for documentation and technical communication. He is a co-founder of the Albany, NY SQL group (CASSUG) and has previously been a member of PASS and the Society for Technical Communication (STC). He has spoken at PASS Summit and STC Summit, as well as numerous other events. He has worked various positions in technology, including as a developer, webmaster, analyst, technical writer, and instructor. He holds an MS in technical communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a BS in computer science from Syracuse University. He currently works as a technical writer and trainer for The Professional Development Program at The Research Foundation for SUNY.

A musician in his spare time, Ray plays four different instruments (piano, clarinet, mallet percussion, saxophone). He also enjoys going to ball games and doing CrossFit, and is a two-time SQLServerCentral.com fantasy football champion. He, his wife Lianne, and their two cats Dwayne and Marko, live in Troy, NY.

Ray Kim is an advocate for documentation and technical communication. He is a co-founder of the Albany, NY SQL group (CASSUG) and has previously been a member of PASS and the Society for Technical Communication (STC). He has spoken at PASS Summit an... Show more

Dennis Nerush is the Director of AI at Elementor, where he leads the company's AI strategy and guides teams through the integration of GenAI technologies that enhance productivity while preserving human creativity and accountability.

With over 15 years of experience as a developer, manager, director, and adviser across multiple tech companies and startups, Dennis has dedicated his career to building people-first cultures rooted in continuous learning, curiosity, and growth. He believes that when individuals thrive, teams and businesses flourish, a philosophy that has guided him in founding dozens of teams and mentoring over 100 managers.

Dennis is a seasoned public speaker and writer who shares his insights on AI integration, leadership, and team performance at international conferences. He's passionate about helping leaders develop the skills and confidence to excel in a world where human leadership and AI collaboration go hand in hand.

In his free time, Dennis loves cooking and spending time with his kids. His main goal is to help people reach the next level.

Dennis Nerush is the Director of AI at Elementor, where he leads the company's AI strategy and guides teams through the integration of GenAI technologies that enhance productivity while preserving human creativity and accountability. With over 15 ... Show more

I am passionate about empowering Women in Technology, a champion of Neurodiversity, Accessibility, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and improving culture in the workplace. I love supporting women in technology and working towards creating impact and giving back to their communities in a small way.

I am passionate about empowering Women in Technology, a champion of Neurodiversity, Accessibility, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and improving culture in the workplace. I love supporting women in technology and working towards creating impact and gi... Show more

​Ivan Šarić is a Senior Software Engineer at Revolut working in the Financial Crime Department, where he leads integrations with authorities for branches globally. With over six years of backend and DevOps experience (Java, Spring, Docker), Ivan previously operated as a freelance Technical Architect through his company, Path Variable LLC.​He holds an MA in Political Science and is an active open-source contributor, with recent contributions to the Apache Commons Lang project and the SpaCy NLP library. A fluent speaker of English, Croatian, and German, Ivan combines technical rigor with a deep understanding of governance to solve complex systems problems.

​Ivan Šarić is a Senior Software Engineer at Revolut working in the Financial Crime Department, where he leads integrations with authorities for branches globally. With over six years of backend and DevOps experience (Java, Spring, Docker), Ivan prev... Show more

Developer Relations Professional and Software Engineer with over a decade of experience in technology, specializing in AI/ML and Developer Experience.

I work at the intersection of Developer Relations, product, and UX, creating accessible workflows and clear paths to success for developers.

I’ve delivered talks, training sessions, and workshops at conferences across the Americas and Europe, sharing insights on Web Development, AI, Developer Experience, Neurodiversity, and inclusion in tech. Beyond the stage, I write code, content, and support open source and community initiatives. When not working, I'm co-organize GDG Lisbon and learning Rustlang.

My goal has always been to lower the barriers of entry into the tech world for "the rest of us".

Developer Relations Professional and Software Engineer with over a decade of experience in technology, specializing in AI/ML and Developer Experience. I work at the intersection of Developer Relations, product, and UX, creating accessible workflow... Show more

Software engineer with 10+ years under his belt. At Chattermill, he turns AI research into real-world products. A fan of diving deep into black boxes, he has unusual hobby of writing regular expressions by hand and arguing about their speed. When he’s not coding, he shares knowledge as a university instructor, speaker, and meetup organiser.

Bookworm, hiker, history nerd - ask him about Napoleon!

Software engineer with 10+ years under his belt. At Chattermill, he turns AI research into real-world products. A fan of diving deep into black boxes, he has unusual hobby of writing regular expressions by hand and arguing about their speed. When he’... Show more

Els van Vessem (they/them) works as a Data Engineer and Scrum Master for the House of Representatives in the Netherlands, after some years working as general data specialist and project lead for several healthcare organizations. They focus on topics of diversity, non-data skills needed for data jobs, compassion and mental health. Outside of work they hang out on bluesky (@geekingthething.bsky.social), help events with their code of conduct and harassment/abuse policies, read too many books, and watches political debates for fun.

Els van Vessem (they/them) works as a Data Engineer and Scrum Master for the House of Representatives in the Netherlands, after some years working as general data specialist and project lead for several healthcare organizations. They focus on topics ... Show more

Thijs is a DevOps engineer and front-end development enthusiast at Xebia. With a unique edge as an AI-powered developer, Thijs integrates cutting-edge AI tools into his development process. This allows him to improve code quality, boost productivity, and be any profession, ensuring that his projects stay ahead of the curve.

Thijs is a DevOps engineer and front-end development enthusiast at Xebia. With a unique edge as an AI-powered developer, Thijs integrates cutting-edge AI tools into his development process. This allows him to improve code quality, boost productivity,... 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

Winner of three AI awards, I’ve been working in AI and machine learning for 25 years, designing and developing AI and computer graphic algorithms.

I’m very passionate about AI, focusing on Audio, Image and Natural Language Processing, and predictive analysis as well.
I received several national and international awards that recognize my work and contributions in these areas.

Microsoft MVP for Artificial Intelligence Category, I have the pleasure of being a guest speaker in national and international events.

Winner of three AI awards, I’ve been working in AI and machine learning for 25 years, designing and developing AI and computer graphic algorithms. I’m very passionate about AI, focusing on Audio, Image and Natural Language Processing, and predicti... Show more

After a decade in social work, Magali decided to change course and became a web developper. She tries to find a delicate balance between the technical aspects of the job (fun !), the creativity (fun too !) and trying to follow her ethics and change the culture of the industry (the less fun aspects of it anyway) by being an advocate and an activist. She recently chose to specialize in web accessibility by joining Access42.

She is co-founder and president of Compositech, an organization advocating for the inclusion of women and non-binary people in tech. She also is the founder and president of La Première Ligne, a feminist magazine created by tech women and non-binary people. She has a dog, Trufa and talks either way too much about her (according to people) or way not enough (according to herself).

After a decade in social work, Magali decided to change course and became a web developper. She tries to find a delicate balance between the technical aspects of the job (fun !), the creativity (fun too !) and trying to follow her ethics and change t... Show more

Mathias Weber is a Managing Consultant in the Data & AI practice at a leading independent IT service provider. With two years of experience in Forensic Analytics and five years in Data Architecture Consulting, he helps clients navigate complex data & AI challenges and align technology solutions with strategic goals.

Beyond consulting, Mathias is an active technology scout in Berlin’s vibrant tech scene, having attended as well as documented more than 200+ tech events and having published insights in the book Other People’s Software Endeavours as well as on the website almatzo-techscouting.eu.

Mathias Weber is a Managing Consultant in the Data & AI practice at a leading independent IT service provider. With two years of experience in Forensic Analytics and five years in Data Architecture Consulting, he helps clients navigate complex data &... Show more

Amanda Chestnut, JD, founded Money Mastery LLC to help small-business owners understand how their books, taxes, and decisions fit together. Based in southeastern North Carolina, she helps owners uncover problems, anticipate tax consequences, and make informed choices while there is still time to act. She understands that behind those decisions are families, livelihoods, and people carrying more responsibility than others often see.

An Accredited Business Accountant through the National Society of Accountants and an elite-level Advanced QuickBooks ProAdvisor, Amanda brings more than 20 years of experience. Her bachelor’s degree in social psychology informs her approach: useful advice starts with understanding the person who needs to use it.

Amanda is rethinking how an accounting firm operates, using her own practice as a testing ground for AI. She is building systems that take on reviews, track documents, and support communication, while questioning which processes and software still earn their place. She generously shares what she learns with fellow accountants. Her purpose is to create space for the work that requires human attention: sound judgment, difficult conversations, and helping someone feel understood enough to ask the next question.

A Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce Emerging Entrepreneur Award recipient and NC Project LEAD Entrepreneur Innovator Award nominee, Amanda is a Reframe Society Leader and certified in Exactly What to Say for Accountants.

Amanda Chestnut, JD, founded Money Mastery LLC to help small-business owners understand how their books, taxes, and decisions fit together. Based in southeastern North Carolina, she helps owners uncover problems, anticipate tax consequences, and make... Show more

Barno is a consultant and researcher specializing in AI security, data engineering, and machine learning security. She works at the intersection of offensive and defensive AI security & developing methodologies to protect AI systems from adversarial threats across the full stack, from data pipelines and ML models to LLM-powered applications and autonomous agents. Additionally in her role as an AI security trainer Barno has designed and delivered hands-on training programs covering AI red teaming, prompt injection, adversarial ML, RAG and vector database security, and the OWASP Top 10 for LLM and Agentic AI. Her training approach is practitioner-first: participants attack and defend real-world AI systems, leaving with techniques they can apply immediately. She is actively involved in AI governance and evaluation efforts at the national level and regularly contributes to the AI security community through speaking engagements, publications, and conference submissions. She bridges the gap between rapid AI adoption and the critical need for robust, field-tested defenses in an evolving threat landscape.

Barno is a consultant and researcher specializing in AI security, data engineering, and machine learning security. She works at the intersection of offensive and defensive AI security & developing methodologies to protect AI systems from adversarial ... Show more

Celina Del Turco is a software developer and educator from Argentina working at the intersection of technology, education, and human-centered design.

She develops educational technology and software systems focused on making technology more accessible, understandable, and resilient in real-world environments. Her current work includes Utopía, an offline-first educational technology project exploring adaptive learning, accessibility-aware interaction, local AI, and architectures that remain useful when connectivity and computational resources are limited.

Alongside software development, Celina teaches programming and technology through hands-on workshops, working with learners who often begin with little or no technical background. This experience has shaped her approach to engineering: systems should not force people to adapt to technology when technology can be designed to adapt to people.

Her interests include AI engineering, adaptive systems, offline-first architectures, accessibility, educational technology, and the practical challenges of building technology under real-world constraints.

Celina Del Turco is a software developer and educator from Argentina working at the intersection of technology, education, and human-centered design. She develops educational technology and software systems focused on making technology more access... Show more

Senior Business-Systems Analyst & Product Owner. Speaker at international conferences. I truly believe that communication matters.
When I'm not at work, you can find me at IT conferences, meetup’s, volunteering somewhere, or spot me when enjoying nature in the middle of mountains or forests.
I'm usually the one, who will challenge your idea to make it bulletproof!

Senior Business-Systems Analyst & Product Owner. Speaker at international conferences. I truly believe that communication matters. When I'm not at work, you can find me at IT conferences, meetup’s, volunteering somewhere, or spot me when enjoying n... Show more

Founder of Firm&Fair, international negotiation agency

Ugne Fink-Jensen is an international business negotiator, tech counsel, and speaker with more than 15 years of experience. She has worked across both SMEs and multibillion-dollar conglomerates, consistently operating at the intersection of technology, business, and law, including as Lead Negotiator on complex tech and digital transformation initiatives.

Today, she supports businesses in navigating strategic deals and strengthening their governance capabilities, with a focus on negotiation excellence, responsible AI, and the advantage of human skills in a technology-driven world. In addition, Ugne works closely across the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem, supporting partners and contributing to Microsoft-led initiatives such as BC Talent.

Founder of Firm&Fair, international negotiation agency Ugne Fink-Jensen is an international business negotiator, tech counsel, and speaker with more than 15 years of experience. She has worked across both SMEs and multibillion-dollar conglomerates... Show more

Dr. Tajah M. Gross is Founder & CEO of Ethilect, an AI governance, risk, and decision intelligence firm helping organizations confront the hidden human risks inside artificial intelligence systems. A recognized voice in responsible AI, escalation architecture, and operational oversight, she is known for translating complex AI risk into practical governance strategies leaders can actually use.

Her expertise spans agentic AI, autonomous decision systems, human oversight design, AI governance, and enterprise risk visibility. Through her signature frameworks, Question Everything and ReasonGate, Dr. Gross challenges organizations to rethink how AI decisions are monitored, escalated, interrupted, and trusted at scale.

Blending executive strategy with real-world implementation, she helps institutions design AI systems that remain observable, accountable, and human-centered under pressure—not just efficient. Dr. Gross has delivered high-impact sessions for nationally recognized venues including AI in the New Era, Nashville Microsoft Community Day, UN Blockchain Week, North Carolina A&T University, and Morgan State University.

Dr. Tajah M. Gross is Founder & CEO of Ethilect, an AI governance, risk, and decision intelligence firm helping organizations confront the hidden human risks inside artificial intelligence systems. A recognized voice in responsible AI, escalation arc... Show more

Abtin Aghagolian is the Co-Founder and CTO of Pikd (pikd.app), a London based geospatial AR platform that turns the real world into an interactive, privacy first interface for brands and consumers. Pikd has worked with Red Bull, Burger King and the London Design Biennale.

He has been building consumer technology at scale for close to a decade. Before Pikd he founded a venture studio where he grew a team of over 100 people and shipped eleven platforms, including a video on demand service with more than a million users, alongside psychometric ad engines and fan engagement systems. That background is why he argues about privacy from the advertising side of the table rather than against it.

His current work is privacy preserving AI. He holds a UK patent pending invention for context aware augmented reality built on zero knowledge proofs and psychometric context modelling, and is leading a consortium bid into Innovate UK and the Eureka clusters on privacy first smart city infrastructure.

He has spoken at Digital Almaty, Global Tech Wave and Red Bull Basement, where he gave "Don't Build the Future Wrong: Ethics by Design in the Age of Immersive AI". He holds a BSc in Computer Science and Management from the University of St Andrews and a DBA from the University of Tehran.

Abtin Aghagolian is the Co-Founder and CTO of Pikd (pikd.app), a London based geospatial AR platform that turns the real world into an interactive, privacy first interface for brands and consumers. Pikd has worked with Red Bull, Burger King and the L... Show more

Vidya Krishnamoorthy is a Software Engineering Manager and Design System Tech Lead at Morgan Stanley with 18 years of experience building enterprise-grade UI systems across global teams. She specialises in front-end architecture, performance, accessibility, and future-ready UI foundations. A co-chair of the Women in Technology and UX/UI communities, Vidya champions women’s empowerment in tech, mentors engineers, and regularly speaks on software craftsmanship, UI engineering, and how modern tooling including AI is reshaping day-to-day engineering practice.
Vidhya's other interests include exploring places and cultures, travelling solo as an Indian female, psychology/mental heath, mentoring and Neurodivergence/ADHD.

Vidya Krishnamoorthy is a Software Engineering Manager and Design System Tech Lead at Morgan Stanley with 18 years of experience building enterprise-grade UI systems across global teams. She specialises in front-end architecture, performance, accessi... Show more

Shavana Peynado is a multi-award winning Software Developer, public speaker, DEI advocate. Coming from an Finance and Modern Languages background, learning to program during the pandemic, Shav is dedicated to giving back to the community, fostering psychologically safe spaces for women in tech and is actively involved in mentoring.

Shavana Peynado is a multi-award winning Software Developer, public speaker, DEI advocate. Coming from an Finance and Modern Languages background, learning to program during the pandemic, Shav is dedicated to giving back to the community, fostering p... Show more

Plus de 20 ans d'expérience sur le terrain des organisations complexes et des dynamiques humaines :

- Concepteur de La Ruche® : Créateur de la démarche basée sur les Forces et de notre référentiel éprouvé de 86 situations concrètes de travail, pour mesurer objectivement la maturité de vos collectifs et accélérer leur alignement stratégique.

- Accompagnement de Dirigeants & de Groupes dans des contextes variés : Interventions en environnements Agiles comme en organisations traditionnelles (secteur de la santé, industrie, fonctions support) : coaching de CODIR, DSI et groupes métiers vers un fonctionnement coopératif, fondé sur la confiance et l'efficacité durable.

- Transmission & Référence Académique : Intervenant en MBA Management de Projets & Innovation (IPAG Business School) et plus de 800 professionnels formés aux pratiques de coopération et de transformation.

- Créateur d'expériences en ateliers de Form'Action (Approche TBR) : À l'opposé des formations traditionnelles passives et descendantes, nous concevons de véritables expériences d'action collective. Grâce à une ingénierie issue du Training from the Back of the Room, chaque groupe construit et teste directement ses propres solutions en situation réelle.

Plus de 20 ans d'expérience sur le terrain des organisations complexes et des dynamiques humaines : - Concepteur de La Ruche® : Créateur de la démarche basée sur les Forces et de notre référentiel éprouvé de 86 situations concrètes de travail, pou... Show more

Ted Johnson is a software architect, entrepreneur, and researcher exploring the future of human-computer interaction in the age of AI. Over the past 25 years, he has built enterprise software and collaboration systems across multiple industries, with a focus on turning complex technology into practical tools that people actually use.

He holds a Master's degree in Computer Science with a focus on human-computer interaction (HCI), intelligent systems, and how people collaborate with technology. Long before the current AI boom, his academic work explored many of the questions that are now re-emerging around usability, intelligence, and human-machine collaboration.

Ted is currently co-founder of JoinIn.ai, where he is researching conversational AI, multi-party interaction, turn-taking, interruption handling, theory of mind, and what it would mean for AI systems to participate naturally in human conversations rather than simply respond to prompts. His work sits at the intersection of HCI, cognitive science, conversation research, and modern AI.

He believes the next major breakthrough in AI may not be smarter models, but more human-compatible interfaces.

Ted Johnson is a software architect, entrepreneur, and researcher exploring the future of human-computer interaction in the age of AI. Over the past 25 years, he has built enterprise software and collaboration systems across multiple industries, with... Show more