Engineering leader with over a decade of experience in software development and a proven track record of leading teams through modernisation initiatives, high-pressure deliveries, and the kind of challenges where the easy answer doesn't exist. I stay close to architecture and strategy not to make every decision, but to protect my teams, challenge the right assumptions, and represent engineering credibly at every level.

I care deeply about psychological safety and technical rigour — because I believe the best work happens when people feel ownership, trust each other, and know their manager is fully in it with them.

I actively experiment with emerging technologies — including AI tools — to understand their real value before adopting them at scale. Less hype, more signal.
Microsoft MVP in Developer Technologies, author of "Software Architecture for Web Developers" book, and international speaker with 50+ conference appearances — because sharing what we learn is part of the job.

You can see my work in here:

https://medium.com/@ghidersa-mihaela
https://www.amazon.com/Software-Architecture-Web-Developers-professionals/dp/1803237910
https://sessionize.com/mihaela-roxana-ghidersa

Engineering leader with over a decade of experience in software development and a proven track record of leading teams through modernisation initiatives, high-pressure deliveries, and the kind of challenges where the easy answer doesn't exist. I st... Show more

David is a Microsoft MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer, and founder of Warner Digital, specializing in practical training for Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Power Platform, Microsoft Teams, Excel, and Copilot. With a background in both development and business productivity solutions, David helps organizations improve efficiency, automate processes, and get more value from the Microsoft tools they use every day.

An active contributor to the Microsoft 365 and Power Platform community, David is involved in the Patterns and Practices (PnP) initiative and helps organize and host the Microsoft 365 and Power Platform Community Calls. He also supports community initiatives including the Sharing is Caring and Community Recognition Program powered by Credly, helping recognize and encourage contributions across the global community.

Known for high-energy, engaging presentations, David is a strong believer in “edutainment", combining education with entertainment to create memorable learning experiences. His sessions focus on real-world scenarios, practical demonstrations, and interactive storytelling that help attendees confidently apply Microsoft technologies such as SharePoint, Power Platform, Copilot, Teams, and Excel.

David’s goal is simple: help people work smarter, reduce frustration, and discover capabilities in Microsoft 365 that they didn’t realize were possible.

Specialties include Microsoft 365 adoption, SharePoint solutions, Power Platform development, workflow automation, productivity optimization, and user-focused solution design.

David is a Microsoft MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer, and founder of Warner Digital, specializing in practical training for Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Power Platform, Microsoft Teams, Excel, and Copilot. With a background in both development and bus... Show more

Don is a recipient of the Microsoft MVP award in M365 Development and Microsoft Graph. He has spent the last 20+ years partnering with companies of all sizes, helping them maximize their productivity in SharePoint, Teams, Viva, Office 365, Power Platform, and Azure. With over 30 years of programming experience, Don's passion for coding is centered around the full Microsoft ecosystem of cloud technologies. Prior to working full-time in the IT world, Don spent 20 years as a pilot in the Air Force, accumulating over 4500 hours in various aircraft, including the T-1A, E-3B/C, and T-38.

Don is a recipient of the Microsoft MVP award in M365 Development and Microsoft Graph. He has spent the last 20+ years partnering with companies of all sizes, helping them maximize their productivity in SharePoint, Teams, Viva, Office 365, Power Plat... Show more

Aman Sardana is a technology professional in the financial services and payments domain. He is a hands-on technology leader, enabling business capabilities by implementing cutting-edge, modernized technology solutions. He is skilled in designing, developing, and implementing innovative financial technology solutions that drive business results and establish best-in-class operations.

Aman did his Masters in Information Technology from Northwestern University. This unique program straddles between the business and technical side of information technology, focusing on data mining, information security, enterprise architecture, statistics, innovation, marketing and finance.

Aman Sardana is a technology professional in the financial services and payments domain. He is a hands-on technology leader, enabling business capabilities by implementing cutting-edge, modernized technology solutions. He is skilled in designing, dev... Show more

AI enthusiast with extensive software engineering background. Veronika has experience in full-stack development using C#, .NET, Java and Typescript, Azure and AWS clouds and loves using AI to support all her ideas. International public speaker, hackathon volunteer, co-organizer of Boston Azure AI user group, and mentor.
Veronika holds a master's degree in Information Technology. She likes dancing, traveling and practicing aerial fitness in her free time.

AI enthusiast with extensive software engineering background. Veronika has experience in full-stack development using C#, .NET, Java and Typescript, Azure and AWS clouds and loves using AI to support all her ideas. International public speaker, hacka... Show more

I am a big fan of Microsoft Cloud Security products because there my two favorite topics Identity and Security work together in a unique way. I've been working in IT for quite a while and have over 15 years of experience in IT security in various roles. At the moment I am a Cybersecurity Architect at glueckkanja AG and help our customers with my favorite topics. I am 45 years old and live with my family in Hamburg.

I am a big fan of Microsoft Cloud Security products because there my two favorite topics Identity and Security work together in a unique way. I've been working in IT for quite a while and have over 15 years of experience in IT security in various ro... Show more

Elif is a Senior Platform Engineer dedicated to advocating accessible and resilient cloud-native infrastructure. CNCF Ambassador and Cloud Native Days Romania organizer, Elif is passionate about designing scalable systems using modern DevOps practices - championing open source, continuous learning, and community-driven innovation.

Elif is a Senior Platform Engineer dedicated to advocating accessible and resilient cloud-native infrastructure. CNCF Ambassador and Cloud Native Days Romania organizer, Elif is passionate about designing scalable systems using modern DevOps practice... Show more

josie works on infrastructure and security. she spends work hours on linux userspace networking, free time on porting distros to weird architectures, and contributing to CNCF projects.

she unironically thinks s390x is cool and will argue about it.

occasionally writes crystal, and likes electronics with transparent cases.

josie works on infrastructure and security. she spends work hours on linux userspace networking, free time on porting distros to weird architectures, and contributing to CNCF projects. she unironically thinks s390x is cool and will argue about it.... Show more

Microsoft Biz Apps and Data Platform MVP and seasoned technology leader with over 18 years of global experience designing and delivering intelligent solutions across diverse industries. As an AI Solutions Specialist and Power Platform Architect, Alex has been at the forefront of integrating Cognitive Services, developing enterprise-grade chatbots and Copilot solutions, and driving automation through RPA and low-code platforms. His expertise spans cloud architecture on Azure and Microsoft 365, with a strong focus on empowering organizations through innovation, scalability, and user-centric design. A passionate advocate for digital transformation, Alex combines technical excellence with a deep understanding of business needs to create impactful solutions that bridge people and technology.

AI Solutions Specialist / Copilot Studio / Copilot / Power Platform Architect / RPA / Cloud Architect / Azure / M365 /Fabric

Microsoft Biz Apps and Data Platform MVP and seasoned technology leader with over 18 years of global experience designing and delivering intelligent solutions across diverse industries. As an AI Solutions Specialist and Power Platform Architect, Alex... Show more

Johan Ludvig Brattås leads Data & AI Solutions at Tower NewCo, and a dedicated community guy. He has worked with MS SQL server since late 1999, mostly with BI in one form or another. Since 2015, most of his work has been in the cloud working on data platform services such as Snowflake, Databricks and Fabric.

Combining his passion for MS SQL Server with his passion for sharing knowledge, he started speaking at various events in the SQL Community. This is also a way to give back to the community for all the things he has learned over the years. When not working, Johan Ludvig either spends his time with his kids, playing with new technology or teaching coeliacs how to bake glutenfree food.

Johan Ludvig Brattås leads Data & AI Solutions at Tower NewCo, and a dedicated community guy. He has worked with MS SQL server since late 1999, mostly with BI in one form or another. Since 2015, most of his work has been in the cloud working on data ... Show more

I’ve been working as Head of Technical Advocacy at SCYTHE, Founder & Investor at CROSS-INTEL, BSides Porto Organizer, Red Team Village Director (DEF CON), Senior Advisor Raices Cyber Academy, Founder of Red Team Community (Brazil and LATAM), AWS Community Builder, Snyk Ambassador, Application Security Specialist and Hacking is NOT a crime Advocate. International Speaker at Security and New technologies events in many countries such as US (Black Hat & Defcon), Canada, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Black Hat MEA - Middle-East - and others, I’ve served as University Professor in Master Degree in Portugal, Graduation and MBA courses at Brazilian colleges, in addition, I'm Creator and Instructor of the Course - Malware Attack Types with Kill Chain Methodology (PentestMagazine), PowerShell and Windows for Red Teamers(PentestMagazine) and Malware Analysis - Fundamentals (HackerSec).

Black Hat SECTOR 2026 - https://blackhat.com/sector/arsenal/schedule/presenters.html#filipi-pires-46329
Black Hat US 2025 - https://blackhat.com/us-25/arsenal/schedule/presenters.html#filipi-pires-46329
Black Hat US 2024 - https://blackhat.com/us-24/arsenal/schedule/presenters.html#filipi-pires-46329
Black Hat MEA 2025 - https://blackhatmea.com/speaker/filipi-pires-0
Black Hat MEA 2024 - https://blackhatmea.com/speaker/filipi-pires
DEF CON 33 / 32 - https://sessionize.com/filipi-pires/
DEF CON - Adversary Village - https://adversaryvillage.org/adversary-events/DEFCON-33/Filipi-Pires/

I’ve been working as Head of Technical Advocacy at SCYTHE, Founder & Investor at CROSS-INTEL, BSides Porto Organizer, Red Team Village Director (DEF CON), Senior Advisor Raices Cyber Academy, Founder of Red Team Community (Brazil and LATAM), AWS Com... Show more

Obum is a Full-Stack AI, Blockchain, Cloud, Mobile, and Web developer. He has worked with different teams and has professional experiences in architecting and building software solutions. He is a Google Developer Expert (GDE) in the Cloud AI & Dart-Flutter category. He has written several articles on Flutter in various publications and he volunteers in tech communities.

Obum is a Full-Stack AI, Blockchain, Cloud, Mobile, and Web developer. He has worked with different teams and has professional experiences in architecting and building software solutions. He is a Google Developer Expert (GDE) in the Cloud AI & Dart-... Show more

Andreas Wolter is a data security expert and founder of Sarpedon Quality Lab. As a former Senior Program Manager for Azure SQL and SQL Server at Microsoft, he led the revamp of SQL Server’s permission system and designed the external authorization framework for Microsoft Purview, now also used by SQL databases in Microsoft Fabric.
He served on Microsoft’s security review board, analyzing threat models for SQL Server and Azure SQL features, contributing to improvements aligned with the Principle of Least Privilege, and helping shape the last major overhaul of SQL vulnerability assessment in Microsoft Defender for SQL.
One of only seven Microsoft Certified Solutions Masters (MCSM) for the Data Platform worldwide and a former Microsoft MVP, Andreas brings over 25 years of experience and has developed a SQL Server security assessment framework used to identify real-world risk patterns across enterprise environments.
He regularly speaks at international conferences and helps organizations identify real risk, strengthen security, and improve performance and availability, and reduce costs across SQL Server environments - on-premises and in Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.

Andreas Wolter is a data security expert and founder of Sarpedon Quality Lab. As a former Senior Program Manager for Azure SQL and SQL Server at Microsoft, he led the revamp of SQL Server’s permission system and designed the external authorization fr... 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

Damir Arh has many years of experience with software development and maintenance; from complex enterprise software projects to modern consumer-oriented mobile applications. Although he has worked with a wide spectrum of different languages, his favorite language remains C#. He shares his knowledge on his own blog and by speaking at user groups and conferences. He has been a Microsoft MVP since 2012, currently in the category of developer technologies.

Damir Arh has many years of experience with software development and maintenance; from complex enterprise software projects to modern consumer-oriented mobile applications. Although he has worked with a wide spectrum of different languages, his favor... Show more

Patrick Baumgartner is a Java Champion, passionate software crafter, and technical agile coach at 42talents. He helps teams build elegant, simple, and robust solutions, specializing in cloud software with Java, the Spring ecosystem, and other open-source technologies.

Patrick is an active member of the Software Craft, Java, and Agile communities in Switzerland. As a trainer and coach, he focuses on making a real impact by sharing knowledge, experimenting, and fostering continuous improvement. He enjoys learning with and from others.

Patrick Baumgartner is a Java Champion, passionate software crafter, and technical agile coach at 42talents. He helps teams build elegant, simple, and robust solutions, specializing in cloud software with Java, the Spring ecosystem, and other open-so... Show more

Eliza is a Staff Android Engineer and GDE alumni with 15+ years of experience building and modernising large-scale Android ecosystems. She began her Android journey in 2013 and has been actively involved in the tech community as a volunteer, organiser, lead, and speaker ever since. In her spare time, she loves travelling, reading, solving puzzles, and taking long walks with her dog.

Eliza is a Staff Android Engineer and GDE alumni with 15+ years of experience building and modernising large-scale Android ecosystems. She began her Android journey in 2013 and has been actively involved in the tech community as a volunteer, organise... Show more

Tori is a Principal AI Consultant at Advancing Analytics. Specialising in MLOps and LLMOps, Tori has worked on many ML and data science projects with Azure and Databricks at all stages of the ML Lifecycle. She is a co-presenter of the Data & AI podcast, Totally Skewed, founder of Girls Code Too UK and Trustee of Girls in Data.

Tori is a Principal AI Consultant at Advancing Analytics. Specialising in MLOps and LLMOps, Tori has worked on many ML and data science projects with Azure and Databricks at all stages of the ML Lifecycle. She is a co-presenter of the Data & AI podca... Show more

As Head of Developer —and Agent— Relations at QuestDB, I help developers make the most of their (fast) data. These days that increasingly means AI agents: I make QuestDB easy for an agent to use through skills, MCP servers, machine-legible docs, standard interfaces like SQL, REST, and Parquet, and a cookbook of ready-made recipes, so agents produce correct, fast results with as few tokens as possible. I also make sure the core team behind QuestDB listens to absolutely every piece of feedback I get, and I facilitate collaboration in our open source repository.

I love data, big and small, and I enjoy processing it with streaming engines, ML models, SQL, NoSQL, graph, in-memory, and time-series databases. I prefer distributed, scalable, always-on systems.

Before working at QuestDB I spent over 20 years developing software professionally and sharing what I learnt with the community, including three years as a Developer Advocate at AWS and five years as a Google Developer Expert in Cloud. I've spoken at events in over 25 countries, mentored dozens of start-ups, taught for 6 years at different universities, and trained hundreds of professionals on cloud and data engineering.

As Head of Developer —and Agent— Relations at QuestDB, I help developers make the most of their (fast) data. These days that increasingly means AI agents: I make QuestDB easy for an agent to use through skills, MCP servers, machine-legible docs, stan... Show more

Engineer & Digital entrepreneur. I took the master degree in computer engineering with a thesis on AI at Polytechnic University of Bari in 2007. I worked for several years in ICT companies in Italy as a backend software developer. I attended the Mind The Bridge startup school in San Francisco in 2011. Back in Italy I started working on my own companies. Now, I'm the CTO of Wideverse, a spin-off of the Polytechnic University of Bari that works on XR and AI technologies. In addition I'm the founder and the current lead of Google Developer Group Bari community. I’m a public speaker globetrotter nerd with the passion for SUP, running, Rock and photography. BBQ and IPA beers addicted.

Engineer & Digital entrepreneur. I took the master degree in computer engineering with a thesis on AI at Polytechnic University of Bari in 2007. I worked for several years in ICT companies in Italy as a backend software developer. I attended the Mind... Show more

Michael Roth has been working as a consultant since 2011 and found his way into the IT around 2015. He focuses on Power Platform Governance, Administration, Security as well as organizational implementation. Coming from an M365 background, he has a holistic view of the entire platform.

Michael Roth has been working as a consultant since 2011 and found his way into the IT around 2015. He focuses on Power Platform Governance, Administration, Security as well as organizational implementation. Coming from an M365 background, he has a h... Show more

Over the past 15+ years, Andrew Murphy has led engineering teams across consultancies and SaaS companies, and coached tech leaders stepping into the leadership role for the first time. Again and again, he's watched technically competent engineers get promoted without the skills or support to succeed. His mission is simple: make sure they don't have to learn leadership the hard way.

Andrew now runs in-person workshops and coaching programs where new and established tech leaders learn, build, and practice real leadership skills. Andrew shares his mindset, tools and techniques that turn engineers into happy, confident and effective leaders.

Leadership skills can be learned, and learning them will change your life.

Credentials
• Mentored Tech Leads, Staff Engineers, Engineering Managers into leadership roles
• Currently Fractional CTO at AI health-care company, PatientNotes.app
• Led engineering teams from 10 to 100+, shipping products at scale-ups and enterprises
• Creator of tech leadership platform, Tech Leaders Launchpad

Over the past 15+ years, Andrew Murphy has led engineering teams across consultancies and SaaS companies, and coached tech leaders stepping into the leadership role for the first time. Again and again, he's watched technically competent engineers get... Show more

💫🙆🏻‍♀️ Founder @ Stratadom
🎨📊 Data visualization and AI training
🧑‍🏫🤖 IA/ML Instructor @ LinkedIn Learning
🏅💻 Microsoft MVP Data Platform & AI Platform

I trust the power of data and persuasive communication.

Data visualization services: www.uxforpowerbi.com
More info: www.stratadom.com

💫🙆🏻‍♀️ Founder @ Stratadom 🎨📊 Data visualization and AI training 🧑‍🏫🤖 IA/ML Instructor @ LinkedIn Learning 🏅💻 Microsoft MVP Data Platform & AI Platform I trust the power of data and persuasive communication. Data visualization ser... Show more

Andrej Pashchenko started his IT career in the early 1990s and has been working with Oracle Database since 1999. Over the past 15 years, he has focused on consulting, supporting customer projects in the areas of data warehousing, data modeling, ETL, and SQL performance. He has been actively sharing his knowledge since 2011 through blogging, speaking at international conferences, and teaching, helping others get the best out of Oracle Database. For his technical expertise and his long-standing commitment to knowledge sharing, Oracle has recognized him as an Oracle ACE Pro.

Andrej Pashchenko started his IT career in the early 1990s and has been working with Oracle Database since 1999. Over the past 15 years, he has focused on consulting, supporting customer projects in the areas of data warehousing, data modeling, ETL, ... Show more

John's experience leading large technical teams in complex environments has made him a global expert in performance and scalability. John speaks at conferences around the world on database strategy and topics related to performance tuning, development, and cloud computing. He is a Microsoft Certified Trainer, and former Microsoft MVP. He is the principal consultant and founder at Procure SQL.

John's experience leading large technical teams in complex environments has made him a global expert in performance and scalability. John speaks at conferences around the world on database strategy and topics related to performance tuning, developmen... Show more

code witch | she/they | Microsoft MVP | speaker | leo y (a veces) escribo cosas | in my bookworm era

code witch | she/they | Microsoft MVP | speaker | leo y (a veces) escribo cosas | in my bookworm era Show more

Gregor Reimling is a Microsoft MVP in Azure and Security, and Chief Azure Technologist at adesso SE. He leads technical strategy and implementation for Azure, focusing on enterprise-scale architectures, cloud security, governance, hybrid environments, and migration.
Gregor is a passionate community advocate, regularly speaking at international Microsoft and community conferences. He runs a popular Azure blog and co-hosts the Cloud Inspires podcast. He is the founder of the Azure Bonn Meetup, a thriving user group with over 1,000 members, and co-founder of the Cloud Identity Summit, an annual event focused on identity and security.
As a Microsoft Certified Trainer, Gregor empowers professionals through hands-on training and mentorship, helping organisations maximise their cloud potential.

Gregor Reimling is a Microsoft MVP in Azure and Security, and Chief Azure Technologist at adesso SE. He leads technical strategy and implementation for Azure, focusing on enterprise-scale architectures, cloud security, governance, hybrid environments... Show more

Stas Lebedenko is a full-stack cloud architect and platform engineer at Eficode. He is also a co-organizer of the Odesa Microsoft. NET User Group, a speaker and author, and an active member of the international and Ukraine .NET/Azure/Operations communities. He has been building and designing software for the last twenty years and has been the Microsoft Azure Most Valuable Professional since 2020.

Stas Lebedenko is a full-stack cloud architect and platform engineer at Eficode. He is also a co-organizer of the Odesa Microsoft. NET User Group, a speaker and author, and an active member of the international and Ukraine .NET/Azure/Operations commu... Show more

Sam Nasr has been a software developer since 1995, focusing mostly on Microsoft AI Stack of technologies. He’s a Sr. Software Engineer with NIS Technologies where he consults and teaches clients about the latest .NET technologies. Sam has achieved multiple certifications from Microsoft (MCSA, MCAD, MCTS, MCT), and is the leader of the Cleveland C# since 2003. In addition, he’s the leader of the .NET Study Group, Azure Cleveland User Group, an author for Visual Studio Magazine, LinkedIn Learning, and a 8x Microsoft MVP. When not coding, Sam loves spending time with his family and friends or volunteering at his local church. You can learn more about Sam by visiting https://linktr.ee/SamNasr.

Sam Nasr has been a software developer since 1995, focusing mostly on Microsoft AI Stack of technologies. He’s a Sr. Software Engineer with NIS Technologies where he consults and teaches clients about the latest .NET technologies. Sam has achieved ... Show more

Peter started his career as a full-stack software developer in 2002 and has since progressed to a lead architect role. Over the course of these 20+ years, he has fulfilled many roles in various industries and gained extensive experience with a wide range of technologies such as Java, C#, JavaScript, and others. Nowadays, he leverages his expertise to assist companies, write articles, and speak at conferences.

His main focus is on making software development more cost-effective and future-proofing applications. Additionally, he has picked up making illustrations as a hobby because he is a strong believer in visual communication. There are no boring slides in any of his presentations.

Peter started his career as a full-stack software developer in 2002 and has since progressed to a lead architect role. Over the course of these 20+ years, he has fulfilled many roles in various industries and gained extensive experience with a wide r... Show more