Formerly:
- Math BS+MS & PhD.
- Math researcher.
- IT consultant.
- Developer & quant @big bank.
- Project manager, technical consultant & writer @small sw house.
- Adjunct professor @"Sapienza" University (Rome).
- Instructor @Deep Learning Italia.

Currently:
- IT expert @GSE energy company.

Formerly: - Math BS+MS & PhD. - Math researcher. - IT consultant. - Developer & quant @big bank. - Project manager, technical consultant & writer @small sw house. - Adjunct professor @"Sapienza" University (Rome). - Instructor @Deep Learning I... Show more

Michel Schildmeijer began his career in the pharmaceutical industry before moving into IT. He worked as a solutions and IT architect across multiple sectors and currently serves as an Enterprise Architect for the Dutch government. Michel regularly speaks at international conferences on cloud-native platforms and delivery engineering. He contributes to open source initiatives around containers and CI/CD and is the author of CI/CD Design Patterns.

Michel Schildmeijer began his career in the pharmaceutical industry before moving into IT. He worked as a solutions and IT architect across multiple sectors and currently serves as an Enterprise Architect for the Dutch government. Michel regularly sp... Show more

Deborah Melkin has been working as a database professional with SQL Server for over 25 years. She spends her days helping programmers with all aspects of database design, queries, performance, and deployment. In 2016, she began her blog, Deb the DBA. Soon after that, she began speaking at SQL Saturdays and user groups.

Deborah was an IDERA ACE Class of 2020, "One To Watch" as part of a #Redgate100 in 2022, and as well as the winner of Speaker Idol at PASS Summit in 2019. She is a former board member of the New England SQL Server User group (NESQL) and a former member of the Azure Data Community Advisory Council.

Deborah is a co-founder of WITspiration and a co-leader of the Data Platform WIT (Women in Tech) user group. She is also a Redgate Community Ambassador and she has been a Microsoft MVP for the Data Platform since November 2020.

In her spare time, Deborah can usually be found doing something musical or something geeky with her husband, Andy, and their dog, Sebastian.

Deborah Melkin has been working as a database professional with SQL Server for over 25 years. She spends her days helping programmers with all aspects of database design, queries, performance, and deployment. In 2016, she began her blog, Deb the DBA.... Show more

Tomas Piaggio is a software engineer and community leader, currently CTO at Centinel, a Google Developer Expert for Firebase, and a Google for Startups Accelerator Mentor. He leads the Google Developer Groups (aka GDG) in Montevideo and is a Software Architecture Professor at ORT University Uruguay.

Tomas Piaggio is a software engineer and community leader, currently CTO at Centinel, a Google Developer Expert for Firebase, and a Google for Startups Accelerator Mentor. He leads the Google Developer Groups (aka GDG) in Montevideo and is a Software... Show more

I am a Google Developer Expert in Firebase and a full-stack engineer, bridging robust architecture with agentic AI development. I am enthusiastic about leveraging emerging tech to simplify complex problems and build scalable solutions.
As a global public speaker, I love sharing tech insights on the world stage. Offline, you can find me reading, dancing, traveling, or catching up on anime.

I am a Google Developer Expert in Firebase and a full-stack engineer, bridging robust architecture with agentic AI development. I am enthusiastic about leveraging emerging tech to simplify complex problems and build scalable solutions. As a global p... Show more

Henry Been is an independent architect and developer from The Netherlands. He enjoys working with software development teams to create and deliver software for the Azure cloud. His interests include Azure, Agile, DevOps, software architecture and the design and implementation of testable and maintainable software. Besides his work he is a speaker at international conferences, is the author of two books, and creates online training courses for Pluralsight and A Cloud Guru. For his work in the community, he has been awarded the Microsoft MVP Award since 2019. To follow Henry, you can go to his blog henrybeen.nl or look him up on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrybeen

Henry Been is an independent architect and developer from The Netherlands. He enjoys working with software development teams to create and deliver software for the Azure cloud. His interests include Azure, Agile, DevOps, software architecture and the... Show more

Jenkins is an 6 x M365 Copilot & M365 Development MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer who has been working on SharePoint for more than 22+ years, focusing on building custom solutions for Copilot, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Framework, Power Platform, Office 365 and SharePoint. Having a very strong background in development both front-end and back-end, he is riding the modern web development wave and helping community with learning latest development techniques. He has been working on SharePoint for 20 years, who started his career on SharePoint version 2003. He is living in Chennai, India providing innovative and cost-effective solutions. He holds two master’s degrees in information technology. He is passionate about SharePoint and actively blogs, organize events, speaks at events and International Conferences, most recently on the topics of Copilot, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Power Platform.

Jenkins is an 6 x M365 Copilot & M365 Development MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer who has been working on SharePoint for more than 22+ years, focusing on building custom solutions for Copilot, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Framework, Power Platform... Show more

I’m a SharePoint and Power Platform Administrator based in Singapore, driven by curiosity and a deep interest in how technology works behind the scenes. My career has been shaped by continuous learning and meaningful connections, both of which continue to fuel my growth and perspective.

I’m passionate about helping individuals and organizations unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365—transforming the way teams collaborate, communicate, and get work done. Whether it’s simplifying processes or enabling smarter workflows, I enjoy making technology more approachable and impactful.

Beyond my day-to-day role, I’m an active member of the tech community. I believe in giving back through knowledge sharing, mentoring, and community engagement, and I’m always excited to connect with others who are equally curious and eager to learn.

I’m a SharePoint and Power Platform Administrator based in Singapore, driven by curiosity and a deep interest in how technology works behind the scenes. My career has been shaped by continuous learning and meaningful connections, both of which contin... Show more

Michael Kaufmann is a technology strategist, international keynote speaker, and author with more than 25 years of experience across startups, scaleups, and global enterprises.

He created the Three-Layer Transformation Model, which connects Flow, Enablement, and Leadership to explain why transformation succeeds or remains theater. His keynotes explore enterprise change, AI agents, decision speed, and the future of work through practical experience, memorable stories, and clear models.

Michael is the author of The Horizon Problem, a business novel about why transformations fail and what actually works, and Accelerate DevOps with GitHub. He challenges leaders and technologists to look beyond tools and methods and redesign the systems surrounding the work.

Michael Kaufmann is a technology strategist, international keynote speaker, and author with more than 25 years of experience across startups, scaleups, and global enterprises. He created the Three-Layer Transformation Model, which connects Flow, E... Show more

Peter has an extensive background in architecting, deploying, managing and training on Microsoft technologies, dating back to Windows NT4 Server in 1996, all the way to the latest and modern Azure and AI solutions available today. With a passion for Cloud Architecture and DevOps, Peter always has a story to share on how to optimize your Enterprise-ready cloud workloads, from skilling the world largest Microsoft customers through compelling workshops over the last 15 years. After 6,5 years at Microsoft as Microsoft Technical Trainer, he recently transitioned into the role of Senior Content Developer for Dev/AI/DevOps, focusing on DevOps/GitHub content on https://aka.ms/Learn and Instructor Led Training (ILT) material, used by global Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs).

You can follow peter on LinkedIn (/in/pdtit) and read his (mostly) technical blog adventures on http://www.007ffflearning.com

Peter has an extensive background in architecting, deploying, managing and training on Microsoft technologies, dating back to Windows NT4 Server in 1996, all the way to the latest and modern Azure and AI solutions available today. With a passion for ... Show more

Esther Barthel has worked in different roles and functions as an IT consultant after she finished her Master’s degree in Computer Science in 1997. She soon discovered that End User Computing combined servers, desktops, and user experience technologies into one and specialized in virtualization solutions, like Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, Citrix Virtual Apps & Desktops and Azure Virtual Desktops

Esther works as a Senior Solutions Architect at cognition IT, where she combines her passion for designing and implementing End User Computing (EUC) solutions with her love for DevOps, using Infrastructure-as-Code, PowerShell scripting, REST APIs, and JSON payloads for process automation of managing infrastructure focused resources (both on-premises and Cloud).

Ever since she hosted introduction days for technical female student candidates Esther has shared her passion and knowledge for IT. She has also been a strong advocate of diversity and inclusion as one of the founders of the CUGC Women in Tech mentorship program.

In addition to her Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award, Esther is also awarded as a Nerdio Valued Professional (NVP), and Parallels VIPP.

Esther Barthel has worked in different roles and functions as an IT consultant after she finished her Master’s degree in Computer Science in 1997. She soon discovered that End User Computing combined servers, desktops, and user experience technologie... Show more

Alex is an application development enthusiast since the late nineties and works as an architect, lead developer and mentor at large enterprises and small companies. He spends his time teaching other developers the details of the Microsoft development platform and frameworks, and coaches architects to design and build modern distributed applications at cloud scale. He has received the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for Visual Studio and Development Technologies since 2007. In his spare time Alex likes to participate in all kinds of sport, and loves playing and programming new and retro video games.

Alex is an application development enthusiast since the late nineties and works as an architect, lead developer and mentor at large enterprises and small companies. He spends his time teaching other developers the details of the Microsoft development... Show more

Michael is a member of the GraphQL Technical Steering Committee, a Microsoft MVP, and Co-Founder and CEO of ChilliCream. He is the creator of Hot Chocolate, a widely used GraphQL server and client platform for .NET, and one of the authors of the Composite Schema specification. Michael works closely with companies to design scalable GraphQL architectures and is actively shaping the future of GraphQL through open source and standards work.

Michael is a member of the GraphQL Technical Steering Committee, a Microsoft MVP, and Co-Founder and CEO of ChilliCream. He is the creator of Hot Chocolate, a widely used GraphQL server and client platform for .NET, and one of the authors of the Comp... Show more

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

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

25 years in tech, marketing and leadership roles. All about software delivery optimization. 5 years in technical and executive training. Expert in Leadership, DevOps, Lean, Systems Thinking, Continuous Delivery, Cloud Native and Agentic Systems. Coder, speaker, writer. Fixated on improving the ways humans (and agents) collaborate by telling mind-provoking stories.

25 years in tech, marketing and leadership roles. All about software delivery optimization. 5 years in technical and executive training. Expert in Leadership, DevOps, Lean, Systems Thinking, Continuous Delivery, Cloud Native and Agentic Systems. Cod... Show more

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

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

Hi, I’m Michiel Hamers, a Principal Cloud Expert, Implementation Manager, Trainer, and former Microsoft MVP with over 25 years of experience in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Since 2000, I’ve been helping organizations successfully adopt and optimize Microsoft technologies, with a focus on Azure, cloud architecture, performance, and cost management. As a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and experienced consultant, I bridge strategy and execution, guiding both public and private sector teams through complex technical transformations.

I regularly speak at international conferences such as Developer Week, PowerShell + DevOps Global Summit, Global Azure, AzConf Chennai, Azure Fest, DevConf APG, FutureTech, and Dutch Cloud Meetup. I’m passionate about delivering hands-on workshops and tailored in-company trainings, helping teams sharpen their Azure, automation, and application lifecycle skills.

My mission is clear: help people and organizations get the most out of the cloud, with control, clarity, and confidence. Whether coaching colleagues, giving workshops, or advising on cloud-native modernization, I combine deep technical knowledge with a pragmatic, people-focused approach.

When I’m not working, I enjoy life with Sandra, cooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. For me, technology is about empowering people, not just systems.

Let’s connect and build something great together.

Hi, I’m Michiel Hamers, a Principal Cloud Expert, Implementation Manager, Trainer, and former Microsoft MVP with over 25 years of experience in the Microsoft ecosystem. Since 2000, I’ve been helping organizations successfully adopt and optimize Mi... Show more

Øystein Hagen Blixhavn is passionate about getting stuff done, in basically all senses of the words. If it reduces wasteful effort and time, fantastic. If it improves the developer experience and increases their flow, amazing! This aspiration has led him to roles as system- and platform architect and platform developer, because these roles are directly concerned with increasing rate of stuff getting done.

Learning stuff and gaining cool insights is another thing that drives him, and his talks always seek to stimulate curiosity and induce this feeling in the audience.

Øystein Hagen Blixhavn is passionate about getting stuff done, in basically all senses of the words. If it reduces wasteful effort and time, fantastic. If it improves the developer experience and increases their flow, amazing! This aspiration has ... Show more

Since 2007, I have been working on Microsoft collaborative solutions and I became passionate about SharePoint, then Teams. I support my clients in the deployment of Microsoft 365, including those who are on Lotus Notes and want to switch to Microsoft.

Since 2007, I have been working on Microsoft collaborative solutions and I became passionate about SharePoint, then Teams. I support my clients in the deployment of Microsoft 365, including those who are on Lotus Notes and want to switch to Microsoft... Show more

Michael Heath is an innovation strategist and Frontier Firm advisor who helps organizations move beyond digital transformation into intelligent transformation. With more than 15 years of experience across the Microsoft ecosystem and enterprise technology, Michael partners with leaders to align people, platforms, and purpose through AI, automation, and data.

Throughout his career, Michael has led enterprise initiatives that drive measurable growth, operational efficiency, and long-term adoption. His work focuses on translating strategy into practical execution, helping organizations modernize how work gets done while bringing teams along for the journey.

Michael’s perspective sits at the intersection of technology and human behavior. As a speaker and practitioner, he shares real-world lessons, practical frameworks, and honest insights that help organizations move from experimentation to meaningful impact at scale.

Michael Heath is an innovation strategist and Frontier Firm advisor who helps organizations move beyond digital transformation into intelligent transformation. With more than 15 years of experience across the Microsoft ecosystem and enterprise techno... Show more

Aman is a serial AI entrepreneur with 3 successful exits and over a dozen digital/AI products. His journey began as an ML researcher at TU Wien, where he pioneered CNN for large-scale recommendation systems. A pillar of the South Florida tech scene, Aman leads the AI Collective Miami Chapter. Aman has delivered 100+ tech talks with his signature Miro Diagram style storytelling, which has inspired thousands of founders, executives, and developers worldwide, establishing him as a two-time Most Active Speaker and respected AI innovator.

Aman is a serial AI entrepreneur with 3 successful exits and over a dozen digital/AI products. His journey began as an ML researcher at TU Wien, where he pioneered CNN for large-scale recommendation systems. A pillar of the South Florida tech scene, ... Show more

Scott Helmers' conference presentations and LinkedIn Learning training courses have reached more than 500,000 people worldwide since 2000. He specializes in translating techspeak -- whether about data visualization, process mapping, or neuroscience -- into plain language and actionable ideas. He's the Founder and Principal Consultant at Process and Data Design Services, LLC, a firm that offers business process and data visualization solutions. Scott is a co-inventor of TaskMap, a Visio add-in that allows anyone to document, analyze, and improve their business processes (https://www.taskmap.com). He's been named a Microsoft Valuable Professional (MVP) for Visio every year since 2008 and is the all-time best-selling author of books about Visio. He was named a Lucid Legend in 2026 and his LinkedIn Learning courses are available at https://bit.ly/LILAuthor.

Scott Helmers' conference presentations and LinkedIn Learning training courses have reached more than 500,000 people worldwide since 2000. He specializes in translating techspeak -- whether about data visualization, process mapping, or neuroscience -... Show more

Kirill holds a Master's degree in Computer Science and has 18 years of development experience across 6 different companies, working on outsource and in-house projects, startups and legacy systems, backend, frontend, desktop, and mobile apps.

He has seen how teams are built and evolve, projects succeed and fail, team members and management make right and wrong decisions with the corresponding outcomes.

Along the way, he took many notes on what worked and what didn't, and now it's time to share them.

Kirill holds a Master's degree in Computer Science and has 18 years of development experience across 6 different companies, working on outsource and in-house projects, startups and legacy systems, backend, frontend, desktop, and mobile apps. He ha... Show more

Lucky is an Executive and the Head of Specialised Consulting, Research and Development at BBD - a global bespoke software solutions firm. As a software engineer, he has experience in building and maintaining enterprise software in the banking, insurance, telecommunications and education sectors. Lucky is an educator, teaching Game Design and Computer Science at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and is the co-organiser of the Johannesburg-based JavaScript-focused meetup: Jozi.JS.

Lucky is an Executive and the Head of Specialised Consulting, Research and Development at BBD - a global bespoke software solutions firm. As a software engineer, he has experience in building and maintaining enterprise software in the banking, insura... Show more

Andreas has been working in different positions within enterprise during the last two decades. A few years ago his focus was on all things mobile, then it shifted towards building web systems. After that, the focus was on cloud solutions and planet-scale architecture. Nowadays it's producing customer value using AI.

Andreas is the CTO at Axonis. In his spare time he spends time with his family, lifts things in the gym, playing around with AI tooling, and is involved in OSS as an Aurelia Core Team member.

Andreas has been working in different positions within enterprise during the last two decades. A few years ago his focus was on all things mobile, then it shifted towards building web systems. After that, the focus was on cloud solutions and planet-s... Show more

Dr. Kyle Kotowick is the founder of a Canadian consulting and development firm focusing on cloud infrastructure, security, and Internet-of-Things implementations for high-growth clients. He completed his Ph.D. in MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, joint with the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has served as a consultant, systems architect, and developer for global firms, startups, and universities; as a project lead for military medical and communication technology; and as a researcher for military navigation systems and for life support systems in space. He specializes in working with both startups and enterprise clients to define requirements and explore possible solutions, as well as in leading the development of project architecture, cloud services, and back-end software.

Dr. Kyle Kotowick is the founder of a Canadian consulting and development firm focusing on cloud infrastructure, security, and Internet-of-Things implementations for high-growth clients. He completed his Ph.D. in MIT's Computer Science and Artificial... Show more

I turn tech topics into digestible content. I try to keep them a blend of information and entertainment. In my daily work I look at current developments in the security space, build Android sample code and am happy to work on feedback we are receiving from users. Please feel free to approach me about security, programming, Passkeys and Yubico. I also love to talk about community building. Let's talk.

I turn tech topics into digestible content. I try to keep them a blend of information and entertainment. In my daily work I look at current developments in the security space, build Android sample code and am happy to work on feedback we are receivin... Show more

Sergey Chubarov is a cloud security consultant, red teamer, Microsoft MVP, and Microsoft Certified Trainer with more than 15 years of experience in cybersecurity. His work spans offensive security, cloud security, and AI, helping organizations identify and mitigate real-world threats.

He is a frequent speaker at Black Hat, DEF CON, Hacker Halted, Wild West Hackin' Fest, and other international conferences. Sergey is known for highly practical sessions featuring live demonstrations, real attack scenarios, and actionable defensive guidance.

Sergey Chubarov is a cloud security consultant, red teamer, Microsoft MVP, and Microsoft Certified Trainer with more than 15 years of experience in cybersecurity. His work spans offensive security, cloud security, and AI, helping organizations identi... Show more

Carlos Gonçalves is a Principal Security Engineer at a large Brazilian financial institution, where he leads cross-domain threat-led defense for an environment serving tens of millions of clients across 88 countries. With 12+ years in financial-sector security, he has spoken at conferences such as RSA Conference and BSides on intelligence-driven purple teaming and attacker journey mapping. His background in physics informs how he approaches security problems.

Carlos Gonçalves is a Principal Security Engineer at a large Brazilian financial institution, where he leads cross-domain threat-led defense for an environment serving tens of millions of clients across 88 countries. With 12+ years in financial-secto... Show more

Microsoft and AI consultant, trainer and speaker. MVP Alumni in Business Applications, 12 years of experience in Power BI / Fabric. Moved to the AI-augmented side.

Microsoft and AI consultant, trainer and speaker. MVP Alumni in Business Applications, 12 years of experience in Power BI / Fabric. Moved to the AI-augmented side. Show more