Sandon Jacobs is a Developer Advocate at IBM, based in Raleigh, NC. Sandon has two decades of experience designing and building applications, primarily on the JVM. His data streaming journey began while building data pipelines for real-time bidding on mobile advertising exchanges - and Apache Kafka was the platform to meet that need. Later work in television media and the energy sector included Kafka Streams, Kafka Connect, and provisioning Kafka infrastructure with various infrastructure as code frameworks.

Outside of work, Sandon is actively involved in his Indigenous tribal community. He serves on the NC American Indian Heritage Commission, and also as a powwow singer and emcee at many celebrations around North America. Follow Sandon on Twitter @SandonJacobs or Instagram @_sandonjacobs, where he posts about his powwow travels, family, golf, and more.

Sandon Jacobs is a Developer Advocate at IBM, based in Raleigh, NC. Sandon has two decades of experience designing and building applications, primarily on the JVM. His data streaming journey began while building data pipelines for real-time bidding o... Show more

Željko has spent over 15 years in IT, mostly consulting for banks and insurance companies, with a focus on modernising legacy systems. Along the way, he developed deep expertise in JVM-based technologies and has become a go-to voice on topics such as API design. When he's not untangling someone else's technical debt, he's happily creating his own through a growing collection of personal projects he enthusiastically starts and occasionally finishes. Željko is passionate about sharing knowledge in a way that actually sticks, which usually means keeping things practical, a little entertaining, and free of unnecessary jargon.
He is a GraphQL Ambassador and a member of the GraphQL AI Working Group

Željko has spent over 15 years in IT, mostly consulting for banks and insurance companies, with a focus on modernising legacy systems. Along the way, he developed deep expertise in JVM-based technologies and has become a go-to voice on topics such as... Show more

Business Consultant BI & Power Platform for Würth IT, the tech company of the Würth group.

25+ years of experience in the data platform area.

Previously worked for Pandora, as Product Manager and Power BI / Fabric administrator.

Former Microsoft MVP Data Platform 2018-2024.

Usual speaker in events and conferences around Europe.

Business Consultant BI & Power Platform for Würth IT, the tech company of the Würth group. 25+ years of experience in the data platform area. Previously worked for Pandora, as Product Manager and Power BI / Fabric administrator. Former Mic... Show more

Amanda Sterner is the Head of Intelligent Work at Point Taken Sweden 🧡❤️, where she helps her customers make the most out of their Microsoft investment focusing on Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams and Copilot. Amanda is a Microsoft MVP and actively contributes to the community by organizing events, presenting at conferences and sharing collaboration ideas in her blog and LinkedIn. Amanda's goal is to help people understand how Microsoft Teams, Copilot and other tools can improve their daily work and make their days a little better 🫶🏻.

In summary, Amanda is a tech enthusiast, educator, and community builder who is passionate about sharing her knowledge and empowering others through the Microsoft ecosystem 💜.

Amanda Sterner is the Head of Intelligent Work at Point Taken Sweden 🧡❤️, where she helps her customers make the most out of their Microsoft investment focusing on Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams and Copilot. Amanda is a Microsoft MVP and actively co... Show more

12x Microsoft Azure MVP . Founder of the Polish Microsoft Azure User Group. Cloud Lead and Azure Lead Architect working with enterprises and gov also building Dynamics 365 Managed Environments for large business. Experienced in regulated envs like Banking and Insurance.

12x Microsoft Azure MVP . Founder of the Polish Microsoft Azure User Group. Cloud Lead and Azure Lead Architect working with enterprises and gov also building Dynamics 365 Managed Environments for large business. Experienced in regulated envs like Ba... Show more

Michele is a software engineer who helps development teams achieve more by working smarter. Unlike many others, he believes it's people and methods that make the real difference — not just the tools.

Recognized for his expertise in transforming software operations, Michele is passionate about sustainable development practices, scalable DevOps frameworks, and the human side of software engineering.

His YouTube channel is the go-to Italian resource for DevOps, agentic coding best practices and Software Factory principles.

Michele is also a member of the DORA DevOps Group Community.

His sessions are hands-on and engaging, grounded in real-world experience, and designed to inspire continuous improvement across every stage of the Software Factory journey.

He is a seasoned Software Factory consultant with 15 years of experience, working with both tech giants like Microsoft and small, agile companies.

Michele is a software engineer who helps development teams achieve more by working smarter. Unlike many others, he believes it's people and methods that make the real difference — not just the tools. Recognized for his expertise in transforming so... Show more

Jurre is a Software Engineer at Info Support with a focus on AI augmented software engineering. With a solid foundation in machine learning, he explores how AI can practically assist developers, from improving workflows to supporting decision-making throughout the software lifecycle. Jurre enjoys exploring practical ways to make AI a natural part of everyday development, aiming for tools and techniques that feel intuitive and useful.

Jurre is a Software Engineer at Info Support with a focus on AI augmented software engineering. With a solid foundation in machine learning, he explores how AI can practically assist developers, from improving workflows to supporting decision-making ... Show more

Rick Butterfield is a Senior Developer at Umbraco, where he works in the Commercial Products team on products such as Forms, Automate, Commerce and more, as well as the main umbraco.com website.

Previously a three-time Umbraco MVP, Rick has been working in the Umbraco world for 15 years and maintains the twice-nominated BlockPreview package.

Outside of work he is a husband and a father, amateur runner, and a pizza and beer enthusiast!

Rick Butterfield is a Senior Developer at Umbraco, where he works in the Commercial Products team on products such as Forms, Automate, Commerce and more, as well as the main umbraco.com website. Previously a three-time Umbraco MVP, Rick has been w... Show more

Working at Sopra Steria Norway as a Senior Engineer and Lead for Cloud Native Competency group.

My experience and expertise covers both technical and non-technical disciplines. I work with whatever is bleeding edge, helping people achieve a way of work and strategy which is DevOps centric. I love sharing my experiences, learning new things and apply what I learn.

Working at Sopra Steria Norway as a Senior Engineer and Lead for Cloud Native Competency group. My experience and expertise covers both technical and non-technical disciplines. I work with whatever is bleeding edge, helping people achieve a way o... Show more

Gulnaz Mushtaq has been a Microsoft Certified Trainer since 2018 and has trained hundreds of students worldwide. She is also serving the MCT community as an MCT Community Lead. She is the recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award from Microsoft. She is the first Asian lady to receive the prestigious Enrique Lima Award from Microsoft for her outstanding contribution to the MCT Community. She has conducted many corporate trainings in different organizations. She is a community enthusiast and also took part in activating the free Power BI tool in “MCT Program Benefits and Tools” for the MCT community through a request on Microsoft MCT forums. She is running a learning room by the name Global Cloud & AI Community, officially hosted on Microsoft's Tech Community platform. She has diverse experience in the field of Information Technology. She has worked with the public and private sectors and conducted many corporate trainings in different organizations.
She has experience in Training, Project Management, Supervisory & Leadership roles, Information Technology & Management, Computer Networking, System Administration, Database Administration, Website Development, Software Quality Assurance, IT Procurement, and IT Policy Manual development.
Gulnaz is a community enthusiast, and she goes above and beyond to work for the community. She encourages her fellow MCTs to pass along their commitment to education and passion for problem-solving to Microsoft’s professional community around them.

Gulnaz Mushtaq has been a Microsoft Certified Trainer since 2018 and has trained hundreds of students worldwide. She is also serving the MCT community as an MCT Community Lead. She is the recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award fr... Show more

Niharika Sakuru is a Software Engineer at Bloomberg who is currently adulting in Jersey City. She is part of the Compliance Engineering org, working in the team that owns stream processing applications that surveil real-time communication. At the moment, she is working on enhancing the performance of streaming applications. Niharika is a member of the company’s Distributed Systems Guild and Bloomberg’s Women in Technology (BWIT) community. Outside of work, Niharika loves dancing, yoga, traveling, animals, and chocolates.

Niharika Sakuru is a Software Engineer at Bloomberg who is currently adulting in Jersey City. She is part of the Compliance Engineering org, working in the team that owns stream processing applications that surveil real-time communication. At the mom... Show more

Hi, I'm Stephen! I've been using computers for money for twenty years now. While I initially began my career in systems administration, I've been focused on PowerShell and DevOps practices for the past 12 years.
My day job involves helping technologists use PowerShell and source control to manage the software lifecycle for their organization using Chocolatey. I'm a Microsoft MVP in PowerShell, and I love teaching people through speaking at events.

Hi, I'm Stephen! I've been using computers for money for twenty years now. While I initially began my career in systems administration, I've been focused on PowerShell and DevOps practices for the past 12 years. My day job involves helping technolog... Show more

Dennis van der Stelt is a software architect specializing in distributed systems, messaging, and resilient software design. He works with .NET, C#, event-driven architecture, CQRS, and service boundaries, helping teams build systems that survive contact with reality.

He regularly speaks at conferences and writes about software architecture, often challenging popular assumptions and industry hype. His talks are practical, opinionated, and usually include just enough dry humor and pop culture references to keep the diagrams from winning.

Dennis van der Stelt is a software architect specializing in distributed systems, messaging, and resilient software design. He works with .NET, C#, event-driven architecture, CQRS, and service boundaries, helping teams build systems that survive cont... Show more

Wolfgang Strasser, an experienced data consultant at ACP CUBIDO in Austria, specializes in leveraging the Microsoft Data Platform to drive analytics and data strategy transformations. With extensive experience in SQL Server, Azure Data Services, Power BI, and Microsoft Fabric, Wolfgang has established himself as a key resource for businesses aiming to optimize their data processes.

As a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Wolfgang has a proven track record of excellence in data architecture, analytics, and data governance. He first was awarded in 2015 and since then rewarded every year.

Wolfgang's commitment to the data community is evident through his active participation in national and international conferences, workshops, and online platforms, where he shares insights, best practices, and technical knowledge. He is one of the organizers of Data Community Austria Day (Data Saturday Vienna).

Wolfgang Strasser, an experienced data consultant at ACP CUBIDO in Austria, specializes in leveraging the Microsoft Data Platform to drive analytics and data strategy transformations. With extensive experience in SQL Server, Azure Data Services, Powe... Show more

Raised and trained as an IT Engineer, transitioned to a solution architect role. Azure MVP, passionate about building tech communities, "security built-in, not bolted on" and "everything as code" principles. You can find my professional bio at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pazdedav/ and my GitHub Profile page at https://github.com/pazdedav

Raised and trained as an IT Engineer, transitioned to a solution architect role. Azure MVP, passionate about building tech communities, "security built-in, not bolted on" and "everything as code" principles. You can find my professional bio at https:... Show more

Google Developer Expert for Android with 13+ years of experience, currently consulting for Deutsche Bahn Systel. He's worked for other well-known companies in Germany such as Check24, Liferando, AutoScout24, and Hermes Germany.

He is a passionate advocate for software testing and has authored numerous blog posts on the matter.

He has also contributed to open-source libraries on Android UI testing like KasperskyLab/Kaspresso and authored others, like Android Screenshot Testing Playground, which won a Google Open Source Peer Bonus award in 2024.

When not coding, he enjoys playing sports like football, running, rollerblading or snowboarding in the mountains.

He 
loves challenges and making things happen.


Google Developer Expert for Android with 13+ years of experience, currently consulting for Deutsche Bahn Systel. He's worked for other well-known companies in Germany such as Check24, Liferando, AutoScout24, and Hermes Germany. He is a passionate ... Show more

I have been working with BC (and previously NAV and Navision) for 19 years, first as a super-user, then as a consultant, programmer, and now as a solution architect. All this time I was gaining experience with the product, learning the functionality module by module, struggling with everyday problems, errors, bumps during setup, implementation, fighting the way through the documentation and somewhere along the way… I fell in love with this system and work turned into passion.

I share my passion, knowledge and experience on my blog: https://bc.foxer.pl.

I have been working with BC (and previously NAV and Navision) for 19 years, first as a super-user, then as a consultant, programmer, and now as a solution architect. All this time I was gaining experience with the product, learning the functionality ... Show more

Christian Glessner is the founder of Hololux, an innovation agency at the intersection of artificial intelligence and immersive technology.

As a 17-year Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) and early contributor to Microsoft’s new Agent Framework, he explores how multi-agent orchestration and graph intelligence are shaping the future of enterprise automation.

A German Innovation Award 2024 winner, Christian bridges advanced AI concepts with real-world business impact.

Known for his energetic, demo-driven presentations, he makes complex agent architectures tangible and inspires teams to build smarter, connected systems.

Christian Glessner is the founder of Hololux, an innovation agency at the intersection of artificial intelligence and immersive technology. As a 17-year Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) and early contributor to Microsoft’s new Agent Fram... Show more

Manuel is an OSS Software Engineer at Docker where he works in the Docker Sandboxes team, also maintaining "Testcontainers for Go". Since 2003, he has held various roles in different parts of the development process, starting in 2003 working for the regional public administration in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) until 2007, then worked at more traditional consulting firms. In 2011, he transitioned to product-oriented and Open Source companies, where he has served as a support engineer, trainer, and Core Engineer at Liferay, as QA Tech lead at Liferay Cloud. From 2019 to 2022 he was involved in Engineering Productivity at Elastic as part of the Observability product, and since 2022 doing pure OSS at AtomicJar, which was acquired by Docker in Dec' 23. In every job he tries to improve the quality of the software products and processes from the automation and testing point of view.

He has also founded and managed a couple of small web development and systems consulting companies. Additionally, he organises the Google Developers Group in Toledo, Spain (GDG Toledo), where they run monthly discussions about software in its various aspects, serving as a small community outside the bustling Madrid. Manuel has delivered talks at different national and international events too.

Manuel holds a BS in Computer Science (UNED Spain), and a master degree in Research in Software Engineering and Information Systems (UNED Spain). You can find him on Internet as "mdelapenya" everywhere.

Manuel is an OSS Software Engineer at Docker where he works in the Docker Sandboxes team, also maintaining "Testcontainers for Go". Since 2003, he has held various roles in different parts of the development process, starting in 2003 working for the ... Show more

Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen is an experienced technology leader, engineer and speaker with nearly 30 years of experience in technology, leadership and organizational development.

He works at the intersection of technology, people and culture, with a strong focus on building high-performing teams, strong professional communities and sustainable technology organizations.

Alexander is passionate about open source, engineering culture, leadership and continuous learning, and is known for combining strategic thinking with a practical, hands-on mindset.

As a speaker, he shares experiences and perspectives on technology leadership, engineering culture, competence development, open source and how organizations can create environments where both people and technology thrive.

Outside technology, he is a bon vivant with a love for cooking, whisky, cigars and, perhaps most notoriously, coffee.

Alexander Vassbotn Røyne-Helgesen is an experienced technology leader, engineer and speaker with nearly 30 years of experience in technology, leadership and organizational development. He works at the intersection of technology, people and culture... Show more

Microsoft Business Applications MVP in Power Apps.

Power Platform enthusiast and solution architect with great passion for building and developing functional & aestethic Power Apps ✨

Microsoft Business Applications MVP in Power Apps. Power Platform enthusiast and solution architect with great passion for building and developing functional & aestethic Power Apps ✨ Show more

Cristian is a “Project Management Professional turned into a Data Guy” working as a link between two worlds: Business and IT.
Having worked for the last 20+ years with data in different roles he was fascinated when he discovered Power Query and Power Pivot back in 2014 and then, Power BI in 2015.

He’s holding several Microsoft Certifications (MS Fabric Analytics Engineer, MS Fabric Data Engineer, Power BI Certified Data Analyst, Trainer (MCT), MCSE Data Management and Analytics, MCSA BI Reporting, MOS Master, Excel Expert, etc) and he loves getting insights from data and then, using these insight solving real business problems.

He is the founder of Romania Power BI and Modern Excel User Group (https://www.meetup.com/romaniapug/) and has been recognized as Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) in 2022.

Cristian is a “Project Management Professional turned into a Data Guy” working as a link between two worlds: Business and IT. Having worked for the last 20+ years with data in different roles he was fascinated when he discovered Power Query and Powe... Show more

George is a distributed systems expert and a hands-on engineering leader. He is a Director of Engineering at MongoDB, focusing on implementing cloud native technologies at enterprise scale. He is an Ambassador of the Data on Kubernetes community and the author of The Platform Engineering Playbook, by Packt. Most recently, he has been a speaker at global events like Kubecon, OpenSource Summit, Hashiconf, LeadDev, SaaStr, and more.

George is a distributed systems expert and a hands-on engineering leader. He is a Director of Engineering at MongoDB, focusing on implementing cloud native technologies at enterprise scale. He is an Ambassador of the Data on Kubernetes community and ... Show more

Buhake Sindi brings over 20 years of experience as a Senior Solutions Architect & Developer, specialising in Java Enterprise technology stacks. His extensive background in coding, design, and problem-solving is complemented by his role as a skilled DevOps Engineer, with 10+ years of hands-on experience in optimising and automating deployments. Buhake excels in translating project requirements into technical specifications and delivering robust, scalable solutions. His passion for technology and ability to communicate complex concepts clearly have made him a sought-after technical speaker and writer. Buhake's dedication to mentoring and guiding developers positions him as an influential advocate for cutting-edge development practices in corporate environments.
He founded Devoxx4Kids South Africa, a multi-award-winning, registered Non-Profit Organisation that introduces and inspires young people into STEM, particularly programming, in a fun and engaging way.

Buhake Sindi is an organiser for Jozi-JUG, a local Java User Group in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Outside of work, he occasionally creates music, produces podcast episodes, writes blogs, and is an avid runner.

Buhake Sindi brings over 20 years of experience as a Senior Solutions Architect & Developer, specialising in Java Enterprise technology stacks. His extensive background in coding, design, and problem-solving is complemented by his role as a skilled D... Show more

Sam Ayo is a technology leader and AI research engineer focused on building intelligent systems that operate at the intersection of artificial intelligence, financial infrastructure and complex regulatory technology. His work is centered on a problem he believes will define the next generation of applied AI: How do we turn increasingly capable AI models into dependable infrastructure for consequential, real-world systems?

Sam Ayo's work sits at the intersection of AI research and systems engineering. He has designed and deployed intelligent systems spanning machine learning, large language models, data platforms and distributed software, with a focus on the challenges of taking AI from experimental models into reliable production infrastructure. His technical interests include machine intelligence, quantitative modelling, AI systems, distributed computing and the application of intelligent systems to complex real-world problems.

His background combines quantitative economics with computer science, machine learning and production engineering giving him an unusually broad view of both the mathematical foundations of AI and the engineering required to make those systems useful at scale. He has been heavily involved in building ML solutions across various cross-industry fields, including Media & Advertising, IoT, Retail, and Energy.

Sam Ayo's expertise and achievements have earned him speaking opportunities at prestigious events. He was honoured by the Federal Minister for Digital Economy and Innovation, Dr Bosun Tijani at the National AI Strategy Conference 2024 in Abuja.

Sam Ayo has spoken at so many top AI conferences and workshops including Nigeria AI Trust Workshop 2026 organized by the office of Dr Bosun Tijani, Honorble Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, AIFest, the Nigeria Computer Society [the global body for computer science in Nigeria, where he shared insights on the intersection of AI and business impact], DataFest, Data Science Conference Europe, OscaFEST, GDG DevFest, AWS westAfrica, including the Microsoft Student Learn Community, delivering a talk on leveraging AI for real-world applications to aspiring technologists.

In addition to these engagements, Sam Ayo has been a featured speaker at the Ehingbeti Summit for technology, a renowned conference that brings together thought leaders and industry experts to discuss technological advancements and their impact on various sectors. At the Ehingbeti Summit, Sam Ayo provided valuable insights into the transformative power of AI and data science in driving innovation and sustainable development.

As a versatile and dynamic professional, Sam Ayo is renowned for his results-driven leadership. He thrives on complex problem-solving, creating value streams across product delivery lifecycles, and delivering outstanding results that help companies take their data strategy from plan to prototype to profitability.

Beyond his professional accomplishments, Sam Ayo is dedicated to knowledge sharing and collective growth. He actively engages in community mentorship, open-source development, meetups facilitation, technical writing, and research, contributing to the advancement of AI and data science.

With his deep expertise, commitment to excellence, and passion for sharing knowledge, Sam Ayo is a sought-after speaker and a valuable asset in driving innovation and success in the field of AI engineering and data science.

Sam Ayo is a technology leader and AI research engineer focused on building intelligent systems that operate at the intersection of artificial intelligence, financial infrastructure and complex regulatory technology. His work is centered on a problem... Show more

I'm a Cloud Solution Architect Modern Work and deals mainly (but not only ...) with SharePoint, a product that has been with him for 15 years and has experienced the birth and growth of all the latest versions. However, collaboration is not just SharePoint, but all Microsoft 365 applications that are helping to revolutionize the way we work. Today in my work I support customers to identify the better strategy for adopt new products and technologies. In the last period I'm focusing on Copilot, AI, Power Platform and SharePoint. As a speaker I have participated in several conferences as a speaker among which WPC Milan, Scottish Summit, CollabDays, European Collaboration Summit, European Power Platform Conference, Thrive and more.

I'm a Cloud Solution Architect Modern Work and deals mainly (but not only ...) with SharePoint, a product that has been with him for 15 years and has experienced the birth and growth of all the latest versions. However, collaboration is not just Shar... Show more

Carles Arnal is a core maintainer of Apicurio Registry (CNCF sandbox). A Principal Software Engineer at IBM, he contributes to Quarkus, Apache Kafka, Strimzi, Debezium, and other open source projects. Carles is also an associate professor at BarcelonaTech (UPC) and speaks regularly at international conferences on event-driven architectures, real-time data pipelines, and AI-ready platforms.

Carles Arnal is a core maintainer of Apicurio Registry (CNCF sandbox). A Principal Software Engineer at IBM, he contributes to Quarkus, Apache Kafka, Strimzi, Debezium, and other open source projects. Carles is also an associate professor at Barcelon... Show more

Joy Marie Curtis makes complex systems human.

Joy Marie Curtis is a PMP-certified enterprise AI and organizational development strategist who has led agentic AI implementations across AWS, Azure, and IBM. Her signature talk explores how to keep the human in the loop as organizations adopt AI — helping stakeholders understand what AI can (and can't) do from day one, so strategy stays scalable and grounded in real human needs. Outside consulting, Joy is a published poet, essayist, and portrait artist whose work restores human presence to stories that history and research often reduce to data points — a creative practice that directly informs her human-first approach to technology strategy.

Joy has presented for PMI, LASCON 2025, Microsoft Azure, and Google’s Agentic AI forums, speaking to executives, developers, and compliance leaders on responsible AI deployment, enterprise readiness, and scaling AI organizations globally.

Joy Marie Curtis makes complex systems human. Joy Marie Curtis is a PMP-certified enterprise AI and organizational development strategist who has led agentic AI implementations across AWS, Azure, and IBM. Her signature talk explores how to keep th... Show more

Persona, Informático, meme andante y muy de campo entre otras cosas.
Trabajo en Backend con Python y Django, y sigo aprendiendo (y alguna que otra vez hablando de) cosas de IA y Data Science.

Persona, Informático, meme andante y muy de campo entre otras cosas. Trabajo en Backend con Python y Django, y sigo aprendiendo (y alguna que otra vez hablando de) cosas de IA y Data Science. Show more

Yash is a junior pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in India and is currently immersed in learning DevOps. He actively contributes to various open-source projects, generously sharing his knowledge to educate others based on his learning experiences.

Yash is a junior pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in India and is currently immersed in learning DevOps. He actively contributes to various open-source projects, generously sharing his knowledge to educate others based on his learning experiences. Show more