David vonThenen is an AI/ML Engineer where he focuses on production AI systems, enterprise AI data retrieval strategy, and architectures for explainable, governable, and reliable AI. His work spans agentic solutions, various RAG architectures, AI memory systems, multi-agent solutions, OpenSearch, data lineage, provenance, and AI governance.

David has more than 20 years of experience building production software across AI/ML, speech and NLP, Kubernetes, cloud-native platforms, storage, virtualization, and backup/recovery. He combines hands-on engineering with technical strategy, open-source leadership, developer advocacy, and customer integrations.

He has spoken at NVIDIA GTC, Devoxx (France, Poland, Greece, UK, Morocco), Open Data Science Conference (ODSC), WeAreDevelopers, and SCaLE on topics including explainable AI, agentic systems, model quantization, multimodal ML, and small language model training. His mission is to help teams move beyond AI prototypes and build systems that are observable, reproducible, trustworthy, and ready for production.

David vonThenen is an AI/ML Engineer where he focuses on production AI systems, enterprise AI data retrieval strategy, and architectures for explainable, governable, and reliable AI. His work spans agentic solutions, various RAG architectures, AI mem... Show more

Although living on a tropical island, Jochen Kirstätter is a business owner and entrepreneur in different industry sectors. Mainly operating in the development of tailor-made software solutions since more than 20 years, he is also venturing into the world of cloud computing. You can either meet him at the regular meetups of the Mauritius Software Craftsmanship Community or reach him on X and Mastodon: @JKirstaetter.

Jochen is a Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Google Cloud and a Microsoft Most Valuable Programmer (MVP) for Developer Technologies for several years. He founded the now largest IT community in Mauritius, and organises the annual Developers Conference. Following his interest in cross-platform technologies he is also an organiser of the Google Developer Group (GDG) Mauritius.

Although living on a tropical island, Jochen Kirstätter is a business owner and entrepreneur in different industry sectors. Mainly operating in the development of tailor-made software solutions since more than 20 years, he is also venturing into the ... Show more

- Asturiana, amante de los 📊y de los 😸.
- Microsoft MVP Data Platform & AI Platform.
- Consultora de Data & IA.

Certificada en Microsoft:
- Power BI Data Analyst Associate. PL-300
- Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate. DP-600
- Power Platform App Maker Associate. PL-100
- Azure AI Fundamentals AI-900

- Asturiana, amante de los 📊y de los 😸. - Microsoft MVP Data Platform & AI Platform. - Consultora de Data & IA. Certificada en Microsoft: - Power BI Data Analyst Associate. PL-300 - Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate. DP-600 - Power Platfo... Show more

Scott Shearer is a Microsoft 365 evangelist, former Microsoft MVP (8 years) and MCT. Scott has over 35 years' experience in the IT industry implementing Microsoft products and technologies. He has held positions ranging from systems administrator to developer to trainer. Scott is a regular speaker at M365 community events and a top contributor to the Microsoft Power Automate Power Users Community site.

Scott Shearer is a Microsoft 365 evangelist, former Microsoft MVP (8 years) and MCT. Scott has over 35 years' experience in the IT industry implementing Microsoft products and technologies. He has held positions ranging from systems administrator to ... Show more

Alison Cossette is founder and CEO of ClariTrace, where she's building graph-based intelligence for AI systems. Her work spans AI governance, physical AI, and retrieval research—she recently won "Most Impressive Project" at Physical AI Hack 2026 for a VLA-powered robot that reads books to children. Alison serves on the US NIST Generative AI Public Working Group and has studied AI and Data Science at Northwestern University at the Master's level. She speaks globally on building AI systems that are capable, controllable, and worth trusting.

Alison Cossette is founder and CEO of ClariTrace, where she's building graph-based intelligence for AI systems. Her work spans AI governance, physical AI, and retrieval research—she recently won "Most Impressive Project" at Physical AI Hack 2026 for ... Show more

Christian is an award-winning product marketer and technology evangelist, and both a Microsoft Regional Director (RD) and Most Valuable Professional (MVP). Christian's 30+ year tech career includes Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Evangelist for several leading SharePoint ISVs, and being part of the Microsoft team that launched SharePoint Online. He has worked with some of the world’s largest technology companies to build and deploy social, collaboration, and supply chain solutions, and sold his first software startup to Rational Software in 2001. Co-author of books on both SharePoint and software configuration management (SCM) and one science fiction novel, Christian is one of the most widely published names within the Microsoft ecosystem, and can be found online at www.buckleyplanet.com and @buckleyplanet

Christian is an award-winning product marketer and technology evangelist, and both a Microsoft Regional Director (RD) and Most Valuable Professional (MVP). Christian's 30+ year tech career includes Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Evangelist for sev... Show more

Nico Vermeir is a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, where he has a strong focus on application innovation and AI.

Being a strong believer in the importance of communities he tries to share knowledge wherever he can, be it on BlueSky, at a user group or conference. He has spoken on many international conferences such as NDC Oslo, NDC Sydney, NDC London, Swetugg, Build Stuff, DotNext.
Nico is a former Microsoft MVP in Developer Technologies, crew member of Techorama BE and NL and crew member of VISUG, Belgium's largest .NET user group.

In his spare time he enjoys brewing (and tasting) beer, playing the guitar, riding his Harley-Davidson and doing Karate.

Nico Vermeir is a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft, where he has a strong focus on application innovation and AI. Being a strong believer in the importance of communities he tries to share knowledge wherever he can, be it on BlueSky, at a use... Show more

I’m a Developer Evangelist in Oracle’s Database Organization, focused in building Generative AI platforms that harness DBMS AI capabilities, while also championing their adoption as an evangelist. I work on the Kubernetes-based deployment platform for AI microservices, "Oracle Backend for Microservices and AI", and I’m leading the development of the "AI Optimizer and Toolkit" —a low-code platform that empowers developers to design and fine-tune AI Agents using Oracle’s Vector Store.
In Oracle Italy since 2010, he joined Technology Sales Consulting team, working on Italian large and medium accounts on OCI, AI/ML, DataLakes and BPM/SOA platforms. Formerly Sales Engineer at Sun Microsystems, as well as Java & Software Ambassador for Italy, starting his career as architect in Telecom Italia Mobile. He holds the CEFRIEL Master in Information Technology and a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.

I’m a Developer Evangelist in Oracle’s Database Organization, focused in building Generative AI platforms that harness DBMS AI capabilities, while also championing their adoption as an evangelist. I work on the Kubernetes-based deployment platform fo... Show more

Aakash is a seasoned Engineering Leader with experience in leading complex transformations in disruptive markets. Aakash is able to broker trusted relationships quickly, coupled with a strong executive presence to influence across organizations on how to build world-class product experiences. Having the opportunity to work across many industries like Retail, Healthcare and Financial Services, Aakash has led the innovation and experimentation of many new and modern practices. Aakash is always focused on taking a data-driven approach, learning from what has worked and what has failed before. Aakash solemnly believes that everyone in an organization is capable of delivering great outcomes and focuses on enabling high-performing nimble teams.

Aakash is a seasoned Engineering Leader with experience in leading complex transformations in disruptive markets. Aakash is able to broker trusted relationships quickly, coupled with a strong executive presence to influence across organizations on ho... Show more

Maurizio Ipsale was born in Messina (Italy) in 1978 where he graduated in Electronic Engineering at the age of 23 and obtained a Ph.D. degree. Passionate about the ICT world, his professional curriculum has been enriched with many certifications, in particular as an instructor of official training courses, such as Cisco, Juniper, Huawei, Amazon AWS, and Google Cloud.
He delivers training courses all around the world on many state-of-the-art technologies, including Cloud, Networking, Machine Learning, DevOps, Data Engineering, Internet of Things, Kubernetes.
Maurizio currently lives in Modena (Italy) with his wife Liliana and two children, Simone and Alessia. He is a Google Cloud Authorized Trainer.
Starting in 2022, he's been working as a cloud lead trainer for Datatonic Academy, a Google Cloud Authorised Training Partner based in London.
In 2024 he was recognized as Google Champion Innovator for Cloud AI and ML. In 2025 he was recognized as Google Developer Expert (GDE) for Cloud and AI/ML

Maurizio Ipsale was born in Messina (Italy) in 1978 where he graduated in Electronic Engineering at the age of 23 and obtained a Ph.D. degree. Passionate about the ICT world, his professional curriculum has been enriched with many certifications, in ... Show more

Ardalis (Steve Smith) is an entrepreneur and software developer with a passion for building quality software as effectively as possible. Ardalis has published dozens of courses on Dometrain and Pluralsight, covering DDD, SOLID, design patterns, and software architecture. He's a Microsoft ASP.NET MVP, a frequent speaker at developer conferences, an author, and a trainer.

Ardalis works with companies through NimblePros, the consulting firm he runs with his wife, Michelle. NimblePros is a team of experienced professionals who help organizations who want to deliver better software, faster. Ardalis and NimblePros have been described by clients as a "force multiplier", amplifying the value of existing development teams.

Follow Ardalis on BlueSky, YouTube, and ardalis.com.

Ardalis (Steve Smith) is an entrepreneur and software developer with a passion for building quality software as effectively as possible. Ardalis has published dozens of courses on Dometrain and Pluralsight, covering DDD, SOLID, design patterns, and s... Show more

Loïc Magnette is a seasoned software developer with a strong background in consulting. Currently a senior developer at Oniryx, he specializes in Java and Angular, delivering innovative solutions and sharing his knowledge as a speaker. As a co-organizer of the Belgian Java User Group (BeJUG), he fosters connections within the developer community. Outside of tech, Loïc’s passion for wildlife inspires his work and creativity.

Loïc Magnette is a seasoned software developer with a strong background in consulting. Currently a senior developer at Oniryx, he specializes in Java and Angular, delivering innovative solutions and sharing his knowledge as a speaker. As a co-organiz... Show more

I'm a designer, UI engineer, and certified accessibility professional with over 30 years of experience. With a background in behavioral psychology and neurology, I focus on leading, promoting, and advancing accessibility at every stage in the product development lifecycle.

I'm a designer, UI engineer, and certified accessibility professional with over 30 years of experience. With a background in behavioral psychology and neurology, I focus on leading, promoting, and advancing accessibility at every stage in the product... Show more

Ryan Mangan is an accomplished technologist specialising in End-User Computing (EUC), AI, cloud solutions, and subscription cost management. He excels in navigating complex infrastructure challenges and driving innovative technological advancements.

Expertise & Current Focus
- End-User Computing (EUC) and Cloud Technology
- Developing and building startups
- AI and its impact
- Cloud cost optimization strategies
- Technological advancements in IT infrastructure

Career Highlights
- CEO of EfficientEther Ltd, a startup building AI-driven IT solutions and cloud cost optimization tools
- Built and led the successful managed services company Systech IT Solutions for over a decade
- Author of "Mastering Azure Virtual Desktop," with the 1st Edition being a bestseller with over 63,000+ copies sold, and the 2nd Edition & other published

Awards / Accreditations
- Microsoft Most Valuable Professional
- Chartered Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS CITP)
- Parallels VIPP
- Editorial Advisory Board member for TechTarget
- Recognized by Feedspot in their Top 50 IT Blogs and Top 50 Azure Blogs in 2020

Notable Published Articles
- "Legacy Applications Causing the IT Industry Headaches" in the British Computer Society's IT Now Magazine, Winter Edition 2022
- "Green Coding: The Role of Energy Efficiency in Development," Computer Weekly (2024)
- "Advancing LLM Precision & Reliability," Computer Weekly (2024)

Speaking and Thought Leadership
- Public speaker and presenter on cloud technology, EUC, and AI
- Author of influential articles and books on Azure Virtual Desktop and IT solutions
- Engaging presenter known for making complex tech concepts relatable
- Blogger at democratising-clouds.com

Ryan's unique combination of deep technical knowledge, forward-thinking strategies, and compelling presentation skills positions him as a leading voice at conferences focused on cloud technology, EUC, and AI.

For speaking engagements or to explore partnership opportunities, reach out to Ryan on LinkedIn or visit his website.

Ryan Mangan is an accomplished technologist specialising in End-User Computing (EUC), AI, cloud solutions, and subscription cost management. He excels in navigating complex infrastructure challenges and driving innovative technological advancements. ... Show more

Blaize is a Microsoft MVP and has been interested in software development since childhood and wrote his first software while still in high school. Since that time, Blaize has had broad experience in all things IT ranging from a network administrator to a software architect and everything in between.

Blaize is a Microsoft MVP and has been interested in software development since childhood and wrote his first software while still in high school. Since that time, Blaize has had broad experience in all things IT ranging from a network administrator ... Show more

When he's not talking about Data & AI, Felix is a proud father on a mission to test every playground and skate park within reach. Before that, he spent years advancing data-driven and digital transformations at international manufacturing companies, hands-on in the code and out on the shop floor. He's a builder at heart, happier turning an idea into something real than drawing it on a slide.

Along the way he learned that becoming a Data & AI company takes more than "just" technology. So today, as a Data & AI Strategist at Databricks, he helps companies across Europe build data & AI programs that actually stick. His edge is translating business vision into technology and back again, and he still builds the tools, agentic AI frameworks, and working products that turn a strategy into something people can use on Monday morning.

Felix lives close to Munich, Germany.

When he's not talking about Data & AI, Felix is a proud father on a mission to test every playground and skate park within reach. Before that, he spent years advancing data-driven and digital transformations at international manufacturing companies, ... Show more

Melissa Hale is a Power Platform Developer who transitioned from pursuing a PhD in venom and parasite research to finding a more fulfilling career and work-life balance in tech. With a strong background in SharePoint, Power Automate and Canvas Apps, Melissa has transformed business practices in both start ups and large firms. Beyond her professional role, she dedicates her expertise to the charity "Collaboration for Kids," enhancing their operations through the Power Platform. Based in Liverpool, United Kingdom, Melissa is enthusiastic about learning and growing within the Power Platform community. Melissa is dedicated to leveraging ethical AI and responsible technology to create meaningful and efficient solutions for organisations.

Melissa Hale is a Power Platform Developer who transitioned from pursuing a PhD in venom and parasite research to finding a more fulfilling career and work-life balance in tech. With a strong background in SharePoint, Power Automate and Canvas Apps, ... Show more

Eyal Wirsansky is a Staff AI Engineer and veteran software developer currently focused on designing agentic AI solutions for the healthcare industry. Beyond his industry work, he serves as an adjunct professor of AI at Jacksonville University and leads both the Jacksonville Java User Group and the AI for Enterprise Virtual User Group. He is also the author of "Hands-On Genetic Algorithms with Python".

Eyal Wirsansky is a Staff AI Engineer and veteran software developer currently focused on designing agentic AI solutions for the healthcare industry. Beyond his industry work, he serves as an adjunct professor of AI at Jacksonville University and lea... Show more

Brian Demers is a Developer Advocate at Gradle, a Java Champion, and an Apache Member who contributes to the Directory, Maven, and Shiro projects. He spends much of his day contributing to OSS projects by writing code, tutorials, blogs, and answering questions. In addition to typical software development, Brian also has a passion for fast builds, security, and automation.

Away from the keyboard, Brian is a beekeeper and can likely be found playing board games. You can find him online at https://bsky.app/profile/bdemers.io.

Brian Demers is a Developer Advocate at Gradle, a Java Champion, and an Apache Member who contributes to the Directory, Maven, and Shiro projects. He spends much of his day contributing to OSS projects by writing code, tutorials, blogs, and answering... Show more

Shannon Ryan is a technical strategist and solution architect who operates at the intersection of complex systems, regulated environments, and enterprise growth. She is known for translating fragmented technology, data, and operational landscapes into cohesive, executable modernization strategies that organizations can confidently implement.

A dedicated advocate for women in technology and emerging leaders, Shannon invests in building resilient leadership pipelines alongside the systems she architects.

Shannon Ryan is a technical strategist and solution architect who operates at the intersection of complex systems, regulated environments, and enterprise growth. She is known for translating fragmented technology, data, and operational landscapes int... Show more

Kasper is VP of Enterprise Sales for Europe at LS Retail, a global unified commerce and ERP provider built on Microsoft Dynamics 365. He leads enterprise sales strategy across the Nordics, Benelux, UK, Ireland, Germany and the Baltics, working through a partner led model to bring large, multi-country retail, pharmacy and hospitality groups onto unified commerce platforms. He is Danish, based in Copenhagen, and spends much of his time helping partners qualify, price and close deals that sit above the SMB threshold.

Kasper is VP of Enterprise Sales for Europe at LS Retail, a global unified commerce and ERP provider built on Microsoft Dynamics 365. He leads enterprise sales strategy across the Nordics, Benelux, UK, Ireland, Germany and the Baltics, working throug... Show more

Co-founder of Orama, your product answer engine.
Also: TC39 Delegate, Google GDE, Microsoft MVP, Published Author, International Speaker.

Co-founder of Orama, your product answer engine. Also: TC39 Delegate, Google GDE, Microsoft MVP, Published Author, International Speaker. Show more

Mish is a multi-talented personality in the tech and gaming communities. Mish has worked in the technology space for the last decade and has a tonne of experience in developer advocacy, community management, marketing, and content creation. Mish has spoken at over 400 events on topics like AI, the future of work, communication, teamwork, and has given technical demos. She's a respected leader in the hackathon community, having won, organised, and mentored over 120 hackathons.

Mish is a successful entrepreneur and founder, having co-founded several companies – including an artificial intelligence company, and as a result, sits at the forefront of Melbourne’s science, tech, esports, and startup scenes. In her 'spare' time she’s a streamer, journalist, loves playing sports, and is always working on something exciting.

Mish is a multi-talented personality in the tech and gaming communities. Mish has worked in the technology space for the last decade and has a tonne of experience in developer advocacy, community management, marketing, and content creation. Mish has ... Show more

A professional with more than 20years of experience in the IT Industry, all of them working with Microsoft Technologies. His principal activities are Development and Solution Analysts on his first years and as Team Leader and Solution Architect on the last 6 years. Currently Chief Technology Innovation Officer in ENCAMINA, leading Microsoft technology software development and member of the management board.

For the Spanish Community, he works as organizer and speaker in the most important Microsoft technologies conferences which he is one of the most important leaders. Author of several books and articles in professional magazine, from 2013 he began a new career as co-director of CompartiMOSS, a Microsoft technologies magazine.

In 2011 he was named Microsoft MVP and he still retaining recognition for the seventh consecutive year. He defined himself as a geek, smartphones lover and developer. For the community, has founded TenerifeDev (www.tenerifedev.com) with other friends, a technical community in Tenerife, coordinator at SUGES (SharePoint Users Group on Spain, www.suges.es) and at Comunidad Office 365 Spain.

A professional with more than 20years of experience in the IT Industry, all of them working with Microsoft Technologies. His principal activities are Development and Solution Analysts on his first years and as Team Leader and Solution Architect on th... Show more

- Over 300+ NAV/BC Implementations in Manufacturers, Supply Chain (WMS), Food and Beverage, Retail, Service, Oil and Gas, Chemical, Industrial Equip., Rental/Service, and Home Goods
- Over 16 years as an Accountant in a variety of positions (VP of Finance, Director of Finance, Audit Manager, Controller, and Director Operations)
- Extensive knowledge and implementation over 30 NAV/BC ISV APPs
Awards
- 3-Time Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP)
- NAVUG/BC All-Star
- 4-time NAVUG/BC Granite Award recipient
- DUG Guardian Award recipient
Professional
- IMA/CMA – Member 1988
- AICPA – Member 1985
- APICS – Member 2004
- DCI Summit – Programming Committee (2012 – Present, Chair (2016-2018), Board of Advisor (2013-2015 and 2021-Present)
- Dynamics User Group (DUG) – NAV/BC Forum Moderator, Dynamics Con Content Committee
- Directions NA – Content Committee (2018-Present)
Certifications
- MCP – MB-800
- Dynamics Credentialed Professional
- Microsoft Certified Professional

- Over 300+ NAV/BC Implementations in Manufacturers, Supply Chain (WMS), Food and Beverage, Retail, Service, Oil and Gas, Chemical, Industrial Equip., Rental/Service, and Home Goods - Over 16 years as an Accountant in a variety of positions (VP of F... Show more

Sampath Kumar Mucherla is an ERP Supply Chain Architect and enterprise transformation leader with more than 20 years of experience in SAP ERP, SAP S/4HANA, procurement, logistics, global trade, enterprise integration, and supply chain operations. He holds an MS in Data Science from Eastern University and focuses on connecting enterprise ERP practice with applied artificial intelligence and machine learning.

He has authored and presented peer-reviewed research on explainable AI for supplier delay prediction, supply chain disruption forecasting, AI-enabled master data management, and agentic AI in ERP systems. His work focuses on making AI practical, interpretable, and actionable within enterprise environments, where business users must understand and trust AI-supported decisions.

Sampath has presented at IEEE, ACM Austin, and international conferences and has served as a technical reviewer, session judge, and industry awards judge. His sessions combine practical enterprise architecture experience with AI governance, data quality, integration, and operational decision-making.

Sampath Kumar Mucherla is an ERP Supply Chain Architect and enterprise transformation leader with more than 20 years of experience in SAP ERP, SAP S/4HANA, procurement, logistics, global trade, enterprise integration, and supply chain operations. He ... Show more

Kevin Leon is an embedded systems researcher specializing in low-level firmware development, hardware exploitation, and space systems security. His work focuses on identifying and analyzing practical attack surfaces in satellite subsystems, embedded radios, and constrained IoT devices.

He is the creator of PWNSAT, a research initiative centered on the design of intentionally vulnerable CubeSat architectures for hands-on cybersecurity experimentation, and the architect of FlatSat, an open educational platform for embedded hardware security research.

His research interests include firmware reverse engineering, hardware interface exploitation, side-channel analysis, radio protocol manipulation, and offensive security methodologies applied to aerospace systems. He has delivered technical trainings at international security conferences such as Ekoparty and actively contributes to advancing offensive research in aerospace and embedded systems security.

Kevin Leon is an embedded systems researcher specializing in low-level firmware development, hardware exploitation, and space systems security. His work focuses on identifying and analyzing practical attack surfaces in satellite subsystems, embedded ... Show more

August Simonelli is a Principal Product Manager at Red Hat. He has worked with customers around the world to help them adopt, use, improve, and implement open source technologies. Raised in Boulder, Colorado, August now lives in Sydney, Australia and is a strong advocate for using open source technology to solve real-world problems. He believes that technology has the potential to make a positive impact on the world, and he is committed to helping people use it to make a difference.

August Simonelli is a Principal Product Manager at Red Hat. He has worked with customers around the world to help them adopt, use, improve, and implement open source technologies. Raised in Boulder, Colorado, August now lives in Sydney, Australia and... Show more

I am an Asp.Net Insider and a Software Engineering Manager with over 22 years of software development experience. I am also active in the regional software development community, organizing a monthly software development meetup (Lincoln.Code) and an annual software development conference (Nebraska.Code).

I am an Asp.Net Insider and a Software Engineering Manager with over 22 years of software development experience. I am also active in the regional software development community, organizing a monthly software development meetup (Lincoln.Code) and an ... Show more

Sasha serves as a Microsoft Regional Director (RD), Microsoft MVP, and CEO of multiple IT training, consulting, and engineering firms, specialising in addressing complex business and security challenges for executives and organisations globally. They are providing critical guidance to leadership and CEOs to transform Cybersecurity and AI into strategic business advantage, executive‑level strategy and competitive business value. He holds a wide range of certifications from leading providers such as Microsoft, ISC2, AWS, CompTIA, and EC-Council. In addition to expertise in cloud technologies, security architecture, and consulting, Sasha's teams deliver industry-certified and bespoke workshops and courses. Furthermore, Sasha is recognised as a CISSP, MCT, MCT Community Lead, CEI, and CompTIA Instructor. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences, user groups, and events, and is the author of several books on cloud security, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and Windows.

Sasha serves as a Microsoft Regional Director (RD), Microsoft MVP, and CEO of multiple IT training, consulting, and engineering firms, specialising in addressing complex business and security challenges for executives and organisations globally. They... Show more