Andrea Isoni
Chief AI Officer at AI Technolo...
Andrea Isoni
Chief AI Officer at AI Technologies, United Kingdom
Physicist and PhD from Imperial College, former Founders Factory (FF), Chief AI Officer at AI Technologies, a company specializing in AI and automation (clients in various sectors: Telecoms, Cybersecurity, Public Sector, Gaming, Energy). Board AI advisor for Waed Saudi Aramco and former AI Advisor of various funds, including Antler Venture Capital and Capital Enterprise. Committee member for IEEE and ISO Standards for AI policy. AI newsletter 'Human on AI' with 2900+ subscribers and a writer in AI ('Machine Learning for the Web' published by Packt in English and translated into Chinese and Korean more than 10,000+ copies). International AI speaker (including London, New York, Dubai, Frankfurt, Saudi Arabia) and invited to speak by governments (Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia).
Mahmoud Serour
CTO at BrightDrive, UAE
Mahmoud Serour
CTO at BrightDrive, UAE
Mahmoud Serour is a seasoned expert in autonomous vehicle technologies and software-defined mobility systems. He serves as the CTO of BrightDrive, where he leads the development of Level 4 autonomous platforms for commercial fleets and public transportation. Mahmoud holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and has over a decade of experience in ADAS and self-driving systems, spanning software architecture, AI-powered perception, and functional safety. Previously, he established and grew the Autonomous Driving R&D team at Brightskies, building scalable autonomy solutions for buses and trucks. Mahmoud was named one of Business Insider’s top 35 under 35 transforming autonomous vehicles. His work bridges academic innovation and real-world deployment, with a strong focus on edge AI, zonal architectures, and platform scalability. He regularly speaks at global AV and mobility conferences, advocating for safe, modular, and cost-effective autonomous systems tailored to public transit, logistics, and smart city integration.
Mohamed Moualhi
Laboratory of Software...
Mohamed Moualhi
Laboratory of Software Implementation and Validation Algeria
Mohamed Moualhi holds a Master’s degree in Software Engineering and is currently affiliated with the Software Implementation and Validation Laboratory in Algiers, Algeria. He specializes in machine learning, deep learning, and data-driven systems, with a particular focus on applying AI to real-world challenges. His early research centered on remote sensing and Earth observation, leveraging advanced models to address environmental and sustainability issues. Recently, his work has expanded toward exploring data governance, large language models, and the evolving dynamics of the digital economy. Through both academic and applied projects, Mohamed demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing ethical, transparent, and impactful uses of artificial intelligence for societal benefit.
Elangoraj Thiruppandiaraj
Data Scientist, Just Group Plc, United Kingdom
Elangoraj Thiruppandiaraj is a Data Scientist at Just Group Plc, where he leads initiatives that integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into business-critical functions within the financial services sector. With over a decade of experience spanning analytics, AI strategy, and ethical AI deployment, he focuses on bridging the gap between technical innovation and enterprise adoption. Elangoraj has recently spoken at leading industry conferences, including the IRM UK Data & AI Conference 2025 and the ai:NOW Conference UK, sharing insights on AI accuracy, governance, and responsible deployment in regulated industries. Beyond his professional role, he mentors emerging AI professionals and serves as Vice President Education at the City of London Toastmasters Club, promoting communication and leadership excellence. His mission is to drive trustworthy and explainable AI solutions that deliver both business impact and societal value.
Elisa Sai
Vice President - Analytics...
Elisa Sai
Vice President - Analytics & AI Capgemini Invent London
Elisa is a VP in the Analytics and AI team in Capgemini Invent and has extensive experience in designing and delivering Data and AI transformation projects from mobilisation to go-live across private and public sector. She has explored different career paths (including oboe player and academia!) before focusing on delivering organisational and societal data driven value and insight. Elisa is also a strong advocate of gender diversity in Data, acting as a mentor and driving initiatives to increase female participation in STEM and data.
Shruti Khanna
Netflix, United States
With over 15 years of experience in the analytics and data science industry, Shruti currently leads the analytics and data science initiatives for Games at Netflix. Her career spans impactful leadership roles at industry giants such as Meta, Intuit, and Informatica, where she has consistently driven innovation and excellence. Shruti is recognized for setting ambitious, high-impact visions and priorities, and for her proactive approach to overcoming challenges in the analytics and data science domain. She is passionate about building and nurturing high-performing, inclusive teams, and is committed to ensuring technical excellence and the highest quality of output. Her work centers on leveraging data-driven strategies to propel business success and foster innovation. Shruti’s dedication to advancing the field continues to inspire those around her, making her a sought-after thought leader in analytics and data science.
Speaker
Wassim Ben Youssef
Manager in Data Science and AI, Data & Cloud, PwC
Wassim Ben Youssef brings eight years of expertise in Data Science, AI, and Machine Learning, with a strong focus on driving business value through innovation. Currently, as a Data Science and AI Manager at PwC Dubai, MENA, he is deeply engaged in deploying cutting-edge Generative AI projects for financial services and government entities. His technical journey includes working as a Senior Data Scientist at Artefact, delivering ML solutions for asset management. Crucially, his time in the UK start-up ecosystem saw him establish and scale a new Data Science and AI practice. This involved developing specialized AI/ML products, including an anomaly detection system for high-volume invoice processing and a predictive model for estimating non-public business data for the insurance industry. He is dedicated to empowering others through technology and is the author of a machine learning course for business professionals.
Dr. Jane Thomason
Section Chief Editor Web3 & Metaverse Frontiers in Blockchain, UAE
Dr Jane Thomason, is a global thought leader in emerging technologies, including AI, Blockchain, Web3, Metaverse, and MedTech. She holds distinguished roles on the editorial boards of peer reviewed journals and is an Industry Associate: University College London, Centre for Blockchain. She is author of "Blockchain for Global Social Change," "Applied Ethics in a Digital World" "Advancements in the New World of Web 3: A Look Toward the Decentralized Future," "Infinite Playgrounds - Gaming as the Architecture of the Future" and "Stablecoins and and the Future of Financial Regulation (forthcoming) " She has published widely on MedTech, Web3, Blockchain, AI and Metaverse and is at the forefront of the impact of emerging technologies on industry and society.
Raid Arfua
Head of AI at Cloverpop
Raid Arfua
Head of AI at Cloverpop, Czech Republic
Raid Arfua is an AI leader and practitioner specializing in Applied Machine Learning and Decision Intelligence. Throughout his professional career, he has focused on building practical, high-impact AI systems that enhance business decision-making, operational performance, and product strategy. His work spans recommendation engines, segmentations, forecasting systems, and advanced LLM-based agents for enterprise use. As Head of AI at Cloverpop, he is building agentic architectures that transform meeting transcripts into structured decision trees, improve decision workflows, and enable scalable enterprise adoption of AI. He leads cross-functional initiatives, mentors engineers and analysts, and drives the strategic vision behind next-generation AI products. He has delivered numerous talks and workshops on AI solutions, and continues to contribute to the broader AI community through speaking engagements, research exploration, and strategic advisory in decision-centric AI.
Gowri Shankar Sivabala
Founder, Dubai AI Community (D.AI.C)
Gowri Shankar Sivabala is an academician, engineer, AI consultant, entrepreneur, and a sustainability advocate driving change across education, engineering, and innovation. With experience spanning 30+ roles in AI, engineering, education, journalism, art and social impact, he has mentored over 2,000 professionals across 20+ countries and collaborated with organizations such as Rolls-Royce and Airbus. He is the founder of SpaceNXT Labs, Co-Founder of RecycleNXT, and founder of D.AI.C, one of Dubai’s leading AI communities. A member of the UN Innovations Network and AI in Education group at the University of Oxford, he speaks globally on responsible AI at events including AI Everything, Function1, GITEX, etc. He is also the Deputy Chair of the University of Bristol Alumni Association , he is a Guinness World Record holder and a finalist for the Study UK Alumni Award 2025 and GESS Global Education Award 2024. He currently researches AI in education at UCAM, Spain, and leads ITEF UAE and the AISGI Charter at GAFAI.
Abdul-Rahim Sabouni
CEO, Span Management Consulting
Abdul-Rahim Sabouni
CEO, Span Management Consulting
Prof. Abdul Rahim Sabouni is the CEO of Span Management Consulting and Chief Academic Advisor at the Emirates Scholars Research Center. A distinguished structural engineering professor and former university president, he holds a PhD from Cornell University, an MSc from George Washington University, and a professional certificate in academic leadership from Harvard University. With extensive expertise in design, construction management, and AI, he has held senior roles, including Design Expert for Abu Dhabi Municipality.
Emile Destin Ibara Doniama
Advisor – Africa Expansion, BlackCroww
Emile Destin Ibara Doniama is a senior technology and digital transformation leader with over eight years of experience driving AI-enabled innovation, blockchain solutions, and data-driven strategy across Africa and international markets. He has held leadership and advisory roles supporting financial institutions, startups, and public-private initiatives, with a strong focus on digital finance, emerging technologies, and scalable infrastructure. Emile brings deep expertise in strategic technology execution, data governance, and intelligent systems, helping organizations translate complex technologies into measurable business and societal impact. His work spans core banking modernization, fintech, crypto analytics, and AI-powered decision frameworks, with a particular interest in financial inclusion and digital trust. He regularly engages with executives and policymakers on the future of AI, Web3, and digital economies in emerging markets.
SAMEH HABLAS CEO Founder American Plus
CEO / Founder, American Plus
Sameh Hablas is a globally recognized executive advisor and technology leader with over 24 years of experience in artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, and large-scale digital transformation across the United States, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. He is the Founder & CEO of American Plus Project Management, a U.S. and UAE–based consulting firm specializing in AI-driven transformation, critical digital infrastructure, and advanced data platforms. Throughout his career, Sameh has held senior leadership roles within major American technology companies and has worked closely with government entities across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, leading high-impact, mission-critical programs. He was awarded the Distinguished Employee Award at the government sector level in the United Arab Emirates, recognizing exceptional leadership and impact. Sameh Hablas has recently been named among the Top 50 Technology Leaders in the Middle East and recognized as one of the Top 100 Leaders in the Critical Digital Infrastructure Index 2025. He is a frequent international speaker and panelist at global conferences and forums on AI, data governance, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure. He currently leads strategic initiatives in partnership with NVIDIA, Microsoft, and leading U.S. technology ecosystem partners.
Ian Gatley
Group CTO at Vector Investment...
Ian Gatley
Group CTO at Vector Investment Capital, United Kingdom
Ian Gatley is a Group Chief Technology Officer in the London insurance market, leading data and AI transformation across multiple regulated entities. His work sits at the intersection of modern data platforms, operational resilience and the practical adoption of agentic AI. Turning "AI potential" into shipped capability. He advises senior leaders on governance, security, commercial value cases and the change mechanics required to scale AI responsibly, with a consistent focus on execution over complexity.
Nina Abide
Founder & CEO at FetalFirst
Nina Abide
Founder & CEO at FetalFirst, United Kingdom
Nina Abide is Founder & CEO of FetalFirst and a governance-first AI leader focused on taking advanced AI from prototype to real-world deployment in regulated environments. She specialises in responsible clinical AI: validation design, risk management, data protection, and operating models that make AI trustworthy and scalable across organisations. Nina brings a blend of hands-on build experience and enterprise leadership, with prior roles spanning data and AI strategy and delivery in industry. At FetalFirst, she is advancing a regulated clinical decision-support programme, with an Estonia-anchored pilot at Tartu University Hospital and a privacy-preserving deployment model designed for hospital secure environments, aligned with GDPR, HIPAA and ISO 27001 principles. Nina is a member of NVIDIA’s Inception program, holds an Executive MBA from London Business School, and is a Tech Nation Global Talent (Digital Technology) endorsee. She speaks on AI governance, accountability, and turning innovation into dependable, measurable outcomes.
Pedro Cosa
Founder and Managing Director at...
Pedro Cosa
Founder and Managing Director at Data Minds Consulting Ltd, United Kingdom
Pedro is the Founder and Managing Director of Data Minds Consulting Ltd. A specialised advisory firm that supports leading organisations to realise maximum value from data and AI at scale. Data Minds provides consulting and advisory services covering Data Strategy, AI & Advanced Analytics, Data Monetisation and Digital Transformation across multiple sectors. Pedro has more than 20 years’ experience in data and analytics, creating commercial opportunities, driving innovation and helping organisations become more customer centric. He has set up multiple award-winning data functions and done work pioneering AI and advanced analytics across market-leading brands including British Gas, News UK, Warner Bros., Channel 4 and Vodafone.
Tom Ellis-Aziz
Chief Executive Officer at FendOps (An Ombori Company)
Tom Ellis-Aziz is Chief Executive Officer of FendOps, an AI-powered cybersecurity company and Ombori Group portfolio company focused on building future-proof security solutions. With 19+ years of experience delivering AI-driven strategies, enterprise resilience, and digital transformation across defence, government, and financial services, Tom leads FendOps' growth strategy and product innovation in cyber-AI, agentic security systems, and autonomous vulnerability management platforms serving banking, fintech, and technology sectors globally. A former Royal Marines Commando and Metropolitan Police Officer, Tom brings operational discipline and crisis leadership to AI technology deployment. He previously served as Academy Director for Saudi Arabia's first national Cyber Academy (Deloitte, Saudi MoD), Regional Lead at Control Risks (UAE & KSA), and Director of Cyber at Emposo (UK & Ireland). His expertise spans AI governance and ethical AI deployment, autonomous threat detection systems, machine learning security architectures, cloud security, and regulatory compliance frameworks.
Bas Geerdink
Founder, Aizonic, Netherlands
Bas is a technology leader in the AI and big data domain. His academic background is in Artificial Intelligence and Informatics. Trained as a software engineer and architect, he has 15 years experience in delivering succesful data-driven projects with a wide range of companies and technologies. He is a regular speaker on conferences and informal meetings, where he brings a mixture of market context, business cases, architecture and source code in an enthusiastic way towards his audience
Rui Pedro Duarte
Managing Director, Loop Future
Rui Duarte is the Managing Director of Loop Future Switzerland (DACH) and Senior AI Governance Advisor, bringing together governments, companies, and researchers to shape the governance of artificial intelligence. A member of the Diplomatic Courier’s World in 2050 Brain Trust, he also serves on the Policy, Regulation & International Cooperation Executive Office of the Global Alliance for Artificial Intelligence (GAFAI), contributing to practical, shared rules for AI. Rui works where business, technology, and policy meet. From the UN Science Summit (24) to GAFAI, he speaks globally on AI ethics, governance and diplomacy connecting people who shape technology with those who must govern it, and turning good intentions into real-world policies. With 15 years of experience — seven in the public sector and eight in the private sector — Rui has served as an elected Member of Parliament and worked with intergovernmental institutions like European Commission, the Council of Europe, the United Nations (Youth Delegate Program), and intergovernmental bodies including the African Union (Pan-African Youth Union), Arab League, and Secretaría General Iberoamericana. Rui holds a Master’s degree in Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and is fluent in Portuguese, English, and French. He holds a Bachelor Degree in International Relations from the University of Coimbra.
Navin Manaswi
Founder at WoWExp, Switzerland
Navin Manaswi
Founder at WoWExp, Switzerland
Navin Manaswi is a DeepTech entrepreneur, AI researcher, and global thought leader in Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Digital Twins, and Metaverse technologies. He is the Founder of WoWExp, a NASSCOM-recognized DeepTech company that pioneered India’s first Metaverse Meeting Platform (WoWMeet) and Virtual City (WoWCity), working with organizations such as PwC, Infosys, HUL, and Dell. Since 2023, his work has expanded into Generative AI, AI Agents, and industry-scale AI platforms across finance, automation, governance, and smart infrastructure. Navin has represented India at the United Nations ITU-T in Geneva, contributing to global standards on AI, cybersecurity, and digital twins. An educator and author, he actively trains CXOs, professionals, and students worldwide to democratize AI adoption and innovation.
Almaz Rakhimbekov
Staff Infrastructure Engineer...
Almaz Rakhimbekov
Staff Infrastructure Engineer at Uber, Netherlands
Almaz Rakhimbekov is a Staff Infrastructure Engineer at Uber, where he leads initiatives in large-scale network automation, AI-driven infrastructure modernization, and secure cloud connectivity. With over 15 years of experience spanning telecom, enterprise networking, and edge computing, Almaz focuses on bridging traditional infrastructure with intelligent automation and data-driven decision systems. His work enables Uber’s global network to operate with resilience, adaptability, and self-healing capabilities through integration of AI and workflow orchestration. A two-time panelist at IoT Expo Global, he has shared insights on scaling edge and digital twin deployments for modern enterprises. His recent contributions to the Uber Engineering Blog explore lightweight office infrastructure and SD-WAN transformation. Almaz holds multiple expert-level networking certifications, including JNCIE-DC, JNCIE-SP, and CCIE, and is passionate about advancing AI-assisted operations and human-AI collaboration across enterprise systems.
Chitresh Sharma
Head of Data Science...
Chitresh Sharma
Head of Data Science, L'Oréal Paris
A dedicated AI enthusiast and people-oriented professional with an extensive background in Data and AI Domain with 10+ patents. In my previous roles, I have spearheaded data-driven initiatives and embraced the title of a Data Scientist. A serendipitous event a few years ago ignited my passion for the digital and data sphere, and since then, I have thrived on the excitement of discovering innovative solutions that empower intelligent individuals to achieve extraordinary feats. Embodying the philosophy of "AI Leadership as a Service," I approach my work with a strategic mindset, ensuring that every project aligns with the highest standards of excellence.
Oonagh van den Berg
Founder & CEO at Virtual Risk...
Oonagh van den Berg
Founder & CEO at Virtual Risk Solutions, Portugal
Oonagh van den Berg is a globally recognised, award-winning compliance and financial crime risk expert with over 20 years of experience across financial services, regulatory, and risk domains. She has led complex compliance and governance initiatives in major global institutions, including top-tier banks and innovative fintech and crypto businesses, and has successfully navigated GRC structures, licensing and remediation programmes across jurisdictions. Oonagh is the Founder and CEO of Virtual Risk Solutions (VRS), a global GRC consultancy specialising in strategic compliance, risk transformation and control uplift. In addition she is the founder and CEO of RAW Compliance — a global social-enterprise platform dedicated to removing financial barriers in access to high-quality compliance training, mentorship, and thought leadership. She is the author of the best selling compliance book series "modernising compliance". She is a sought-after keynote speaker, educator and facilitator, actively contributes to industry dialogue on regulatory change, and advocates for ethical leadership, practical risk management and innovation in compliance practice.
Atif Siddiqui
Founder & CEO at Cradle Labs
Atif Siddiqui
Founder & CEO at Cradle Labs
Atif Siddiqui is an internationally recognized digital transformation and business strategy leader with nearly 20 years of experience driving enterprise-wide modernization across financial services and government sectors. He has led complex core system transformations, built large scale data platforms, and delivered world first technology implementations that established new benchmarks for innovation and governance. His work has consistently translated strategy into measurable impact, reducing time to market from months to days and scaling revenues more than tenfold within a year through operating model redesign, agile execution, and technology architecture excellence. Atif is the founder of Cradle Labs, a fractional consulting and technology advisory firm that supports organizations in digital and business transformation, data strategy, AI adoption, and business strategy. A Sloan Fellow from London Business School, he is widely regarded as a People, Process, and Technology architect committed to building resilient, future ready institutions.
Jil Ebanoidze
Founder at FinBigTech Lab
Jil Ebanoidze
Founder at FinBigTech Lab
Jil Ebanoidze is a global fintech executive, board advisor, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience driving innovation at the intersection of finance, technology, and impact. She has led strategic roles at Booking.com, eBay, and Naspers, and has built cross-functional teams across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. She is the founder of a consulting firm that helps big tech, banks, and fintechs design and scale tech-driven financial products, with a strong focus on ESG and sustainable innovation. Jil also founded Maison AVAZA, a personal branding and female empowerment company that fuses fashion, wellness, and identity. In parallel, she works with government innovation centers across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa to mentor early-stage startups and shape inclusive digital ecosystems. She serves as Chairwoman of the Board at GIFT (Global Impact FinTech) and is a member of SER Topvrouwen, the Dutch Social and Economic Council’s initiative to connect top female executives to board and executive roles.
Priya Balgi
Senior Business Intelligence...
Priya Balgi
Senior Business Intelligence Engineer Amazon Web Services
Priya Balgi is a Senior Business Intelligence Engineer at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she designs and deploys generative AI–driven data systems for large-scale enterprise use. With over 10 years of experience in data engineering, analytics, and AI-driven platforms, her work focuses on advanced analytics, data infrastructure, and the operationalization of AI models in production environments supporting tens of thousands of stakeholders across the organization. She partners closely with engineering, product, and business teams to translate complex data into actionable insights and integrate emerging AI capabilities into real-world enterprise systems. Priya holds a Master’s degree in Information Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She brings a practitioner's perspective on the technical and operational challenges of deploying AI responsibly, reliably, and at scale, making her a compelling voice on the intersection of AI innovation and enterprise accountability.
Devendra Sharma
Chief Data & Analytics Of...
Devendra Sharma
Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Exadel London, UK
Devendra is the Chief Data & Analytics Officer at Exadel, where he helps global enterprises build AI systems that are trustworthy, scalable, and ready for real-world impact. With over 20 years of hands-on experience in Data, AI, cloud Arch, and governance, he has led major digital transformation programmes and developed operating models that embed responsibility and transparency into AI at scale. Previously, Devendra served as Global Head of Data, Analytics, (Gen)AI & Governance at BCG and held senior data and cloud leadership roles at HSBC. His work focuses on turning complex, fragmented data landscapes into intelligent systems that deliver measurable business impact and also designing practical frameworks that bring fairness, transparency, and accountability into everyday AI development, not just in theory, but in large-scale enterprise environments. Devendra's work sits at the intersection of innovation and responsibility, helping organizations adopt AI with confidence. At this event, he will share real lessons from the field on how to build Responsible AI that actually works in production.
Mike Le Galloudec
Principal Engineer Advocate...
Mike Le Galloudec
Principal Engineer Advocate at Oakland Consulting, Leeds, UK
Mike LG is Principal Engineer Advocate at Oakland, a data engineering consultancy. Half his time goes on building agentic AI solutions; the other half on explaining them to people who'd rather not hear the phrase "agentic AI." He's delivered production AI for enterprise clients including Network Rail, where he built their first production-grade AI application, and has designed complex agent architectures for Financial Reporting Operations on Microsoft Azure. He advises organisations across rail, transport, utilities and financial services on the messy reality of AI adoption, including rescuing Copilot deployments that nobody planned governance for. Before any of this, Mike spent eight years teaching secondary physics, which turns out to be decent preparation for explaining large language models to a boardroom. He has a Physics degree from Oxford, a career pivot through data science, and a neural network tattoo to keep him honest. He can also be found running in the mountains, which he insists is relevant preparation for enterprise AI delivery. He speaks regularly at conferences alongside Microsoft, most recently at Data Decoded in Manchester, and runs Oakland's YouTube channel and a tech TikTok with over 30,000 followers, built on cramming dense data topics into short-form video.
Kseniia Lisitsina
Lead Machine Learning Scientist...
Kseniia Lisitsina
Lead Machine Learning Scientist @ Account Security reporting at Booking.com, Netherlands, Amsterdam
Kseniia Lisitsina is a Machine Learning and Automation specialist with 10 years of experience delivering AI solutions for operational teams, customer-facing products, and large-scale business processes. Her expertise spans machine learning, NLP, customer analytics, forecasting, and intelligent automation, with recent focus on applying Generative AI and Agentic AI in security operations. Throughout her career, she has led more than 10 successful projects, taking solutions from research and pilot stages to production deployment. Her work includes chatbot and voice assistant platforms, text analytics systems, recommendation engines, and demand forecasting for large retail operations. She has also contributed to academia as a lecturer at HSE University, where she taught on the Big Data and Machine Learning track for three years and mentored over 80 students. Kseniia brings a practical perspective on how AI can move beyond experimentation to create measurable operational impact, scalability, and real business value across diverse domains.
Adepeju Deborah Bello
Cybersecurity/Cyberfraud R&D...
Adepeju Deborah Bello
Cybersecurity/Cyberfraud R&D Analyst at Barclays, UK
Adepeju is a cybersecurity and financial crime prevention specialist with over nine years of experience across digital banking, fraud risk management, AML compliance, and AI-driven fraud detection. She currently works as a Cybersecurity and Cyber Fraud R&D Analyst in regulated financial services, where she designs and strengthens fraud controls, oversee SIEM and detection systems, and develop AI-enabled solutions to combat evolving financial crime threats. She is a UK Delegate for the Global Alliance for AI (GAFAI), championing responsible, human-centred AI across financial services, cybersecurity, and research communities. Her work focus on ethical AI adoption, model governance, bias mitigation, explainability, and embedding human-in-the-loop controls within high-risk systems. She is an active researcher and thought leader, she has published on AI-driven fraud detection, blockchain-enabled KYC/AML, and data protection, contributing to industry and academic discourse on secure and trustworthy AI. She also serves in advisory and innovation leadership capacities, bridging industry, academia, and policy to advance scalable, ethical, and impactful technology solutions that strengthen societal trust and financial integrity.
Cedric De Schaut
Head of Data & AI at Firgun...
Cedric De Schaut
Head of Data & AI at Firgun Ventures, UK
Cedric De Schaut is Head of Data & AI at Firgun Ventures, where he works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, data science, and deep-tech investing. He previously worked at Deloitte and Element61 as a data engineer and data analyst, and holds an MSc in Engineering from Ghent University. Cedric is also a Lead AI Lecturer at Le Wagon and a published author on generative AI and its impact on business and education. His work focuses on practical applications of AI, advanced RAG systems, and the evolving role of AI in search, data infrastructure, and emerging technologies.
Andrei Nita
Chief Technology Officer...
Andrei Nita
Chief Technology Officer, McKenzie Intelligence Services, London
Andrei Nita is a CTO and data strategy leader with 10+ years of experience building analytics and AI platforms for SaaS scale-ups. He most recently led Engineering, Data, and AI at McKenzie Intelligence Services, a B2B geospatial intelligence platform serving governments and Fortune 500 financial institutions. At McKenzie, he delivered a 300% increase in engineering throughput, a 60% reduction in cloud costs, and defined the five-year technology roadmap. Previously, as Director of Data & Analytics at Builder.ai (Series B–D), Andrei grew a data organization from one person to 15, built investor-grade SaaS metrics dashboards supporting Series B–D fundraising, and led AI/ML initiatives including NLP chatbots and knowledge graph migration. His technical foundation spans cloud architecture (AWS, Azure), modern data stacks (Snowflake, Airflow, Fivetran), and ML productionisation. Andrei holds an MSc in Intelligent Systems and combines deep technical credibility with board-level commercial fluency
Leszek Niewiadowski
Microsoft Technology Ad...
Leszek Niewiadowski
Microsoft Technology Advisor, Onex Group
Leszek Niewiadowski is a Business Development Manager at Onex, working at the intersection of business and technology to help organizations get real value from the Microsoft ecosystem. He combines hands-on IT experience with a strong consulting mindset, translating complex technical capabilities into clear business outcomes for his clients. A long-time technology enthusiast, Leszek is particularly interested in how artificial intelligence can transform customer experience, sales, and service processes. He actively participates in events within the Microsoft ecosystem, where he shares practical lessons from digital transformation projects and enjoys connecting with people who are equally passionate about innovation.
Rui Machado
Co-founder an CTPO @ Maio Labs...
Rui Machado
Co-founder an CTPO @ Maio Labs
Rui Machado is Co-founder and CTPO at Maio Labs, where he leads the development of the Orbit Platform, an AI Workspace Companion built around autonomous agent execution, security, and auditability. He works with organisations across health, enterprise, and digital services to deploy AI that is production-ready from day one. Before founding Maio Labs, Rui built his career as an engineering leader at some of the world's most demanding technology organisations, including Meta, Nike, and H&M — where he led data and engineering teams operating at global scale. He brings that enterprise rigour directly into how Maio Labs designs and ships AI infrastructure. A practitioner and published author, Rui has written two O'Reilly titles: Analytics Engineering with SQL and dbt and Advanced SQL: Implementing Modern Data Solutions and ML Applications. He delivers professional AI training across Portugal and the UK.