2023 HCM Excellence Awards Judges


Abhishek Gupta Senior Machine Learning Scientist, Microsoft

Abhishek Gupta brings over 12 years of experience in Data & Machine Learning technologies. He has helped customers to integrate AI based solutions to enhance their customer experience and achieve a 360 view of the data using a self-service platform.
It is a privilege for being invited to be part of the 2023 HCM EXcellence Judging Panel. It gave me an opportunity to review the work and accomplishments of various innovative companies across the world.


Aditya Bansal, Senior Director & Commercial Leader, Proctor & Gamble

Experienced brand builder and business leader with expertise in consumer goods, especially beauty & luxury category. Demonstrated success in delivering industry leading results consistently in complex regional and global roles. Skilled in leading large, diverse multi-functional teams across the commercial spectrum with experience in multiple regions (North America, Asia Pacific, Greater China) & channels (eCommerce, D2C, Specialty, Department Stores, Stand-alone Stores, Club). Expertise in strategy and business model development, brand marketing, digital transformation, commercial operations, & retail. Passionate about driving thought leadership in consumer marketing, building high performing organizations, digital and disruptive thinking.


Aditya Sankarabhotla, VP Technology, Nue Life Health

Aditya is a business and technology professional with a passion for using data to drive meaningful business results. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has developed expertise in delivering measurable outcomes across a variety of areas, including product, marketing, growth, and operations.
Aditya’s approach to his work is both data-driven and people-focused.By placing a strong emphasis on collaboration, communication, and relationship-building with stakeholders across the organization, he has a track record of delivering tangible business results, leveraging his expertise in data analysis, product management, and growth marketing. He has worked with both startups and large enterprises, helping them to scale their businesses and optimize their operations through strategic planning, process improvement, and innovative technologies.
In his current role as a senior leader at Nue Life, Aditya is responsible for overseeing the company’s product, engineering, data and growth teams. He is focused on driving growth through a data-driven approach, leveraging customer insights and market trends to inform decision-making and develop winning strategies. Aditya’s passion for using data and technology to drive business outcomes is his core competency.


Amy Happ, Director, Leadership Development, Grant Thornton, LLP



Anil Naik, Lead Product Manager, Apple, Inc



Arvind Bhardwaj, Technical Project Manager, Capgemini Inc

Arvind Kumar Bhardwaj is currently working in Capgemini. He is a Technology Transformation Leader with 18+ years of industry experience in Business Transformation, Software Engineering Development, Quality Engineering, Engagement Management, Project Management, Program Management, Consulting & Presales. Arvind is a seasoned leader with experience in managing large teams, successfully led onshore and offshore teams for complex projects involving DevOps, Chaos Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cyber Security, Application security and Cloud Native Apps Development.
Arvind is IEEE Senior member and Author of the book "Performance Engineering Playbook: from Protocol to SRE”. He is an “Advisory Committee" Member, 9th International Conference ERCICA 2024 and IEEE OES Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion(DEI) Committee member. Arvind holds 2 Master degrees in computers and business administration. Arvind has published research papers in major research publications and technical articles on dzone.com and other major media. Arvind served as a judge for reputable award organizations in Technology and Business which include Globee Awards, Brandon Hall Group and Stevie Awards. Arvind is senior coach and approved mentor listed in ADPlist organization.


Claudia de la Torre Foglio, Wex & LDP Manager, CEMEX

Experience of more than 20 years in different HR areas & currently excited and learning about Procurement, promoting our digital transformation, designing our future suppliers’ experience, communicating new ways of working while experiencing a new Procurement Model at CEMEX.[Text Wrapping Break][Text Wrapping Break]In my HR experience, I worked in Leadership Development Programs, Planning, Development, Managing Information and HR tools. Have worked both in corporate and in operations. Have participated in projects or assignments such as: Design and Implementation of IGNITE and CONNECT Leadership Development Program, Design & Implementation of other Development programs, Engagement Survey, LMS product and learning offering implementation, support to all HR processes, liaison with HR Services and provided guidelines for implementation & leading HSC SAP implementation worldwide.[Text Wrapping Break][Text Wrapping Break]I have an MBA in ITESM CEM and bachelor’s in Communication also at ITESM.


David Wilson, Sr. Manager, Learning Experience Design, Johnson & Johnson

I am the Senior Manager of the Learning Experience Design (LXD) Team supporting the J&J Learn Global Services Center (GSC) organization. I establish and implement targeted learning strategies, utilize Scrum/Agile methods to provide “iteration” project management on team projects, perform “people manager” activities in managing my nineteen Learning Experience Design (LXD) team members, and ensure the application of adult learning theories in the design and development of J&J learning content.
My team has won 6 Brandon Hall Group Awards (2 Gold, 4 Bronze) for designing and developing key J&J Learn GSC Learning Programs in the last two years.
- Managed the award winning LXD Team, including setting strategic direction, defining standards, establishing processes, utilizing the latest technologies, and facilitating professional development.
- Partnered with J&J Business Units to design, develop, and deliver efficient learner-centric, world class learning.
- Ensured the team applies consistent and thoughtful diversity, equity, and inclusion in all learning.
- Utilized learning data to make informed, purposed decisions.
- Conduct research on the future of learning design and development, including experience learning, simulation, gaming, and AR/VR.


Ellen Yuriaan, Managing Director, PT E2



Gary Duffield - Head of Vendor Partnerships - Lumify

Gary is a veteran of 17 years as BH judge. Originally working in the UK as Chief Learning Architect for a global learning business, he relocated to Australia in 2011, working for ANZs largest provider of enterprise training across technology, end user, process and professional development.


Gorkem Meral Ozturk, HR Organizational Development Manager, Acıbadem Healthcare Group

Gorkem has 13 years of experience in training and development field in Banking, Retail and Healtcare sectors.
She graduated from Istanbul University in Business Administration Department. When she was a university student in 2007, she started her career in Garanti Bank. Then she completed her Pre-Master and Master Degree in Business Administration in the UK at University of Wales (UWIC). She lived in the UK for 3 years and during this period she took part in many projects and had the opportunity to do research on companies and had certificates about training, development and management fields.
Then she continued her career in retail sector in training and development department. After 3 years, she started to work in Acıbadem Healthcare Group which is the part of world’s second largest healthcare chain and has 25.000 employees.
In 13 years, she built her expertise around instructional design, program development and management (leadership development programs, certification programs, management trainee programs), talent management, measuring training programs’ results (ROI), e-learning, mentoring, corporate university.
Gorkem led her team to win Brandon Hall Group-HCM “Best Certification”- Gold Award in 2015, “Best Advance in Leadership Development”- Gold award in 2020 and win the awards from other award platforms with their other training & career management programs.


Heinrich Koenen, Mgr of Instructional Design, Progressive



Hemant Rehani, Certified Executive Coach, Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching

Hemant has rich & varied experience of 30+ years in Technology, Business Process Services, Clinical Research and Culture Transformation across many industry verticals. His career spans an interesting mix of roles as an MD, CEO, COO, CTO, CIO and VP in small, medium & large global corporations and also as an Angel Investor, Advisor, Coach and Mentor for startups. Having lived and worked in 10 different cities across US and India, he has a deep understanding of global workplace cultures.
Hemant is the CEO & Co-founder of VisualBoxx, a niche business consulting firm. VisualBoxx has specialized offerings in the areas of Leadership, Digital, Sustainability, Capability, Creatives and Culture Transformation to infuse the X-factor in their clients’ businesses.
In his last assignment at Writer Corporation, he led a team of group-level CHRO, CIO, CMO, Head of Business Transformation & Excellence, and Sustainability to drive business transformation using interventions in people, process, technology and culture. Previously, as the Global Head of Life Sciences Digital Operations at Cognizant, he led a global team of 5500+ Life Sciences practitioners and doctors based in 20 cities across the world, where he was responsible for delivering business value and digital transformation at leading global pharmaceuticals & medical devices firms. Earlier, as Managing Director - India at LRN, a Global Culture Transformation organization focused on Ethics & Compliance, he led a mission to help people “Do the Right Things”. As a Certified Executive Coach, TEAM Coach and Master Practitioner for Global Leadership Assessment (GLA360) certified by World’s #1 Coach, Marshall Goldsmith, he follows a stakeholder-centered coaching process to bring in measurable changes in leadership behaviors.
Hemant is an Electrical Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA from Ross School of Business at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
Hemant’s personal mission is to ignite a culture revolution in the corporate world, leading to happy people and productive organizations. He is curious and courageous soul who is passionate about lifelong learning.


Honey Dave, DGM: Learning and Development, Usha International Ltd.



Italia Bhargavita, Project Manager, ABL Automation Inc.

I have interests in Designing, Product development and Mechanical Engineering. For about 9 years I have worked under several titles including Project Engineer, Mechanical Engineer and Design Engineer. My current employer is ABL Automation Inc and have been working with them since Sep 2016. My expertise is the development of advanced and/or technical measurements and applications into successful and profitable products.


Joyanta Banerjee, Cloud Application Architect, Amazon Web Services

With over 19 years of experience in IT consulting, Joyanta Banerjee is a seasoned Certified Solution Architect who excels in conceptualizing, designing, and developing software solutions that drive positive business outcomes for customers.
Throughout his career, he has demonstrated technology leadership by successfully implementing distributed, secured, multi-tiered, scalable, and highly available mission-critical applications, both on-premise and on cloud infrastructure. He has a proven track record of delivering solutions that meet the highest standards of performance, reliability, and security.
In addition to his technical expertise, he is dedicated to staying up-to-date with emerging technologies and trends. This enables me to develop comprehensive technological roadmaps and provide informed recommendations to organizations, aligning their IT strategies with the latest advancements in the industry.
Joyanta is deeply committed to helping organizations derive maximum value from their IT investments. To achieve this, he leverages best practices, implements continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines using AWS DevOps services, and follows Agile methodologies. By adopting these approaches, he enables organizations to achieve efficiency, agility, and accelerated software delivery while maintaining a strong focus on quality and collaboration.
Overall, his goal is to leverage his extensive experience and technical expertise to empower organizations to achieve their IT objectives, drive innovation, and maximize the return on their IT investments.


Kiran Peddireddy, Sr. Data Engineer, Cox Automotive

Kiran Peddireddy is a highly experienced and respected SME in data engineering, with over 16 years of expertise in enabling digital transformation and driving organizations towards becoming data-driven. As a technical and strategic leader, Kiran possesses a strong background in data engineering, data analytics, cloud migration, and automation. Currently, at Coxautomotive, Kiran leads the Data Engineer Modernization efforts, overseeing teams of data engineers and analysts. He holds a Master of Science in Engineering Technology from Central Connecticut State University. Kiran is a Senior Member in IEEE, a Senior Member in AIAA, and an Eminent Fellow in SAS. He has been recognized for his exceptional contributions and has won two prestigious Business Mint Nationwide Awards for Most Prominent Industry Expert of the Year – 2023. Additionally, Kiran has received the International Achievers' Award in Recognition of Outstanding Professional Achievement & Contribution towards Nation Building - 2023.


Kulbir Sadhu, Director, Legerity

Kulbir Sandhu is a digital transformation leader with expertise in robotics process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud migration. He has led and implemented RPA solutions from inception to production for financial, healthcare, insurance, and federal clients. These solutions helped organizations save millions of dollars in operating costs, increased revenue, and improved productivity. Mr. Sandhu has a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication from Punjab Technical University.


Michelle Futo, Lead Learning Experience Designer, Johnson & Johnson

Michelle is an accomplished Lead Learning Experience Designer passionate about transforming education and empowering learners. She has 8 years of experience in both corporate learning and higher education. Michelle currently leads a team of 4 learning experience designers, leveraging their strengths and fostering a positive atmosphere that encourages growth and innovation. Michelle believes in Servant Leadership and uplifts her team by providing guidance, mentorship, and opportunities for professional development.


Moti Elnekave, Global Training Manager, SolarEdge -



Neeta Murthy, Managing Director, Rekindle Global



Dr. Neha Achrekar, Director and Global Head Capability Development, Learning Strategist, Life Sciences Digital Operations, Cognizant

Medical Doctor, Psychologist, Co-founder of Soul Therapy Clinic
Neha is a future-focused and innovative professional committed to transforming organizations’ capability development landscape through its people, processes, culture, domain & technology. She has worked across multiple industries, large multinational organizations and global environments, leading her teams to win several prestigious International Awards like Brandon Hall and Association for Talent Development (ATD).
Neha brings in two decades of experience. Through her career span, she has played many roles, such as a medical practitioner, psychological counsellor, master trainer, creative & brand visualizer, operations leader, instructional designer and capability development consultant. This has given her a vast amount of experience in knowledge management, customer centricity, large-scale talent and capability building projects. She is also responsible for building strategic solutions for leading global organizations across industries. These solutions have enabled business transformation, domain skilling, talent attraction & retention, culture enhancement and organizational development.
As a Learning Strategist, Neha has combined her unique skills of science, technology, creativity, to build new-age and innovative learning practices. Adept in customized and addictive skilling approach, Neha has built unique solutions to improve learning experience. Some of her work involved enabling desired outcomes through social and digital learning interventions, micro & byte-sized learning, competency-based skilling, simulations, gamification, and the use of augmented reality in learning.
Academically, Neha is a medical doctor and has rich experience in working with huge multispecialty hospitals, in the fields of Pathology, Oncology, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Psychological Counselling. She is a gold medallist in Art & Painting and is a certified software programmer. As a Counselor - her deep passion for understanding basic human nature, and the inherent desire for learning, helps her constantly explore and discover new frontiers of meaningful learning and accelerated skilling.


Angeliki Maragkou, VP MARKETING AND SALES CAPABILITIES, Bayer



Archana Ravi, Program Manager, Microsoft Corporation

Archana Ravi is a Program Manager at Microsoft with over a decade of experience in the tech industry. She has had the opportunity to work on varied technologies. She has led several projects that have had a significant impact on the company's bottom line, including the development of new products and services. Arch is very passionate about customer success and always strives to bring the right solution to the market.
Arch also holds a masters from California State University, Northridge, and a leadership certificate from UCLA.
She currently serves on the board of advisory for two nonprofit which supports education through technology and Virtual Reality.


Christopher Hardy, Learning Design and Development, DAU



Damayanthi MVNL, General Manager, Geenko



Dhamayanthi Narayanan, Director, Learning Consulting, Kyndryl Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Dhamayanthi has 20+ years of demonstrated experience in building and leading diverse L&OD and Talent Development functions on a global scale in a high-growth business environment.
Dhamayanthi has won several accolades including the Gold Business Impact Award, Silver Strategy Award, and Special Certificate of Merit for Trailblazer from International CLO Learning in Practice Awards, California. She was also the recipient of the MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Award for C#.NET from Microsoft for three years, the HR Leadership Award, Best Learning Leader, HR Tech Leader, Training Leader of the Year, and Women Super Achiever awards. Dhamayanthi led her team to win 50+ awards including ATD Excellence in Practice Awards, and Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards.
Dhamayanthi has won the best presenter award at international conferences and published several research papers in reputed journals. Her Ph.D. research papers on the Improvement of Software Defect Prediction & Sentiment Analysis framework using Machine Learning Algorithms are published in Springer journals during 2018-2021.
She has been an invited speaker at various industry forums including SHRM, PMI, IEEE, CSI, NHRD, GSDC, CII, People Matters, World HRD Congress, iVentiv, and Dun & Bradstreet.
She currently works at Kyndryl, a spin-off of IBM, the world’s largest IT Infrastructure provider, headquartered in New York with $19 billion in Annual Revenue and a 90000-strong global employee base as a Director, Learning Consulting.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhamayanthin/ https://twitter.com/dhamayanthin


Narinder Singh, Sr Cloud Network Engineer, Amazon Web Services

I'm skilled at spotting bottlenecks and fine-tuning cloud architectures to guarantee top-notch performance, dependability, and cost-effectiveness. To create seamless cloud deployments and maintain efficient operations, I excel at working with cross-functional teams, including developers, operations, and security. When I test and implement the solutions, the security and quality of each feature are my top priorities. I carefully review and evaluate the security standards, detecting any potential vulnerabilities and protecting against threats. I am also a lead subject matter experts, who conducts case studies to compile data and feedback, and then work with stakeholders for further improvements of AWS services.
I'm constantly learning and developing professionally since I have a passion for remaining current with the most recent developments in cloud technologies. I engage frequently in trade shows and workshops and have several certifications in cloud computing. For AWS networking services, I also provide automated troubleshooting workflows that enable auto-resolution for customers and help them prevent production downtime.
I have a special combination of technical knowledge, business acumen, and outstanding interpersonal abilities that enable me to lead and complete challenging business objectives with unmatched expertise. I am well-positioned to continue making substantial contributions to the cloud network and security landscape while fostering innovation and delivering great results through innovative problem-solving and a strong dedication to quality.


Dr Nikhitha Yathiraju, Lead Automation Engineer, Pacific Gas and Electric Company

Dr. Nikhitha Yathiraju received a Ph.D. in Information Technology from the University of the Cumberlands, USA. Her research work was in the study of Artificial Intelligence in Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning. She is interested in writing the journals and articles on Cyberthreats in Cloud technologies and Social Engineering Techniques. She was certified Salesforce Administrator and works as Lead Automation Engineer in California, USA. She also worked as a Teaching assistant in Silicon valley university. She was honored as ” International Best Researcher” awards by ISSN-IIRAC 2023 in her field of expertise. She was also honored as “Best researcher award in AI” from International Research and Development Centre for Publication in 2022. She also participated in various international conferences like IRDCP,IFERP etc. She was also a member of Sigma Xi, SEFM and American Educational Research Association(AERA). She participated as a Keynote speaker for various conferences like Wicked6, threwstalk.


Pradeep Chinnam, Engineering Manager, Stripe

Pradeep Chinnam is a technology leader with 15 years of experience in building software and managing high-performing engineering teams at industry-leading technology companies like Amazon, Stripe, and Expedia. Over the years, Pradeep has crafted and delivered both product and technology roadmaps, and understands how to overcome the technical and human challenges to achieve the goals. He is well-adept at coaching high-performance engineers to excel at building software and leading major technology initiatives. Pradeep holds a Masters in Computer Science from University of Maryland, and has filed multiple patents related to search and advertising domains.


Reecha Choudhary - Senior Manager, Learning & Culture, Consulting - Deloitte, Australia



Richard Einhorn, Co-founder, Minoa



Sandeep Rangineni, Data Test Engineer, Pluto TV a Paramount Company

Sandeep Rangineni is a Data Test Engineer at Pluto TV, with over 10+ years of experience in the IT industry, primarily within the streaming media industry. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Management and Master’s degree in Information Technology. Sandeep has a diverse skill set, working with technologies such as PL/SQL, Azure Databricks, Salesforce, Informatica, and Snowflake. Currently, he is actively engaged in researching Data Engineering and Data Quality topics. Sandeep has professional certifications in Salesforce admin and Safe 5 practitioner. Sandeep is a professional member of IEEE and BCS, two esteemed technology organizations, and has served as a judge for reputable award organizations in Technology which include Globee Awards, NCWIT Aspirations, and Brandon Hall Group. Sandeep works as a mentor in ADPlist organization who has coached many professionals belonging to technology. Sandeep also published an article on Dzone is one of the world's largest online communities and leading publisher of knowledge resources for software engineering professionals.


Shamli Nikam, Salesforce Consultant, Siemens (Insight Global)

A software engineer with a passion for exploring effective project execution techniques. PMP Certified, Certified Scrum Master, 4 times Salesforce certified, mom to the sweetest girl, loves canvas art, books and plants.


Sudeshna Dash - Assistant Director, Learning Design - EY

My name is Sudeshna Dash (she/her) and I've been a talent professional for close to 20 years now. Brandon Hall, the Oscars of the Learning Industry, made an appearance in my learning design journey very early on when the project team that I was part of won the Bronze and suddenly, my world had expanded. Those were early days and throughout, having been part of teams that won several awards, to now being a judge on the panel has been thrilling. I learn from each of the entries I review and this adds to the combined pool of knowledge that Brandon Hall brings to all of us in the Talent space.


Surendra Reddy Challapalli, Vice President, Business System Analysis Sr Manager, CFA

Surendra Reddy Challapalli is a seasoned Technology Professional & Leader with a proven track record of developing cutting-edge B2B FinTech applications. In addition to his role as Vice President, delivering multimillion-dollar engagements at a leading financial institution in North America, he is highly regarded as a mentor, author, and jury panel member for industry awards. With over 16 years of professional experience, Surendra has collaborated with multinational financial institutions worldwide, providing him with a comprehensive global perspective and unparalleled insight into the intricate inner workings of the FinTech industry.


Susan Dudley, Talent Management System Administratory, Horace Mann



Ziqi Deng, Co-founder, COO, Resource Fashion

Ziqi is the co-founder of RE(SOURCE), a fashion supply chain startup that revolutionizes global fashion production. Coming from a fashion manufacturing family in China, she graduated from Duke in 2019 with a dual degree in Statistics and Public Policy. She started her entrepreneurial journey soon after a short consulting career at Deloitte Consulting. She and her co-founder Tatiana raised a first round from Outlander VC and Amino Capital in 2021 and have since then been building the company. Ziqi loves building community and hosting fashion industry events to foster more meaningful conversation on innovations happening in the industry. Her latest SXSW Future of Fashion Summit had over 1000 attendees.


Noori Memon, Project Manager, Electronic Expeditors Inc.



Pushparaj Susairaj, Technology Training Consultant, Affilias Inc.

Pushparaj is a learning strategist and knowledge management consultant with two decades of experience leading global IT training and development platforms. In the past, he has worked for CMC, Hewlett-Packard, Agilent, Cisco Systems and HCL Technologies. He is currently employed by Identity Digital and is responsible for the global training and knowledge management operations.
Pushparaj holds an MCA and MBA from The University of Madras and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in knowledge management. Having earned the most prestigious credential in the world - Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) - he has had great success throughout his career. In addition, he holds the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) and ITIL Certification in Service Management certifications in the IT Networking domain.
For more than 10 years, Pushparaj has been involved in the training industry's conferences and programs and currently a member of ATD and I4PL and a Brandon Hall Judge since 2020. Pushparaj has a deep passion for new learning technologies. He constantly explores new areas like AI, Blockchain VR & AR, LXP and Immersive Learning solutions looking for innovative solutions for the current business crisis.
In addition to being a Knowledge Management consultant for Tech start-ups, he is a Voice Actor and is currently writing a book titled, "Knowledge First, Deliveries Second." He also regularly coaches people on Emotional Intelligence & Mindfulness.


Raghuram Madiraju, Software Development Manager, Amazon

Raghuram Madiraju is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in technology and business. Mr. Madiraju has over 20 years of experience in building applications using both front end and back-end technologies and is currently building solutions to business-critical problems using AI & ML technologies. With a passion for innovation and a keen understanding of market dynamics, Mr. Madiraju has successfully spearheaded numerous projects and delivered exceptional results throughout his career.


Ravishankar Sharnagat, SM-Group Human Resources, Adani Group



Richard Butler, Principal - Technology Business Analysis, AT&T

Richard Butler is an award-winning professional with over 20 years of experience in analysis, consulting, design, research, and technology. His expertise is highly regarded and requested, as he has contributed to various publications and delivered several webinars at work.
Richard currently supports his company's Customer Operations organization as a Principal – Technology Business Analysis. His team designs, develops, and delivers applications that enhance the user experience for Mobility and Broadband agents. Richard frequently collaborates with product owners, project managers, solution architects, business analysts, UX designers, and developers.
Richard holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and a Master of Education degree in information science and learning technologies.


Sarbani Mukherjee, Associate Director, Learning Solutions - Ernst & Young

Sarbani has 18+ years of experience in learning strategy consulting and performance support solution design. She has worked with companies globally, helping them align learning strategies with business goals. In her current role, Sarbani is a strategic learning consultant to internal business stakeholders, collaborating with them to create business cases and blueprints of solutions to guide content design and development. Before her career in learning, Sarbani worked in the financial services industry for 2 years and was a financial journalist for 8 years.


Sergio Tang, Chief Transformation Officer, Vivelo

Sergio Tang is a Growth Expert, Product Manager, HCD Practitioner, Speaker, Consultant and Lecturer. He has rich experience helping business ship, develop and scale digital products across latam by being in the intersection of tech, design and marketing. He hold a finance and business degree, besides a corporate MBA from ESADE. Currently Serving as Chief Growth Officer of Space AG Global.


Shijo Thomas, Senior Resident Engineer, Juniper Networks

Shijo Thomas is a Senior Resident Engineer at Juniper networks with close to 20 years of experience in the data networking industry. As a Subject Matter Expert in routing and switching technologies, he provides guidance to premium customers in the design, deployment and maintenance phases of the network. He holds 3 JNCIEs in Service Provider, Data Center and Enterprise domains and multiple technology patents. Throughout his career, he has directly worked with most of the Fortune 500 companies that are customers of Juniper networks or Cisco Systems.


Soumya Barman, Senior Architect, Mckinsey

I am a customer-focused technology leader with an engineering background. I have the unique experience of working with clients across 5 different continents, solving their hardest technology challenges. I have 18+ years of consulting & technology experience on a wide range of tools & technology platforms, backed up by industry certifications & training. My expertise in technology includes building innovative Cloud solutions, building Data & Analytics platforms, Cloud Security assessments, designing Microservices & Service Oriented Architectures, and implementing API Management platforms for clients. Currently, I am working as a Senior Architect at McKinsey & Company helping fortune 100 companies realize the cloud value.


Sumit Sunwal, Senior Engineer, American Express

Sumit Sanwal is seasoned Software professional with a distinguished background in the Information Technology field with 20 years of overall experience in the field of software development and Information Technology. He is currently working as a Senior Engineer wherein he is responsible for leading Architecture to automate mission critical initiatives for the organization. He has led multiple large initiatives from Inception till Completion with expertise in every facet of software development life cycle. He is an experienced software architect and has expertise in many software languages and open-source technologies. He has expertise in design and development of scalable, multi-tiered, distributed software applications for enterprises in the financial services domain. He has extensive experience in helping organizations with their product vision and transforming their businesses leveraging modern cutting-edge technologies. He has coached and mentored many Engineers and helped them attain success in the field of Software development and technology. He has won numerous awards and appreciation in his current and past organizations and is highly regarded by his peers and superiors in the organization. He holds a master's degree in computer application and bachelor's degree in science.


Veeramani Ganesan, Lead Mobile and OTT Engineer, Paramount CBS News

Veeramani Ganesan is a seasoned and creative lead software engineer with 17 years of experience in software application research, design, and development. More than a decade of strong expertise in leading mobile and over-the-top technology applications research, prototype and development for the News, Media, Entertainment, Retail, Telecom and Avionics Sector. A results-driven and highly perceptive technical architect, leveraging a successful track record of creating solutions and designing applications for end users’ business requirements. Have sound technical knowledge on iOS, tvOS, Android, Roku and Connected TV streaming platforms. Successfully spearheaded and executed several projects for large organizations like Paramount, ViacomCBS, CBS Interactive, Verizon Wireless, PepsiCo, and Cognizant with budgets and productizations worth several million dollars.
Veeramani Ganesan has served as a Judge in multiple Global Award competitions as a Media, Mobile and OTT technology expert. Authored and published several research articles in the areas of machine learning, mobile technology, media streaming and cloud computing. Currently serving as a senior member of IEEE, Fellow member of SAS Scientific Society and Full Member of Sigma-Xi Scientific Research Society. Representing IEEE Smartphone and Mobile Device Technology, ML&AI, IoT, and Edge Computing technical advancement committee.


Vinay Kuman, Sr Network and Security Engineer, Amazon Web Services

I am a highly accomplished and esteemed senior Cloud Network and Security Engineer, currently spearheading transformative initiatives at Amazon Web Services, Inc., the world's leading cloud services provider and operator. With a deep expertise in Cloud Network Engineering, I am entrusted with the responsibility of designing and configuring cutting-edge, highly available network and security solutions that have a profound impact on enterprise customers, including prominent public sector organizations, as well as some of the largest technology and financial companies globally.
Within my role, I actively contribute to the advancement of AWS Cloud Networking services by driving the development of new features and functionalities. My dedication to ensuring robust security measures is reflected in my role of fortifying our existing security systems and implementing state-of-the-art encryption methods, further elevating the protection of critical assets. As part of my commitment to excellence, I play a pivotal role in certifying new features and services before their public launch, ensuring they meet the highest standards of quality and performance.
Complementing my professional endeavors, I am concurrently engaged in pioneering research as a PhD researcher in Cybersecurity at the prestigious University of The Cumberlands. Collaborating closely with a US Department of Defense-funded laboratory, I actively contribute to the domain of cybersecurity by publishing insightful articles. In recognition of my expertise, I am entrusted with the evaluation and adjudication of others' research and professional work, while also identifying and celebrating industry experts. My recent achievements include the development of an "automated dynamic VPN configuration file for multiple challenging vendor devices," as well as the creation of a groundbreaking solution for the "most complex network overlapping issue" through the implementation of advanced twice NAT technology on router devices.
My educational background further underscores my commitment to continuous learning and academic excellence. Alongside my ongoing pursuit of a PhD in Cybersecurity, slated for completion in April 2024, at the University of The Cumberlands, I also hold a distinguished Master's degree in Information Technology and Management from Campbellsville University.
My contributions and dedication to the field have been recognized with numerous esteemed awards and accolades. Notably, I have been honored with the most valuable fellowships from BCS, an esteemed membership from ISACA, and a distinguished membership from Sigma Xi. My outstanding performance has also earned me the prestigious titles of "Captain Amazon" and "Rising Star" within Amazon, as well as the esteemed distinction of being named Network Administrator of the Year by the CEO of Acintya Energy.
As an active professional member of ISACA and a valued member of the esteemed international research association Sigma Xi, I continuously expand my network and stay abreast of the latest industry trends and advancements. Furthermore, my expertise is sought after as a professional judge for Technology awards conducted by renowned organizations such as the Globee International Awards and the Brandon Hall Awards.
I possess a unique blend of technical acumen, business acuity, and exceptional interpersonal skills, enabling me to lead and deliver complex business objectives with unparalleled finesse. With a demonstrated track record of creative problem-solving and a strong commitment to excellence, I am poised to continue making significant contributions to the cloud network and security landscape while driving innovation and delivering outstanding results.


Preethika Kalyanasundaram, Product Management, Senior Manager, Salesforce

Preethika is an executive with a wealth of experience in product leadership across multiple industries. She possesses a strong background in data and AI, with expertise in Personalization, Recommenders, MarTech, and Ecommerce. For over a decade, she has cultivated a reputation as a thought leader, adept at navigating the constantly evolving technology landscape. Her multifaceted experience enables her to tackle complex consumer challenges in the MarTech industry.
Throughout her career, Preethika has assumed various key roles at technology giants like Oracle and Salesforce. In these positions, she has initiated and launched several successful high-impact products. She consistently champions inclusive digital product design, underlining her commitment to diversity in technology.
As a speaker, Preethika shares her knowledge and insights at numerous technology conferences. She has distinguished herself by serving on the panel for several technical and business awards, and evaluating Grace Hopper student scholarship applications for women in STEM. Currently, she mentors at Salesforce Inc.'s Women's Leadership Program, a platform dedicated to uplifting and empowering emerging female leaders in the IT industry. To date, she has mentored over 20 junior and budding leaders, helping them shape their leadership vision, establish personal values, and identify methods to capitalize on their strengths.


Nitish Gaddam, Senior Data Scientist, STitchfix

Nitish is an experienced Senior Data Scientist with a strong background in building data-intensive applications and developing predictive models. With over a decade of expertise in the field, he holds a Masters in Computer Science from Boston University, specializing in Experimental Design and Analysis. His education has provided him with a solid foundation in data science principles.
Nitish's skill set includes proficiency in experimental design, data-intensive applications, predictive modeling, and machine learning for startups. He has leveraged these skills to mentor numerous startups in the machine learning and data science space, playing a crucial role in the design and development of their tech products and applications.
Passionate about technology and data, Nitish is dedicated to helping companies drive growth, streamline operations, and make informed decisions. His extensive career has equipped him with in-depth knowledge and expertise in experimental design, predictive modeling, and data analysis.


Manoj Suryadevara, Staff Product Manager, Walmart

Manoj is a staff product manager with ten years of product management experience. His expertise is focused on product strategy, execution, and leadership. Also, he has a wide range of data expertise focusing on data analytics, data engineering, data science, and product roadmap activities. His experience in problem-solving and critical thinking helped define use cases for various users, stakeholders, and customers across Fortune 500 companies.


Linda Fey Alansari, Manager L&D Learning Technologies, Emirates



Karishma Vel, Director, Application Development, ADP

I am a People Leader with over 20 years of experience in Software Development. I bring a unique mix of Application Design, People leadership, Talent Management, Product Insight, Business Analysis, Development, UX, Problem solving, Analytical & organizational aspects to my undertakings.
I value taking initiative, collaboration and building strong partnerships with my teams and beyond.
I am excited to be part of the Brandon Hall team to recognize, honor all innovators, disruptors, leaders and pioneers !


Jibin Varghese, Senior Systems Software Engineer, NVIDIA



Harpreet Kaur - Management Consulting Manager - Accenture



Gabriel Schaepman, VP Himan Resources, Swiss Re Group

Gabriel Schaepman is HR Vice President at Swiss Re, a global reinsurer and F-500 company. Currently he leads L&D at B2B insurer 'Corporate Solutions'.
Specializing in large-scale competency development in the financial services industry, his passion for innovation has garnered a number of industry awards.
Gabriel partners globally to design outcome-based capability solutions. "Price Tag App" is just one of his commercial ideas creating significant return.
He led technical training, soft skill training, sales training, global finance capability upskilling campaigns, talent campaigns, leadership development programs, capability assessments for the workforce, was talent partner, and for two years was part of the global DEI team at Swiss Re.
With 30+ years’ experience in upskilling a global workforce, he mentors refugees seeking work. Despite obvious insurance risks, Zurich-based Gabriel also loves motorbiking in the Alps all year round.


Bhargav Reddy Piduru, Adobe ARchitect, Hyundai

Bhargav is a seasoned Adobe Architect with over 14 years of experience spanning diverse industries, including Automotive, Real Estate, Telecom, Insurance, and Healthcare. Bhargav has been instrumental in shaping and developing best practices for esteemed Fortune 500 companies such as Hyundai, Berkshire Hathaway, Bose, Telenor, and Transamerica.


Divya Maurpaka, Senior Software Engineer, Unikon

Myself Divya Marupaka, a Senior Software Engineer at Unikon IT Inc. I hold a Masters degree in Computer Science Engineering(US) and Bachelors in Electronics and communication Engineering(India) and have over 12+ years of experience in designing and developing scalable, multi-tiered, distributed software applications for enterprises in Insurance,Financial,Banking and Retail domains.
I am a Professionally Certified Snowflake Data Engineer . And a Senior Member of IEEE .And I have been nominated as a judge for reputable award organizations in Technology which include Globee Awards, NCWIT Aspirations, and Brandon Hall Group.And i am also an Active mentor in ADPlist organization and have coached many professionals belonging to Science and technology. And i have a strong expertise in data engineering and data analytics .
And I feel privileged to be invited to and be a part of the 2023 HCM EXcellence Judging Panel. It gave me an opportunity to review the work and accomplishments of various innovative companies across the world.


Muthu Sathiyanesan - Principal Software Engineer - Oracle

Seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in bringing up next-generation server platforms. His expertise extends beyond server platforms, as I constantly investigate and evaluate new technologies and industry trends to identify opportunities for innovation and improvement. I like to keep pace with the ever-evolving technological landscape and maintain a cutting-edge perspective.
One of my most notable accomplishments is leading UEFI development for various data center and cloud server projects. I have a proven track record of working closely with hardware and other firmware groups to contribute to the successful bring-up, development, and deployment of servers.


Krishna Gupta - Associate Director Training - Optum Global Solutions

I have been part of the elearning industry since 2006, carrying almost 16 years of instructional design experience, with expertise in designing serious games and business simulations. I have served as a training leader in Optum for almost 4 years, and have won several Brandon Hall awards during my career.
In my current role, I am serving as a training leader in Optum Global Solutions' Learning Solutions function. I lead a team of instructional designers who create digital learning content for Optum employees across India, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Colombia, and United States. I serve as a performance consultant to Optum's various lines of businesses, helping them identify their business problems and providing solutions that lead to measurable outcomes. I also work with training managers and trainers to help them design process training curricula that is geared toward achieving speed to proficiency, enhanced employee engagement, and improved quality and productivity throughput.


Kathleen Gosser - Director, Learning & Development - KFC (Yum! Brands)



Thankgamuthu Kumaran Vaiyapuri - Resident Solutions Architect - Databricks Inc.

Thangam Vaiyapuri is an accomplished technology leader and visionary architect, boasting over 20+ years of distinguished international experience driving innovation and transformative solutions. His expertise spans multiple domains, including Software Architecture, Data Engineering, and cutting-edge fields like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. With a proven track record in leadership roles encompassing both engineering and management, Thangam consistently delivers exceptional results in navigating complex landscapes.
Throughout his illustrious career, Thangam has thrived in the dynamic landscape of the Banking and Financial Services industry, particularly in prominent sectors like Investment Banking, Consumer and Retail Banking, and Wealth Management. His ability to develop state-of-the-art solutions has propelled organizations to new heights of efficiency and profitability.
As a Senior Big Data/Data Analytics Architect at Databricks Inc., Thangam showcases unparalleled problem-solving and critical thinking prowess. He masterfully defines impactful use cases for esteemed Fortune 500 companies, benefiting users, stakeholders, and customers alike. His innovative approach and expertise elevate Databricks' platform solutions to deliver cutting-edge results and drive exceptional business outcomes.


Vikranth Etikyala - Manager - SoFi

I am an experienced leader and software architect focused on delivering enterprise-grade products through data-driven decisions. I actively engage with executive leadership, streamlining their tasks and amplifying their impact through strategic collaborations. I am skilled in improving engineering productivity, standardizing best practices, mentoring teams and passionate about delivering short-term incremental changes that enable long-term strategic solutions across organization levels.
With over a decade of hands-on experience in software development, my area of expertise lies in building and managing Distributed systems, Cloud-based solutions, and FinTech applications. I was a key part of Amazon's Simple Storage Service (S3) team for ~8 years, where I contributed to the development of a planet-scale distributed system, seeing it grow from 1Trillion to 200Trillion objects across nearly 30 geographical regions. This unique experience allowed me to be at the forefront of building one of the largest cloud infrastructure on the planet.
In my role at AWS, I led multiple teams in Frontend and Index organizations working cross functionally across S3 and various AWS teams where I applied advanced security, networking, and database strategies to distributed systems and also led the development of critical customer-facing features such as List V2 and S3 Accelerate, both of which have become integral parts of Amazon S3's and AWS best practices doc.
Now, as a Technical Lead at SoFi Bank, I am utilizing my deep understanding of the AWS Cloud and distributed systems to build robust FinTech platforms for retail and commercial SoFi customers. This gives me the unique advantage of having experience in both building the cloud itself, and now, using that cloud to create innovative applications using the best practices and patterns.
Throughout my career, I've built a reputation as a problem solver and innovator in my field, always improving systems and user experience. In every role I've held, I've been a force multiplier that boosts the entire organization's performance and growth.


Viacheslav Shago - Senior Software Engineer - Sberbank

I lead a team of backend engineers, design solution architecture in Authentication/Authorization area.
Developer with over 15 years of experience in the industry, have skills in designing and developing high-load microservice-oriented distributed systems with a focus on Back-End development utilizing Java, Spring Boot, Spring Cloud, PostgreSQL, Kafka, Docker, Openshift/Kubernetes, AWS, and more.
Bryansk State Technical University (BSTU)
Engineering Degree in Physics, Mathematics, Programming, Electrical engineering
Have certificate of recognition as a Judge of the 2022 Brandon Hall Group Fall Excellence Awards Program


Sule Avsaroglu - Chief HR, Governance and Sales Officer - Architecht Information Systems and Marketing Trade Inc.

Chief HR, Governance and Sales Officer. Responsible for all HR functions, IT Governance and R&D functions, Agile Transformation, IT technology support, IT security and system management. Also responsible for the sales of all products in the company: Banking platform, ERP package, security and open bankşng platforms etc. And also responsible for marketing and corporate communication.
I am graduated from one of the best universities in Turkey, Istanbul Bilgi University. I am also a graduate of MBA in the same university. I have many certificates on HR processes, leadership, coaching and HR ERP systems.


Srivasan Radhakrishnan — Arizone State University - W.P. Carey School of Business - Lecturer

IT Management.
PgMP®, PMI-ACP®, PMP®, CSCP®, CSM®, LSSYB, SAP® BW®, AWS-CCP, SAA & SAPro certified
15+ years of global IT experience (Ex-Intel). Led organizations and managed people & programs/projects across the globe.
Skilled in Strategic leadership, Managing cross-cultural & virtual teams, Program/Project Management, Agile & DevOps, ERP (SAP) & Business Analytics, Cloud Computing, Supply Chain, ITIL® and Business Operations.
Published articles & served on the judging panel of corporate technology awards (Stevie, CODiE, Globee, Brandon Hall, ISEF). A bilingual author and published four books till date.


Srinath Kotela — JP Morgan Chase - Vice President

Experienced Internal Auditor with a demonstrated history of working in the insurance industry. Skilled in Cybersecurity, IT Strategy, Project Portfolio Management, Business Intelligence, Risk Management, and Business Process Improvement. Strong information technology professional with a Master of Engineering - M.Eng focused in Cybersecurity.


Srikanth Ambatipudi — Erie Insurance - IT Internal Auditor Consultant

Experienced Internal Auditor with a demonstrated history of working in the insurance industry. Skilled in Cybersecurity, IT Strategy, Project Portfolio Management, Business Intelligence, Risk Management, and Business Process Improvement. Strong information technology professional with a Master of Engineering - M.Eng focused in Cybersecurity.


Sivakumar Ponnusamy — Cognizant Technology Solutions - Senior Data Engineer Architect

- As a Senior Data Engineer/Data Architect (Cognizant Technology Solutions ),
1.Design, develop, and maintain scalable and efficient data infrastructure and architecture to support large-scale data processing and analytics.
2.Lead the implementation of data pipelines and ETL processes, ensuring data quality and reliability across multiple systems.
3.Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand data requirements and provide technical expertise in data modeling and database design.
4.Optimize data workflows and performance, leveraging modern big data technologies and AWS cloud-based solutions.I am Sivakumar Ponnusamy, Senior Data engineering professional with over 16 years of industry experience. I specialize in defining data architecture and road maps for building scalable data products, data warehouses, data marts, and data pipelines. My main area of interest and expertise includes ETL (Batch) application design & development, performance tuning and maintaining availability of high-critical systems in production environments. I have a proven track record of designing, and implementing efficient and scalable ETL pipelines that can handle large volumes of data with high accuracy. I have excellent domain experience in Banking & finance, and insurance.
As a lead Data architect, I have played a critical role in providing end-to-end solution architecture for various project phases. I am involved in project proposals, requirement gathering, analysis and design, development, testing, UAT, implementation, and application support for several data warehousing and data integration projects. I have gained proficiency in collaborating with product owners, agile teams, and enterprise architects/COE teams to enforce data management standards and best practices.
Recently, I have worked on the design and implementation of data pipelines using Ab Initio, Python, PySpark, and AWS services on the AWS public cloud infrastructure. I am an AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate, and my specialization is in the area of ETL batch processing, data warehousing, big data, emerging technologies in the data space and cloud (AWS) solutions implementations.With my in-depth knowledge of the latest data engineering tools and technologies, I have helped organizations design and develop efficient, scalable, and secure data architectures that enable them to achieve their business goals.Masters in Computer Application
AWS Solution Architect Associate


Sireesha Charyulu - AdMedia - Chief Technology Officer

- CTO | Thought Leader | Hands-on Coder | Official Forbes Technology Council Member | Alphalist I am a High 5 attitude person and a technologist. I love to get stuff done. I enjoy public speaking & people interaction. I am known for (technical or otherwise) problem solving & natural style of approachability.
Software Engineering architect and developer of high performance products at Enterprise Customer level.
CTO at a fast paced Advertising company building new features from the ground up and improving legacy products. Advertising in Real Time Bidding (Demand Side Partners,Supply Side Partners), Ad Exchanges, and scaling for high traffic networks
Detailed-oriented, responsible and committed engineer, with a get-it-done, on-time and high-quality product spirit. More than a decade of software engineering experience defining requirements, designing, implementing, testing and delivering complex back-end and web applications using Java / .NET / Php / AngularJS programming languages.


Janardhana Saladi — Best Buy - Product Manager

Janardhana Saladi is a seasoned product leader with over a decade of experience in product management and technology, driven by a passion for helping people build better products. He curates a newsletter with over 2,500 subscribers, manages an Instagram page with 19,000+ followers, and hosts podcast "Everything Product." Through these channels, Janardhana empowers aspiring and experienced product professionals to continuously learn, innovate, and excel in their craft.


Sharada Tyagi — Republic Services Inc. - Enterprise Sr Data Governance Analyst

I am a Cloud Technology Enthusiast who enjoys to work on implementation and automation efforts to help solve business challenges by empowering customers to build highly available, high-performance, highly secure, highly scalable, systems and applications while keeping one of the most important factor cost in mind. I am passionate about working along side teams in thier cloud migration efforts they are doing from OnPrem to AWS, deploying Big Data, Machine Learning, Serverless and IoT workloads on AWS.
I have keen interest in DevOps and Cloud technologies. This continuous desire to learn has allowed my career to rapidly evolve from technical business analysis to Sr Cloud Data Engineer actively waiting my next opportunity of helping customers solve their problem statements or design and develop highly available, fault tolerant applications and systems on Cloud.
How do I do it?
✔I focus on the vision and the big picture. I’m no stranger to managing multiple projects, deliverables and stakeholders all at once.
✔I’m dedicated to making technology accessible to the end-user. I ensure that users have the education and necessary training they need to leverage the power of the tools I put in place.
✔I obsess about efficiency. I make it my personal mission to overhaul processes that could use improvement, and to automate as much as possible, saving time AND money.
I am a good team player with strong experience in leading and mentoring teams in achieving desired goals and passionate about coaching, talent development and mentoring others.
Leader,MSIM,MBA, 2XAWS Cert
Helping Companies build Modern Data Management Environments involving best practices around Data Mgmt Sys,Data Catalogues, Metadata Mgmt| Invited Member of the 2022 Women Future Conference Advisory Board


Seetha Natarajan — Instructional Designer II - Lone Star College

- As instructional designer for a leading Community College in the state of Texas, I design and develop training programs for faculty, design online courses, review and revise learning programs to ensure they meet the highest level of course quality, develop and facilitate individual and group training workshops for faculty and staff on current online learning technologies.
- Served as a judge for the Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Awards program for the year 2009.
- Master of Education in Educational Technology from the University of Calgary


Sarthak Srivastava — Visa Inc. - Senior DevOps Engineer

- As a Senior DevOps Engineer in Visa Inc organization, my role involves combining an understanding of both engineering and coding to create and develop systems within the company. I collaborate with various departments to implement systems software and analyze data to improve existing systems, thereby increasing productivity in the workplace. My responsibilities includes:
Designing and implementing continuous integration and delivery pipelines to enable efficient software development and deployment processes.
Automating infrastructure provisioning, configuration, and management using tools like Ansible, Docker, and Kubernetes.
Collaborating with development teams to optimize application performance, scalability, and reliability.
Monitoring and managing production systems, ensuring high availability and quick resolution of any issues or incidents.
Implementing security best practices and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and standards.
Mentoring and providing guidance to junior DevOps engineers or development teams.
Staying up-to-date with emerging technologies, tools, and industry trends to drive innovation and process improvement. - Sarthak Srivastava is an accomplished Senior DevOps Engineer currently working at Visa Inc, a leading global payments technology company based in the United States of America. With over 5 years of experience in the field, Sarthak brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge to his role. Throughout his career, Sarthak has consistently demonstrated a commitment to excellence and has been recognized for his contributions. Notably, he served as a judge for the esteemed Globee Awards, underscoring his industry recognition and expertise. As a Senior DevOps Engineer at Visa Inc, Sarthak plays a pivotal role in optimizing and streamlining software development and deployment processes. His deep understanding of DevOps principles, tools, and methodologies allows him to effectively drive efficiency, reliability, and continuous improvement within his organization.
- Sarthak holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science, which showcases his strong educational foundation and technical acumen. His educational background has equipped him with the skills necessary to excel in the fast-paced and rapidly evolving field of DevOps.


Sarah Ramaiah — American Society for Reproductive Medicine - Design Strategist

Design Strategist
Project management, designer, content development expert, medical education
I have over 8 years experience in content development, learning experience design. I current work as the design strategist for a medical society.
Doctoral candidate in Instructional leadership at the University of Alabama, Masters in ID & T.


Sandra Ugol — Kelly & Associates - Vice President of Quality Audit, Learning & Development

I am a Technical Lead at Twilio, currently leading the team responsible for A2P 10DLC compliance for messaging. Utilizing my extensive experience with asynchronous systems, I have efficiently streamlined Twilio's complex compliance pipelines by implementing workflow orchestrators, leading to notable improvements in manageability and operational efficiency. Before joining Twilio, I worked at Amazon Web Services, Yahoo, and Cerner. Throughout my tenure at these companies, I developed robust end-to-end solutions and successfully managed complex operations. This has enriched my expertise not only in asynchronous computing but also in software development, cloud computing, and healthcare IT solutions. I hold a Master's degree in Computer Science from Arizona State University. My innovative and agile approach to software engineering and leadership distinguishes me as a significant contributor to the telecommunications realm and beyond.
Doctoral candidate in Instructional leadership at the University of Alabama, Masters in ID & T.


Sal Pragna Etikyala — SoFi - Senior Staff Software Engineer

I am a Technical Lead at Twilio, currently leading the team responsible for A2P 10DLC compliance for messaging. Utilizing my extensive experience with asynchronous systems, I have efficiently streamlined Twilio's complex compliance pipelines by implementing workflow orchestrators, leading to notable improvements in manageability and operational efficiency. Before joining Twilio, I worked at Amazon Web Services, Yahoo, and Cerner. Throughout my tenure at these companies, I developed robust end-to-end solutions and successfully managed complex operations. This has enriched my expertise not only in asynchronous computing but also in software development, cloud computing, and healthcare IT solutions. I hold a Master's degree in Computer Science from Arizona State University. My innovative and agile approach to software engineering and leadership distinguishes me as a significant contributor to the telecommunications realm and beyond.


Rohin Nadir — KPMG India Pvt Ltd - Director, Learning & Development, HR

Chief Learning Officer | KPMG India
I am an L&D leader with experience across BPOs, IT, Financial and Professional Services. I have experience as a learning strategist, solution evangelist, coach, solution designer and faculty.
I believe in building agile and effective L&D engines by partnering with business leaders and leveraging fields like social sciences, knowledge management, analytics and branding.
My current areas of focus are designing learning functions, change management and technology adoption.


Radharamanan Panicker — Dangerous Goods Management India Pvt Ltd - Managing Director

- Director & CEO
- Overall management of the family owned business in area of Compliance, logistics service and training
- 30 years of experience in service industry largely in operational area, of which 20 plus was spent in top management position. Area of interest has been people management & development, Strategy formulation, Relationship management and operations.Post Graduate Diploma in Management (equivalent to MBA) with Specialisation in Finance & HR.
Certified Trainer
Supply chain management


Prashant Verma — Atlassian Software Pty, Ltd - Director, Product Line

- Senior Engineering Manager
- I lead the Identity team at Atlassian Inc., a software company with a market cap of over $40B. I manage a team of 57 software professionals spread all across the globe - in USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, etc. I am responsible for the overall software delivery, product development, and support.I am a senior software product development leader, leading the development of innovative and ground-breaking software products. With a career spanning 20 years, I have worked in some of the leading companies around the globe such as Amazon, Coinbse, Genesys, Telstra, Hutchison 3G, Symantec, TIBCO, and Penumbra, Inc. I have judged several international awards such as Edison Awards, Stevie Awards, Brandon Hall Awards, SIIA Codie Awards, Globee Awards, etc. I have developed more than 23 successful software products that are used by almost all Fortune 500 companies across the globe.
- Education
MBA from Haas School of Business, U.C. Berkeley,
Master of Science in Computer Science from Georgia Tech, and
Bachelor of Engineering from National Institute of Technology, IndiaAffiliations
Fellow of British Computer Society
Senior Member of IEEE
Member ACM


Pranav Shah — Salesforce - Senior Director of Engineering

As Senior Director of Software Engineering at Salesforce I play a critical leadership role responsible for driving innovation, technical excellence, and delivery of high-quality software solutions. With a global presence and a commitment to customer success, Salesforce is a renowned cloud-based CRM platform that empowers businesses to connect with their customers in new and meaningful ways.
I am responsible for leading and inspiring a talented team of software engineers, providing strategic direction and guidance in alignment with Salesforce's business objectives. I play a pivotal role in shaping the technical roadmap, driving the adoption of best practices, and ensuring the timely delivery of scalable and reliable software solutions.
Collaboration would be a key aspect of your role, as I work closely with cross-functional teams, including product management, design, and quality assurance, to drive innovation and ensure a seamless customer experience.
In this leadership position, I would also be responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining top engineering talent. My experience in building and managing high-performing teams is essential in creating an environment that nurtures creativity, innovation, and professional growth.
Furthermore, as part of the executive leadership team, I contribute to strategic decision-making, provide technical insights, and collaborate with stakeholders across the organization to drive Salesforce's overall success.
Prior to joining Salesforce in 2010, I held key positions in renowned organizations, contributing my expertise in software engineering and web technologies. At Accenture, I served as a Software Engineer in both their India and Singapore branches. During my tenure, I played a crucial role in maintaining and delivering new functionalities for trading systems at JP Morgan. This experience provided me with invaluable insights into the financial industry and honed my skills in building robust and efficient software solutions.
In addition to my corporate experience, I served as a Teaching Associate at Indiana Bloomington, where I had the opportunity to impart my knowledge of web technologies to budding professionals. This role allowed me to foster their understanding of cutting-edge web development practices and helped shape the next generation of talent in the field.
Furthermore, I had the privilege of working as a Web Developer for the Indiana Biotech Institute, where I contributed to the development of web-based solutions that supported critical research initiatives. This exposure to the intersection of technology and the life sciences deepened my understanding of diverse industries and their specific software needs.
These diverse experiences have equipped me with a well-rounded skill set, combining technical expertise, industry knowledge, and a passion for teaching and learning. They have shaped my approach to software engineering, instilling in me a commitment to excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
I hold a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Mumbai University, India. Following my valuable work experience at Accenture, I pursued a Master's degree in Computer Science at Indiana University of Bloomington. Additionally, I have completed executive training at the prestigious Berkeley Institute in California.
During my time as a graduate student, I had the privilege of publishing a research paper on Cloud Computing, which garnered recognition and was subsequently showcased at the Cloud Com tech event, a prominent gathering held across the United States. In addition to my academic achievements, I have earned several Sun Certifications in Java development, further demonstrating my expertise in the field.
These educational pursuits and professional experiences have equipped me with a strong foundation in engineering and computer science, complemented by my passion for research and dedication to staying at the forefront of technological advancements.


Prajeet Gadekar — Salesforce - Director Architecture

- Director Architecture
- Help C-level executives at enterprise level customers to realize the value and potential of their technology investments utilizing my deep domain and technology expertise in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Drive a customer-centric cloud computing agenda and shape the roadmap, architecture and successful execution of the Salesforce platform through hands-on architecture, design, coaching and mentoring of large cross-functional teams.I have spent 20+ years architecting & building technology solutions for the fortune 100 companies that includes leading banks, insurers, hedge funds, hi-tech and the government . Most recently I started working in the Salesforce ecosystem and we have products that cater to a broad range of an enterprise's need giving me a wide range of experience in these technologies - SAAS, PAAS, CRM Sales & Service, CDP, Marketing tech stack, Data Platforms, Commerce Platforms, Analytical Platforms & AI .Bachelor in Computer Science, Certificate program in Machine Learning, CTA the most esteemed certification in the Salesforce ecosystem.


Pooja Singh Mehta — Shell - Global Lead Learning Strategy

Global Lead Learning Strategy
Part of the OD&L CoE, my role is responsible for integration of learning with other OD functions, including KM, Analytics and causal learning. I am responsible for defining and supporting implementation of the overall learning strategy at Shell, ensuring that we are forward looking and best prepared to deliver high impact learning.
I have over 25 years of experience in Learning and Development. I started my career with supporting young graduates develop professional skills that would make them employable. I then moved to corporate L&D, designing and developing courses and leasing an instructional design team. I have worked on large government projects, supporting skill development of a nation. I have lead branding and marketing of a university to ensure we attract the best match students. In my previous organisation, I had let the design and build of the global learning consulting practice. Now, I lead learning CoE for Shell.
I have a masters in English literature and a post graduate diploma in business management.


Phani Vuyyuru — Cloud Kitchens - Sr. Technical Product Manager

I am a seasoned Product Manager with a strong track record in leading successful product initiatives. With experience at Cloud Kitchens, Intuit, Wayfair, and Nationwide Insurance, I have a proven ability to drive revenue growth, optimize metrics, and deliver exceptional user experiences. I excel in building scalable APIs, integrating diverse platforms, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. My expertise spans across Restaurant Tech and FinTech, supply chain management, and more. I am passionate about leveraging technology to solve complex business challenges and drive impactful results.


Nishath Usmani — KPMG India Pvt Ltd - Associate Director

I have more than two decades of experience in the space of talent and leadership development. I am also an executive coach, mentor and international facilitator. I am currently pursuing my PhD in management


Nick Chandi -ForwardAI - CEO

Nick Chandi is the CEO and Co-Founder of ForwardAI, the creator of Forwardly, the first instant business payments provider for small businesses and accountants in the United States. As CEO, Nick oversees all levels of the organization, including senior leadership, marketing, HR, sales, product, business strategy, and customer service. He is a serial entrepreneur and, before Forwardly, built and exited multiple successful businesses during his two decades in accounting technology and finance.
Nick is a co-chair of the BC Tech CEO Scale C-Council, a regular contributor to the Forbes Finance Council, and has been an expert judge for multiple awards, including the American Business Awards, Globee Awards, and FinTech MassChallenge, among others. Nick has an MBA and BEng and often touches on his education and experience when mentoring other CEOs and speaking at fintech, business, and accounting events, discussing small business issues, including technology, payments, and lending practices.
Nick Chandi is the CEO and Co-Founder of ForwardAI, the creator of Forwardly, the first instant business payments provider for small businesses and accountants in the United States. As CEO, Nick oversees all levels of the organization, including senior leadership, marketing, HR, sales, product, business strategy, and customer service. He is a serial entrepreneur and, before Forwardly, built and exited multiple successful businesses during his two decades in accounting technology and finance. Nick is a co-chair of the BC Tech CEO Scale C-Council, a regular contributor to the Forbes Finance Council, and has been an expert judge for multiple awards, including the American Business Awards, Globee Awards, and FinTech MassChallenge, among others. Nick has an MBA and BEng and often touches on his education and experience when mentoring other CEOs and speaking at fintech, business, and accounting events, discussing small business issues, including technology, payments, and lending practices.


Naga Mallika Gunturu — SWIFT Inc. - Senior Project Manager



Yvonne Johnson — SCL Health - Director of Clinical Training

Director of Clinical Training Team of 22 associates at SCL Health
Education: M.ED, BS Human Development, Program Management PMP
Over 20 years experience in healthcare training, learning & development.


Wasim Fathima Shah — Wellmark- Blue Cross Blue Shield - IT Scrum Master

Wellmark-Blue Cross Blue Shield) , lT Scrum Master,
Lead Backlog Refinement Session with Product Owner and Scrum Team to refine the User Stories, Prioritize the user stories using SPIDR in the product backlog using MoSCoW Technique according to the Project Roadmap and worked on Spike Stories by analyzing feasible techniques with SME's to execute it in future sprints
Created detailed Wireframes, Mockups and presented it to the stakeholders to sign-off the gathered UI/ UX requirements.
Proactively facilitated all Ceremonies, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-Up, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, and Backlog Refinement Sessions
Assisted the scrum team in the Demonstration of the developed software in Sprint Review Session with the Product Owner and Stakeholders to ensure that the system functionality is thoroughly tested within project timescales to determine it as a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Facilitated a sprint retrospective session to understand scrum team satisfaction and figure out better ways to meet the sprint goals by conducting an Agile Retrospective Games
Collaboratively worked with the RTE in the SOS meetings in understanding the technical dependencies and implementations of project features.
Managed the elicited Requirements on Confluence to deliver better Traceability and Communication with stakeholders throughout the Project Lifecycle.
Created Unified Modelling Language (UML) and Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) based diagrams using Microsoft Visio to create: Use Case Diagrams, Activity Diagrams, and Sequence Diagrams to render Business Requirements into Business Process Flow.
Performed Due Diligence in converting Elicited Requirements into User Stories in accordance to INVEST Criteria.
Lead story point estimation session by following the Planning Poker Technique using Fibonacci Series with the scrum team to assign story points for the User Stories in the product backlog.
Worked on Enablers and Spike stories and made estimations along with the team.
Worked closely with the Release Train Engineer (RTE) for the Agile Release Train (ART) in coordinating dependencies between various scrum teams.
Attended Scrum of Scrums (SOS) to coordinate Dependencies across various other scrum teams in Agile Release Train, and worked with Release Train Engineer, System Architects, and System for Infrastructure requirements and to support Integration Testing.
Implemented the AJAX functionality to enhance UX.
Performed Data Mapping to identify and standardize data from the OLTP to OLAP database in various distributed systems during Extract Transform Load (ETL) processes by applying transformational rules -
Used Power BI for Ad hoc reporting and analytics to formulate business strategies.
Experience working closely with PM, PO, System Architect and cross functional teams and involved in writing Client-side validations, Transformation rules, Data base validations and Server-side validations
Exclusive and extensively involved in recognizing and generating reports for both the clients and the management being a core team member of the Center of Excellence.
Coordinated with QA team to create Test Plan, Test Strategy, Test scenario, and Test Cases based on the User Stories and Acceptance Criteria that are defined according to the business requirements.
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Extensively experienced in Requirement Documentation and Management using various tools like RALLY, JIRA, HP-QC and MS SharePoint to have better traceability throughout the software development lifecycle.
Facilitated and engaged in all scrum ceremonies like Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, and Backlog Refinement sessions.
A wealth of experience in writing User Stories using INVEST criteria and authored Acceptance Criteria written in Gherkins Format.
Proactively briefed Team's progress to the Product Owner using Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) integrated into JIRA such as Burn-up Chart, Burn-Down Chart, Bug Resolution Time Chart, Cumulative Flow Diagram, defect to user stories and Velocity Chart.
Actively involved in Program Increment Day (PI), headed the team breakout sessions during the PI and assisted my Release Train Engineer (RTEs) for the feature readiness, logistic readiness, and team readiness.
Involved in assisting the PO with prioritizing Program Backlog items and writing user stories for the upcoming PI objective.
Writing user stories with respect to UTDD, ATDD, TDD, BDD and continuous integration for deliverance of MVP
Handling dependent teams following Scrum and Kanban framework.
Effectively managed CI/CD pipeline to ensure efficiency in lead time by measuring performance metrics like Bug Resolution Time, Lead Time, and Test Summary Reports.
Designed prototypes for Orchestration Processes in MS Visio by invoking respective Web Services and API’s to filter and scrub the data in validation process.
Helping the team in understanding the Agile concepts and the Agile practices to improve the team's delivery.
Assisted Product Owner in refining product backlog, writing Technical User Stories using INVEST criteria and prioritizing user stories using MoSCoW techniques.
Guiding teams with Dependency Mapping in team-break out session during PI Planning event.
Proactively collaborated with the Solution Architect Team in implementing APIs, Web services, and Microservices to the Enterprise technical architecture, thereby increasing business agility.
Adept understanding of web services and conceptual knowledge of XML, JSON, UDDI, WSDL, WADL, HTML, AJAX, SOA, SOAP and RESTful Web Services
Amplified technical architecture by validating Web Services, API's, using Soap UI and Postman tool to authorize its functionality to satisfy the business requirements.
Designed prototypes for Orchestration Processes in MS Visio by invoking respective Web Services and API’s to filter and scrub the data in validation process.
Sound knowledge in performing Extract Transform Load (ETL) process to migrate data from OLTP Database to OLAP Data warehouse and Data Marts, which involved Data Mapping based on the elicited Transformation Rules.
Proficient in executing DML and DDL SQL queries to perform Data Validations.
Proficient in developing and executing Test Plans, Test strategies, Test Scenarios, and Test Cases based on the User Stories and Acceptance Criteria defined according to the business requirements.
Tremendous experience in formulating the Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM) integrated into the JIRA, Rally and Azure DevOps to validate all the test cases' requirements.
In-depth experience in leading User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and guiding business stakeholders by providing User Guides to Validate and Verify both functional and technical requirements of the application.
Proactively involved in Post-production support by executing leading IT Service Management (ITSM) practices using ServiceNow with the help of the support team to address Tickets.
Bachelors : Electronics and communication Engineering
Masters: Engineering Management
Graduate Certification: Foundations of Six Sigma and Quality Improvement
Scrum Master Certification


Rekha Mohanty — Bank of Montreal (BMO) - Senior Learning and Experience Designer

Senior Learning and Experience Designer
As a Senior Learning and Experience Designer, I work with stakeholders from the different Lines of Businesses for Wealth. I design and develop solutions that enhance employee performance and client experience while helping drive strong business outcomes.
Wide exposure to the L&D space in different corporations for over close to two decades, has presented unique design opportunities. I have worked with organizations in Retail (including Walmart Canada and Reliance Retail India), Consulting (Capgemini India), Software (IBM and Symantec India), Outsourcing (WNS) and Banking (BMO).
I am proficient in the design and development cycle for creating and delivering interactive, engaging, accessible and effective learning content. I work extensively with different authoring tools, with a deep understanding of how asset outputs impact the different hosting and delivery channels and the impact of design choices on the end user experience.
I hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (equivalent to a Master's degree as recognized by World Education Services) with dual specialization in Marketing and Human Resource Development.


Ihssane Lhaoud — Dell - EMEA Delivery Manager, Social Media and Community Professional

Meet Ihssane Lhaoud, a seasoned Global Manager at Dell Technologies, driven by a passion for leadership, innovation, and simplification. With over 17 years of experience in Education Services, he exemplifies the epitome of an inspiring industry leader.
As an esteemed Judge for the Brandon Hall Group's Industry Award Programs, Ihssane plays a pivotal role in identifying and recognizing High Impact Initiatives that redefine industry standards. His keen eye for excellence and commitment to continuous improvement make him a respected authority within the field.


Ian Mackenzie — MSD - Associate Director

Associate Director
Global Learning Partner - I have supported Merck Research Laboratories (MRL). My global client groups include Regulatory Affairs International (RAI) and the Global Clinical Trails Operation (GCTO). I also provide consultancy for the wider EMEA region for all functions within MRL. This includes strategic L&D planning for the business units and performance consulting. This work was recognized with 4 Brandon Hall HCM awards in 2022, 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze
Prior to joining MSD and Merck I have been privileged to work with a number of organizations in both the public and private sectors working within heath care, tourism, aerospace, pharmaceutical and engineering sectors. The most recent roles include being corporately accountable for both Learning and Development, as well as Organisational Development functions.
Key skills include:
- Strategy development
- Leadership development
- Learning and development
- Learning Technologies
- Talent management
- Coaching
- Organisational Development
- Change and Project Management
BSc Engineering
Post Grad Diploma Business Administration
MSc Business Management
Charter Member Institute of Personnel and Development
Certified Coach
MBTi Practitioner
IIP External Advisor


Ponnuswamy — Barclays Bank - Security Consultant: Architect

Enoch is a seasoned Security Architect and Information (Cyber) Security Technology Lead, with over 20 years of experience in a variety of roles across global organizations. A key contributor to enhancing cyber security postures and managing information security risks, Enoch has developed and implemented comprehensive strategies and solutions to mitigate risk, threats, vulnerabilities, and attacks.
A visionary and detail-oriented security technologist, Enoch has a proven track record in secure design models, remediation of vulnerabilities, multi-cloud security, and cyber resilience. His expertise spans multiple domains, including cloud security, application/data security, IAM, compliance, risk management, and access control systems. Enoch continually explores emerging technologies to identify and implement innovative security solutions that align with business goals.
Passionate about protecting organizations and their data from cyber threats, Enoch remains dedicated to staying current with industry best practices and the latest technologies. His specialties include Cloud Security (AWS/Azure), Security Architecture and Models, Software Development Security, Threat Modeling, Information Security Governance and Risk Management, Security Program Development and Management, Incident Response, Cyber Resilience, Access Control Systems, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, and Identity and Access Management (IAM).


Gunduz Guldamlasi - Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi - Educational Technologies and Systems Development Manager

Founder of Augdemy and also working Head of Learning, Culture and Employee Experience.
• Designing & implementing corporate academy processes in various industries.
• Managing instructional design projects for multiple target audiences in various industries.
• Providing organizational development, talent management, career management and (behavioral & technical) competency frameworks for local and global companies.
• Managing employee experience and corporate culture projects in local and global companies.
Executive level manager in tech, telecommunication, automotive, production, finance industries and holding with the unique ability to lead diverse teams.
Global and industry specific learning & development, internal communication, culture transformation management with proven ability to analyze requirements, identify potential opportunities, and bring people-oriented solutions to companies for increased employee engagement and drive business outcomes.
Specialties: Corporate academy management, instructional design, learning technologies, recognition and rewarding, culture transformation, internal communication, employee experience, organizational development, agile project management, OKR management.
Hands-on development and management experience in corporate academies, learning technologies, culture transformation and employee experience.
PhD Candidate in Learning & Development
MA in Human Resources Management
MA in Management Information Systems


Elizabeth Hoban — LMI - Vice President of Talent Management

Talent Management & Organizational Development Executive
Dynamic executive experienced in leading enterprise-wide, strategic and training initiatives in large complex organizations with geographically disbursed team members and clients.
Collaborative leader and change agent who builds partnerships, grows talent, implements people systems, transforms cultures, and consistently delivers results.


Dru Ryan — Trinity Washington University - Educational Technology Consultant

Andrew “Dru” J. Ryan is a top-notch instructional designer and consultant with a broad and diverse background in education and information technology. He specializes in integrating technology in learning with particular interests in helping trainers, instructors, and faculty build and transfer classroom skills to facilitate learning through alternative methods.
Dru has worked as both an internal and external trainer and instructional designer. Professionally, he spent over 10 years in information technology and aviation industries, including a role on Wall St with JP Morgan/Chase in their technology unit to research projects with Boeing, IBM, Lockheed Martin, the FAA and NASA.
Beyond research and development, Ryan's duties included leading cross-functional teams, creating and delivering computer based training for air traffic controllers and airline operators, and writing code for various projects. His work has been recognized for optimizing decision making between aviation stakeholders through information sharing and knowledge management which saved the traveling public millions of minutes in delay time.
Dru has served as an adjunct professor with George Mason University and the University of the District of Columbia. His course offerings included statistics, multimedia studies, communication, and interdisciplinary courses in Hip-Hop studies. Many of Dru's courses have used a blended approach, where online and classroom learning are both used to satisfy course requirements. Dru also has experience teaching math, technology, and music to middle and high school students. Additionally, he has worked with the University of Maryland’s Gear-Up Program.
He has been quoted by, among others, the Washington Post, Washington Times, Dallas Fort Worth Star Telegram, wired.com, Chief Learning Officer, and Black Engineer magazine. He is also a senior judge for Brandon Hall’s Workplace Learning Awards.


Dmitry Khorev — Mero - Senior Software Engineer

Software engineer with 8+ years of experience producing scalable web-based server/client applications. I am a certified Node.js developer with expert knowledge of NestJS and Laravel frameworks.
Well-versed in Node.js and PHP back-end development. I also possess DevOps skills - Kubernetes, Terraform, and CircleCI, and have deep knowledge of some AWS services. Have experience with the Vue.js front-end framework, and I’m learning React to add to my stack.
I'm very passionate about the quality of software, so I take responsibility for any task I work on and thus I am a very reliable software engineer.
I write articles about exciting Back-End technologies on Medium: medium.com/@dkhorev


Divyanshi Galla — PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC - Manager

Manager Data Scientist in Innovation hub team of PricewaterhouseCoopers leading teams in scoping and developing end to end solutions using AI capabilities and advanced analytics for clients projects worth Millions of dollars and research capabilities.
Presentations and research papers in top conferences including Springer MLDM , IEEE Ai4i. Currently working on areas of using AI for good, Natural Language Processing(currently Generative AI) and Responsible AI areas
Highlight projects include using AI to combat safety issues, predicting social unrest using news articles and Machine Learning, automated synthetic tabular data generation using GANs(Deep Learning), explainable AI module(500+ downloads), adverse event identification using NLP for a leading pharmaceutical company in USA, applying NLP in RegTech space, and audio harvesting for voice cloning and predictive maintenance
Thought leader in creating Point of views on emerging spaces like Generative AI(Eg:ChatGPT), AI for sustainability, using AI sustainably and responsibly and created tools to facilitate sustainable and profitable deployment of AI solutions. Deeply passionate about leveraging AI to solve various business and world problems and working in collaboration and driving teams to deliver AI/technology solutions
Masters, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
Bachelors, Instrumentation and Control Engineering, National Institute of technology, India


Diana Khramina — Gorgias, Inc. - Chief of Staff

I am Diana Khramina, the Chief of Staff of Gorgias, a leading e-commerce software company that provides customer service solutions to over 12,000 brands. We raised a Series C funding in a round that boosted its valuation to $710 million. Among our investors, we have SaaStr, Sapphire Ventures, Transpose Platform, Shopify, CRV, and Alven.
At Gorgias, I have created the strategic vision for the support industry, scaled the second product of the company, and driven revenue and cost improvements. Before joining Gorgias, I was a Strategy Consultant at McKinsey & Company, where I advised large corporations on strategy, digital transformation, procurement transformation, and research topics.
I have also won several awards for my academic and professional achievements, such as the "Investment prize" for the Sutainable Sustainability hackathon in Shanghai, the finalist of McKinsey Next Generation Women Leaders Award, the Emlyon Business School Excellence Scholarship.
I am passionate about strategic operations and scaling businesses efficiently, and I have extensive experience in judging innovative projects and ideas. I am currently a judge at MHL Hackathon and HEC-X Entrepreneurship Program, two prestigious institutions that foster entrepreneurship and innovation.
I would love to bring my expertise and insights to your competition as a judge.


Detlef Hold — Roche - Global Strategy Lead Knowledge Cycling & Learning

Detlef currently drives business aligned Organizational Learning strategies for F. Hoffmann La Roche after a 5 year-stay in Silicon Valley where he led a global People Capabilities & OD strategy, and the Knowledge Management & Learning strategy in a large-scale transformation program with a focus on upskilling, community- and workflow integrated learning. Previously, he led and executed People & OD strategies in global Learning & Organizational Development, Leadership-, Talent Development & Team Excellence. Prior to joining Roche in 2004, he was Deputy Head of Corporate Learning and a leadership and team excellence consultant in a business psychology company.
Detlef holds a Masters in Psychology, Post Grade certificates in OD/ Strategic Change/Facilitation, Executive Coaching/Global Leadership Development and in Agile/Innovation/ Entrepreneurship/Design Thinking from Trigon, Roffey Park, Scrum Alliance, Stanford Business School & Columbia Business School.
He is winner of several International Learning & Innovation Awards, Judge for Brandon Hall & Chief Learning Officer, Steering Committee Member of the Corporate Learning Network, Mentor at IE Learning Leadership Program and has 25+ years experience in Corporate Organizational Learning, Talent development and as faculty in Higher Ed in Switzerland, Ecuador (PUCE) and the US (Stanford).


Dawn Stopha — Fanatics - Sr. Manager, Global Learning & Development

Dawn Stopha is the Director of Global Learning and Development at Fanatics. Dawn is an award-winning learning expert responsible for global people growth, including talent management, leadership development, performance gaps, and needs analysis to maximize learning ROI. Dawn is responsible for developing and deploying corporate learning solutions at the enterprise level and consulting with various lines of business to drive learning initiatives that support change, enhance performance, and contribute to the company's bottom-line profitability.


Dawn Adams Miller — Favilara - Sr. Sales Enabmement Designer

I am an instructional designer by trade. I've designed and developed training in multiple formats for mostly large technology companies and large consulting firms: Arthur Andersen (now Accenture), Ernst & Young, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, etc. Mostly sales training but in other topic areas as well. I've been doing this work since 1986.
MS Instructional Technology Boise State University.
Manage the onboarding program for the Customer Account Manager role for Avakara's sales org. I determine curriculum, delivery, measurement for month 1 intensive and one year onboarding tracks.


Dave Rozelle — Take 5 Oil Change - Senior Manager Learning & Development

Innovative junior executive with many years of management and supervisory experience supported by decades of computer and communications technology experience. As well as almost 20 years of field work. Not afraid to dig a ditch or make a pitch.


Asli Kayabas — Clinical Psychologist and Training Consultant - Founder



Brittany Taggart — SCL Health - Senior Instructional Designer

Name: Brittany Taggart, CIT, CRP
Position: Lead Education Architect - Quality, Metrics and Methods
Company: Intermountain Health
I have spent 9 years in the Learning and Development community working in various iterations of learning and development based roles in the healthcare industry. As a lead Education Architect, I practice analyzing, designing, developing and Implementing training, using industry-best tools everyday. I currently focus on quality, metrics and methods in learning and development, and coach learning and development talent all over the organization. I facilitate professional learning and development certification programs at Intermountain Health, in partnership with other learning industry leaders. I spend much of my time evaluating training programs and working to show the value of training using proven methods, and using 5 levels of evaluation. Ultimately, I practice with the notion that training, when done right, is not only "worth it" to the organization, but it has the ability to return real monetary value and a return on the investment. I find purpose in also evaluating the intangible values training provides, such as partnership, collaboration and trust within work groups.
When I'm not at work, I enjoy the mountains I live in by going hiking, fishing, paddle boarding, camping, riding ATVs or just listening to nature. As a lifelong learner myself, I am grateful to be a part of this learning and development community of practice, and enjoy reading about the best of the best in the industry!
As a note:
CIT - Certified Instructional Technologist - Mager Consortium / Intermountain Health
CRP - Certified ROI Professional - ROI Institute Academy


Brigitte Sitzberger — Masdar, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company - Advisor, Human Capital and Emiratization

I am a seasoned Human Capital professional with 24 years of pertinent experience in both the private and public sectors worldwide. Before joining Masdar in April 2016, I founded and managed Globalmindsets Limited, an international human capital consultancy dedicated to assisting emerging market clients in achieving quantifiable business outcomes through an array of integrated services. For over nine years, I effectively developed and managed crucial strategic HR initiatives for global multinational corporations, including Etihad Airways, Bayer, ThyssenKrupp, and MTV Networks International, among others. My consulting work took me to Bangladesh, Russia, the UK, Germany, and Central and Eastern Europe, where I managed human capital programs designed to support corporate strategies. These included employer branding and communications strategies, tailored recruitment solutions, performance management systems, organizational design, HR due diligence, and post-merger integration programs.
In 2009, I relocated to Abu Dhabi to join the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), a Mubadala company, as the Associate Director of Human Capital for Abu Dhabi Ecosystem Development. Over the course of two years, I was responsible for assessing the human capital demand-supply gap and formulating strategies and programs to meet ATIC's ambitious plans to establish a semiconductor lab in Abu Dhabi.
I began my professional career with Bertelsmann AG, a global media, services, and education company operating in approximately 50 countries worldwide. Over five years, I assumed increasingly senior and strategic HR roles in the Republic of Korea, Germany, and China. I was responsible for setting up the HR function for the company's Asia-Pacific region in Shanghai, China, where I spearheaded Bertelsmann's image-building, sourcing, recruitment/placement, and management development activities in the region, with full profit and loss (P&L) responsibility.


Anindyo Naskar — Landmark Group - Head Retail Learning

Anindyo is a seasoned Leadership & Talent Development professional with 20+ years of global experience. Having recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for training leadership, as well as for piloting new programs and projects, Anindyo has a verifiable history of contributing directly to company’s growth and expansion throughout his career. Currently, as the Deputy General Manager – Learning and Development Corporate COE- he heads the Learning & Development Portfolio and manages the Centre Of Excellence of Learning. Anindyo,s responsibilities include partnering with 10+business units across GCC & Levant regions for all Talent, Leadership, L&D Consultancy & change initiatives for the Group. Anindyo is an award winning CIPD, ATD & ILM Certified Learning & Development professional with specialization in designing & developing learning solutions from Leadership Development to Senior Managers. Anindyo is a Franklin Covey Leadership Master Trainer and one of the First certified Coach in the Middle East on Resilience Coaching. His colleagues would describe him as a progressive, driven, down-to-earth, innovative and managerial expert who can be relied on to offer superior solutions that deliver learning results on time with proven ROI.
Professional focal points include Leadership Development, Talent management, Succession Planning, L&D Strategy, L&D Consulting, Learning Academy Designing and implementation, Change Management, Coaching, & Mentoring, Transitioning to Digital Learning technologies, and Customer Experience Improvement.
Anindyo lives with his family in Dubai which incudes his wife Sujata , daughter Aashi and Pet Coco he loves reading, listening to music and travelling. He aspires to be a Learning Consultant in the next 5 years and setting up his own pad.


Anil Santhapuri — FIS Global - Director, Skills Solutions

Anil Santhapuri is a values-based and results-oriented Talent & OD professional, with 21 years of professional
experience in the areas of talent management, learning & leadership development and consulting. In his current role as
Head – Academy of Management and Leadership Academy, he is leading reinventing and re-imagining leadership to
drive TVS Motor’s vision (TVS Motor is the 5
th largest two-wheeler manufacturer in the world). His career span includes
organizations like Fidelity Information Systems, Western Union, HCL Technologies, CGI Information Systems, Mahindra
Satyam and iGate Global Solutions, where he has designed and delivered award-winning talent initiatives.
Anil is a 4-time Brandon Hall Gold winner (2020 and 2021).He is a 3-time “Learning in Practice award” winner both in
2017, 2018 and 2021 from Chief Learning Officer (CLO) Magazine, USA. In March 2012, Anil was also recognized as
one of the "Top 10 Training & OD Professional Globally" by Training Magazine. In October 2017, Western Union was
recognized as “#1 Organization for Learning” by ATD BEST. In 2018, Anil was also listed as an Emerging HR Leader in
India, by Jombay in their HR40Under40 list. In 2021, he was recognized by World HRD Congress as one of the “Most
Fabulous Training and Development Leaders in India”.
He is a digital transformation enthusiast and is currently a Technical Advisory Board member for Global Skill
Development Council (GSDC) - an independent, third-party, vendor neutral, international credentialing and certification
organization for latest technologies like: Blockchain, Six Sigma, DevOps, Cloud, ITSM, ISO, Agile and L&D
professionals. Anil is also contributing to Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD) as an adjunct teaching
faculty for the topics of Learning and Development and Organization Design.
Anil is a passionate believer in empowering people through learning and is a ACC certified coach from International
Coach Federation (ICF). His other passions and interests include writing poetry, practice of Vipassana meditation and
inculcating values-based leadership in all walks of life.


Angie Sau Arora — Landmark Group - Senior Manager -Talent Management- Group Lead COE

Angie is a result driven HR professional with over 14+ years of experience in business partnering & specialist roles across diverse industries & geographies managing varied HR portfolios as center of excellence at organizational level including Talent & Performance Management, Career Management, Succession planning & Employee relations.
Proactive and seasoned in assessing business needs combined with expertise in data analytics, process design & process improvements, she is adept in effectively designing & aligning HR/OD interventions with focus on achieving organizational business goals
Angie currently leads Talent Management for Amazon operations in the Middle East, Australia and Singapore. Previously she managed the Talent management Center of excellence at Group level for Middle East & Levant operations in one the largest retail conglomerates and her entire approach, design ,execution with proven business impact received the Gold Award for the Best Advance in Career and Succession Management in 2020. Angie holds a Master’s in HR, Bachelor of Engineering along with professional qualifications in behavioral science space.
Apart from work,her passion includes supporting people to succeed and grow in their careers along with interest in music & sketching.


Ahmed Yamany — B.TECH For Trade & Distribution - Learning & Development Manager

Ahmed is a Learning Professional with 11 Years of Experience in Training & Learning Design, Skills Development and performance improvement.
Ahmed Is the Learning & Development Senior Manager for B.TECH & Heading B.TECH for applied technology school
Ahmed got his MBA in general management from Royal British of London at 2022.
During his journey with B.TECH ACADEMY Ahmed Contributed to the building of a corporate ACADEMY focusing on the industry trends, contributed to the Accreditation of B.TECH ACADEMY from City & Guilds and ILM in addition to, the digital transformation implementation in the learning experience plus his role in the talent management and assessment
Ahmed is Accredited from ATD as an advanced E-learning instructional designer and he established the E-learning instructional design section in the ACADEMY since 2016 hence all the E-learning Designs were designed internally matching the highest quality and innovation standards that’s plus the instruction design transformation during these years to enhance the learning experience.
Ahmed Is “ICF Career coach from intellect 2022”
Ahmed is an awards Judge in Brandonhall Excellence awards since 2020 till now
Ahmed has a side work as “TV Football Analyst in ON time Sports” as a part of his hobbies and he is an accredited football analyst from Barcelona University and from the English football association.


Avinash Malladhi — Calumet Specialty Products - Manager

Avinash Malladhi is a seasoned professional with over 16 years of experience in delivering comprehensive IT and finance project solutions. He possesses a unique blend of expertise in IT, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning, particularly applied in the realms of Finance & Accounting. Avinash has made significant strides in the automation of financial processes and solutions, and his proficiency in SAP - Finance, OpenText - VIM solutions & Machine Learning, and Automation of Sales Tax Solutions is noteworthy.
Based in Buffalo, Avinash is an MBA graduate in Accounting from Wilmington University, Delaware, and has further augmented his knowledge in FINTECH from the prestigious Harvard Business School. This rich educational background keeps him in step with the latest technology trends, allowing him to contribute significantly to the Academic Council. His mission is to contribute to curricula that equip students with practical insights and skills in alignment with the rapidly evolving business environment.
Avinash has been instrumental in managing and executing numerous E2E implementations, global rollouts, Greenfield implementations, upgrades, and maintenance projects across a broad spectrum of sectors. His hands-on experience spans industries like Manufacturing, Airlines, Public Sector, Oil & Gas, and Wholesale - Retail across geographical boundaries such as the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Australia. This diverse global exposure lends him a distinctive market perspective.
With a proven track record in full life cycle implementations, Avinash has led multiple E2E implementations, global rollouts, Greenfield implementations, and upgrades across various industries. His work experience extends to several countries, fostering his skills in providing both online and offshore support using the Onsite-Offshore model.
Avinash's work with Vendor Invoice Management (VIM) encompasses over 35 projects, where he incorporated artificial intelligence automation solutions for vendor invoices, sales invoices, and delivery notes. He showcases superior proficiency in AI - OCR solutions, utilizing machine learning for finance processes.
Beyond the corporate world, Avinash has established himself in the academic sphere, advising Business Schools on executive education. A prolific author, he has penned numerous white papers on the use of AI in accounting, finance, and several other fields. He has also served as a speaker at various conferences and guest speaker on AI-related podcasts, helping shape the future of AI in business and education.


Vaishali Mane — Google Inc. - Program Manager

Hailing from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, I bring in a wealth of Product/Program/Project Management and Agile Leadership skills to the table. Worked with Google, F5, Akamai, Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab, Credit Suisse, Capital One and IBM. Major domains covered are healthcare, Legal, Banking, Finance, Cybersecurity, Networking and Technology. Innovation, quality and customer satisfaction have been the core of all my deliverables. Recently, I have been honored with the 'Top1% Super Mentor' on ADPList for June 2023 in addition to my 3 consecutive 'Rising Star' awards. An author, a creative person and a cook/baker for my loving son (who's my motivation), I believe in giving back to the community in the best way possible.


Sagar Sopan Wani — Accenture - Sr Technical Architect

Manager
Sr Salesforce Technical Architect
I am Sagar Sopan Wani staying in Philadelphia USA with vast leadership experience of 20+ years in Accenture LLP USA and associated with National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Bhabha Atomic Research center in my earlier experience.
I was part of prestigious originations like National institute of Industrial Engineering Mumbai and also associated with Bhabha Atomic research center worked on Biomedical, cloud computing emerging Technologies. I have extensively worked in research areas like Ergonomics, medical Emerging areas and Information Technologies. I have published many articles in Medium.com platform for Salesforce very Niche technology with completed 17+ international Salesforce certifications in area of Certified Senior Technical architects includes Application and System architect also published research papers in international conferences and scholarly articles.
I have received Bachelor of Engineering (B.E), in field of Biomedical Engineering, from the Mumbai University in 2003 and completed his Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (E-PGDBM), in field of Information Technology/Systems in 2007


Niamh Kavanagh — Dream Machine USA - Marketing

Manager for Charlie Rocket & CMO for The Dream Machine Foundation
The Dream Machine Foundation exists to disrupt the non-profit industry. We are creating a new-age foundation that is built upon using storytelling and social media to crowdsource making dreams come true for people who need a miracle. We are creating the world’s biggest community of philanthropists, currently at 8 million and growing. We are making helping people fun, entertaining, and exciting for people to be a part of. We have already received support from some of the biggest companies and celebrities in the world, and we believe we can be the biggest non-profit in the world in 5 years. If that isn’t enough, we also believe in the power of a dream. We believe that everyone who is a part of our community should have the opportunity to not only make others dreams come true, but to make their dreams come true. We are building a world where we give people the resources, community, education, and inspiration they need to bring their dreams to life.


Niranjan Kulkarni — Cognizant Technology Soltutions - Deputy General Manager

Niranjan Kulkarni Bio
Niranjan is a talent development (TD) professional with 17 years of experience in Clinical Research and the talent development field. In his current role, he leads a team of TD professionals in the Life Sciences Business Unit of a multinational company. His team is instrumental in creating learner centered and performance-based talent development strategy which aligns with the organizational goals.
He believes that TD teams have a critical responsibility of bringing best out of the organization’s most critical resource i.e., its people. If done effectively, the TD team can help individuals meet their personal goals and ensure that the organizations have a very engaged and a high performing talent pool which outperforms the competition in adding value to the stakeholders.
Academically, Niranjan is a pharmacist and has completed his Master’s in Business Management. He is certified Professional in Talend Development (from Association of Talent Development). He has published multiple papers in reputed journals and has been instrumental in leading teams to win several prestigious International Awards, like Brandon Hall and Association for Talent Development (ATD).
In his free time, Niranjan loves to play sports and enjoy music.


Kanad Bahalker — Send Potion - Chief Product Officer

As the Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Potion, I lead all our entire product and engineering organizations.
I'm responsible for the strategic product direction, customer retention, managing churn, and implementing UX, product vision, product development, project management, and product marketing. At Potion I'm also responsible for closing distribution channels, partnerships, and recruiting engineering talent.
I have 10+ years of experience building innovative software products. In 2010, I began my professional journey as a Software Developer at Persistent Systems, where I built mobile app migration capabilities on Android and Windows Phone 7 platforms. In 2013, I worked as a System Developer Co-Op at the New England Journal of Medicine. In 2017, I held the role of Mobile Dev/UXD at Endurance International Group. In 2017, I moved to Knit Health as a Senior Frontend Developer. In 2018, I joined Google as a UX Engineer. In 2021, I became the Chief Product Officer and Co-founder of Potion.
I have a Master's degree in Management Information Systems from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Information Technology from Pune University.


Mark Antoine — Inspired Keynotes - CEO

Before I tell you what I do as a speech Coach, Master of ceremony and TV Host, I want to share with you a different image of me.
When I was a kid, I had a double lisp, misaligned teeth, I was very shy and I would always blush and feel anxiety speaking in class.
So for those of you who aren’t comfortable on stage, in meetings or on zoom presenting, trust me, I know the feeling too well.
Today I am the exact opposite of who I was.
I trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London while working for Disney Business Solutions in Paris as an Emcee to pay for my tuition.
As a result:
1/ I introduced speakers on stage from all walks of life, from every Fortune 500 company and from every level of seniority.
2/ I entertained the most difficult crowds: corporate employees who haven’t paid for a ticket to be there - they HAD to be there, captive.
Yet turning a captive workforce into a captivated audience became my passion for the last 18 years.
Now I also help companies create their experience and storytelling on stage, and I help employees who have never been trained in public speaking, be confident and charismatic leaders.
Some of the areas I frequently cover include how to:
- Appear confident, competent and credible in front of any audience
- Capture and maintain the attention and interest of your listeners
- Connect and inspire with executive storytelling
- Look calm under pressure
- Incorporate effective visual aids and avoid Death by PowerPoint™
- Integrate appropriate humor to drive home serious points
- Eliminate “ums,” “ahs,” “you knows” and other distracting habits
- Use body language and voice techniques to “own the room”
- Love the unexpected
My 18 years of experience as a MC for prestigious Fortune 500 companies, as a speech coach for CEOs and all levels of management made me realize one thing: we are all craving to be more influential, to “fit the part”, to get to where we want to be, to be the best version of ourselves.
My clients are worldwide corporations like Airbus, Porsche, Givenchy, Kenzo, the French Presidency of the European Union, French Ministries and other renowned administrations and organisations.


L'Oreal Battistelli — Creative Collab Designs - Founder, Instructional Designer

I'm L'Oreal Battistelli, MSIDT. Founder of Creative Collab Designs Agency and Senior Instructional Designer. I'm a current member of ATD National Association; I'm leveling up my Instructional Designer proficiency program and I recently completed the Articulate Suite 360 Certification. Instructional Designer Consultant since 2010, I have experience in the Higher Ed sector; I migrated my career into the corporate sector 2014 where I provided ID and Training services to Banc of California until I separate Jan 2016. I received an offer to contract the same day, and I've been working remotely ever since. I'm home based in Huntington Beach and service clients on a national scale.


Jodie Pritchard — Citizens Advice - Head of Learning

With a 20 year career working in Learning and Development (L&D) across the corporate and charity sectors, Jodie brings a wealth of experience to her role at Citizens Advice.
Leading a multi-disciplinary team who create engaging and impactful L&D products that support the 27,000 staff and volunteers across England and Wales, Jodie has transformed the learning offer at Citizens Advice; creating a digital first L&D offer through their learning management system and implementing Agile ways of working to support the creation and launch of L&D products.
Her commitment to prioritising user needs, making data based decisions, focussing on sustainability and building a culture of empowerment and trust throughout her team has led to an improved people experience internally and award winning success in the industry.
She is thrilled to be part of the panel this year.


Unni Bhaskaran — Accenture - D&D Blended Learning Team Deputy BLA (Mumbai)



Dgivijay Vaghela — InfoPro Learning - Data Architect



Karthik Allam - Senior Solutions Architect - JP Morgan Chase & Co

My name is Karthik Allam & I am a seasoned IT professional with over 12 years of experience
Throughout my career, I have developed expertise in several areas, including Linux, Big Data Administration, Cloud Migrations (AWS), Infrastructure Engineering, Data Center Migrations & datacenter exit Activities. I have extensive experience in Physical to Virtual and Virtual to Virtual Server Migrations, & I am proficient in Spark, Hive, HDFS, and Cluster Tuning of Hortonworks and Cloudera Distribution Clusters. I have also worked on Kubernetes administration, data replication from Production to Disaster Recovery sites produsts such as Falcon and DataPlane and DataLifecycle Management (DLM), and also as a certified AWS Solutions Architect I Successfully built AWS Data Lake - Lakehouse building, providing solutions for application teams.
At JP Morgan Chase, I have been a key contributor to the success of several projects. I have led cloud migration projects, where I helped the organization migrate their infrastructure to AWS. I have also led data center migration projects and merged multiple data centers into one, resulting in significant cost savings for the organization. Additionally, I have been instrumental in building and managing the AWS Data Lake for the organization, enabling various application teams to access and process data seamlessly.