NI’s biggest technology event is here: Big Data Belfast!

Sebastian leads the Microsoft Sports practice, helping Clubs, Leagues and Federations to become a digital and sustainable business reimagining fan experiences and monetization models. He is the president of the Global Sports Innovation Center, participates in advisory boards, and is a guest speaker at universities, MBA programs and industry conferences. Industrial Engineer and MBA in Buenos Aires, with 30 years in the IT industry.

He has specialized in “Digital marketing strategies”, “Business of entertainment, media and sports” and “Product innovation” at Harvard Business School and “Business Sustainability Management” at University of Cambridge.

Justin Edwards is the Director of Learning Experiences at Mojang, Microsoft. He leads curriculum, education policy, assessment, and community for the education edition of the world’s most popular computer game – Minecraft. He develops immersive game-based learning experiences that promote deep and rewarding learning that supports curriculum in K-12, technical education, and higher education.

His projects have included partnerships with global organizations helping them to convey their story and educational materials to young people using game-based learning. He has most recently worked with the Nobel Peace Centre, and UNESCO. His work on climate education through gaming and citizenship using computer games has been widely recognized as leading edge. He has worked on educational projects that have been used in over 100 countries and seen by millions of game players.

He was formerly chief executive of the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and was one of the UKs regulators of qualification for seven years. He has worked in education throughout his career holding senior management roles in vocational and technical education colleges, non-governmental organizations and has acted in advisory capacity to UK government bodies and the European Union.

Gareth is the Head of Data, Analytics and AI at EY Northern Ireland helping to lead a team of 230 + analytics professionals operating across all industry sectors. Gareth specialises in building teams and capability focused around delivering market leading analytics and AI solutions.

Gareth works with clients to connect people and data to deliver business value and has 17 years experience helping corporations realise their potential through innovation and technology.

Sharon Anne Moore MBE FBCS is the Chief Technology Officer for Public Sector at  IBM in the United Kingdom and Ireland. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 Birthday Honours.

Moore looks to increase the number of senior women in technology careers by retaining young talent and supporting people who return from maternity leave. She has worked in several roles within IBM. She was appointed deputy chair of British Computer Society’s Women’s group in 2017 having been their committee member for Scotland since 2012. She was made a member of the IBM 100% club in 2012 and 2014. In 2014 she gave a TEDx talk at University of Strathclyde about how social media will change the future. She is working with Skills Development Scotland to tackle Scotland’s gender gap in technology.

In 2016, 2017 and 2018 Moore was listed in Computer Weekly’s Top 50 most influential women in UK IT. She sits on the Scotland Women in Technology board. She was awarded the 2017 Scotland Women in Technology Inspirational Woman in Leadership award. She featured on Espree Devora’s Women in Technology podcast.

Dan Lopez is serving as Vice President of Aflac US Shared Digital Service organization, recently taken on additional responsibilities as VP of Aflac Dental and Vision IT. He has nearly 25 years of Insurance IT experience, including transformational initiatives across core insurance platforms, data, analytics, digital and ML/AI. Beyond leading a portion of Aflac’s IT organization, Dan strives to align Aflac’s technology, data, and ML/AI initiatives with wider business objectives.

In his recent role, Dan is focused on transforming Aflac’s Dental & Vision small business into an enterprise grade organization. Outside of Aflac, Dan loves spending time with his wife, 3 daughters and 2 dogs at his home near Columbus, Georgia.

Paul Brook manages a team of Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence specialists at Dell EMC. His team works with customers, business partners and technology integrators across EMEA describing and designing platforms that help to make money and save money for Businesses and Public Sector organizations as part of their digital transformation.

Author of ‘The Life of AI’ (Amazon June 2018) Paul was previously responsible for various programs within Dell, including Hyperscale/Cloud and High Performance Computing. Prior to Dell Paul worked in the Applications Development and Managed Services sectors. Before joining the IT industry Paul worked for a Consultancy that specialized in Business Performance Improvement.

Professor Roger Woods is the Dean of Research for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast as well as Professor of Digital Systems.

His research portfolio is focused on creating innovative hardware for reducing energy in data centres, embedded solutions for complex manufacturing and structural health monitoring, and innovative surgical technology. Earlier in his career, Roger commercialised his work through a number of advanced signal processing chips, successfully transferred to industry including filter chips and a digital TV Phase Correlation chip which won a number of awards, including a technical Emmy.
He has gone on to develop expertise in data analytics and in 2007, he co-founded Analytics Engines Ltd. to exploit his research in accelerating data analytics, where he now acts as their Chief Scientist.

In 2019, he established the £5m, tier-2 high-performance computing facility (NI-HPC) in Northern Ireland, is a major contributor to the £6m EPSRC Rosehips project looking to drive innovative solutions for structural health monitoring and also leads the national e-Futures network which seeks to grow and enhance the UK’s impact in the area of electronic systems.

In 2022, Roger was elected as a Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship in acknowledgement of his contributions to entrepreneurship and innovation.

Alastair is the Chief Technology Officer at Analytics Engines where he is responsible for technology strategy, solution architecture and innovation. Alastair gained his PhD from QUB in 2009 focusing on high-performance computing and algorithms used in telecommunications.

He is interested in data modelling and data engineering in PostgreSQL and Python, Cloud Native solution architecture and NLP applications.

Steven works as part of Liberty IT’s architecture group, working primarily in the big data space for Liberty Mutual’s commercial insurance business. His focus is on helping to create an efficient, easy to use and cost effective supporting set of data capabilities that allow the business to make decisions quickly based on good, consistent information. Steven has over 19 years experience in the technology space, working across a range of industries including pharmaceuticals, public service, insurance and health in the areas of large scale system design, architecture and innovation. Steven has passion for problem-centric design and architecture, decision making approaches, large scale systems integrations and innovation and was a collaborator in the recent book “60 Leaders on Innovation”.

Hugh is Director over the Governance, Risk & Compliance and Product cybersecurity programs. He has over 20 years’ experience in IT, 15 of which have been primarily Cybersecurity focused.

Currently Hugh leads a diverse range of cybersecurity professionals and programs across multiple remote locations. These teams cover cyber regulation, cyber risk management and Allstate’s cybersecurity technical product security functions. Hugh has worked extensively across enterprise security strategy, identity management and GRC management functions, driving security and delivering key enterprise cyber services to the business.

Hugh is passionate about security and how it can be delivered effectively as a business enablement capability and supporting personal protection. He is involved in delivering cybersecurity to a diverse range of individuals and groups and one of the primary founders behind Allstate’s cybersecurity safety program, which has delivered training to thousands of school kids on how to keep safe online.

Valerie is responsible for leading ESB’s team of data scientists, defining central policies around data science and visualisation as well as leading ESB in the adoption of AI and ML technologies.

Having graduated from CIT in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Applications, Valerie joined RCI a division of the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation in 2002 as a real time data analyst and quickly progressed through the company to a Team Lead role.

Valerie joined ESB in 2006 as a member of the Logistics team in the National Contact Centre. One of the successful projects that she undertook during that time was the development of a SAP Business Warehouse, that was used to provide Real Time Analysis on incoming call volumes and fault logging.

In 2012 she took the opportunity to join the Business Intelligence Team as a Data Analyst in Electric Ireland where she managed the introduction and development of Advanced Data Analytics as part of a Credit Strategy by providing essential insights and trends on the customer base. She furthered her education in 2015 by completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Statistics in Trinity College Dublin. Valerie was instrumental in the introduction of a Hadoop Data Lake and driving the use of advanced data analytics to improve business insight and performance. More recently Valerie also led the way in the rollout of an Analytics Agile Framework, Ethical AI Strategy and streamlining the data science methodology across ESB Data and Analytics.

Marianna is a Data Scientist with more than a decade of experience in designing and leading data analytics solutions. She excels in extracting insights and aiding decision-making for complex business challenges. She has hand-on experience in machine learning, statistical modeling, NLP, cloud computing, and GIS data analysis.

Her experience includes development of tailored solutions for clients in various sectors including engineering, government, transportation, and advanced manifacturing. Marianna has successfully collaborated with clients in these industries, delivering data-driven insights that optimise operations and drive business growth.

Prior to her consulting career, Marianna was an Assistant Professor at Loughborough University, UK, where she taught statistical methods. She authored over 20 peer-reviewed academic papers and has supervised 5 PhD and 1 post-doctorate projects, all of which are in the space of data science and emerging transport technologies.

Ally Burns is Head of Incident Management for Nihon Cyber Defence. He has responsibility for leading the Incident Management capability in UK & Europe, where he delivers programs of cybersecurity preparedness, resilience, and cyber crises management. Ally has over 31 years’ experience in law enforcement with the last decade as the senior officer in the PSNI Cyber Crime Centre where he built resilience and response frameworks for cyber-attacks. Ally has a long and noteworthy history with law enforcement and government agencies across the world to embed PSNI in the global fight against cybercrime, including US Homeland Security, FBI and Europol.

Ally holds a Master of Science qualification in Forensic Computing and Cyber Investigations from University College Dublin.

Rashik Parmar MBE is Group Chief Executive of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. His team are focussed on the value of professional membership, promoting digital skills and computing education, and building BCS’ reputation for insight on emerging technology like AI and Quantum Computing. He pioneered responsible computing as an open framework to restore trust in IT.

As a former VP Technology for IBM, Rashik helped drive its European technical strategy with a focus on guiding companies through digital transformation.

A Fellow of both IBM and BCS, Rashik was awarded the MBE for services to business and innovation.

Rashik is a Council Member at The Open University (OU), a Senior Independent Member and NERC Council Member at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and a Fellow at Digit Lab.

He is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees at We are IVE, a charity helping young people improve their prospects in the creative industries. He serves as a Research Industry Advisory Board Member at Leeds University Business School.
Rashik is a founder of Rangoli Radio, which serves the Hindu community.

Mike Dawson is the People and Digital Transformation Director for Belfast Harbour Commission , a leading smart port and economic hub for Northern Ireland. He leads the Digital Transformation, IT and People strategies. Mike and his team are leading a consortium to deliver Project Harlander – a fully unattended autonomous shuttle running on mixed use public roads on the Harbour estate. Mike previously held senior change and transformational roles with Dale Farm, Glen Dimplex and Schrader Electronics.

Mike has an LLB Honours degree in Law from the University of Liverpool, a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from Queen’s University Belfast, an MA and an MBA.

Mike is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and holds SHRM-SCP status from the Society for Human Resource Management.

Amy Romero graduated with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech. While pursuing her master’s she was also a graduate research assistant at the Center for Power Electronics Systems lab where her work was focused oncharacterization and packaging of wide bandgap semiconductors.

After graduating she worked as a test engineer and subsequently as an applications engineer for Wolfspeed specializing in silicon carbide power die. Most recently, she has relocated to the UK from North Carolina to use her background with Wolfspeed devices to work alongside the Jaguar TCS Formula E race team.

Brett Sparkman is presently supporting the Jaguar Formula E powertrain group as a Power Module Applications Engineer from Wolfspeed. Prior to this, he has been at the Wolfspeed power module site in Fayetteville, AR since 2015.

His area of focus include the design, manufacturing, testing, automation, systems, and applications for SiC power modules. He has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arkansas.

Tim Monroe is CMO of the Smiley Monroe Group, a global manufacturer of industrial rubber products with sites in Northern Ireland, USA and India.

As part of its mission to revolutionise belt conveying, the company has embarked on a sustainability journey, which incorporates the use of smart technology and data to gain a clearer view of its impact on our planet and society.

Tarek has held the position of Innovation Engineer at Axel Springer since late 2017. Throughout his tenure at Axel Springer Ideas Engineering and Ideation Council, he has crafted prototypes spanning diverse domains including XR, blockchain, AI, and quantum computing.

His journey took an exciting turn in 2023 when he became a member of the AS Global Generative AI Team, where he explores disruptive scenarios that could shape the future of journalism.

Having worked in the sustainability space for well over a decade, both Maria and her business partner Liam recognised the need for a solution which helped companies navigate the complexities involved in measuring, monitoring & reporting on their sustainability and ESG investments.

Prior to the establishment of SustainIQ, Maria worked with Business in the Community, providing support and advice on CR to the private, public, and voluntary sectors. She also holds an MSc in Sustainability and CSR and has advocated for long-term partnerships between business and community development organisations since her teens. She has helped with the capacity-building of many charitable and social enterprise organisations both locally in Northern Ireland and in the developing world.

With over 6 years’ experience incubating high growth start-ups within the global tech market and an academic background in law and business sustainability management, Jessica is passionate about helping businesses drive sustainable change by embracing innovative technologies.

Actively involved in public policy forums in Northern Ireland and an advocate of evidence-based policy design, Jessica has curated a unique blend of industry knowledge supported by a strategic understanding of sustainability at both an enterprise and governmental level.

With a career timeline that spans recruitment to retail assets and now software solutions, Orla has over 14 years’ commercial experience working with organisations across the industry spectrum to find streamlined solutions for businesses’ biggest challenges.

With a background in technology, Orla is passionate about the role innovation plays within responsible business practices and is armed with first-hand knowledge of just how complex commercial property and intelligent connectivity can be. A frequent panellist and speaker at technology and transformation events across UK and Ireland, Orla offers a unique perspective on the practicality of implementing environmentally driven strategies at scale and the part prioritisation can play in accelerating positive progress.

Laura O’Neill is the Digital Transformation Manager at Belfast Harbour, spearheading efforts to become a Smart Port and World Leading Regional Port. With an MSc in Mathematics from Queens University, she blends her analytical prowess with strategic vision. Laura oversees Project Harlander, alongside implementing a cutting-edge 5G Private Network with innovative use cases.

Her past career with PwC, Gallaher Group, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and CCEA provided her with a strong foundation. Laura’s relentless pursuit of digital excellence and commitment to shaping the maritime industry’s future make her a standout leader in her field.

Jordan is a data science leader with over 10 years of experience leading the development of AI-driven applications that generate significant business value. He is also the co-founder of AI NI, a technology community group that has run over 25 AI events in Northern Ireland, helping supercharge the enthusiasm for local technologists on the topic.

Jordan is currently the Data Science Lead at Analytics Engines, where he shapes the overarching data science strategy and ensures that data science is used to effectively delight the organisations clients.

Fiona leads the Consumer Products and Retail team for consulting in Northern Ireland. With over 15 years experience in customer driven transformation, she specialises in helping clients ensure their investments are focused on creating sustained, strategic outcomes.

Fiona has a focus delivering change in marketing, sales and service, utilising new technologies to accelerate growth and drive efficiency. Fiona started her career in London, working across Retail Banking, Payments and Consumer Products and has recently returned to Northern Ireland.

Beth McEvoy works at Queen’s University on the City Deal, where she manages the development of multidisciplinary research for the Global Innovation Institute; as well as managing the national eFutures 3.0 Network.

Rami Zakaria (PhD, MSc, BEng) is the Director of Sales and Marketing for SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator) and advanced engineering substrates at IceMOS Technology, based in Belfast, UK, since 2018. Before joining IceMOS Technology, Rami served as an Assistant Professor, teaching various engineering subjects at South Korean Universities.

In 2013, Rami earned his Ph.D. in Engineering from the prestigious University of Warwick, UK. Throughout his career, he has gained valuable expertise in the fields of semiconductors, electronics, and experimental fluid mechanics.

Victoria is a Senior Analytics Enablement Specialist at Wolfspeed’s Global Capabilities Centre based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is responsible for the Analytics Enablement team, who provide support and knowledge to teams across the company to help them achieve their analytics goals.

Victoria has primarily worked in business intelligence roles in the past, covering a range of industries. Prior to joining Wolfspeed, she worked in Graham Construction for 5 years where she was responsible for using data to provide insights to aid decision-making processes. She also worked in Paddy Power, focusing mainly on customer behaviour and how data can be used to drive growth.

Victoria holds a MSci Mathematics and Statistics & Operational Research from Queen’s University Belfast.