Ritu Jyoti is Group Vice President, Worldwide Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automation Research with IDC’s software market research and advisory practice. Ms. Jyoti is responsible for leading the development of IDC’s thought leadership for AI Research and management of the Worldwide AI and Automation Software research team. Her research primarily focuses on enterprise AI efforts and global market trends in the rapidly evolving AI and Machine Learning (ML) landscape. She also conducts research to assist AI technology vendors by providing actionable guidance on articulating value propositions and thriving in the digital era.

Ritu Jyoti is a trusted advisor to some of world’s largest technology firms and end-users. Prior to this role, she was Program Vice President, Systems Infrastructure Research Portfolio for IDC’s Cloud IaaS, Enterprise Storage and Server team. She expanded IDC’s research on Infrastructure for AI & Analytics, launched a competitive market “Data services for hybrid cloud”, and delivered compelling “Digital Transformation – IT Transformation” framework for Data Infrastructure Services.

She was also the lead analyst for a couple of technology vendors consulting engagements, where she delivered ground-breaking research to drive their business transformation, re-enforcing IDC’s position as the go-to thought leader in the industry.

Prior to joining IDC, Ritu held various executive level positions in Product Management, Marketing, Solutions, Technology Alliances and Consulting at companies such as Kaminario, EMC, IBM Global Services and PwC Consulting. Ritu has over two decades of experience in high-tech, covering Business applications (ERP, CRM), Databases, Big Data Analytics and Enterprise Infrastructure Services, driving big picture corporate growth and strategic direction by identifying high potential new business, market, and partnership opportunities.

She is a proven innovative thought leader adept at leveraging strong technical background to uncover and align business/customer needs with on-the-ground solutions engineering. Most recently, she was the Chief Product Officer at Kaminario.

Yogesh Shivhare is a research manager at IDC Canada within the Infrastructure Solutions and Security research team. He manages the Cybersecurity research and provides insight and analysis into industry and technology trends as they shape the Canadian Security market. He is also responsible for market sizing and forecasting the Security Appliance hardware market. His research focus enables him to support Canadian technology providers by identifying key market trends in the Cybersecurity space where end user demand and preferences are changing rapidly.

Prior to leading Security research in IDC Canada, Yogesh has led market research in IDC for various enterprise infrastructure technology markets in Canada and Asia Pacific.

Yogesh holds an MBA degree from SCMHRD, Pune, India and a bachelors in technology from NITK, Surathkal, India.

Dr. Donna K. Kidwell is the Acting Chief Information Officer at The University of Toronto. Donna has spent over 30 years in IT, with over half in higher education. She is passionate about empowering people through technology, and deeply committed to digital trust.

Prior to U of T, she was the inaugural Chief Digital Trust Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Arizona State University. Prior to that, she was the CTO for EdPlus @ ASU, which runs ASU Online and serves over 100 000 online students with ~300 degrees and academic programs. Before moving to Arizona, she served as the Interim Executive Director for the Institute for Transformational Learning at the University of Texas System, where she spearheaded efforts to transform learning technologies on 14 campuses and health science centers across Texas. Donna was the cofounder of WebStudent, based in Norway, where she worked with universities to help them create online educational programs. She also worked as a Director at the IC2 Institute, a think and do tank at The University of Texas at Austin where she helped innovators throughout the world.
Before moving into higher-ed, Donna crafted technology innovation strategies for Keller Williams Realty International, where she developed online educational offerings to help over 100 000 agents develop their own businesses. She started her career as a software consultant, and has worked with clients such as Exxon, Motorola and Agilent Technologies.
She was the recipient of Governor Kim Moon Soo’s award for outstanding efforts in economic development on behalf of small businesses in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. In 2013, she won the “Cadenhead Coin”, a distinguished alumni award for entrepreneurship and innovation from The McCombs Business School, The University of Texas at Austin.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Science, Technology Commercialization, both from The University of Texas at Austin. She has a Doctorate in Business Administration through the Ecole de Management in Grenoble, France.

Kin Lee-Yow is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the CAA Club Group of Companies (CCG), which consists of two not-for-profit Automobile Associations, CAA South Central Ontario and CAA Manitoba, with over 2.7 million members. He has over 28 years of experience in the technology field. He has led his team through several significant technology implementations, such as SAP, the Avaya telephony system, the Guidewire property and casualty system, and the Emergency Roadside system.

He began his career at the Royal Bank of Canada, contributing to the launch of their Internet Banking system. Later, he led the team that developed Sears Canada’s retail internet platform. At Moneris Solutions, he unified two banking payment platforms and managed their ATM Gateway services. He joined CAA South Central Ontario in March 2012.

Kin is a computer science and information systems graduate of the University of Waterloo. He completed his Executive Master of Business Administration at Kellogg (Northwestern University) and Schulich (York University). He is also a Certified Information Systems Security professional.

Kin serves as an advisory member of the Tech MBA Advisory Council at York University, the IDC CIO Council, HMG Strategy, and CyberConIQ. He is also a Board member of the CIO Association of Canada and a Community Representative at the Joseph Brant Hospital. Additionally, he frequently speaks at various technology events. Kin was honored with the CIO of the Year awards in 2021 and 2023 by the HMG Strategy Global Leadership Institute.

Kory joined Inovia in March 2022 and collaborates with portfolio companies’ executive leadership teams to drive product and engineering innovation, conducts product and tech due diligence, works with Partners on technical investment theses, and invests out of Inovia’s Venture Fund.

Before joining Inovia, Kory was the Chief of Staff of Engineering for Google Canada. He was a key member of the leadership team responsible for driving strategy and overseeing operations across its engineering sites. Prior to that, he led Developer Relations for Google in Canada. Kory also created startup investing and acceleration programs at Communitech and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Kory holds an HBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and an MA in Philosophy from Queen’s University. Outside work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids, training for triathlons, playing hockey, and reading fantasy literature.

Megha Kumar heads software and cloud services research at IDC Canada. As a research vice president, Megha is responsible for managing and delivering projects across technology areas such as cloud services, enterprise applications, software and digital transformation for the Canadian market. She manages both the Canadian Software as a Service (SaaS) and Canadian Cloud Platforms (PaaS and IaaS) research programs in Canada

In addition to research, Megha has aided vendors with go-to-market engagements to improve market awareness and provide end users with essential guidance on technology adoption. She regularly interacts with CIOs and IT decision makers regarding their technology preferences, priorities, and concerns.

She originally joined IDC in 2007 covering the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey region, based out of Dubai, U.A.E. In her previous role at IDC, she regularly provided insights on market dynamics, vendor strategies, and end-user trends across the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey for both global and regional ICT firms as well as public sector organizations.

Megha presents at various industry and vendor conferences. She is often quoted in the media, providing opinions on technologies and market dynamics. She holds a Bachelor’s degree with Honors in Marketing from York University, Canada.

Nitin Thukral is a visionary leader with over two decades of experience in driving digital transformation and accelerating technology innovation within organizations. He is passionate about creating engaging customer experiences and has a proven track record of success in leading global programs focused on emerging technologies. Nitin is a recognized expert in enterprise platforms and is committed to helping organizations leverage technology to achieve superior business outcomes.
As the VP of Digital Operations and Technology Services Delivery at Aquent Studios, Nitin oversees the software capabilities and digital experience practices. He collaborates closely with client-facing solutions teams to address the complex needs of Fortune 500 clients across key industries, including banking, insurance, retail, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and manufacturing.

Nitin’s dynamic leadership extends to mentoring young entrepreneurs in disruptive technology and new startup ventures. He leverages his extensive thought leadership and industry experience at leading organizations such as IBM, Broadcom, and RSA to advise CIOs, CTOs, and IT leaders on their strategic priorities and technology initiatives.

Nitin is an avid learner who continually seeks new challenges. He recently earned the Google Cloud Digital Leader Certification, and has completed the AI Strategy Certificate from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management and the MBA Essentials Program from The London School of Economics and Political Science.

Matt Eastwood is Senior Vice President of IDC’s Enterprise Infrastructure and Datacenter Group. His responsibilities include managing market analysis, tracking, forecasting and consulting for Enterprise Computing, Storage, Networking, Systems Infrastructure Software, Infrastructure Services, Cloud Infrastructure Services and Datacenter. He leads a team of analysts responsible for identifying and analyzing people, process and technology trends affecting enterprise infrastructure and data centers worldwide. Mr. Eastwood speaks frequently at IDC, industry, and user events around the world and is frequently quoted in leading business and technology publications.

Mr. Eastwood joined IDC in 2000. He provides in-depth market analysis, research, and consulting on all aspects of the enterprise infrastructure marketplace to IT professionals, investors, resellers and technology suppliers. During his tenure at IDC, Mr. Eastwood has led IDC primary research focused on emerging trends in enterprise systems and data centers. This primary research allows IDC to make continuous assessments regarding how customers are deploying and using enterprise infrastructure power digital transformation. Recent topics covered in Mr. Eastwood’s research include: Software Defined Infrastructure, Integrated infrastructure, Convergence, Disaggregated Infrastructure, Virtualization & Automation, Cloud Computing, High Availability, Platform Migration and Datacenter Workloads. Mr. Eastwood also serves as IDC’s lead analyst covering Dell and VMware.

Prior to joining IDC, Mr. Eastwood worked for twelve years as a senior project manager and environmental consultant at CDM Smith in Boston. Mr. Eastwood was responsible for managing the planning and design of large environmental infrastructure projects including wastewater collection and treatment facilities. In addition, Mr. Eastwood served as Operations Manager of the firm’s New England practice.

Mr. Eastwood received a bachelor’s degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Northeastern University in Boston and earned his MS in Engineering Project Management from WPI in Worcester, MA. He is a Registered Professional Engineer (PE) in Massachusetts.

Gini Wong is a dynamic and seasoned IT executive with a proven track record in driving digital transformation, aligning IT strategies with business goals, and fostering a culture of innovation and inclusivity across global organizations. Highly skilled in leading cross-functional teams, nurturing talent, and building high-performing teams that thrive on collaboration and continuous improvement. Adept at managing multi-million-dollar budgets, ensuring cybersecurity compliance, and overseeing enterprise risk management. Committed to creating a supportive work environment that empowers individuals to achieve their full potential and deliver measurable value and organizational success.

Chris Goodale is Vice President, Enterprise Data & Analytics Enablement at Sun Life, where he is focused on leveraging cutting-edge technology and expert talent to democratize data and deliver deep insights that power business strategies and create Client impact.

Chris is a seasoned and versatile leader, with +20 years of experience transforming businesses and delivering better business outcomes through data-led strategies, data management, business intelligence, analytics and AI capability development.

Working across global financial services, retail & consumer packaged goods, and spending valuable time leading AWS Cloud-based transformations for enterprise partners, Chris adeptly assesses industry trends, competitive threats and organization readiness, translating them seamlessly into practical transformative blueprints.

Along the way, Chris has been recognized as an in-demand thought leader, with experience addressing audiences in Canada, the U.S., the UK, India and China including most recently at the CDO Magazine Summit in November 2024.

Mike Hamilton is the Chief Information Officer of Cloudflare, the leading connectivity cloud company on a mission to help build a better Internet. Cloudflare empowers organizations to make their employees, applications, and networks faster and more secure everywhere, while reducing complexity and cost. As CIO, Mike leads Cloudflare’s IT organization, focused on business and IT alignment in developing system architectures for Cloudflare at scale.

Mike joined Cloudflare with over 25 years experience in IT including senior leadership roles at MuleSoft, Salesforce, Databricks, and GM Cruise. As Mulesoft’s first CIO, Mike led its IT through hypergrowth into an IPO and later $6.5B acquisition by Salesforce. At Databricks, he led IT through explosive growth during the COVID pandemic. At GM Cruise, Mike managed a highly complex IT environment to support tremendous market expansion, enabling operations of hundreds of fully autonomous cars per day across multiple cities. Bringing strong experience from other high-growth technology companies, at Cloudflare Mike leads with an emphasis on business partnering with strategic and innovative approaches to scale processes across the organization.

Manas Khanna is a seasoned technology leader with over 15 years of experience, specializing in IT, DevOps, and Site Reliability Engineering. Currently serving as the Associate Vice President of Global Technology Operations at Univeris, He oversees critical aspects of IT infrastructure, DevOps practices, SaaS site reliability, and cybersecurity. Committed to fostering a collaborative and diverse work culture, Manas values every team member’s contribution and advocates for emotional empathy in leadership. With a keen eye on emerging technologies like GenAI, he believes in harnessing innovation responsibly to drive positive business outcomes. Passionate about connecting with like-minded professionals, Manas seeks collaboration opportunities to advance innovation, diversity, and a collaborative culture in the tech industry.

Michel Lamba is a distinguished leader in the realm of digital transformation, deeply committed to pioneering innovation and strategic solutions within the ever-changing business landscape. His leadership is characterized by a profound people-first mindset, ensuring that the human aspect of digital transformation is always at the forefront of his strategic planning.

Michel’s approach is fundamentally customer-centric, emphasizing the development of digital strategies that significantly enhance productivity and operational efficiency. His extensive experience includes the successful oversight of numerous large-scale digital initiatives, where his effective collaboration across diverse teams and facilitation of seamless digital transitions have been pivotal.

As Chief Digital Officer, Michel places a high priority on cybersecurity, skillfully guiding organizations through complex challenges to establish comprehensive defenses vital for protecting IT infrastructure and the digital ecosystem.

Moreover, Michel recognizes the critical importance of exceptional experiences for customers, suppliers, and employees integrating this understanding into his digital transformation vision to exceed expectations in user experience and engagement.

Michel’s leadership is not just about meeting business objectives but also about fostering a supportive and inclusive culture. His people-first mindset is evident in his dedication to empowering his team, encouraging open communication, and nurturing talent, which has established him as a greatly respected leader in the industry.

Michel’s passion for digital innovation is relentless, continuously driving initiatives that contribute to business success. Dedicated to maintaining a leading position in digital technology and cybersecurity, he is always exploring new horizons for innovation and embracing continuous learning.

Daemon Behr has built a distinguished career within the Nutanix SE organization, serving as an SE, Advisory Architect, and now as Field CTO of the Americas. Certified as NCX #50, he has contributed to the Nutanix Design Guide and hosted multiple podcasts on cybersecurity and AI. As an inaugural Nutanix AI Torchbearer, Daemon has become a sought-after speaker, sharing insights on Enterprise AI with clients and partners across North America.

Rick is the Director of Cyber Resiliency for Dell and is an industry expert in Data Resiliency and Cyber Recovery providing strategic guidance to organizations across North America. He has over 25+ years of experience and over a dozen industry certifications including Cloud, AI, and security. His strong empathy skills have made him a trusted consultant to executives, seasoned IT veterans, industry professionals and those new to IT.

Nikki serves as an artificial intelligence business development professional, where she is responsible for evangelizing Dell’s strategic position in the AI market with customers and partners across Canada. She is focused on helping customers develop and execute against their AI business strategies, helping them utilize both traditional and generative AI as competitive differentiators in their respective industries. This role is part of Dell’s innovative AI Business Development Team, aimed to deliver solutions to customers across the entire AI ecosystem – from data management to data centers to the far edge.

As co-lead for Women in Action North America, she is a dedicated leader, driven to help women inside and outside of the organization develop, learn, and grow. When not talking about technology with organizations or investing time in social impact initiatives with Dell, she competes in CrossFit and spends time with her wife and two dogs.

As the Senior Vice President of Global Sales & Strategic Partnerships for the Digital Business at Iron Mountain, Matt leads a dynamic and diverse team dedicated to crafting tailored solutions that align with the strategic goals of Iron Mountain’s customers.

Prior to joining Iron Mountain, Matt served as the Vice President of Global Customer Success at Microsoft. During his tenure, he led a team that drove the adoption of Microsoft’s suite of digital solutions. Matt was the Senior Vice President of Intelligent Enterprise Solutions at SAP. In this capacity, he spearheaded initiatives that integrated cutting-edge technologies into customer enterprise solutions,

Earlier in his career, Matt held senior positions at Bosch and Accenture, where he gained invaluable experience in operational excellence and strategic consulting. In addition, he was the founder and president of Utiligent and Global Tier, two successful ventures that underscored his ability to identify market opportunities and deliver solutions that meet evolving industry demands.

Anthony Robinson serves as the Chief Technology Officer and Head of Solution Advisory for SAP Canada, where he leads a dynamic team committed to empowering Canadian companies to achieve their business objectives. With a sharp focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning, he is at the forefront of driving technological advancements and digital transformations. Anthony has been supporting SAP customers for over 25 years, playing a pivotal role in guiding some of the company’s largest customers through their digital transformation journeys.

He has proven to them how innovative SAP solutions can enable industry specific transformation of key processes, including finance, supply chain, customer experience, asset management, etc. His extensive expertise and leadership have been instrumental in shaping the strategic direction of our customers’ technology initiatives.

James is a senior solutions architect at NVIDIA, where he specializes in real-time inference and optimization for enterprise AI. Based in Canada, James leads strategic initiatives in the financial services sector (FSI), helping organizations like RBC leverage generative AI to solve complex business challenges. Over the past decade, he has guided industry leaders such as JPMC, CapitalOne, and Farmers Insurance on their AI adoption journeys.

Before joining NVIDIA, James gained deep expertise in MLOps and machine learning engineering through pivotal roles at Algorithmia, one of the first MLOps platforms, and DataRobot, where he served as a Principal ML Engineer. Passionate about bridging cutting-edge AI technology with practical enterprise solutions, James is committed to empowering businesses to unlock the full potential of AI.

Mike Egli is a seasoned professional in customer experience, holding the role of CX Client Principal at RingCentral. There, he spearheads the Contact Center consulting practice, dedicated to improving customer and agent interactions. With a rich 26-year background in contact center operations, including management, design, and training, Mike has enhanced communication strategies for various organizations. His work, which has added value to prominent names such as American Express, Amazon, Nintendo, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, is underpinned by his master’s degree from the University of Oregon. A respected figure in his field, Mike’s down-to-earth approach and commitment to his role have made him a go-to leader in the contact center space

Gregory Pierce is a senior technology leader at Amazon Web Services (AWS) with over 20 years of experience driving innovation across AI, gaming, blockchain, fintech, and cloud-native platforms. He leads high-performing architecture teams and serves as an executive sponsor for transformative industry initiatives. A published author on AI and game development, Gregory is recognized for blending technical excellence with strategic vision. He holds a bachelor’s in Computer Science from Xavier University of Louisiana and an MBA in Global Business from Georgia Tech.

Ryan is the Enterprise Sales Director at Veeam Software Canada, Inc., located in Ontario. With extensive expertise in Data Protection, Peter has been pivotal in advancing technical excellence and innovation within the organization, as well as with large commercial, public sector, and enterprise clients. Ryan collaborates closely with customers and various teams to ensure seamless integration and optimal performance of Veeam’s solutions, serving as a trusted advisor to clients.

Steve is a world-renowned security expert and public speaker with deep expertise in IT security and risk management. As a Sales Consultant and Security Engineer who has spent his entire professional career on the IBM i platform, he is dedicated to finding elegant, cost-effective, and practical solutions for organizations. With decades of experience in enterprise security, Steve is a trusted advisor known for his insightful approach to safeguarding critical systems. He has also been recognized as an IBM Champion since 2011 for his contributions to the tech community.

Lee Rennick is the Vice President, Tech Evangelist at IDC, where she hosts CIO Leadership Live in Canada, the UK and US. She interviews senior technology leaders to discuss leadership, current topics, and technology trends for weekly interviews on cio.com. She participates in events, moderates round tables and writes blogs to cover technology industry topics. Lee is passionate about DEI&A, women in leadership and supports Hackergal a charitable organization whose vision is to pave the way for a technology industry that is diverse and inclusive of girls and underrepresented groups across Canada. She also is a Leader for the Foundry ERG group, I Stand with Her. Lee lives on a farm, and has horses, goats, chickens and bees, and a llama named Poppy.

Andrew is a Principal Solutions Engineer with over a decade of experience helping enterprises modernize and secure their data platforms. He specializes in data transformation, cloud architecture, and DevOps, supporting complex environments across on-premises, AWS, Azure, and GCP. Andrew is AWS Certified, holds an Honours Commerce degree, and is completing a Master’s in Computing and Information Systems.

Shane Schick tells stories that help people innovate, and to manage the change innovation brings.

As a content marketing consultant, Shane has helped organizations ranging from the world’s most recognized technology brands to the smallest agencies and startups to tell more authentic and engaging stories about the communities they serve.

Allice Shandler, a seasoned event management professional, orchestrates captivating and seamless experiences in the technology, hospitality, entertainment, and manufacturing industries. With a proven track record spanning the past 25 years, she skillfully designs and executes a multitude of events, both virtual and in-person, to bring together like-minded individuals for the purpose of sharing knowledge and forging connections. She is an energetic leader who enjoys leading with empathy and embodying the science of emotional intelligence.

From her time as an Assistant Cruise Director with Princess Cruises to her role as the National Virtual Events Manager and subject matter expert during the pandemic at KPMG Canada, and currently as the Director of events with IDC and Foundry, Allice’s journey reflects a mastery of marketing integration, project logistics, and alignment with sales strategies, all underscored by her meticulous attention to detail. Allice Shandler exudes a passion for hosting and connecting with peers both on the stage and during carefully crafted industry events. She brings an unmatched ability to curate engaging experiences that resonate across industries and captivate audiences around the globe.