Archana Venkatraman is a Senior Director for IDC’s European Datacenter Research. She covers datacenter technologies including software-defined infrastructures, storage and data management, virtualization, containers, hyperconverged infrastructure, infrastructure performance monitoring, systems management, application development, and cloud services.

Archana also leads IDC’s European thought leadership program on open source technologies. She also contributes to European Digital Transformation, DevOps, Blockchain and IoT research practices.

Before joining IDC, Venkatraman was the datacenter editor at Computer Weekly, the digital magazine and website for IT professionals based in London, where she focused on datacenters, server virtualization, storage, open source technologies, software-defined infrastructures, and cloud computing, liaising with enterprise CIOs and technology vendors to develop deeper insight into the enterprise IT industry. Venkatraman has a master’s degree in journalism from Mumbai University.

Jamie Mahmut‑Emerson is a Senior Product Practitioner at Amdaris with close to a decades experience working across enterprises, startups, and scale‑ups. With a background in the automotive industry, he now works closely with organisations to shape product strategy, guide decision‑making, and remains actively involved in execution to ensure ideas translate into real outcomes.

Jamie has spent the last six years working with AI‑enabled products, combining strategic thinking with hands‑on product leadership to help teams apply emerging technologies in practical, commercially grounded ways. He is known for an outcome‑focused approach to product development, operating comfortably between advisory work and delivery to drive meaningful, measurable impact.

Neil Priestley-Wall serves as CTO at Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL), where technology and creativity meet to champion the value of recorded music.  PPL pay hundreds of thousands of members for the use of their recorded music through licensing in the UK and collecting royalties from around the world. Ensuring their members’ talent and investment is fairly rewarded.  Technology and the intelligent use of data sit at the heart of this mission, powering the systems that help protect, represent and reward their members.

With nearly two decades at PPL, Neil brings deep experience across development and operations. Today, he leads a specialist team of developers, engineers, product managers and operations experts to deliver & maintain a blend of bespoke and package solutions. Together, they are navigating the shift from legacy systems and project-based delivery to a product and outcomes driven approach, working closely with business partners and exploring the emerging role of AI in shaping the future of PPL’s technology landscape

Meike Escherich is an associate research director with IDC’s European Future of Work research service, based in the UK. In this role, she provides coverage of key technology trends across the Future of Work, specializing in how to drive and monitor productivity in a flexible work environment. This includes research into workforce management, agile performance measures, employee engagement/innovation programs and AI driven wellness solutions.

Prior to joining IDC, Meike was a Principal Analyst at Gartner (20 years) – covering Personal Computing, IT Services and Consumer Technologies – and a freelance consultant working with several UK analyst firms and international technology providers (3 years). An expert at identifying and solving strategic pain points Meike has worked with C-level executives across a multitude of industries such as IT, Education, Government, Health, Media, and Finance.

Having studied in Germany (University of Konstanz), Switzerland (University of Geneva, ERASMUS) and the UK (University of Exeter, ERASMUS) Meike holds a bachelor’s degree in Law as well as a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.

Technical Design Authority with 25+ years’ experience in IT architecture and solution design, specialising in Microsoft technologies. Stefan works across public and private sectors to define business requirements and translates them into secure, scalable solutions. He designs and implements complex on‑premises and cloud services, aligning technology with organisational risk and goals. With deep technical expertise and experience leading major digital transformation programmes, Stefan brings a collaborative, pragmatic approach focused on delivering clear business outcomes.

A Change & Adoption specialist with over 20 years of experience supporting organisations through complex digital transformations. Combining strategic insight, digital expertise, and a people-centred approach to facilitate the implementation of sustainable change across all facets of organisational development.

With extensive experience guiding people through digital change initiatives and fostering successful cloud transformation projects, I focus on empowering individuals within organisations to embrace innovation and adapt to new ways of working. My approach centres on supporting teams as they navigate change, ensuring that their growth and engagement drive lasting transformation and foster a culture of innovation.

In this current era of AI, I am supporting clients and their teams through practical enablement initiatives, providing clear strategic direction, and clarifying AI concepts to make them accessible and impactful. By developing readiness strategies, unlocking value, and fostering sustained momentum, I help drive meaningful organisational change.