Company/Organization & Team Awards Judging Committee 

Chair: 
Eleanor Martin, Co-Founder 
Canapii, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom

Eleanor is responsible for Customer Success and Marketing at Canapii. Her highly popular customer success team guides premium clients through their event experience from onboarding, to training, event planning, speaker rehearsals and through to live in-event support. The customer success team also develops the well-thumbed knowledge base and change log, which has quickly developed a cult following. Eleanor actively contributes to the creation and innovation of the Canapii product, with her focus lying on improving and revolutionizing the UX and UI design of the platform. She consults with clients on how Canapii can transform their experience. Her success as a project manager for events using Canapii has played a key role in driving the platform’s growth and positioning.   Eleanor understands Canapii inside out, which is fortunate as the product is launching around ten new features every week.

Eleanor joined Canalys in 2017, gaining first-hand experience of in-person events. She has a solid background in project management, working with production agencies on virtual and physical events, driving innovation of event technology, and supporting Canalys’ global vendor, partner, and distributor customers.  She has worked with many of the leading technology companies, surely the most advanced and demanding clients of them all.

Eleanor holds a first-class bachelor’s degree in American studies from the University of Leicester. Whilst studying, she spent a year reading History and Political Science at the University of Oregon and living on America’s West Coast.  During her studies, she also interned in a Marketing and Events team for a total of four years, which is where she first started using digital tools to transform events.

Committee:

Sarah Adigba, Chief Product Officer
ExoAI, San Francisco, California, United States
Sarah is currently Chief Product Officer at Exo AI, an AI company building AI agents for mission-critical operations. Prior to Exo AI, she was a product manager at Yahoo, working on a wide range of AI and B2B and consumer products. She reads a lot of books and takes long walks.
 

Manuraj Ashrit, Director, Product Management      
Amazon, Seattle, Washington, United States
 

Arnabh Bhaumik, Director of Product Management
Walmart, Roanoke, Texas, United States
Seasoned product management leader with over 10 years of experience in driving innovation and go-to-market strategy and consistently delivering successful product launches and business growth.

Sagnik Dakshit, Assistant Professor
The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, Texas, United States
Dr. Sagnik is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science department at The University of Texas at Tyler. His research focuses on explainable and human-allied AI systems. He obtained his Ph.D. in Computer Sciences from The University of Texas at Dallas, specializing in Intelligent Systems, and has worked on various research projects.
 

Abdul Jaleel Dudekula, Vice President
Goldman Sachs, Dallas, Texas, United States
Abdul, Vice President at Goldman Sachs, is a highly experienced platform engineering leader and platform architect with 14 years of extensive expertise in designing and implementing robust, scalable infrastructure solutions. Abdul plays a pivotal role in designing, developing, and maintaining the cutting-edge technology platforms that support the firm's global finance and tech operations.

Li-Rou Jane Foong, Global Privacy Specialist
Rakuten Group Inc, Setagaya City, Tokyo, Japan
Li-Rou is a dual-qualified lawyer specializing in technology, data privacy, and regulatory laws. She advises tech companies on legal strategies, conducts privacy assessments, and navigates data privacy across jurisdictions. Fluent in English, Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese, with basic Japanese proficiency, she brings extensive expertise to her field.

Varun Garde, Worldwide Director of Monetization and Business Planning
Microsoft, Lake Zurich, Illinois, United States
Varun serves as WorldWide Director of Monetization and Business Planning at Microsoft. He has been a pricing and business practitioner across multiple industries. Varun led the development of machine learning-based high-frequency pricing and established vendor rewards at the world's third-largest e-commerce site. His current remit includes pricing, packaging, and strategy definition for Microsoft's support business. 

Jabin Geevarghese George, Global Fintech Transformation Leader and Enterprise ArchitectTata Consultancy Services Ltd., New York City, New York, United States
Jabin is a distinguished evolutionary enterprise architect, expertly specializing in Enterprise Application Modernization, Fintech, and AI-driven solutions. His visionary leadership at TCS has spearheaded transformative fintech initiatives and comprehensive enterprise transformations. As an adept strategist, Jabin seamlessly integrates AI and Agile methodologies to devise tailored, cutting-edge solutions that propel significant industry advancements.

Venkata Ashok K Gorantla, Associate Director
Verizon, Irving, Texas, United States
Ashok, an Associate Director at Verizon, pioneers advanced AI/ML algorithms to enhance customer experiences, driving loyalty and profitability. He has over 17 years of experience in Low-code and No-Code platforms, AI/ML, intelligent systems, and driving business and technical transformations. A graduate of GeorgiaTech, he is also a published Author and researcher.

Omesh Gulati, Senior Director, Customer Success and Solution Delivery
Apptega, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Omesh is a seasoned cybersecurity leader with over a decade of experience, specializing in building and expanding cybersecurity practices. He excels in strategic planning, client relations, and team development, driving significant growth and innovation in cybersecurity solutions. Notably, he contributed to building a global cybersecurity unicorn, Securonix.
 

Raoul Hira, Director of Information Security
Profect Global, Dallas, Texas, United States
Raoul is an accomplished Information Security leader with 20 years of experience. His passion lies in solving complex business challenges by designing and implementing effective cyber strategies. Raoul has worked across diverse industries and 20 countries, collaborating with clients in finance, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, retail, and government. His expertise includes cyber risk assessment.

Aman (Kai) Sidhant, Investor
WestBridge Capital, San Mateo, California, United States
Aman is a software investor at WestBridge Capital, an $8B AUM fund where he focuses on investing in and building Infrastructure SaaS companies. His current areas of interest are cybersecurity, fintech, healthcare, and deeptech.

Jagbir Kaur, Global Product Strategy and Operations Manager
Google, New York City, New York, United States
Jagbir is an entrepreneurial problem solver with over 10 years of experience driving business success through strategic thinking, data analytics, AI, and cross-functional collaboration at Google, McKinsey, and Infosys. Currently serving as a Product Strategy and Operations Manager at Google, Jagbir has led high-impact initiatives, including large-scale business planning, GTM strategy.

Srinivasulu Harshavardhan Kendyala, Vice President of Software Engineering  
JPMorgan Chase, Plano, Texas, United States
Kendyala is an exceptionally innovative and results-driven technical leader with a proven track record in Identity and Access Management within the financial services sector. He has a wealth of experience leading Customer Authentication Platform (CIAM) teams and possesses a diverse skill set encompassing Authentication, Orchestration, Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Akhil Khunger, VP Quantitative Analytics    
Barclays, New York City, New York, United States
Akhil has over ten years of experience in the financial industry and is currently working in quantitative analytics at Barclays. He has experience in statistics, time series modeling, quantitative strategies, and programming experience in Python, C++, and SQL. Akhil has worked on quantitative models for FX, Macro, Credit, and Futures businesses. 

Murali Kushal Sha, Executive Director - Principal Salesforce Architect
JP Morgan Chase & Co, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Murali has 19+ years in Information Technology and 15+ years as a senior Salesforce consultant, with proven accomplishments in estimation, designing, and implementing solutions for end-to-end Salesforce implementations. Application areas included development for Asset Management, Insurance, Credit Rating, Non-profits, Banking, Retail, Media and Manufacturing sectors. He has been instrumental in influencing Salesforce roadmaps.

Shangyan Li, Cofounder
Butter Technologies, San Francisco, California, United States
Shangyan has 19+ years in Information Technology and 15+ years as Senior Salesforce Consultant with proven accomplishments in estimation, designing, and implementing solutions for end-to-end Salesforce implementations. Application areas included development for Asset Management, Insurance, Credit Rating, Non-profits, Banking, Retail, Media and Manufacturing sectors. Have been instrumental in influencing Salesforce roadmaps.

Madhan Muralimanohar, Associate Director - Tech Strategy         
Verizon, Temple Terrace, Florida, United States
Madhan is an Associate Director at Verizon with 12+ years of experience in the telecommunication industry and is a pioneer in 4G, 5G core network, network slicing, and programmable networks. He owns 4 critical 5G network patents and is a key network planner responsible for the launch of Nationwide 5G. 

Abhijit Nilegaonkar, Director Analytics 
Delta system and Software Inc., McKinney, Texas, United States
Abhijit, Analytics Architect and Director at Delta SSi, specializes in SAP analytics, data warehouse modernization, and generative AI insights. He has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies and technology start-ups on their analytics strategies, helping them become insight-driven organizations. Abhijit has held critical data architect roles across industries such as Oil & Gas and Life Science.

Sixtus Njoku, CEO
Velara Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Sixtus is a visionary entrepreneur and innovator in the tech industry. After obtaining a Master's degree in Information Systems Management, he established his second company, focusing on training large sales-optimized foundational models. His mission is to empower brands to increase customer acquisition, retention, and experience, leveraging the power of technology to drive business success.

Anuj Oswal, Senior Director
GalaxE Solutions - An Endava company, Somerset, New Jersey, United States
Anuj is a Senior Director with GalaxE Solutions, an Endava company listed in the UK. He has 20+ years of experience in Portfolio/Program/Project Management, agile transformations, quality, and compliance initiatives across Fortune 500 clients. He has also completed the following industry-leading certifications: Certified Accredited Program Manager (IO4PM®), Certified PMP (PMI®), Certified Prince2 Practitioner®

Gunjan Paliwal, Product Marketing & Development Lead
Meta, Seattle, Washington, United States
Gunjan Paliwal is a seasoned tech professional renowned for her expertise across product marketing, product development, and strategy. With a career spanning over 10 years at industry giants such as Meta, Newell, Sears, and Microsoft. She specializes in Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing. AdTech, and Marketplace/ E-commerce, and ML/AI-based products and solutions.

Narayanaswamy Ramajayam, Head of Data Analytics for Ally Enterprise Consumer and Commercial Bank      
Ally Financial, Lewisville, Texas, United States
Narayanaswamy is an industry-leading and experienced Data Analytics executive who has 15+ years of experience in leadership and solution advisory roles in advanced data analytics, data engineering, business intelligence, and data strategy/transformation functions. He has successfully implemented large-scale data migration/transformation and analytics transformation to cloud technology (AWS/Snowflake) and transformed business intelligence capabilities.

Bhavdeep Sethi, Founding Engineer
Frec Markets, Inc, San Francisco, California, United States
Currently a founding engineer at Frec Markets, Bhavdeep spearheaded the development of the company's Direct Indexing product. Prior to that, he led the Ads Marketplace team at Twitter, responsible for $4.5B+ in annual ad revenue. Before that, he completed my Masters in Computer Science (Machine Learning) from Columbia University.

Siddharth Shankar, Vice President
Barclays, East Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Siddharth is a senior technology professional in financial services technology. He has 20+ years of software development experience with a specialization in trading, pricing, position and risk management platforms. He has an excellent understanding of different trading protocols, venues, regulatory controls, and workflows, from origination to STP for fixed-income and equity businesses.

Dr. Saloni Sharma, CEO
Dental Billing Assist Inc, Pleasanton, California, United States

MarKeisha Snaith, Founder and CEO
UDeserveIT Consulting, College Park, Maryland, United States
Demonstrating exemplary leadership, MarKeisha Snaith, Founder and CEO of UDeserveIT Consulting, has devoted over four (4) years to meticulously crafting paths for 400+ professionals as they venture into the tech industry. Her extensive 11-year tenure in Information Technology, with a keen specialization in compliance and cybersecurity architecture, has been marked by strategic oversight.

Koushik Sundar, Vice President
Citibank NA, Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Koushik, Vice President at Citibank, boasts 16+ years of IT experience as a Tech Architect and Lead Developer. He drives large-scale projects, generating multi-million dollar revenues. Koushik leads and mentors global teams, specializes in AI, ML, Microservice, and cloud development, and is deeply committed to community mentoring. He has received numerous awards. 

Devan Vanniasingam, Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) & COO
Stealth AI, Canton, Ohio, United States
Devan is a distinguished senior executive with a global reputation in financial services technology and operations. Known for driving business growth through strategic automation, process optimization, and innovative technologies. Trusted advisor to C-Suite leaders, skilled in aligning performance with strategic goals and fostering collaborative efforts across functions.

Neha Wahi, Head of Quality Assurance
StoneX Group, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Neha is a forward-thinking leader in the financial services industry, known for her exceptional expertise in establishing strong quality assurance standards. With more than 16 years of experience, Neha has led efforts to improve operational processes and raise quality standards in global financial services. 

Chong Rui Zhao, Staff UX designer
Walmart, San Bruno, California, United States
Chongrui, a UX design leader with a Master's in Human-Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon, is a Staff UX Designer at Walmart, leading inventory intelligence design. He has driven key projects in retail and health technology and is passionate about leveraging design and AI to enhance everyday life and improve work efficiency.

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