Jeetu Patel is Cisco’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration. He leverages a diverse set of capabilities to lead strategy and development for these businesses and owns P&L responsibility for this multibillion-dollar portfolio. He is helping to redefine Cisco's SaaS business and strategy to further accelerate the company's transformation and growth.

He has more than 20 years of senior leadership experience in enterprise software, building cloud-native applications while developing and delivering against long-term strategies. Prior to Cisco, he was the Chief Product Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Box, leading the company’s product strategy and vision for cloud content management in the enterprise.

Javed Khan is SVP and GM of Cisco’s multi-billion-dollar Collaboration business which includes the Webex App, Webex Devices, Webex Calling, and Webex Contact Center. He brings 20+ years of enterprise and consumer product leadership to Cisco.

Previously, Javed led Cisco’s Cloud Calling business and was responsible for the strategy and execution of product management, development, and partner operations. Prior to that, he led the Webex Meetings business unit, driving many transformative initiatives including developing a single meetings platform and modernizing the Webex experience.

Javed came to Cisco from Symantec where he served as the VP of Enterprise and Consumer Security products.

Javed holds an MS in Computer Science and an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. When he's not working, he enjoys spending time with his family in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Kate Prouty is the Chief Information Officer of Akamai Technologies. Before becoming CIO in 2021, Kate spent over 20 years in technical leadership positions at Akamai, most recently as the vice president of IT Corporate Systems. She is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management. Kate lives in Massachusetts with her husband and their three children, and is an active runner and skier.

Snorre Kjesbu is Vice President and General Manager of Webex Devices at Cisco, leading a worldwide organization responsible for the collaboration devices business ranging from IP phones to immersive video systems. His passion for design with over 20 years of engineering experience are at the core of Snorre's belief in always providing authentic user experiences. Prior to his return to Cisco, Snorre was Executive VP of Design, Creation, and Fulfillment at BANG & OLUFSEN in Copenhagen. His résumé also includes SVP at Tandberg and being responsible for R&D on wireless communication at ABB. Snorre holds a Master of Science from the University of Bristol and has been a guest lecturer at the Stanford Network Research Center in Stanford University.

As the VP for Microsoft Teams Calling and Devices, Ilya Bukshteyn leads a team responsible for the strategy, product delivery, and business results of Teams Phone, a fully featured, enterprise grade cloud PBX / calling system, and Teams Devices, including Microsoft Teams Rooms, Teams Phones, Teams Displays, and Certified Teams Peripherals. Ilya has been at Microsoft for over 27 years, and in his current role he and his team have defined the Teams devices portfolio strategy, led the creation and delivery of a new generation of device experiences optimized for Microsoft Teams, and designed and delivered innovative capabilities across devices designed for hybrid work.

Jono Luk is Vice President of Product Management with Cisco Webex. This is Jono’s second tour of business with Webex! He currently runs several teams in the Webex business including: the Product Management (PM) group that delivers Webex’s Contact Center and Customer Engagement offerings, as well as the PM team focused on empowering customer administrators, Security & Compliance teams, and Cisco’s partners to deploy and manage Webex, and the PM team responsible for ensuring Webex’s solutions are available to customers across all countries/markets and government sectors. Prior to re-joining Cisco, he was VP of Product at Truveta - a Seattle healthcare technology startup seeking to Save Lives with Data. At Truveta, Jono’s team built the core product that enabled healthcare data to be brought together from many disparate healthcare systems and sources, then harmonized and anonymized for the purposes of advanced clinical research at a scale never seen before– all while protecting patient privacy. Throughout his career, Jono has held a variety of technology and business roles – from Microsoft where he helped start the Office 365, SharePoint Online and the Azure Active Directory businesses, to his previous roles with Cisco where he built teams to tackle a wide range of healthcare, collaboration and business development and strategy problems. Outside of work, Jono is on the executive board for Therapeutic Health Services, a Seattle-area non-profit that supports individuals and families manage mental health and substance abuse to help them lead healthy and productive lives in their communities. He is also on the Executive Council for iUrban Teen, a STEM+Arts education program that brings together underrepresented teens and young adults for career exploration and mentoring. Jono was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. He originally moved to Seattle for an internship with Microsoft in 2004 and has never left! Jono has always enjoyed the outdoors – spending time skiing in the winters and camping in the summer. His Netflix, Prime Video and Paramount+ subscriptions are well-exercised, but he can just as easily be found enjoying Seattle Opera or the Seattle Symphony.

Digital transformation leader with a demonstrated history of working across industry sectors with skills in Hybrid Cloud, Enterprise Architecture, Solution Architecture, Software Engineering, Agle/SaFE Methodologies, DevOps, Infrastructure, Application Assessment, and Project and Program Management.

Neil deGrasse Tyson was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in the public schools clear through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia.

In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a twelve-member commission that studied the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations (for Congress and for the major agencies of the government) that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.

In 2004, Tyson was once again appointed by President Bush to serve on a nine-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy, dubbed the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond” commission. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the American agenda. And in 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which guides NASA through its perennial need to fit ambitious visions into restricted budgets.

In addition to dozens of professional publications, Dr. Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. From 1995 to 2005, Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title Universe. And among Tyson’s fifteen books is his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS NOVA four-part mini-series Origins, in which Tyson served as on-camera host. The program premiered in September 2004.

Two of Tyson’s other books are the playful and informative Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, which was a New York Times bestseller, and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet, chronicling his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status. The PBS NOVA documentary The Pluto Files, based on the book, premiered in March 2010.

In February 2012, Tyson released his tenth book, containing every thought he has ever had on the past, present, and future of space exploration: Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.

For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe.

During the summer of 2009 Tyson identified a cadre of professional standup comedians to assist his effort in bringing science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded pilot program StarTalk. Now also a popular Podcast, for three years it enjoyed a limited-run Television Series on the National Geographic Channel. StarTalk combines celebrity guests with informative yet playful banter. The target audience is all those people who never thought they would, or could, like science. In its first year on television and in three successive seasons, it was nominated for a Best Informational Programming Emmy.

Tyson is the recipient of twenty-one honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid “13123 Tyson.” And by zoologists, with the naming of Indirani Tysoni, a native species of leaping frog in India. On the lighter side, Tyson was voted “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by People Magazine in 2000.

More recently, Tyson published Astrophysics for People In A Hurry in 2017, which was a domestic and international bestseller. This adorably readable book is an introduction to all that you’ve read and heard about that’s making news in the universe—consummated, in one place, succinctly presented, for people in a hurry.

That was followed in 2018 by Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military, coauthored with Avis Lang, in 2019 by Letters from an Astrophysicist, both New York Times Bestsellers, and in 2021 by Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We are Going, coauthored with James Trefil.

Tyson served as Executive Science Editor and on-camera Host & Narrator for Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey, the 21st century continuation of Carl Sagan’s landmark television series. The show began in March 2014 and ran thirteen episodes in primetime on the FOX network, and appeared in 181 countries in 45 languages around the world on the National Geographic Channels. Cosmos won four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, two Critics Choice awards, as well as a dozen other industry recognitions. Tyson reprised his role as on-camera host for the next season of Cosmos—Cosmos: Possible Worlds, which premiered on the National Geographic Channel in March 2020 and on the FOX network in September 2020.

Tyson’s latest books are Welcome to the Universe in 3D: A Visual Tour (coauthored with J. Richard Gott III, Michael Strauss, and Robert J. Vanderbei) and Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.

Tyson is the fifth head of the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship. He is also a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.

Neil deGrasse Tyson lives in New York City with his wife, a former IT project manager with Bloomberg Financial Markets.

Mary is a Product Manager for Cisco working with the devices team. With a focus on in-meeting, content and layouts, her goal is to deliver a seamless & high quality experience when collaborating using Cisco devices. With a background in Webex, she has key insight into the roadmap of features coming to devices.

Andy leads the product marketing team for Cisco Collaboration Devices. He has worked in Cisco Collaboration Technology Group for over 10 years, providing product marketing support for a range of collaboration devices, enterprise calling solutions, and video conferencing infrastructure. Prior to joining Cisco, Andy held positions in product marketing, field marketing, product management, and engineering in the IT industry. He hold a 1st Class (Hons) Masters Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Newcastle University, and a CIM Diploma in Marketing.

Kevin Smith currently serves as the Director of Enterprise Architecture at Fox Rothschild, LLP, an Amwell 100 Law Firm with 29 offices and 1,000 attorneys. During his decade-long tenure, he has orchestrated various transformative initiatives spanning data center optimization, cloud integration, and collaboration improvements. Prior to his role at Fox Rothschild, he held positions at Thomson Reuters, Wipro, and Grant Thornton. His responsibilities encompassed strategic management and consultancy for large-scale projects involving managed services and data center solutions.

Neil deGrasse Tyson was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in the public schools clear through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia.

In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a twelve-member commission that studied the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations (for Congress and for the major agencies of the government) that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.

In 2004, Tyson was once again appointed by President Bush to serve on a nine-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy, dubbed the “Moon, Mars, and Beyond” commission. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the American agenda. And in 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which guides NASA through its perennial need to fit ambitious visions into restricted budgets.

In addition to dozens of professional publications, Dr. Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. From 1995 to 2005, Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title Universe. And among Tyson’s fifteen books is his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS NOVA four-part mini-series Origins, in which Tyson served as on-camera host. The program premiered in September 2004.

Two of Tyson’s other books are the playful and informative Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, which was a New York Times bestseller, and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet, chronicling his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto’s planetary status. The PBS NOVA documentary The Pluto Files, based on the book, premiered in March 2010.

In February 2012, Tyson released his tenth book, containing every thought he has ever had on the past, present, and future of space exploration: Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.

For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS NOVA’s spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe.

During the summer of 2009 Tyson identified a cadre of professional standup comedians to assist his effort in bringing science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded pilot program StarTalk. Now also a popular Podcast, for three years it enjoyed a limited-run Television Series on the National Geographic Channel. StarTalk combines celebrity guests with informative yet playful banter. The target audience is all those people who never thought they would, or could, like science. In its first year on television and in three successive seasons, it was nominated for a Best Informational Programming Emmy.

Tyson is the recipient of twenty-one honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid “13123 Tyson.” And by zoologists, with the naming of Indirani Tysoni, a native species of leaping frog in India. On the lighter side, Tyson was voted “Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive” by People Magazine in 2000.

More recently, Tyson published Astrophysics for People In A Hurry in 2017, which was a domestic and international bestseller. This adorably readable book is an introduction to all that you’ve read and heard about that’s making news in the universe—consummated, in one place, succinctly presented, for people in a hurry.

That was followed in 2018 by Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military, coauthored with Avis Lang, in 2019 by Letters from an Astrophysicist, both New York Times Bestsellers, and in 2021 by Cosmic Queries: StarTalk’s Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We are Going, coauthored with James Trefil.

Tyson served as Executive Science Editor and on-camera Host & Narrator for Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey, the 21st century continuation of Carl Sagan’s landmark television series. The show began in March 2014 and ran thirteen episodes in primetime on the FOX network, and appeared in 181 countries in 45 languages around the world on the National Geographic Channels. Cosmos won four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, two Critics Choice awards, as well as a dozen other industry recognitions. Tyson reprised his role as on-camera host for the next season of Cosmos—Cosmos: Possible Worlds, which premiered on the National Geographic Channel in March 2020 and on the FOX network in September 2020.

Tyson’s latest books are Welcome to the Universe in 3D: A Visual Tour (coauthored with J. Richard Gott III, Michael Strauss, and Robert J. Vanderbei) and Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.

Tyson is the fifth head of the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship. He is also a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.

Neil deGrasse Tyson lives in New York City with his wife, a former IT project manager with Bloomberg Financial Markets.

Amit Barave is the VP Product, Webex Suite and Webex AI, supporting the Collaboration organization. In this role, Amit leads a talented team of Product Managers who help to release all the features and improvements that make Webex great. Amit has been with Cisco for over 20 years and is a Communications and Collaboration industry veteran. Prior to Webex, Amit was instrumental in launching industry-first products in Telepresence and IP-Radio communications space and scaling them to market leadership. He holds an MBA from Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. A prolific innovator, Amit also holds 13 US patents in the field of radio and video communications.

Kieran Higgins manages Digital Workplace Collaboration for Cisco. This includes Voice, Video, Meetings & Messaging, and Contact Center services globally. This also covers in-office technology and the platforms and services that deliver hybrid work for more than 140,000 employees and partners. Kieran is a 20-year Cisco veteran, delivering and managing IT client, network, and infrastructure services in APAC, Europe, and globally. Prior to this role, he held a variety of management, engineering and design roles in a variety of Fortune 500 companies in different geographies. Kieran holds a BSc and a research MSc in Applied Physics and has always been driven by the data and insights in working towards delivering business outcomes.

Zeus Kerravala is the founder and Principal Analyst with ZK Research. Zeus provides a mix of tactical advice to help his clients in the current business climate and long-term strategic advice. He provides research and advice to end user IT and network managers, vendors of IT hardware, software and services and the financial community looking to invest in the companies that he covers.

Zeus does research through a mix of end user and channel interviews, surveys of IT buyers, investor interviews as well as briefings from the IT vendor community. This gives him a 360 degree view of the technologies he covers from buyers of technology, investors, resellers and manufacturers.

Prior to ZK Research, Zeus spent 10 years as an analyst at Yankee Group. Before Yankee Group, he had a number of technical roles including a senior technical position at Greenwich Technology Partners (GTP). Prior to GTP, he had numerous internal IT positions including VP of IT and Deputy CIO of Ferris, Baker Watts and Senior Project Manager at Alex. Brown and Sons, Incorporated.

Zeus holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada.

As Vice President of Cisco Collaboration and Corporate Services, Ileana leads innovative hybrid work solutions, internal applications, and collaborative technologies across the retail and employee experiences. She is also responsible for overall portfolio management, talent and employee engagement, financials, and metrics. Ileana’s team plays a critical role in ensuring alignment, simplicity, and efficiency across the 9,000+ member IT organization. As a recognized expert across the Digital Workplace Experience, Ileana has held numerous Cisco leadership roles including Chief of Staff and Business Operations Lead for the Chief Digital Officer and Regional CIO for Latin America. Before joining Cisco, Ileana held leadership roles at TAOS and Stryker advising executive clients in the areas of supply chain, operations, traffic, and information technology. As a trained engineer, Ileana understands the value of service and mentorship in advancing women and Hispanic IT professionals and served on the board of Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC), is a member of Conexión (Cisco’s Latino Employee Resource Group), and Cisco Connected Women.

Jono Luk is Vice President of Product Management with Cisco Webex. This is Jono’s second tour of business with Webex! He currently runs several teams in the Webex business including: the Product Management (PM) group that delivers Webex’s Contact Center and Customer Engagement offerings, as well as the PM team focused on empowering customer administrators, Security & Compliance teams, and Cisco’s partners to deploy and manage Webex, and the PM team responsible for ensuring Webex’s solutions are available to customers across all countries/markets and government sectors. Prior to re-joining Cisco, he was VP of Product at Truveta - a Seattle healthcare technology startup seeking to Save Lives with Data. At Truveta, Jono’s team built the core product that enabled healthcare data to be brought together from many disparate healthcare systems and sources, then harmonized and anonymized for the purposes of advanced clinical research at a scale never seen before– all while protecting patient privacy. Throughout his career, Jono has held a variety of technology and business roles – from Microsoft where he helped start the Office 365, SharePoint Online and the Azure Active Directory businesses, to his previous roles with Cisco where he built teams to tackle a wide range of healthcare, collaboration and business development and strategy problems. Outside of work, Jono is on the executive board for Therapeutic Health Services, a Seattle-area non-profit that supports individuals and families manage mental health and substance abuse to help them lead healthy and productive lives in their communities. He is also on the Executive Council for iUrban Teen, a STEM+Arts education program that brings together underrepresented teens and young adults for career exploration and mentoring. Jono was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. He originally moved to Seattle for an internship with Microsoft in 2004 and has never left! Jono has always enjoyed the outdoors – spending time skiing in the winters and camping in the summer. His Netflix, Prime Video and Paramount+ subscriptions are well-exercised, but he can just as easily be found enjoying Seattle Opera or the Seattle Symphony.

Robin Gareiss is CEO and Principal Analyst at Metrigy, where she oversees research product development, conducts primary research, and advises leading enterprises, vendors, and carriers.

For 25+ years, Robin has advised hundreds of senior IT executives, ranging in size from Fortune 100 to Fortune 1000, developing technology strategies and analyzing how they can transform their businesses. She has developed industry-leading, interactive cost models for some of the world’s largest enterprises and vendors.

Robin leads Metrigy’s Digital Transformation and Digital Customer Experience research. She also is a widely recognized expert in the communications field, with specialty areas of contact center, AI-enabled customer engagement, customer success analytics, and UCC. She is a sought-after speaker at conferences and trade shows, presenting at events such as Enterprise Connect, ICMI, IDG’s FutureIT, Interop, Mobile Business Expo, and CeBit. She also writes a blog for No Jitter.

Additional entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding and overseeing marketing and business development for The OnBoard Group, a water-purification and general contracting business in Illinois. She also served as president and treasurer of Living Hope Lutheran Church, led youth mission trips, and ran successful fundraisers for children’s cancer research. She serves on the University of Illinois College of Media Advisory Council, as well.

Before starting Metrigy, Robin was President and Co-Founder of Nemertes Research. Prior to that, she shaped technology and business coverage as Senior News Editor of InformationWeek, a leading business-technology publication with 440,000 readers. She also served in a variety of capacities at Data Communications and CommunicationsWeek magazines, where she helped set strategic direction, oversaw reader surveys, and provided quantitative and statistical analysis. In addition to publishing hundreds of research reports, she has won several prestigious awards for her in-depth analyses of business-technology issues. Ms. Gareiss also taught ethics at the Poynter Institute for Advanced Media Studies. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsweek, and American Medical News.

She earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and lives in Illinois.

Jono Luk is Vice President of Product Management with Cisco Webex. This is Jono’s second tour of business with Webex! He currently runs several teams in the Webex business including: the Product Management (PM) group that delivers Webex’s Contact Center and Customer Engagement offerings, as well as the PM team focused on empowering customer administrators, Security & Compliance teams, and Cisco’s partners to deploy and manage Webex, and the PM team responsible for ensuring Webex’s solutions are available to customers across all countries/markets and government sectors. Prior to re-joining Cisco, he was VP of Product at Truveta - a Seattle healthcare technology startup seeking to Save Lives with Data. At Truveta, Jono’s team built the core product that enabled healthcare data to be brought together from many disparate healthcare systems and sources, then harmonized and anonymized for the purposes of advanced clinical research at a scale never seen before– all while protecting patient privacy. Throughout his career, Jono has held a variety of technology and business roles – from Microsoft where he helped start the Office 365, SharePoint Online and the Azure Active Directory businesses, to his previous roles with Cisco where he built teams to tackle a wide range of healthcare, collaboration and business development and strategy problems. Outside of work, Jono is on the executive board for Therapeutic Health Services, a Seattle-area non-profit that supports individuals and families manage mental health and substance abuse to help them lead healthy and productive lives in their communities. He is also on the Executive Council for iUrban Teen, a STEM+Arts education program that brings together underrepresented teens and young adults for career exploration and mentoring. Jono was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. He originally moved to Seattle for an internship with Microsoft in 2004 and has never left! Jono has always enjoyed the outdoors – spending time skiing in the winters and camping in the summer. His Netflix, Prime Video and Paramount+ subscriptions are well-exercised, but he can just as easily be found enjoying Seattle Opera or the Seattle Symphony.

I have been with Burrell Behavorial Health for 6 years now, in which I started at entry level Help Desk, and have worked my way up to I.T. leadership. I am very passionate about technology and love serving people so they can in turn serve our community. I love being in leadership, as I love leading and empowering people to achieve success at their highest potential.

Maribel is the founder of Lopez Research, a market research and strategy consulting firm.  Currently, her firm researches Artificial Intelligence, mobile, IoT, and enterprise digital transformation. Her clients range from start-ups to global firms, including 10 of the Fortune 30. 

Maribel is also the author of the John Wiley and Sons book "Right-time Experiences" a contributor to Forbes and host of the podcast Reimagine Hybrid Work. 

She's also the  founder of the Data For Betterment Foundation, a non-profit that helps individuals and businesses understand how to prepare for new roles as companies embrace the new future of work technologies. 

Prior to founding Lopez Research, Maribel gained her expertise by working at Motorola, International Data Corp., Shiva Corporation, and Forrester Research.

Jeetu Patel is Cisco’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration. He leverages a diverse set of capabilities to lead strategy and development for these businesses and owns P&L responsibility for this multibillion-dollar portfolio. He is helping to redefine Cisco's SaaS business and strategy to further accelerate the company's transformation and growth.

He has more than 20 years of senior leadership experience in enterprise software, building cloud-native applications while developing and delivering against long-term strategies. Prior to Cisco, he was the Chief Product Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Box, leading the company’s product strategy and vision for cloud content management in the enterprise.

I am an entrepreneurial, collaborative, and data-driven business manager. I love developing technology products, developing winning business strategies, finding win-win solutions, and executing plans with precision and teamwork. Currently, I manage business development for the Collaboration and Security CTO team at Cisco. Our team supports the Webex business, focusing upon horizon 3 innovations, those with time horizons 3-5 years in the future. Our team developed the first prototype of Webex Hologram. I helped draft the business plan and go-to-market strategy for the product and also organized the first round of early field trials with enterprise customers. Separate from Webex Hologram, I support the team by conducting market research, writing business cases, and facilitating ideation sessions to grow Cisco's business.

Agustin is the Product Manager for large room collaboration devices. Based in Norway he helps conciliate global market demands with product development through design thinking, customer experience and marketing. Prior to Cisco, Agustin established and managed a multidisciplinary R&D and Product Innovation Centre in Shanghai, where he focused on the project and product development management of cross functional teams. When he is not geeking with the engineering team or diving into customers insights, he loves to travel with his two daughters and tell them fantastic stories from around the world. He holds an MBA, a MSc in Product Development from Chalmers and an Engineering degree in Mechatronics from ITESM.

Travis Pouliot has greater than 21 years of experience with Cisco Collaboration and Contact Center solutions. Most of his career has been spent working with customers across segments such as financial services, media, and entertainment, as well as supporting service providers. In his current role as a Business Development Leader focusing on integrations and interoperability for Webex, he works closely with customers, sales representatives, and business units. His goal is to ensure organizations can extend the power of the Webex platform and its ability to integrate with enterprise applications such as Microsoft’s to benefit diverse users.

Travis has a passion for cross architecture solutions that enable today’s hybrid work needs and hosts many customers in Cisco’s new PENN1 office in New York City.

Mike leads a team that focuses on sales strategies and go-to-market motions for our $3B calling, meetings, and messaging portfolio. Mike and his team are continually focusing on the best ways for Cisco to compete and deliver customer solutions in the UCaaS marketplace. Mike has spent the last 30 years in the technology industry on both the vendor and customer sides of the business. His diverse background includes both leadership and direct roles in sales and engineering across both the manufacturer and channel partner communities. Mike also understands the customer side of the business well, having held many roles in IT and IT executive leadership. A Cisco veteran for most of the last 25 years, Mike has also held roles at other technology companies such as Palo Alto Networks, Extreme Networks, and ANM. Mike holds a BS from the State University of NY and an MBA from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Savita Kini is a global product, and business executive with a passion for bringing new technologies to market, driving transformational growth initiatives, and operational excellence in global cross-cultural teams. She leads product strategy for Speech and Video AI/ML features in Cisco Webex. Prior to this role, she was at BabbleLabs, a speech AI startup, acquired by Cisco in 2021. Starting as a young engineer, she successively held leadership roles in engineering, product strategy, marketing and sales operations, working globally in the US and Asia Pacific. Savita actively mentors startups in the US and in India, young women in tech and has been a speaker at Grace Hopper Women in Computing Conferences. Savita has an MBA from Cornell University, M.S in Computer Engineering from Texas A&M University, Texas, and B.E in Electrical Engineering from University of Mumbai.

Jim Lundy is the founder and CEO of Aragon Research. Jim also serves as the lead analyst for collaboration, content management, content analytics, digital workplace, learning and sales engagement. 

Jim has over 30 years of technology and management experience as a vendor, user, and analyst.  Jim spent 12 years at Gartner, where he formed and led the collaboration and social software research team and also served as lead analyst for enterprise content management (ECM) and corporate learning.  Jim has extensive experience in product strategy, development, and go-to-market plans. 

Prior to founding Aragon Research, Jim was the VP/general manager of the collaboration business unit at Saba Software.  Jim also spent 15 years at Xerox in a variety of software and hardware sales and marketing positions. Jim has a B.S. in finance from Penn State University.

Mike Grimaldi is Head of End-User Services at AXIS Capital, a specialist insurer and reinsurer. He currently leads the onsite end-user support team, the remote IT service desk and is responsible for the Webex experience at AXIS. Mike and his team are responsible for ensuring that AXIS has a first-class collaboration experience across all Webex products including messaging, meetings and webinars.

Niraj is the Head of Product Management for Webex platform that powers meetings, messaging, calling, contact center and devices. He and his team are focused on creating the most secure, private, and compliant collaboration solution. At Webex, Niraj envisioned and implemented the 360-degree approach to security resulting in a best of breed ranking from the National Security Agency. Niraj is accountable for “Local Webex Ladder of Excellence” strategy and Webex expansion into new markets using initiatives like FedRAMP, Department of Defense IL-5, data sovereignty and sovereign clouds.He has 20+ years of experience in enterprise software product management at leading technology companies, holds 7 patents.

Niraj holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Santa Clara University and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.

Snorre Kjesbu is Vice President and General Manager of Webex Devices at Cisco, leading a worldwide organization responsible for the collaboration devices business ranging from IP phones to immersive video systems. His passion for design with over 20 years of engineering experience are at the core of Snorre's belief in always providing authentic user experiences. Prior to his return to Cisco, Snorre was Executive VP of Design, Creation, and Fulfillment at BANG & OLUFSEN in Copenhagen. His résumé also includes SVP at Tandberg and being responsible for R&D on wireless communication at ABB. Snorre holds a Master of Science from the University of Bristol and has been a guest lecturer at the Stanford Network Research Center in Stanford University.

Julie Sildnes is the Product Manager Lead for the Audio and Camera intelligence group at Cisco devices. She has worked closely with AI innovations such as People focus and Frames, and is now working on powering Cinematic meeting experiences.

Roopam Jain is a senior analyst and VP of research at Frost & Sullivan's Connected Work practice. She has more than 20 years of market analysis and strategic consulting expertise on next-generation collaboration technologies with particular expertise in video and team collaboration tools. She has closely followed market trends and customer adoption of collaboration technologies and has a deep understanding of user behaviors and challenges surrounding hybrid work. Roopam holds an MBA in Marketing Management from Baruch College, City University of New York.

Sebastian Leuser is a Solution Architect with more than 15 years of experience in conferencing and unified communcations. In this role he is responsible for designing unified communications and conferencing solutions for multi-national enterprise customers. In his role Sebastian is deeply involved in the design, implementation, operations of large solutions and troubleshooting of complex issues.

Amey Parandekar leads Product Management for Webex Calling, an enterprise grade, globally available, and innovative calling and phone system. He is passionate about innovation and evolving the calling experience from hearing, to seeing, to doing—empowering people to have a richer calling experience with Webex and leveraging cloud capabilities for the new era of hybrid work. Amey brings more than 20 years of experience in areas such as product management, design, and cloud engineering in productivity software at Cisco, Microsoft Teams, Azure, and Skype. He has developed 20 patents over his career.

Amey has a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and a master's degree from North Carolina State University.

He lives in Seattle with his family and enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking in his free time.

Justin Jordan is a Senior Product Manager for Webex Calling with 25 years of experience in calling and collaboration technologies. Working for 12 years at Cisco in both technical sales and product roles, Justin loves bringing our customers simple solutions to complex problems. Justin attended the University of Hawaii and lives in the Hill Country of Texas with his wife, daughter, and two pugs.

Teney is a Product Marketing Manager in the Webex Calling team. He has over a decade of experience in the unified communications industry during the transition from on-premises to the cloud. Teney holds undergraduate and MBA degrees in Marketing from Santa Clara University. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Zack Taylor is Sr. Director of Strategic Communications for Cisco’s Contact Center Business Unit. In this role, he is responsible for the planning, development, and communication of the unit’s business-relevant solutions to key internal and external constituents. He is a published author on numerous Call Center technologies, and is a featured Cisco blogger (see all his posts here). Zack is a Satmetrix-certified Net Promoter® practitioner and a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP). A frequent speaker in the Call Center and Collaboration marketplace at industry and customer events, he has authored nine U.S. patents and four European patents on call center innovations.

Sheila McGee-Smith, the founder and principal analyst at McGee-Smith Analytics, is a leading communications industry analyst and strategic consultant with a proven track record in new product development, competitive assessment, market research, and sales strategies for communications solutions and services. Her insight helps enterprises and solution providers develop strategies to meet the escalating demands of today’s consumer and business customers.

With four decades of experience in the telecommunications industry, prior to founding McGee-Smith Analytics in 2000, Sheila held sales management, market research and product management positions at AT&T, Timeplex and Dun & Bradstreet. 

Ms. McGee-Smith earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Barnard College, Columbia University, with a major in psychology. She was awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with distinction, with majors in marketing and management information systems, from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Sheila is a frequent contributor to No Jitter.

Nick Fuchs is the Chief Technology Officer at Springfield Clinic, where he champions innovative technological and security solutions to revolutionize patient care and safeguard patient data. With over 15 years in the tech industry, Nick possesses a profound blend of leadership and technical prowess. Having navigated both startup environments and larger institutions, he excels in driving teams towards excellence. His diverse background and commitment to cybersecurity make him instrumental in ensuring that Springfield Clinic's technology and security strategies are robust, patient-centered, and poised for the future.

Dave Petricca is Sr. Manager within the Accenture CIO organization and leads the product strategy and architecture standards for Accenture's global Video & Collaboration environment. He has over 25 years in the industry across IP networks, cloud computing and video & collaboration products and architectures. Dave has enjoyed the rapid technology advancements in the video and collaboration space across a complex landscape. During his tenure, Accenture has grown over 30x to over 730,000 people adding massive scale to this landscape and the challenges of bringing the best of Cisco, Microsoft and other technologies together.

Prema runs the office of program management for Cisco Collaboration devices in Oslo, Norway. She got a bachelors in electrical engineering in 1997 and has been with Cisco since 2007. She stopped writing code when she started project managment and has managed the cloud teams working on Control Hub. She works closely with all roles in product lifecycle and program managed the Microsoft Teams Rooms certification program for Cisco Devices. You may know her from YouTube videos showcasing MTR on the Board Pro, or her part-time modelling gigs for Cisco devices product photos. She loves efficiency, clear communication and celebrating milestones. In her spare time she learns to dock a boat in the wind.

Senior Director of Product Management with 25 years experience in software, hardware, cloud and AI technologies. Currently leading the team responsible for Strategic Growth and Adoption of Collaboration Endpoints in Cisco’s Collaboration Technology Group. Joined Cisco in 2004 through the acquisition of Parc Technologies - a start-up co-founded with a research team from Imperial College, London. Parc Technologies was built on technology developed during the completion of his PhD at Imperial College in Artificial Intelligence.

‘Zero to One’ Product-led Growth Leader with over a decade of experience in building mobile & SaaS companies (Sequoia-backed, 2X successful exits). Director of Product Management, Cisco Spaces (launched through the acquisition of my startup July Systems). Cisco Spaces is a smart building cloud that digitizes real-world buildings, making them safe, smart, seamless, and sustainable. Market leader in the indoor location services (ILS) category, 3 times Gartner customer choice award winner (2020, 2021, 2022).

Chris Palermo is a global sales specialist within Cisco’s Worldwide Collaboration Sales organization where he helps drive the sales strategy and go-to-market for Hybrid Work. This role revolves around telling Cisco's hybrid work & team collaboration story, working closely with product development, product marketing, Cisco customers, and Cisco partners. An active social media evangelist in the enterprise collaboration space, Palermo was named one of the Top-50 Unified Comms Influencers by Mio in their 2019 list thanks to his active presence on social media, sharing thoughts and perspectives on unified communication, collaboration, remote work, artificial intelligence, workplace transformation, workforce experience. He was the #1 Social Media Amplifier at Cisco on the LinkedIn Elevate platform for social sharing and engagement at Cisco as well as a top contributor to UC Advocates. Palermo is a frequent presenter on all things collaboration - at both Cisco conferences (Cisco Live US, Cisco Live EMEA, IMPACT, Collaboration Summit) as well as industry conferences (InfoComm, UC Expo, Enterprise Connect, Work Awesome, CloudEXPO, Disrupt, ITEXPO, etc.). He is also an occasional blogger on both Cisco.com and Webex.com, sharing thoughts and perspectives on the collaboration space. Prior to joining Cisco, Palermo spent twelve years with global management consulting firm, Accenture, where he was an executive and one of the founding members of their Portals, Content, and Collaboration group. This deep expertise in the collaboration space continued at Cisco where Palermo continues to actively engage and interact with customers, helping them map out their collaboration journey.

Alex Pop brings a wealth of expertise in collaboration technologies to his role as Senior Vice President at M&T Bank, where he has been at the helm of an expansive international portfolio of collaboration offerings for the past 4 years. His robust background in Voice and Video Engineering, Voice Operations, Video Operations, Video on Demand, and Digital Signage showcases his versatile leadership in the tech space. One of Alex's most significant recent accomplishments is his instrumental role in enabling hybrid work at M&T Bank. Capitalizing on the power of video technology, he facilitated a seamless transition for the workforce, further cementing his reputation as a forward-thinking leader. His strategic initiatives include upscaling Webex Events for up to 25,000 participants, modernizing the conference room space with Cisco hardware, Webex Calling, digital signage growth with AppSpace and Cisco Spaces have driven the bank's digital transformation. Alex's leadership empowers M&T Bank to stay at the forefront of emerging trends in collaboration technology, identify and implement innovative tools, platforms, and practices to optimize teamwork and productivity throughout the enterprise. These innovations will generate a lasting impact in the bank’s global footprint and operational resilience.

Sudarshan Dharmapuri is VP Product Management for Webex CPaaS Solutions, previously imimobile. Sudarshan has a proven track record of conceptualizing, defining, building, and launching successful new enterprise software products in both emerging and established market categories. Prior to Cisco and imimobile, Sudarshan worked in engineering and product management roles at Oracle and Siebel Systems in the Silicon Valley. Sudarshan holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in computer science.

Courtney Munroe is responsible for supporting IDC’s continuous research on global Telecommunications, Cloud Communications and Data Center Services trends. His core research includes the implementation of Digital Infrastructure by Networking and Colocation providers and analysis of API-based customer engagement solutions by Cloud Communications platform providers. His research focus also includes consumer and Enterprise networking requirements and demand models, and analysis the Communications Service Provider strategies as they transform to implement new business models.

With over 20 years of experience, Shival Seth is an innovative and accomplished technology management professional with extensive knowledge in managing, defining, deploying and engineering leading technology solutions. He holds a Masters in Computer Administration and CCIE. Shival has worked as a technology leader at multiple organizations across industries like retail, manufacturing and healthcare. Throughout his career, Shival aims at providing high quality healthcare through technology enhancements at hospitals. He supports patient care frameworks by incorporating digital health, population health, and accountable care using automation, business transformation and artificial intelligence. Shival is proficient at implementing and leading large healthcare Hospital Information Systems such as Epic, Cerner, Meditech, Allscripts and McKesson.

Dan Mathews is a Senior Architect and Strategist for Cisco’s Global Collaboration Systems Engineering organization, with 26 years of experience working with emerging technologies relating to Customer Engagement. Since joining Cisco in 2009, he has been responsible for aligning Cisco’s Collaboration portfolio with disruptive industry trends and customer-specific business drivers. In addition, Dan is frequently sought out by Cisco clients to provide guidance around the development of their collaboration strategies and roadmaps. Dan holds significant expertise in the design and deployment of Collaboration-focused data solutions, Artificial Intelligence, and Predictive Analytics. Prior accountabilities include 10 years with Avaya’s Global Strategic Solutions group, where he was a domain expert in the design and deployment of IP contact centers and the suite of software solutions that supported the adoption of the Flatten, Consolidate, and Extend (FCE) contact center model. Dan also was a principal at Denver-based Centerpoint Solutions, which delivered visualization and analytics solutions for managing customer journeys in the contact center. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Loyola University and advanced Microsoft, Java, Cisco, and Avaya certifications. Beyond collaboration technologies, Dan’s other interests include the preservation and restoration of coral reef environments throughout the world. As a member of the John G. Shedd Aquarium Council, SECORE, and Coral Restoration Foundation, Dan specializes in aquaculture techniques for captive breeding of Acropora coral. Through his work, Dan has shown how connected devices and the cloud can help to track and protect the spawning events of endangered coral colonies. Dan is also an avid beekeeper and maintains an apiary to provide his local community with honey.

Jon Arnold is Principal of J Arnold & Associates, an independent analyst practice providing thought leadership and go-to-market counsel, with a focus on the business-level impact of digital transformation on the future of work. Core areas of expertise include unified communications, collaboration, cloud platforms (UCaaS, CCaaS and CPaaS) Artificial Intelligence, speech technologies, 5G, Internet of Things, contact centers and customer experience.

Justin Priebe is one of the visionary forces behind M&T's collaboration ecosystem. There, he meticulously crafts product strategy and sets architectural standards. He is an engineer and a hands-on innovator, deeply immersed in the intricate process of solution design, implementation, and operation. Justin is also the troubleshooter-in-chief, tackling complex issues with finesse and ensuring that the global collaboration environment thrives on innovation and efficiency under his strategic guidance. With over 20 years in the financial industry, he navigated the technological evolution in collaboration. He has been at the forefront, supporting M&T's growth from its humble beginnings to a global enterprise, ushering in an era of transformative connectivity worldwide. This expansion has posed monumental challenges while demanding the seamless integration of leading-edge technologies from industry giants like Microsoft, Cisco, and others. He has earned multiple Cisco certifications, culminating in the CCIE Collaboration Certification in 2019, which shows his dedication to staying at the forefront of the rapidly evolving world of collab.

Raj Kumar is a Director of Product Management with Webex. Raj and his product management team focus on Webex Security, Identity Management, Data Residency, and Sovereign SaaS solutions. Additionally, Raj is responsible for driving cross-architecture solutions by bringing best-of-breed Cisco security portfolios within Webex and driving integration with third parties for enterprise-grade security and compliance. Raj has 15+ years of enterprise product management experience at leading technology companies, including Microsoft, Amazon and Cisco. 

Raj holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Florida and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Janelle Allen is an engineering product manager delivering identity management solutions for the Webex Platform. She is passionate about the management and flow of the millions of digital identities within the Webex platform while maintaining the integrity and privacy of the human behind each identity. Janelle joined Webex in 2021 and has delivered group management in Control Hub, the group management API, and, most recently, delegated administration for locations in Control Hub. Janelle has over 20 years of experience in the digital identity industry and has developed, consulted and delivered various identity management solutions and products. She speaks at industry conferences and has spoken at the RSA Conference and Identiverse and contributes to the Internet Engineering Task Force standards for digital identity provisioning and identity management. She is a founding member and an executive board member at IDPro, the Industry Association of Identity Professionals.

Ken Snyder is a veteran of the Unified Communications & Collaboration, Video, and Contact Center industry. Currently, Ken leads sales strategies and go-to-market initiatives for Cisco's Global Collaboration calling, meetings, and messaging portfolio. He is at the forefront of enhancing SaaS growth and expanding multi-cloud solution integrations with the Cisco Webex Platform. Ken's pivotal leadership contributed to the swift adoption of Webex Edge, amassing over 1,000 global customers in its initial phases. Prior to Cisco, as the Strategy & Innovation Manager at CDW, Ken devised innovative UC & Collaboration methodologies, positioning CDW's sales and engineering teams to synchronize their go-to-market strategies with solution partners. His expertise is underpinned by over 100 certifications from industry leaders, including Cisco (CCIE) and Microsoft (MCSE). Furthermore, he has been instrumental in deploying some of the most extensive global implementations in the Collaboration industry. Beyond IT, Ken's talents extend to travel photography. In 2012, he won First Prize in the prestigious Ansel Adams Gallery’s Photography Contest, titled "California’s Natural Wonder." His passion for photography invigorates his exploration of the nexus between art and technology. Notably, his photographic works have found commercial acclaim with entities like the US National Park Service, Google, Apple, and the Bill Gates Foundation.

Experienced global IT programs and projects leader with a demonstrated history of working in the technology industry. Skilled in Program and Project Management, Talent Development, Enterprise Software, Agile Methodologies, Change Management, Business Analysis and Project Management Office (PMO).

Mike Grimaldi is Head of End-User Services at AXIS Capital, a specialist insurer and reinsurer. He currently leads the onsite end-user support team, the remote IT service desk and is responsible for the Webex experience at AXIS. Mike and his team are responsible for ensuring that AXIS has a first-class collaboration experience across all Webex products including messaging, meetings and webinars.

Will works as an analyst on Forrester’s technology architecture and delivery (TAD) team, focusing on modern service delivery. His research helps enterprises understand and capitalize on advancements in processes and technologies, including unified communications as a service (UCaaS), the proactive help desk, chatbots for employee support, enterprise service management (ESM), virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and more.

Previous Work Experience 

Prior to becoming an analyst, Will was a researcher on Forrester’s infrastructure and operations (I&O) team, covering various technology topics including ESM, automation, chatbots for IT services, and more.

Gyorgy Gyarmati is an experienced product marketer at Cisco based in Oslo, Norway where his main remit consists of room video conferencing systems, board devices, and room peripherals. Previously, he worked at major brands like IBM and Verint Systems as well as fast-growing startups like Verba Technologies as a B2B marketer and content strategist. At Cisco, he has been behind the launch of flagship collaboration device solutions, like the Cisco Board Pro, Room Bar, Room Bar Pro, Table Microphone Pro, and the Room Kit EQ. As a product and content marketing professional, Gyorgy is most passionate about communicating and showcasing how technology innovations can solve real-world problems to drive awareness, engagement, and adoption.

Anna is a Product Manager in the Camera and Audio Intelligence Devices Team. Coming from an international background, she is passionate about working on products that connect people across the world.

Josh Baever is an accomplished AV Solution Designer. He loves sharing stories, talking through the struggles and successes and using that collaboration with peers to solve issues. His strongest core belief in tech is that we can only improve if we share our successes and failures, working together non-competitively, to transform tomorrow.

Head of Enterprise End-user Services and Experience at Broadcom's Global Technology Organization, with an extensive experience leading diverse global teams. Almost three decades of experience in successfully executed M&A integrations, improved IT operations efficiency, implemented digital transformation programs, and utilized cutting-edge Cloud First technologies to drive innovation and enhance the end-user experience through AI, ML, and automated workflows. Skilled in managing IT outsourcing partners while delivering exceptional end-user services and optimizing business processes. By embracing forefront technologies both internally within the organization and externally with outsource partners through effective matrix management practices, to stay ahead with innovation while consistently achieving outstanding results for stakeholders. With a proven ability to assess organizational requirements, identify areas for improvement, and present opportunities to streamline operations and elevate customer experience; I am dedicated to driving continuous improvement through leading edge innovations and technologies.

Bryan Osoro is a Vice President of Sales at EOS, supporting some of our largest, most complex global customers. With a background in engineering, he has an eye for simplification to ensure the the most pragmatic approach to enhance the lives of both end-users and administrators alike.

G. Allen Daily is a Senior Collaboration Technical Architect with 17 years of implementation and management experience with collaboration technologies. He is responsible for research and development of consulting services for new and emerging Cisco Collaboration technologies at CDW. Allen serves as a technical training expert and presents best practices to solution architects and consulting engineers. He is responsible for ongoing maintenance and retirement of practice methodologies and deliverables throughout Cisco Collaboration product lifecycles. Allen maintains an active leadership role in developing the Cisco Collaboration practice within CDW. He also leads the partner technical relationship with Cisco Collaboration business units by participating in the Cisco Beta program and funneling product feedback from across the CDW organization to Cisco product teams worldwide.

Marisa Rutti is a Product Marketing Manager at Cisco. With a passion for new technology, she enjoys discussing the value of collaboration devices and how they can create a better experience within the workplace. Over the last 7 years at Cisco, Marisa has also worked on global strategic partnerships, industry and IoT solutions. Prior to Cisco, she has held roles within the high-tech partner community and start-ups where she has built a background in storytelling, product, and digital marketing.

Ashley Prettyman is a Product Manager Lead in the Collaboration Technology Group working on next generation devices and wearables. She is passionate about the end-to-end lifecycle of taking innovative products from ideation to prototype to market launch. Over the last 4 years, she has held various roles within the collaboration team focusing on new product development, product launch, product marketing and customer engagements. Prior to Cisco, Ashley worked in portfolio management, new product introduction, and supply chain operations at a multinational oil and gas company. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places, cultures, and cuisines along with playing America’s fastest growing sport, pickleball.

Sonu Arora is currently a Director of Product Management for Webex Calling with over 15 years of progressive experience in executing key technology strategies. She is passionate about delivering world-class collaboration solutions to organizations around the world. She is a proven leader in technology, with engineering experience in unified communication. Prior to Cisco, Sonu led product and program management at Microsoft delivering solutions in Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Azure Infrastructure. Sonu graduated from York University and resides in the Seattle area with her family.

Mithun Baphana is the lead product manager for Webex Mobile, Cars & Mobile Integrations. He is focused on the mobile-first meetings experiences on Apple iOS and Android mobile devices. Mithun is also responsible for strategy and product experiences for Webex for Cars.

Prior to ThousandEyes, Mohit received his PhD in Computer Science at UCLA where his research led to a better understanding of internet routing and networking protocols through modeling and creative visualizations, resulting in publication in top conferences and journals.Mithun brings 12+ years of industry experience in building mobile product experiences and strategies. Before joining Cisco in 2021, Mithun led his startup from the idea stage to launch and beyond.

Mithun holds a Master of Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) and a Bachelor of Engineering – Electronics & Telecommunications from the University of Pune, India. Outside of work, Mithun is passionate about historical memorabilia and macroeconomics. He lives in San Jose with his wife and two daughters.

Dave Michels, a self proclaimed communications protagonist, is the founder of TalkingPointz which offers commentary and research including a well known monthly Insider’s Report. Dave’s unique perspective on enterprise communications and collaboration comes from a career involving communications and IT leadership positions. A published author, Dave posts opinions and research at TalkingPointz.com, co-hosts the TalkingHeadz podcast, co-hosts Real-Time, Recorded video, and contributes regularly to multiple news and analysis sites including No Jitter. 

Doug has worked in the communications industry since beginning his career with AT&T in 1986 as a hardware developer in AT&T Labs. He has held numerous positions in product management, product marketing, business development and technology development. Some of his highlights include: - Contributed to AT&T’s first web collaboration services - Forged significant strategic partnerships and alliances with Forbes 500 companies - Holds two telecom-related US patents - Shares his experience with the telecom community through regular keynote speaking His current role of AVP Product Management where he leads the voice and collaboration portfolio within AT&T.

Arvi is the the Director, Product Management for Cisco’s Contact Center & Customer Experience product portfolio. We are transforming how frontline employees intelligently offer a personalized experience for consumers who connect with their business. Arvi is a seasoned innovator, tech executive, author and patent holder. Prior to this role, he was Vice President of Products at CloudCherry, until the acquisition by Cisco in October 2019. Previously, he ran the innovation team at Intuit, the maker of Turbotax & Mint. He also played various roles with SupportSoft leading to global expansion, NASDAQ IPO and acquisition. Outside of work, Arvi enjoys playing tennis, spending time with family and pets, and travel.

Padmini Krishnan is a Product Manager for Webex Contact Center. She was previously a Product Manager in the Webex devices group, building next generation collaboration devices and creating deeper integrations with the Webex platform. Prior to that, she spent seven years in software engineering. She holds a Master's degree in Computer Networks from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business.

Jason O'Dell currently serves as VP, Voice Services for First Horizon Corporation. Under his leadership, the Voice Services Team supports the company's telecommunications network across an expansive 12-state footprint. Jason is driven to discover innovative, cost-effective, and risk-compliant solutions that improve the company's ability to serve clients and communities.

Jason turned his love for computers into a career, beginning as a Support Specialist with MEDex Regional Laboratories. He has more than 20 years' experience in the IT industry, including 17 years in the banking industry. He joined First Horizon in 2017 from Capital Bank, where he served as IT manager for six years. Prior to Capital Bank, he worked with GreenBank for eight years, building and leading their IT team.

A native of Illinois, Jason earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology degree from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He and his wife currently reside in Knoxville, Tennessee, with their three children. O'Dell is an Eagle Scout with more than 20 years in scouting and led one of the largest Cub Scout packs for the Sequoyah Council, BSA, prior to moving to Knoxville. A college athlete in football, track, and cheerleading, he currently enjoys being a soccer referee and assignor.

Aruna Ravichandran is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing & Customer Officer at Webex by Cisco, with 20+ years of experience leading global teams through workforce and technology transformations. With a passion for innovation, Aruna thrives in an ever-changing technology landscape. Her expertise in SaaS marketing, a visionary perspective of branding, and exceptional skill in data storytelling set her apart as a change agent in the industry, driving brand awareness and revenue growth. She also fiercely advocates for empowering women to embrace and pursue STEM careers.

Through her work at Webex and on various boards and committees, she actively seeks to make the field more accessible and enticing to women everywhere. Aruna holds an MBA and an MS in Computer Engineering from Santa Clara University, a BS in Computer Science from Bangalore Institute of Technology (BIT), and graduated from the esteemed CMO Leadership program at Kellogg Business School in 2019. Aruna also serves on the board at Cal Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, Fast Company, Forbes Technology Council, and Vox Media.

Sheila McGee-Smith, the founder and principal analyst at McGee-Smith Analytics, is a leading communications industry analyst and strategic consultant with a proven track record in new product development, competitive assessment, market research, and sales strategies for communications solutions and services. Her insight helps enterprises and solution providers develop strategies to meet the escalating demands of today’s consumer and business customers.

With four decades of experience in the telecommunications industry, prior to founding McGee-Smith Analytics in 2000, Sheila held sales management, market research and product management positions at AT&T, Timeplex and Dun & Bradstreet. 

Ms. McGee-Smith earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Barnard College, Columbia University, with a major in psychology. She was awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with distinction, with majors in marketing and management information systems, from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Sheila is a frequent contributor to No Jitter.

Saleema Syed is the Chief Operations Officer and Global Head of Field Marketing for Webex Marketing for Webex by Cisco. She is an accomplished leader with extensive experience in the technology industry, having worked for over 25 years in various operational roles. She has a proven track record of driving successful operational strategies and execution across sales, channels, and product management. Her experience ranges from scaling startups through innovation to large enterprise growth using digital transformation. Saleema holds an Executive MBA from Southern Methodist University- Cox School of Business and a Bachelor of Engineering in Instrumentation and Control from the University of Madras. She also has a Certification in Leadership Strategy and Change Management from the Cox School of Business.

Kristen Boydston is a technology director with over 15 years of experience in project management and enterprise applications. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Management Information Systems and currently serves as the IT Director of Service Management & Strategy for the Dallas Cowboys. Kristen is a certified PMP, actively building the enterprise PMO. She is also a steering committee member of the Dallas Cowboys women’s resource group, Women’s Impact Now. In 2019, Kristen and fellow colleague, Ben Barnes III, co-chaired the inaugural TechCon event for the Dallas Cowboys organization. This was a day dedicated to professional development and technology empowerment for hundreds of employees. Due to the remote work years following, they were forced to take a brief hiatus. However, they enjoyed hosting their second TechCon event in 2023 and look forward to organizing annual events from this point forward. Kristen is passionate about business relationship management and collaboration. She loves that her position enables her to dive headfirst into both of these areas. When she is not busy at work, she enjoys spending time at home with her husband and three children, cheering them on at sporting events, playing mahjong with friends, and sitting by the fire on a nice patio evening.

Experienced global IT programs and projects leader with a demonstrated history of working in the technology industry. Skilled in Program and Project Management, Talent Development, Enterprise Software, Agile Methodologies, Change Management, Business Analysis and Project Management Office (PMO).

Karen is Under Armour’s Senior Director of Digital Teammate Experience. Her Team is the ‘front door’ to UA’s Global Technology Organization, and delivers all the technologies, applications and operational services used by thousands of UA Teammates every day – from wherever they work. From Collaboration technologies, to client devices, to global service delivery and management, Karen’s team continually drives the digital engagement and productivity of UA’s teammates forward toward new and exciting frontiers – including the grand opening of UA's new global headquarters in Fall, 2024. Before joining Under Armour in 2018, Karen led Infrastructure Technology teams at Stanley Black & Decker and Allegis Group. Karen is a Maryland native and earned a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature from Towson University and did her Journalism graduate work at the University of Missouri; she also has an MBA in Finance from Loyola University in Maryland. As circumstance would have it, her first ‘real job’ as a Technical Writer of Network Operations procedures provided the segue to IT. Karen co-leads Under Armour’s ‘Women In Digital’ Employee Resource Group and is passionate about opening doors to Technology opportunities for women by fostering mentorship in the workplace and creating experiential opportunities for young girls to realize the breadth of Tech careers available to them. Out of the office Karen enjoys adventures with family and friends, photography, and traveling as far as her passport will take her.

Dave Michels, a self proclaimed communications protagonist, is the founder of TalkingPointz which offers commentary and research including a well known monthly Insider’s Report. Dave’s unique perspective on enterprise communications and collaboration comes from a career involving communications and IT leadership positions. A published author, Dave posts opinions and research at TalkingPointz.com, co-hosts the TalkingHeadz podcast, co-hosts Real-Time, Recorded video, and contributes regularly to multiple news and analysis sites including No Jitter. 

As the Vice President of Product Management, Robert manages a multi-billion-dollar portfolio focused on delivering premium connectivity solutions to businesses of all sizes.  Robert is responsible for the long-term strategy, vision, roadmap, and P&L for the AT&T Business Wireline, Edge, Cloud and Voice products.

Previously, Robert was the Vice President of the Next-Generation Networking Solution Delivery, where he was responsible for leading a global team focused on engineering and delivering Wireline and Wireless products and solutions.  With over 20 years in the industry, Robert has led teams in Field Operations, Dispatch, 9-1-1, Transport and Managed Delivery and Assurance, Wi-Fi, and Business Intelligence. 

Robert has an MBA in Operations Management from University of Texas at Arlington, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University. Robert is passionate about helping people grow both personally and professional and has been a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Robert also frequently donates time through various activities such as food drives, youth coaching, or other community activities.  

Robert lives in Richardson, TX with his wife and three children.

DP is VP of Growth Strategy for Cisco's multi-billion dollar Collaboration business. He is responsible for driving partner transformation and growth initiatives and works closely with partners to enable their strategic objectives. The Webex platform serves as the foundation for Cisco's market-leading position across Calling, Meetings, Messaging, Contact Center, and Devices.

Courtenay Godshall leads product marketing for the Webex customer experience portfolio at Cisco. In this role, she drives strategy and execution of initiatives to educate customer-driven enterprises about the powerful capabilities of innovative Webex solutions that empower them to create lasting, memorable relationships with their customers.

Prior to joining Cisco, Courtenay held marketing leadership roles at cloud software (SaaS) category leaders who leverage AI/ML and big data analytics to provide unique value to Fortune 500 customers in the biotechnology, renewable energy, oil and gas, finance, retail, and consumer goods industries.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Head of Enterprise End-user Services and Experience at Broadcom's Global Technology Organization, with an extensive experience leading diverse global teams. Almost three decades of experience in successfully executed M&A integrations, improved IT operations efficiency, implemented digital transformation programs, and utilized cutting-edge Cloud First technologies to drive innovation and enhance the end-user experience through AI, ML, and automated workflows. Skilled in managing IT outsourcing partners while delivering exceptional end-user services and optimizing business processes. By embracing forefront technologies both internally within the organization and externally with outsource partners through effective matrix management practices, to stay ahead with innovation while consistently achieving outstanding results for stakeholders. With a proven ability to assess organizational requirements, identify areas for improvement, and present opportunities to streamline operations and elevate customer experience; I am dedicated to driving continuous improvement through leading edge innovations and technologies.

I'm Cameron Mitchell, and I'm the Telephony Services Manager at Umpqua Bank. I've been in my role for a few years ago after spending most of my career as an engineer. Insightful, results-driven IT professional with notable success directing a broad range of initiatives while participating in planning, analyzing and implementing solutions in support of business objectives. Leader who can build, lead, and motivate high-performing, cross-functional teams.

Matthew Potter is a Senior Systems Engineer and a Team Leader for A2B Australia Limited. He specializes in Contact Center Solutions, Network Engineering and Storage Engineering. I am passionate about providing technologies that allow our business to excel in the essential services and transportation industry.