Agenda
The WebexOne agenda is packed with expert insights, real-world stories, and learning opportunities to help prepare you for what's next with AI.
*The Technical Training Agenda Builder is now live, exclusively for technical training classes and labs. Starting September 22, the mobile app will let you build your agenda for all other sessions. We’ll be adding more sessions, times, and speakers soon. Agenda is subject to change.
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TRACKS
- Breakout
- Keynote
- Quick Takes
- Roundtable
- Technical Training Class
- Technical Training Lab
TOPICS
- AI
- CPaaS
- Calling
- Contact Center
- Control Hub
- Customer Experience
- Devices
- Employee Experience
- Integrations
- Platform Architecture
- Suite
- Troubleshooting
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Level Up Your Customer Service: Webex Calling Customer Assist
Technical Training Class: Foundation
This session empowers attendees to understand and implement a basic voice-only contact center using Webex Calling Customer Assist. We'll explore the advantages over standard voice queues, demonstrating how it enhances the caller experience, agent efficiency, and overall operational effectiveness. Through core concepts, a practical walkthrough, benefit analysis, and diverse use cases, participants will learn to build and leverage a simple voice hub for improved customer service and professionalism. The session concludes with a recap and actionable next steps for exploring Webex Calling Customer Assist.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Susan Parrish
Webex Enablement Specialist, Cisco
Susan Parrish is a Technical Enablement Specialist at Cisco with over 20 years of experience in technology and customer-facing roles. Specializing in Webex solutions, she bridges the gap between complex software and practical application through effective adult education strategies. A 5-star instructor at WebexOne since its inception in 2022 and a 2025 Visionary Award nominee, Susan is also an active member of Women of Cisco and Women in Collaboration. She holds a Master’s in Adult Education from East Carolina University and a BS in Management of Information Systems from Mount Olive University. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys tailgating at ECU football games, traveling, and spending time at the beach.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Making Zero Downtime a Reality with Webex Calling
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Unlock enterprise-grade reliability in Webex Calling with Local and Survivability Gateways. The Local Gateway provides flexible, registration-based cloud-to-premises connectivity, while the Survivability Gateway acts as a critical failover mechanism during outages. By leveraging their co-residency, organizations can build resilient voice environments that maintain continuous service. This session examines the architecture, integration, and proactive management of these features, providing the technical foundation for high-availability hybrid voice deployments.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Bryan Waldmann
Manager, Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Bryan Waldmann is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer / SE Leader on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP). In this role, Bryan guides the Collaboration Pre-Sales trial team, working closely with customers across a range of industries. He brings deep expertise in Webex Calling, UCM/DI, US FedRAMP, and Webex Devices. Bryan has presented/spoken at multiple WebexOne and Cisco Live sessions in the past. Prior to joining CCEP, Bryan worked in the Partner space, deploying CUCM and video solutions nationwide, with a particular focus on healthcare. He successfully led conversions of hundreds of hospitals and physician sites to CUCM. Bryan lives in the Cincinnati Metro area with his wife and five children.
Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer/TSA on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) team. Specializing in Webex Calling, Dedicated Instance, Contact Center, and Devices, he leverages over a decade of experience in Cisco Unified Communications to help customers succeed. Formerly a Technical Consulting Engineer in CX, Rajamani is a frequent speaker at Cisco Live and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Anna University.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Deep-Dive into Cisco RoomOS xAPIs (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
This hands-on lab focuses on teaching different integration points—SSH, HTTP, WebSockets, Cloud xAPI, Macros—for RoomOS endpoint customization and automation. You’ll learn xAPI fundamentals, UI extensions, and web content. Plus, you’ll build your own customization using Macros and begin your deployment journey, introducing Control Hub's ability to deploy customizations and using third-party tooling that leverages the same xAPI to deploy at scale.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Tim Kratzke
Technical Leader, Cisco
Tim Kratzke has been working on Cisco Telepresence products for over 14 years, ranging from Immersive video systems, video infrastructure such as Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) and Expressway, and for the past 8 years specializing in video endpoints. After working as a Telepresence TAC engineer, Tim now works with global CX teams training new engineers, building tools and automation to aid in the troubleshooting process, and working with engineering to improve the serviceability of collaboration video endpoints. In his spare time Tim is an avid hockey fan and enjoys traveling and exploring new destinations.
Cisco
Bobby McGonigle Jr
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
I’m a Technical Marketing Engineer in Cisco’s Devices Business Unit, focusing on RoomOS products designed for integrators, including the Codec Pro G2 and Codec EQ. My interest in collaboration technology began during a university internship, where my first exposure to professional audiovisual systems centered on Cisco. I was hooked.
I’m now in my fifth year at Cisco, where I specialize in RoomOS xAPIs, macros, and room design. Before joining Cisco, I spent four years supporting RoomOS devices in education, an environment where complex technology needs to feel simple and natural for teachers. That experience still shapes my work today. I like to think of myself as a Cisco customer with a little extra access, helping make a product I already love even better.
One project I’m especially proud of is the Join Zoom macro. I originally created it at the university to make joining Zoom SIP meetings easier for my users, then shared it with the wider Cisco community. After joining Cisco, I had the opportunity to watch that idea evolve into an official product capability. The final implementation was not my code, but it solved the same problem and reflected the user experience I had set out to create. The macro has since been retired in favor of the current Join Zoom solution, but I’m proud that something I built for my users served the wider community and lived a full life.
That journey captures what I enjoy most about RoomOS. I want to help people discover what they can create with it. My goal as a speaker is to take people with little or no coding or xAPI experience and give them the confidence to interact with RoomOS devices like professionals.
I’m now in my fifth year at Cisco, where I specialize in RoomOS xAPIs, macros, and room design. Before joining Cisco, I spent four years supporting RoomOS devices in education, an environment where complex technology needs to feel simple and natural for teachers. That experience still shapes my work today. I like to think of myself as a Cisco customer with a little extra access, helping make a product I already love even better.
One project I’m especially proud of is the Join Zoom macro. I originally created it at the university to make joining Zoom SIP meetings easier for my users, then shared it with the wider Cisco community. After joining Cisco, I had the opportunity to watch that idea evolve into an official product capability. The final implementation was not my code, but it solved the same problem and reflected the user experience I had set out to create. The macro has since been retired in favor of the current Join Zoom solution, but I’m proud that something I built for my users served the wider community and lived a full life.
That journey captures what I enjoy most about RoomOS. I want to help people discover what they can create with it. My goal as a speaker is to take people with little or no coding or xAPI experience and give them the confidence to interact with RoomOS devices like professionals.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Contact Center Enterprise (CCE) Observability with Splunk and ThousandEyes: From Business KPIs to Incident Triage
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
This hands-on session explores how Splunk can serve as a single observability destination for on-premises Contact Center Enterprise (CCE), consolidating operational reporting data, application logs, and network telemetry into one platform. Attendees will learn how to create business-level KPIs using CCE real-time and historical data, and then correlate these metrics with application and infrastructure signals. This approach enables the development of dashboards for executive reporting and engineering troubleshooting, helping to accelerate incident triage with a unified evidence base.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Gururaj B T
Technical Leader, Cisco
Gururaj B T is a Technical Leader in Cisco's Contact Center Business Unit, with over 17 years of experience in architecting and delivering enterprise contact center solutions. He specializes in Cisco Unified Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE), Packaged Contact Center Enterprise (PCCE), and Webex Contact Center (WxCCE), with a strong focus on solution architecture, automation, development, and quality engineering.
His expertise spans both on-premise and hybrid contact center environments, including the integration of AI-driven capabilities into enterprise solutions. Over the years, he has played a key role in designing and engineering scalable, resilient, and innovative contact center architectures that address complex customer and business requirements.
His broad experience across product development, solution engineering, deployment, and technical enablement enables him to bridge the gap between technology and real-world customer needs. He is passionate about transforming complex contact center challenges into practical, scalable solutions that enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and business outcomes.
His expertise spans both on-premise and hybrid contact center environments, including the integration of AI-driven capabilities into enterprise solutions. Over the years, he has played a key role in designing and engineering scalable, resilient, and innovative contact center architectures that address complex customer and business requirements.
His broad experience across product development, solution engineering, deployment, and technical enablement enables him to bridge the gap between technology and real-world customer needs. He is passionate about transforming complex contact center challenges into practical, scalable solutions that enhance customer experience, operational efficiency, and business outcomes.
Cisco
Dhinakaran Arumugam
Cloud Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco
Dhina is a technical leader in the Cisco Contact Center Business Unit, specialising in the Cisco Finesse agent desktop and contact centre assurance. With over 10+ years experience in the field, he has delivered Finesse desktop, reverse-proxy and single-sign-on capabilities to enterprise contact centres globally. This broad experience enables him to engage with product deployment, development and education; ensuring customers get the best solution to meet their contact centre needs.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Transform Customer Engagement: Mastering Webex AI Receptionist with Customer Assist (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Modernize your customer experience by building a seamless, AI-driven communication flow. In this hands-on lab, you will deploy the Webex AI Receptionist to automate call routing and build intelligent knowledge bases, then integrate it with Webex Calling Customer Assist to empower your human agents. Gain practical experience configuring advanced workflows—including skill-based routing and Text-to-Speech—to deliver a sophisticated, high-touch support environment.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Eddy Chandra
Product Management Architect, Cisco
Eddy Chandra has over 20 years of experience with Cisco UC product/solutions. He is CCIE, Meraki and VMware certified professional. Currently in Cisco’s CX Collaboration Product Management role, he provides architectural guidance, best practices, and strategic recommendations to help customers maximize the value of Cisco’s Collaboration solutions. He focuses on Webex Calling migrations, working closely with BE product and engineering teams to streamline migration processes for enterprise customers and partners transitioning from on-premises to cloud-based solutions.
Cisco
Kal (Kalpesh) Patil
Principal Architect, Cisco
Kal (Kalpesh) Patil has over 20 years of experience with Cisco UC product/solutions. He is CCIE-Collaboration and AITECH certified professional. In his customer facing and consulting role he is involved in developing strategy, architecture, design and deployment of large-scale Unified Collaboration solutions for on-prem and cloud transitions. He has architected and deployed Cisco UC solution in large Retail, Healthcare and IT verticals.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Cisco Phone 9800 Series: Setup, Customize, and Manage
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Take the 9800 Phone Series for a test drive to try out the latest features. The lab focuses on phones deployed to Webex Calling.
Get hands-on experience starting with unboxing, customizing per user and company requirements, and troubleshooting issues. You'll also get a chance to explore monitoring and automation aspects.
Learn how an AI-powered toolbox can elevate your productivity.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Phil Bellanti
Senior Developer Evangelist, Cisco
Phil Bellanti is a Senior Developer Evangelist on the Cisco Webex team based in Orlando, Florida. A cloud API veteran since 2007, he joined Cisco in 2015 following its acquisition of Tropo, a real-time communications API provider. Today, Phil helps developers build with Webex by creating and delivering tech talks, workshops, webinars, and other live events. He also produces blogs, newsletters, documentation, and developer guides for both the Webex Suite and Webex Contact Center platforms.
Cisco
Maria Erickson
Collaboration Solutions Engineer - Global Enterpise Segment, Cisco
Maria Erickson is a pre-sales Solutions Engineer for Cisco Systems’ Collaboration organization. With over two decades of experience, Maria has been driving the evolution of workplace tech — from the pioneering days of unified communications to today's complex landscape of agentic AI. Based in the greater Washington, DC area, she lives where the countryside meets the data centers, surrounded by a lively crew of nieces and nephews.
Cisco
Nehal Mehta
Engineering Product Manager, Cisco
Nehal Mehta is an Engineering Product Manager at Cisco who believes the best solutions are born from curiosity and genuine collaboration. With nearly two decades of experience in enterprise collaboration space, he has spent his career helping organizations navigate the transition to cloud-managed ecosystems and more efficient, user-centered workflows.
While his work focuses on administrative solutions for desk phones, Nehal finds the most joy in the "how" and "why" of product development. A lifelong learner, he loves exploring new technology through hands-on experimentation and practical exercises. Whether he is diving into the latest AI advancements or untangling a complex technical challenge, Nehal thrives on brainstorming with others to find creative, practical solutions.
Nehal is always eager to connect with fellow builders and thinkers. If you are interested in discussing the future of collaboration technology or want to tackle a complex problem together over a whiteboard, he would love to chat.
While his work focuses on administrative solutions for desk phones, Nehal finds the most joy in the "how" and "why" of product development. A lifelong learner, he loves exploring new technology through hands-on experimentation and practical exercises. Whether he is diving into the latest AI advancements or untangling a complex technical challenge, Nehal thrives on brainstorming with others to find creative, practical solutions.
Nehal is always eager to connect with fellow builders and thinkers. If you are interested in discussing the future of collaboration technology or want to tackle a complex problem together over a whiteboard, he would love to chat.
Cisco
Luis Ramirez
CX TAC Technical Leader Webex Calling, Cisco
As the current Technical Leader for Cisco's TAC in Webex Calling Technology, Luis has been at the vanguard of enhancing global support capabilities and refining the Webex Calling experience for customers and engineers alike. With a career spanning over 16 years within Cisco TAC, Luis brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of Cisco Collaboration products to the forefront of technological innovation.
At the heart of Luis's work is a passion for mentorship. By dedicating a significant portion of time to guide and nurture the skills of TAC engineers, Luis ensures that the next generation of technical support is prepared to meet the complex demands of modern collaboration solutions. This commitment to excellence extends beyond team development, as Luis actively contributes to the improvement of product serviceability.
Renowned for expertise in complex hybrid Collaboration implementations, Luis plays a pivotal role in assisting customers as they transition to cloud-based solutions. This expertise is underpinned by a ten-year mastery of the CCIE Collaboration Certification #40952, a testament to Luis's dedication and skill in the field.
Driven by an unwavering commitment to instigate positive change, Luis is instrumental in elevating the Webex Calling Offer. Through a focus on customer support and service enhancement, Luis not only addresses current needs but also paves the way for a more innovative and reliable future in cloud collaboration. #Teacher #Pioneer
At the heart of Luis's work is a passion for mentorship. By dedicating a significant portion of time to guide and nurture the skills of TAC engineers, Luis ensures that the next generation of technical support is prepared to meet the complex demands of modern collaboration solutions. This commitment to excellence extends beyond team development, as Luis actively contributes to the improvement of product serviceability.
Renowned for expertise in complex hybrid Collaboration implementations, Luis plays a pivotal role in assisting customers as they transition to cloud-based solutions. This expertise is underpinned by a ten-year mastery of the CCIE Collaboration Certification #40952, a testament to Luis's dedication and skill in the field.
Driven by an unwavering commitment to instigate positive change, Luis is instrumental in elevating the Webex Calling Offer. Through a focus on customer support and service enhancement, Luis not only addresses current needs but also paves the way for a more innovative and reliable future in cloud collaboration. #Teacher #Pioneer
Cisco
David Scott
Engineering Product Manager, Cisco
Product Manager, Cisco. David has been with Cisco over 15 years and holds a CCIE. David is an Engineering Product Manager with a focus on Collaboration endpoints.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Deploy at Scale: Automating Secure Provisioning for Collaboration Endpoints
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Scaling cloud-registered collaboration endpoints requires balancing deployment speed with enterprise-grade security. In this class, you'll explore how automated certificate enrollment using Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) and Cisco ISE, combined with the Zero Touch Network Onboarding (ZTNO) app, creates an effortless, zero-touch onboarding experience for Cisco video devices. Learn how organizations can deploy devices at scale while enforcing enterprise security, identity, and trust through certificate-based 802.1X authentication.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Seble Mengesha
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Seble Mengesha is a Solution Engineer with over seven years of experience at Cisco, specializing in Collaboration technologies. Her recent work focuses on hybrid work strategies and transitioning public sector organizations from on-premises calling to the cloud. Before joining Cisco, Seble was with DC Government, where her focus was on advancing wireless technologies and smart city innovations. She is based in Rockville, Maryland.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Workspace Designer: Building Smarter Spaces and Custom Rooms (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Design smarter hybrid workspaces with the lead developers of two powerful free tools: Workspace Designer and Video Room Calculator. Build custom room designs, optimize camera and microphone placement for complex spaces, optimize Cinematic Meeting setups, and use AI image generation to transform your floor plans into polished, professional proposals. Ideal for those with a foundational understanding of video conferencing and room design.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Julie Sildnes
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Julie Sildnes is a Senior Product Manager working on Workplace Designer helping organizations plan, visualize, and optimize their real estate from early design through AI-driven workspace management. She has previous experience from Audio and Camera Intelligence on Collaboration devices, taking Cinematic Meetings to market.
Cisco
Alexander Andersen
Software Engineer, Cisco
Alexander Andersen is a Software Engineer at Cisco. During his tenure there, he has been writing code for Cisco Collaboration Devices, primarily focusing on customizations, before moving to his current role working on the Workspace Designer.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 8:15 AM – 10:15 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
The AI-Powered Contact Center: Orchestrating Agents, Assistants, and Quality Management
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This deep-dive session shows how to build a fully AI-augmented contact center using Webex. Through live technical demos, you'll learn to configure autonomous AI Agents for self-service, AI Assistant tools to support human agents, and AI-powered Quality Management to automate 100% of interaction review. Leave with a working blueprint for driving efficiency, reducing attrition, and ensuring consistent quality across voice and digital channels.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Padmini Krishnan
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Padmini Krishnan is Director of Product Management at Cisco, where she leads Experiences, Insights, Channels and AI for Webex Contact Center. Her work focuses on delivering intelligent solutions that enhance customer and employee experiences in the contact center.
Previously, Padmini held product leadership roles across Webex Contact Center, where she focused on AI, supervisor experiences, developer journeys, partner ecosystems, and CRM integrations. Earlier in her career, she was a Product Manager for Webex Devices, leading the product strategy for Cisco’s business headset portfolio.
Padmini began her career as a software engineer and brings more than 20 years of experience across technology, product management, and software engineering. She holds a master’s degree in Computer Networking from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Previously, Padmini held product leadership roles across Webex Contact Center, where she focused on AI, supervisor experiences, developer journeys, partner ecosystems, and CRM integrations. Earlier in her career, she was a Product Manager for Webex Devices, leading the product strategy for Cisco’s business headset portfolio.
Padmini began her career as a software engineer and brings more than 20 years of experience across technology, product management, and software engineering. She holds a master’s degree in Computer Networking from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Cisco
Luis Garcia
Technical Marketing Leader, Cisco
Luis Garcia Delgado is a Leader of Technical Marketing at Cisco, leading a team focused on the Webex Customer Experience (CX) portfolio and AI Agent solutions, with a proven background across Cisco TAC, Technical Marketing, and Customer Success. He has over a decade of experience bridging complex product engineering with real-world customer deployments—translating cutting-edge technical capabilities into scalable architectures and field enablement. He frequently delivers technical sessions and hands-on training on Contact Center AI technologies, multi-channel workflows, and modern contact center architectures.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 8:15 AM – 10:15 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Security and Data Compliance
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This session explores the full scope of Webex security, data control, and compliance — including built-in data retention, encryption and key management, communication and device control, and data loss prevention, eDiscovery, and archiving. Live demos with Cisco Secure Access and Webex Compliance Hub illustrate the key concepts throughout.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Matt Jordy
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Matt Jordy is a Principal Technical Marketing Engineer in the Collaboration Technology Group at Cisco. He provides collaboration solutions design and deployment guidance to the Cisco sales force and Cisco's customers and partners around the world. His primary technology focus is on-premises and cloud collaboration security.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 8:45 AM – 10:15 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Calling: Latest Features and Enhancements
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Webex Calling, the leading cloud calling solution, continuously gets updated and enhanced with new and improved features. In this session, we'll give an overview of all major enhancements from the last few months and discuss use cases for each. This session helps attendees stay current with the latest in Webex Calling and benefit from the new functionalities and options available.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Johannes Krohn
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Johannes Krohn joined Cisco System in Germany in 2000. In his over 30 years of experience in the networking and telecommunication industry he worked in several IT companies gaining knowledge in engineering, system design and technologies from ATM to multiprotocol networking. In the last 20+ years he mainly focussed on IP telephony, Unified Collaboration and on-premise and cloud based collaboration solutions. As Technical Marketing Engineer working on Collaboration System Architectures he provides design guidance in key projects and is responsible to transferring new product information of Cisco Collaboration Solutions to audiences internally and externally. Technology focus areas include call routing architectures, collaboration architecture simplification and cloud collaboration. As part of the continuous development cycle he is providing input to the system level planing of future solutions. He holds a CCIE Voice.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Designing the Future Admin Experience: Control Hub for Calling and Contact Center (Option 1)
Technical Training Class: Foundation
The future of manageability isn't more pages and features—it's a cohesive platform with clearer workflows, actionable surfaces, and AI that helps admins move faster without losing control.
In this interactive Control Hub session, admins will work with UX leaders to identify friction points, define what makes admin experiences more actionable, and explore the trust, transparency, and control needed for AI to add real value.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Janet Cheng
Product Designer, Cisco
Janet Cheng is a Senior Product Designer who has been untangling the complex world of admin experiences since joining Cisco in 2018. Her work has spanned Calling, core Control Hub experiences, and now CX, where she leads the admin experience. She's excited to explore what's next with admins, imagining and shaping the future of the admin experience.
Cisco
Kristin Harvey
Product Design Director, Cisco
Kristin Harvey is Director of Product Design at Cisco, where she leads the team shaping Collaboration Control Hub—the experience administrators rely on to manage collaboration at scale. Across more than 20 years in nonprofits, finance, and technology, she has built a career making complex systems clearer, more useful, and more human. Kristin looks for opportunity in moments of friction, bringing teams and customers into the work to turn strategic shifts into durable product change. She believes the best design builds trust—in the product, across disciplines, and with the people it serves.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Calling APIs: System Control in the Post-JTAPI/SOAP Era
Technical Training Class: Expert
This session explores the APIs available with Webex Calling — starting with the OAuth token flow, then covering common API use cases including programmatic desk phone control, call detail record retrieval, user provisioning, and hardware asset inventory. You'll also learn about the different OAuth token types and how to configure them on developer.webex.com.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Carl Newton
Soulitions Engineer, Cisco
Carl Newton is a solutions engineer on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) Team, specialising in configuring customer trials of cloud collaboration solutions. With over 20 years experience in the field, he has deployed countless setups of the wider range of Cisco Collaboration solutions globally. This broad experience enables him to engage with product deployment, development and education; ensuring customers get the best solution to meet their collaboration needs.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Deploying Secure AI for UCCE and Private Cloud Environments
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Organizations running on-premises UCCE and private cloud environments face a critical challenge: how to adopt generative AI without compromising security, data sovereignty, or control. This session provides a technical and strategic framework for deploying AI agents in high-security contact center environments while preserving the integrity of existing infrastructure.
We will explore four key areas. First, you'll learn how Customer Voice Portal (CVP) and existing call flows integrate with Cisco AI Studio, including the technical handoffs and orchestration between legacy logic and modern AI services.
Next, you'll learn how to address data sovereignty and security by defining clear boundaries between private cloud environments and externally processed workloads to help close the trust gap.
We'll then explore strategic AI orchestration and how to move beyond a single-bot model toward a multi-agent architecture. Topics include Silent Transfer, Announced Transfer and MCP handoffs, as well as how to establish boundaries for agent specialization.
Finally, we'll cover governance and advanced observability, including how to implement Cisco's AI Impact Assessment framework to manage fairness and safety while proactively monitoring for hallucinations, accuracy drift, and system prompt changes.
You'll leave with a clearer path for modernizing UCCE with secure, observable AI while maintaining control over infrastructure, data, and deployment-and a practical framework for bridging legacy reliability with autonomous customer experience.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Rajiv Krishnan
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Rajiv Krishnan leads UCCE Webex AI Agent, driving the strategy, vision and roadmap for Webex AI Agent across UCCE, PCCE and WxCCE solutions. He also manages Webex WFO across all Cisco Contact Center solutions. Prior to these responsibilities, Rajiv was the Product Leader responsible for the Webex Contact Center Agent Desktop. He also conceptualized and drove the launch of the Webex Contact Center Supervisor Desktop.
Rajiv has presented at several Cisco Live Breakout sessions in past years. He has been with Cisco for over 11 years. He started his journey at Cisco as the Product Manager for Cisco Finesse, he strategized and led Finesse Releases across several versions, including the crucial Finesse UX refresh.
Rajiv has industry experience spanning 25+ years, including career stints at IBM, Talisma, Anthology and Ericsson. Rajiv holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from the prestigious National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India.
Rajiv has presented at several Cisco Live Breakout sessions in past years. He has been with Cisco for over 11 years. He started his journey at Cisco as the Product Manager for Cisco Finesse, he strategized and led Finesse Releases across several versions, including the crucial Finesse UX refresh.
Rajiv has industry experience spanning 25+ years, including career stints at IBM, Talisma, Anthology and Ericsson. Rajiv holds a Bachelor of Technology degree from the prestigious National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India.
Cisco
Chandramouli Vaithiyanathan
Sr Technical Leader, Cisco
I am a Senior Technical Leader at Cisco with more than 20 years of experience in contact center technologies. Throughout my career, I have worked across engineering, customer onboarding, solution design, partner enablement, and technical consulting, giving me a comprehensive understanding of how contact center solutions are developed, deployed, adopted, and optimized.
In my current role, I focus on bringing AI capabilities into Webex Contact Center and helping customers and partners translate complex use cases into practical, scalable solutions. I serve as a subject-matter expert for AI Agents, AI Assistant, intelligent routing, workflow automation, and AI-driven customer engagement. I work closely with customers, partners, product teams, and engineering organizations to shape solution architectures, overcome implementation challenges, and accelerate the adoption of AI across the contact center.
As a CCIE Collaboration–certified professional, I combine deep Cisco contact center expertise with a strong focus on innovation, helping organizations use AI to improve customer experiences, agent productivity, and operational efficiency
In my current role, I focus on bringing AI capabilities into Webex Contact Center and helping customers and partners translate complex use cases into practical, scalable solutions. I serve as a subject-matter expert for AI Agents, AI Assistant, intelligent routing, workflow automation, and AI-driven customer engagement. I work closely with customers, partners, product teams, and engineering organizations to shape solution architectures, overcome implementation challenges, and accelerate the adoption of AI across the contact center.
As a CCIE Collaboration–certified professional, I combine deep Cisco contact center expertise with a strong focus on innovation, helping organizations use AI to improve customer experiences, agent productivity, and operational efficiency
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Beyond Automation: A Consulting-Led Framework for AI in Customer Experience
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Most AI-in-CX initiatives underdeliver because they're treated as feature rollouts, not strategic programs. This session introduces a practical consulting framework — covering discovery, journey insights, use case prioritization, experience design, and continuous optimization — to help you identify high-impact opportunities, avoid common pitfalls, and build AI systems that produce measurable outcomes.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Taylan Kucuk
Leader, Forward Deployed Engineering, Cisco
Taylan leads Cisco’s Global Forward Deployed Engineering team for Webex Contact Center, focused on helping strategic customers adopt AI and turn its potential into practical customer experience improvements. He works with customers across the AI journey, from exploring use cases and shaping solution designs to supporting deployment and ongoing optimisation, in close collaboration with Cisco’s engineering and customer success teams.
Since joining Cisco in 2007, Taylan has built nearly two decades of experience in the contact center domain. He began his career as a Technical Assistance Center (TAC) engineer, then moved into engineering and customer success, developing a broad perspective on the technology and the people who use it. Since 2020, he has led multiple functions and global teams. Taylan holds a CCIE in Collaboration and is a Distinguished Cisco Live speaker.
Since joining Cisco in 2007, Taylan has built nearly two decades of experience in the contact center domain. He began his career as a Technical Assistance Center (TAC) engineer, then moved into engineering and customer success, developing a broad perspective on the technology and the people who use it. Since 2020, he has led multiple functions and global teams. Taylan holds a CCIE in Collaboration and is a Distinguished Cisco Live speaker.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Calling Customer Assist: Smarter Support, Made Simple
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Webex Calling Customer Assist is redefining what's possible for organizations that need a simpler customer service solution.
In this session, we'll explore the latest enhancements that improve experiences for callers, agents, and supervisors. You'll see how Webex Calling AI powers new capabilities and how Customer Assist works alongside the broader Webex Calling platform to deliver a smarter, more efficient solution for smaller teams and growing organizations.
We'll also preview upcoming features and share what's next on the roadmap, so you'll know how the platform is evolving and where it's headed.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Steven Fly
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Steven Fly is a Technical Marketing Engineer (TME) within Cisco's Collaboration Technology Group, bringing more than 20 years of experience in Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco TelePresence/video collaboration, and Webex technologies. His areas of expertise include Webex Calling, Webex Customer Assist, AI Receptionist, and Webex migration strategies. Steven has delivered multiple technical sessions and hands-on labs at Cisco Live, sharing best practices and technical expertise with customers, partners, and Cisco engineers.
Steven has worked with many of Cisco's enterprise customers and partners, helping them define and execute their collaboration strategies, architectures, and solution designs. He collaborates closely with Cisco's Webex product management and engineering teams, translating customer feedback and real-world requirements into product enhancements and future capabilities.
Steven has worked with many of Cisco's enterprise customers and partners, helping them define and execute their collaboration strategies, architectures, and solution designs. He collaborates closely with Cisco's Webex product management and engineering teams, translating customer feedback and real-world requirements into product enhancements and future capabilities.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshooting Webex Authentication and Provisioning
Technical Training Class: Expert
Identity issues are among the most common — and frustrating — challenges in Webex administration. Drawing from real TAC case trends, this session covers directory integrations (Directory Connector and Entra ID sync), sync failures, SSO configuration, certificate management, and SAML assertion analysis. You'll leave with a clear picture of how Webex identity works and a repeatable troubleshooting framework ready to apply immediately.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Paul Stojanovski
Principal Engineer, Cisco
Paul is a Principal Engineer at Cisco within the Customer Experience (CX) organization, where he supports Webex solutions. His work spans several areas, including driving product serviceability, building AI solutions for TAC case-opening tools, and shaping a global TAC support strategy.
Paul has spent his entire professional career working with Collaboration technologies. He began as a TAC engineer supporting the on-premise Collaboration portfolio, with a primary focus on Immersive systems and Mobile and Remote Access. Over the past decade in Webex support, he led the effort to bring Webex support into alignment with Cisco's global CX support teams.
Today, his time is split between product and innovation. On the product side, he focuses on the Webex administration experience, working with Webex Control Hub and Cisco/Webex Identity. On the innovation side, he drives AI Assistant solutions that deliver personalized answers for customers' most common questions.
Paul is passionate about driving change within Webex products to deliver better serviceability and self-service capabilities to customers, partners, and everyone who uses them. He is a former WebexOne speaker and a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker.
Paul has spent his entire professional career working with Collaboration technologies. He began as a TAC engineer supporting the on-premise Collaboration portfolio, with a primary focus on Immersive systems and Mobile and Remote Access. Over the past decade in Webex support, he led the effort to bring Webex support into alignment with Cisco's global CX support teams.
Today, his time is split between product and innovation. On the product side, he focuses on the Webex administration experience, working with Webex Control Hub and Cisco/Webex Identity. On the innovation side, he drives AI Assistant solutions that deliver personalized answers for customers' most common questions.
Paul is passionate about driving change within Webex products to deliver better serviceability and self-service capabilities to customers, partners, and everyone who uses them. He is a former WebexOne speaker and a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
From Logs to Resolution: Advanced Troubleshooting for Hybrid Calendar Environments
Technical Training Class: Expert
From June 2025 to April 2026, over 1,000 Hybrid Calendar cases revealed that 65% of issues stemmed from mailbox misconfigurations, permissions, or external dependencies rather than Webex itself. This session equips you with practical techniques to rapidly identify root causes using APIs, AI-driven analysis, and log reviews across Exchange, Google, and Microsoft 365. Learn how to isolate third-party issues, streamline troubleshooting, and reduce downtime, enabling faster resolution and more reliable Webex Scheduling deployments.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Josue Jonathan Vizcaino Huape
Technical Consulting Engineer - Team Lead, Cisco
Josue Vizcaino is a Technical Consulting Engineer at Cisco, with over 24 years of experience in the IT industry and 8 years at Cisco. As a Team Leader in the Webex Meetings TAC in RTP, North Carolina, Josue plays a key role in driving technical excellence and process improvements within the Technical Assistance Center (TAC). He is also a Cisco Live and Webex One speaker, sharing his expertise with a global audience through technical breakout sessions and hands-on labs.
Passionate about knowledge sharing and mentorship, Josue has led chalk talks, training sessions, and workshops covering a range of networking topics, including Webex and Hybrid Services. He is actively involved in multiple initiatives aimed at enhancing TAC processes, ensuring efficiency and continuous improvement in customer support and troubleshooting.
Josue holds a Master of Science in Computer Networking and multiple industry certifications, including ITIL v3 Foundations, Cisco Meraki Network Associate, and Google Apps Certified Administrator.
Passionate about knowledge sharing and mentorship, Josue has led chalk talks, training sessions, and workshops covering a range of networking topics, including Webex and Hybrid Services. He is actively involved in multiple initiatives aimed at enhancing TAC processes, ensuring efficiency and continuous improvement in customer support and troubleshooting.
Josue holds a Master of Science in Computer Networking and multiple industry certifications, including ITIL v3 Foundations, Cisco Meraki Network Associate, and Google Apps Certified Administrator.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Unifying the Webex Platform with Webex Contact Center and Webex Calling
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This technical session explores the architecture and capabilities of a unified Webex platform. We will examine how Webex Contact Center and Webex Calling streamline infrastructure, simplify deployments, and power seamless customer experiences. We will begin with a brief overview of today’s Webex Contact Center Common Edge Services, followed by a quick look at future use cases that Webex Common Media Services will enable.
The core of the session will focus on the technical mechanics of Webex Contact Center Common Edge Services. We will dive deep into PSTN and routing options including Cloud Connected PSTN (CCP) and Bring Your Own PSTN (BYOPSTN). We'll cover the Edge Connect architecture to bring media to Webex using private link, as well as global deployment strategies with a spotlight on supporting operations in India.
Finally, we will cover key cross-platform integrations designed to optimize operations. You will learn about advanced reporting that captures Webex Calling call legs, Webex Calling device control, WebRTC enhancements, and Webex Messaging for agent-to-supervisor collaboration. We will conclude with roadmap highlights.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Amy Ryan
Principal Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Amy Ryan is a Principal Solutions Engineer at Cisco with over 26 years of experience driving innovation in networking and collaboration technologies. Throughout her 16-year tenure within Cisco’s Global Collaboration Sales Engineering organization,
Amy has established herself as a trusted advisor, specializing in the architecture and deployment of complex enterprise-grade solutions. Her technical expertise spans the full spectrum of calling architectures—including premise, cloud, and hybrid environments—with a particular focus on seamless cloud migrations and the implementation of robust hybrid work strategies.
Amy is a recognized leader in field sales and partner enablement, having spearheaded high-impact initiatives such as Collaboration Technical Advisory Groups and Cisco’s X-Architecture programs. As a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker and a CCIE (#24677), Amy is widely respected for her ability to translate intricate technical requirements into scalable, business-aligned solutions. She continues to be a driving force in the evolution of collaboration technology and helping organizations navigate the complexities of the modern digital workplace.
Amy has established herself as a trusted advisor, specializing in the architecture and deployment of complex enterprise-grade solutions. Her technical expertise spans the full spectrum of calling architectures—including premise, cloud, and hybrid environments—with a particular focus on seamless cloud migrations and the implementation of robust hybrid work strategies.
Amy is a recognized leader in field sales and partner enablement, having spearheaded high-impact initiatives such as Collaboration Technical Advisory Groups and Cisco’s X-Architecture programs. As a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker and a CCIE (#24677), Amy is widely respected for her ability to translate intricate technical requirements into scalable, business-aligned solutions. She continues to be a driving force in the evolution of collaboration technology and helping organizations navigate the complexities of the modern digital workplace.
Cisco
Carles Duz Palau
Solution Engineer, Cisco
Carles Duz Palau is a highly experienced Solution Engineer at Cisco Systems, with over 19 years of expertise in Customer Experience technologies, focusing on Contact Center and AI solutions. Since joining Cisco in 2007, Carles has held various roles that showcase his depth of knowledge and dedication to customer success.
Carles began his journey at Cisco as a Customer Support Engineer in TAC and later transitioned to Network Consulting Engineer in the Advanced Services team, where he deployed one of the first Contact Centers as a Service for one of Cisco's largest customers. Following this, he transitioned to a Technical Solution Manager role in the Contact Center Business Unit where, during 9 years, developed tight connections with multiple organizations within Cisco and with customers and partners to deliver customer success during the transition to native cloud technologies.
Over the last five years, he has been thriving in his current role as a Solution Engineer, specializing in delivering transformative solutions that enhance customer engagement and drive measurable business outcomes. After two years at Center Of Excellence central team he is now part of the team of Global Solution Engineers for CX focusing on strategic accounts.
Carles began his journey at Cisco as a Customer Support Engineer in TAC and later transitioned to Network Consulting Engineer in the Advanced Services team, where he deployed one of the first Contact Centers as a Service for one of Cisco's largest customers. Following this, he transitioned to a Technical Solution Manager role in the Contact Center Business Unit where, during 9 years, developed tight connections with multiple organizations within Cisco and with customers and partners to deliver customer success during the transition to native cloud technologies.
Over the last five years, he has been thriving in his current role as a Solution Engineer, specializing in delivering transformative solutions that enhance customer engagement and drive measurable business outcomes. After two years at Center Of Excellence central team he is now part of the team of Global Solution Engineers for CX focusing on strategic accounts.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Hands-On Flow Designer Lab: APIs, AI Agents, and MCP in Action (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this hands-on lab, attendees will build a real Webex Contact Center flow from scratch using provided lab computers and sandbox environments. Starting with Flow Designer fundamentals, the lab progresses through connecting to an external API, integrating a Webex AI Agent, and adding an external Model Context Protocol (MCP) server connection. The finale puts it all together: using the new Flow Designer MCP server to build and modify flows through natural language with AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT. No prior Flow Designer experience required. Leave with a working flow and the skills to build your own.
CE credits: 3
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Adam Weeks
Webex Developer Relations Technical Leader, Cisco
Adam Weeks is a lifelong developer with a passion for learning, teaching, and building applications, with over 20 years of industry experience. As a Technical Leader on the Webex Developer Relations team at Cisco, Adam focuses on building AI-powered solutions and developer tools that extend the Webex platform, turning ideas into working software that helps developers and customers get more out of the ecosystem. A Cisco Distinguished Speaker, he has presented worldwide to audiences of all sizes, from intimate workshops to the large conferences. Adam is a native Floridian, and when he's not at the keyboard, you'll find him on the water somewhere in Central Florida.
Cisco
Arunabh Bhattacharjee
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Arunabh Bhattacharjee is a Senior Product Manager at Cisco focused on agentic AI for automation, orchestration and AI-powered customer experience (CX). He leads product for Webex Contact Center in orchestration and platform integrations, helping enterprises build seamless omnichannel journeys and connect external systems to achieve business outcomes. Across multiple roles spanning more than 13 years at Cisco in product management, engineering, and solution leadership, Arunabh has translated complex technology into practical, scalable product direction. He is a Cisco Live Distinguished Speaker, a contributor to the Webex developer ecosystem, a published author and speaker on the Webex developer platform, and co-author of publications on orchestration and AI agents.
At WebexOne, attendees will leave with practical ways to use agentic AI for building orchestration, learn about context, APIs, AI agents, MCP, and Flow Designer to modernize customer journeys. Based in Toronto, Canada he also enjoys hackathons and building side projects that keep him close to hands-on problem solving.
At WebexOne, attendees will leave with practical ways to use agentic AI for building orchestration, learn about context, APIs, AI agents, MCP, and Flow Designer to modernize customer journeys. Based in Toronto, Canada he also enjoys hackathons and building side projects that keep him close to hands-on problem solving.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Build Webex AI Agents with Your Own Custom LLM (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this hands-on lab, you'll learn how to connect your own custom large language model (LLM) to Webex AI Agent Studio and use it to power a Webex AI Agent. We'll walk through the full flow: exposing a model through a Chat Completions-compatible API, configuring it in Agent Studio, and testing it in a real customer-facing use case, such as a Webex Contact Center interaction. You'll leave with a practical understanding of how custom LLMs can support more flexible, domain-specific agent experiences, while giving builders more control over model behavior, responses, and integration choices.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Mykola Danylchuk
Technical Consulting Engineer, Cisco
Mykola Danylchuk is a Senior Technical Consulting Engineer on the Webex Contact Center Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team. He has over 10 years of experience in Cisco Collaboration and Contact Center technologies.
As the AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) for his team, Mykola is responsible for delivering technical enablement and training to fellow TAC engineers, as well as conducting technical workshops, classes, and hands-on labs for Cisco customers and partners. His primary focus is accelerating AI adoption by helping customers successfully onboard, integrate, and optimize AI capabilities within their Webex Contact Center environments.
As the AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) for his team, Mykola is responsible for delivering technical enablement and training to fellow TAC engineers, as well as conducting technical workshops, classes, and hands-on labs for Cisco customers and partners. His primary focus is accelerating AI adoption by helping customers successfully onboard, integrate, and optimize AI capabilities within their Webex Contact Center environments.
Cisco
Anuj Bhatia
Sr. Technical Leader, Cisco
Anuj Bhatia is a Senior Technical Leader within Cisco Customer Experience (CX), directing global support operations for Webex Contact Center (WxCC) and Enterprise (WxCCE )cloud platforms. With over two decades of leadership experience at Cisco, he possesses deep-domain expertise in modern contact center architectures and the broader Webex collaboration ecosystem. Anuj holds a Master’s degree from Wichita State University, is a certified Cisco professional, and focuses on scaling high-performance technical support operations and Strategy for TAC. He is based in Massachusetts, operating out of Cisco’s Boxborough office.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
From Pain Points to Power Moves: Webex Calling Design in Action
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
You may know the Webex Calling feature set, but when a customer brings you a real-world challenge, do you know which capabilities best solve the problem?
In this interactive session, we’ll move past the feature tour and focus on the “what’s in it for me” behind Webex Calling. You’ll work in groups to design solutions for businesses that need to stay connected, compliant, and collaborative. Whether you’re new to Webex Calling or ready to sharpen your approach, you’ll leave with stronger discovery skills and a clearer way to match customer needs to the right solution.
REQUIREMENTS: Please note, for the best interactive learning experience, all attendees should bring a laptop or tablet device to ensure easy access to training materials.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Susan Parrish
Webex Enablement Specialist, Cisco
Susan Parrish is a Technical Enablement Specialist at Cisco with over 20 years of experience in technology and customer-facing roles. Specializing in Webex solutions, she bridges the gap between complex software and practical application through effective adult education strategies. A 5-star instructor at WebexOne since its inception in 2022 and a 2025 Visionary Award nominee, Susan is also an active member of Women of Cisco and Women in Collaboration. She holds a Master’s in Adult Education from East Carolina University and a BS in Management of Information Systems from Mount Olive University. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys tailgating at ECU football games, traveling, and spending time at the beach.
Cisco
Vanesa Melendez
Instructional Design & Training Specialist, Cisco
Vanesa Melendez is a Training Specialist currently providing training for Webex Calling and Webex Contact Center at Cisco Webex Academy. With previous experience at Broadsoft and Ericsson. She is an Panamanian graduated in Electronics Engineering with more than a decade of experience in the telecommunications field.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 2:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshooting Webex Observability with ThousandEyes and Splunk Integrations
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
This hands-on lab guides administrators through building a complete Webex observability stack. Attendees will configure ThousandEyes endpoint and enterprise agents to monitor Webex Calling, Meetings, and Cisco Devices, leverage Control Hub and ThousandEyes integration for network path visibility, and use Splunk to ingest, correlate, and visualize data for actionable assurance dashboards. Attendees will also use AI agents with MCP connections to automate troubleshooting and configuration across ThousandEyes and Splunk, experiencing firsthand how AI transforms network operations from reactive to proactive.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Rafat Kuraishi
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rafat is a Systems Architect at Cisco Systems with dual CCIE certifications in Voice and Collaboration technologies. He brings over 15 years of experience delivering and supporting Cisco collaboration solutions across diverse industries, including large financial institutions, healthcare, and hyperscale accounts. Rafat's expertise spans both on-premises and cloud collaboration products, with a strong focus on cross-architecture integrations involving Collaboration and Observability platforms. Previously, he contributed as a Collaboration Architect within Cisco's Advanced Services team and gained deep technical insights as a TAC engineer supporting Cisco's collaboration portfolio.
Cisco
Venky Yechuri
Technical Projects Systems Engineer, Cisco
I’m a Cisco Collaboration Engineer with the dCloud team, specializing in collaboration, cloud, security, and enterprise technologies across Cisco and integrated solutions. I’m passionate about AI/ML and exploring innovative ways to apply AI, automation, and emerging technologies to improve troubleshooting, customer experiences, and technical operations. I enjoy building technical demos and lab environments that showcase integrated cloud, security, observability, and on-premises capabilities.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Identity: Deployment and Design Foundations
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This session provides a practical look at Webex Identity with a focus on user provisioning, authentication, and authorization. Attendees will learn how Webex integrates with identity platforms:
- Active Directory
- Entra ID
- Duo
We'll focus on user provisioning, authentication, and authorization using common protocols and standards:
- SCIM 2.0
- SAML
- OpenID Connect
The session also covers license management, domain management, user lifecycle status changes, MFA, SSO, multiple IdPs, and token management to help Webex administrators develop a secure identity strategy.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Scott Kiewert
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Scott Kiewert is a Technical Marketing Engineer in the Collaboration Technology Group (CTG) at Cisco. He helps to provide best practice guidelines for Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Webex. His main areas of focus are on-premises collaboration and Webex identity, security, privacy, and APIs. He has authored questions for multiple Cisco certification exams and holds an active CCIE Collaboration certification.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
From Legacy to Logic: AI-Powered Migration for Webex and Webex Contact Center
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Are you struggling to migrate from on-premises solutions? Join us to see how generative AI can help simplify the transition. We’ll demonstrate how AI can parse legacy Unified Contact Center Express (UCCX) scripts, Cisco UCM configurations, and Unity Connection call handlers, then translate them into cloud-ready Webex architectures. You’ll also learn how to move beyond data migration by using AI-powered agents and digital front doors to modernize customer experiences. See how to reduce tedious work, simplify complex migration steps, and accelerate your path to the cloud.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Stephanie Ross
AMER Partners Solution Engineering Leader - Collab, Cisco
Stephanie Ross is the Americas Collaboration Partner Solutions Engineering Leader, specializing in guiding partners and customers through successful transitions to Webex Cloud. With extensive experience in designing complex communication architectures, she focuses on leveraging AI and Generative AI to modernize customer experience and operational workflows. Stephanie is a dedicated advocate for cloud innovation, helping organizations navigate the shift from legacy systems to advanced, AI-driven collaboration environments.
Cisco
Justin Jordan
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Justin Jordan is a Senior Product Manager at Cisco in the Webex Suite Business group. He has been at Cisco 15 years and enjoys presenting and working with our Customers and Partners on all things Collaboration! Justin resides in the Texas Hill Country with his family and loves all things Pugs, Flying, and Arcades!
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Exploring the Webex Developer Ecosystem
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
This hands-on lab shows participants the possibilities inside the Webex Developer Ecosystem and how it can be used for automation. We'll focus on real use cases to showcase how the different functionalities can be integrated into organizations.
This session will enable you to:
Understand Webex API concepts and capabilities, create secure Webex integrations with OAuth 2.0, build interactive Webex Bots using Python and adaptive cards, deploy Webex service apps for administrative automation, and
explore agentic apps and Webex MCP servers.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Adam Weeks
Webex Developer Relations Technical Leader, Cisco
Adam Weeks is a lifelong developer with a passion for learning, teaching, and building applications, with over 20 years of industry experience. As a Technical Leader on the Webex Developer Relations team at Cisco, Adam focuses on building AI-powered solutions and developer tools that extend the Webex platform, turning ideas into working software that helps developers and customers get more out of the ecosystem. A Cisco Distinguished Speaker, he has presented worldwide to audiences of all sizes, from intimate workshops to the large conferences. Adam is a native Floridian, and when he's not at the keyboard, you'll find him on the water somewhere in Central Florida.
Cisco
Phil Bellanti
Senior Developer Evangelist, Cisco
Phil Bellanti is a Senior Developer Evangelist on the Cisco Webex team based in Orlando, Florida. A cloud API veteran since 2007, he joined Cisco in 2015 following its acquisition of Tropo, a real-time communications API provider. Today, Phil helps developers build with Webex by creating and delivering tech talks, workshops, webinars, and other live events. He also produces blogs, newsletters, documentation, and developer guides for both the Webex Suite and Webex Contact Center platforms.
Cisco
Diego Manuel Jimenez Moreno
TAC Technical Leader, Cisco
Diego Manuel Jimenez Moreno is a Technical Leader at Cisco for TAC Collaboration, where he has been since 2019. With over 9 years of experience in the IT industry, he holds the CCIE Collaboration certification (#66728).
Diego has been actively involved in key events such as TAC Workshops and TAC Troubleshooting Summits, Cisco Live, and WebexOne, where he has delivered various presentations and labs. He specializes in Cisco On-Prem Collaboration, Webex Calling, and Webex Programmability, and is currently focused on Contact Center Solutions.
Passionate about automation and innovation, Diego has made significant contributions to internal projects and is currently focused on leveraging AI capabilities.
Diego has been actively involved in key events such as TAC Workshops and TAC Troubleshooting Summits, Cisco Live, and WebexOne, where he has delivered various presentations and labs. He specializes in Cisco On-Prem Collaboration, Webex Calling, and Webex Programmability, and is currently focused on Contact Center Solutions.
Passionate about automation and innovation, Diego has made significant contributions to internal projects and is currently focused on leveraging AI capabilities.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
From the Premises to Beyond: Adding Webex AI and Cloud Services to Your Existing Premises Deployments
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
What's new with Cisco Contact Center Enterprise (CCE)? Quite a bit. Let's show you how to add or replace some of your on-premises services with cloud and AI services. You’ll learn how to update CCE beyond simple, incremental face-lifts to full, business-enhancing features that either catch you up to modern standards or help you go beyond your peers’ expectations.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Robert Rogier
Technical Leader, Cisco
Robert W. Rogier serves as a Technical Leader within the Technical Services (CX) Organization, operating out of Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina. His journey with Cisco commenced in 2011, marking his entry into the TAC as part of the Unified Contact Center team. Over the years at Cisco, Robert has distinguished himself as the global go-to expert, a leading technical authority, a dedicated mentor, and an educator in the realms of Webex Connect, Enterprise Chat and Email (ECE), as well as the Contact Center Management Portal (CCMP).
In his capacity as a Technical Leader, he manages product and process issues with the Webex Contact Center Enterprise (WxCCE) and on-prem Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE/PCCE). With over 20 years of experience with the Cisco Contact Center portfolio, he is able to advocate for customer issues and help CX engineers more quickly resolve issues. He works closely with multiple, global teams on product improvement, case reviews, and serviceability enhancements.
Before his tenure at Cisco, Robert's career was marked by diverse roles, including leading software architect and developer at a healthcare firm, an infrastructure and database architect at a dot-com startup, and as the senior IP Telephony engineer for an educational institution.
Outside the professional sphere, Robert enjoys spending time with his spouse, is an avid fan of Formula 1, soccer, and is a novice sim racer.
In his capacity as a Technical Leader, he manages product and process issues with the Webex Contact Center Enterprise (WxCCE) and on-prem Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE/PCCE). With over 20 years of experience with the Cisco Contact Center portfolio, he is able to advocate for customer issues and help CX engineers more quickly resolve issues. He works closely with multiple, global teams on product improvement, case reviews, and serviceability enhancements.
Before his tenure at Cisco, Robert's career was marked by diverse roles, including leading software architect and developer at a healthcare firm, an infrastructure and database architect at a dot-com startup, and as the senior IP Telephony engineer for an educational institution.
Outside the professional sphere, Robert enjoys spending time with his spouse, is an avid fan of Formula 1, soccer, and is a novice sim racer.
Cisco
Joe Wong
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Expert in optimizing business and technical outcomes utilizing AI and contact center technologies in a cloud, premise, or hybrid solution.
Joe Wong is a Solutions Engineer that focuses on the whole customer experience and engagement, including those who manage and use the technology. He has 20+ years of contact center experience with 17 years focused on Cisco solutions. He is a recognized Cisco Distinguished Speaker and 5-Star Speaker at Cisco Live and WebexOne respectively. He was a Solutions Architect with Cisco's Contact Center Delivery Team for 8 years handling critical enterprise accounts and strategic engagements specializing in complex environments before joining Cisco Sales Engineering in 2022.
Prior to Cisco, he has been a customer twice and part of our partner ecosystem. Joe's expertise encompasses the entire Contact Center portfolio, large and small, with more recent blending of modern and exciting opportunities using AI services and digital channels across multiple verticals. With an extensive background in design, delivery, and support in both customer experience architecture and applications, he is constantly looking for optimizations and improvements around the customer, patient, agent, and administrator experiences.
Joe Wong is a Solutions Engineer that focuses on the whole customer experience and engagement, including those who manage and use the technology. He has 20+ years of contact center experience with 17 years focused on Cisco solutions. He is a recognized Cisco Distinguished Speaker and 5-Star Speaker at Cisco Live and WebexOne respectively. He was a Solutions Architect with Cisco's Contact Center Delivery Team for 8 years handling critical enterprise accounts and strategic engagements specializing in complex environments before joining Cisco Sales Engineering in 2022.
Prior to Cisco, he has been a customer twice and part of our partner ecosystem. Joe's expertise encompasses the entire Contact Center portfolio, large and small, with more recent blending of modern and exciting opportunities using AI services and digital channels across multiple verticals. With an extensive background in design, delivery, and support in both customer experience architecture and applications, he is constantly looking for optimizations and improvements around the customer, patient, agent, and administrator experiences.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 2:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Building and Securing Business Outcomes with Agentic AI Agent (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this two-hour hands-on lab, you’ll build a secure, production-ready AI agents using Cisco Agentic AI Agent within a One Cisco strategy. You’ll work across four pillars—Proactive, AI Agent, Human Agent, and One Cisco—to create an end-to-end blueprint that connects agentic AI with the broader Cisco portfolio and turns strategy into practical business value.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Rue Green
Sr. Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rue Green is a Senior Solutions Engineer and global architect at Cisco, where he has spent 20 years designing enterprise contact center and collaboration systems across the APJC and US regions. He specializes in Webex Contact Center and PCCE architecture with a current focus on agentic AI in the customer experience space. An active CCIE, Rue has earned four CCIE certifications over his career—Enterprise Infrastructure, Voice, Collaboration, and Automation—with Automation (formerly DevNet Expert) earned as the third person to pass the exam in 2025. He is also a CISSP, a US patent holder, and a Cisco Live Distinguished Speaker Hall of Fame member, and is completing a Master's in Computer Science with a machine learning specialization at Georgia Tech.
Cisco
Preetham Kademada
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Preetham Kademada is a Solutions Engineer with more than 23 years of experience shaping the contact center and customer experience industry. He has navigated every stage of the customer engagement lifecycle — from architecture and design through deployment and long-term support — giving him a rare end-to-end perspective that bridges strategy and execution.
Before joining Cisco Sales Engineering in 2021, Preetham spent eight years leading professional services teams through some of the most complex Cisco Contact Center deployments in the field, earning a reputation for delivering under pressure on enterprise accounts where the stakes are high and the margin for error is low.
Today, Preetham works at the intersection of partner success and enterprise innovation, helping organizations design scalable contact center solutions built for what's next. His technical depth spans the full Cisco Contact Center portfolio, with a sharp focus on Webex Contact Center AI workloads, next-generation digital engagement channels, and cloud-first modernization. He has a particular gift for translating technical complexity into business clarity — making the case not just for what a solution does, but why it matters.
Preetham brings to every engagement a partner-first mindset, ensuring solutions are engineered not only to perform on day one, but to scale and endure over time.
Before joining Cisco Sales Engineering in 2021, Preetham spent eight years leading professional services teams through some of the most complex Cisco Contact Center deployments in the field, earning a reputation for delivering under pressure on enterprise accounts where the stakes are high and the margin for error is low.
Today, Preetham works at the intersection of partner success and enterprise innovation, helping organizations design scalable contact center solutions built for what's next. His technical depth spans the full Cisco Contact Center portfolio, with a sharp focus on Webex Contact Center AI workloads, next-generation digital engagement channels, and cloud-first modernization. He has a particular gift for translating technical complexity into business clarity — making the case not just for what a solution does, but why it matters.
Preetham brings to every engagement a partner-first mindset, ensuring solutions are engineered not only to perform on day one, but to scale and endure over time.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
What's New in Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE)?
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
CUBE Enterprise has served as Cisco’s flagship on-premises session border controller (SBC) for more than two decades. This intermediate session starts with a CUBE refresher and configuration best practices for first-time attendees, then covers new capabilities introduced in recent releases, including virtual DSP. You’ll also get a brief look at how Local Gateway (LGW) and Survivability Gateway (SGW) support Webex Calling deployments.
CE credits: 2
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Hussain Ali
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Hussain Ali (CCIE# 38068 - VOICE, COLLAB) is a Technical Marketing Engineer/Technical Leader in the Collaboration Technology Group at Cisco Systems. He is responsible for all Unified Communications services and applications on the ISR, Catalyst 8300 & virtual routing platforms like Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE), Cloud Calling solutions such as Webex Calling, call recording, Direct Routing with Microsoft Phone System, and Webex Contact Center.
He provides architectural design guidance for unified communication services and solutions to enterprise customers, service providers, Cisco sales force, and Cisco partners.
He works directly with the product management and engineering teams in strategizing future product development to meet customer needs. Prior to joining this group, he led the Multiservices Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team in Richardson, TX, troubleshooting and diagnosing some of the largest Cisco Collaboration deployments.
He provides architectural design guidance for unified communication services and solutions to enterprise customers, service providers, Cisco sales force, and Cisco partners.
He works directly with the product management and engineering teams in strategizing future product development to meet customer needs. Prior to joining this group, he led the Multiservices Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team in Richardson, TX, troubleshooting and diagnosing some of the largest Cisco Collaboration deployments.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Intelligent Interactions: Elevating Retail and Healthcare with Webex Calling AI
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
In retail and healthcare, where every second is critical to patient care and customer support, optimizing interactions is essential. In this immersive lab, you’ll master Webex Calling Customer Assist to transform these vital moments. You’ll discover how to deploy AI Receptionists to manage traffic surges and leverage embedded AI, ranging from real-time transcriptions to automated summaries, to empower your agents. You’ll build intelligent, empathetic service journeys that address real-world operational challenges and see how Cisco’s AI-powered tools turn every interaction into a seamless, high-efficiency experience for your organization.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer/TSA on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) team. Specializing in Webex Calling, Dedicated Instance, Contact Center, and Devices, he leverages over a decade of experience in Cisco Unified Communications to help customers succeed. Formerly a Technical Consulting Engineer in CX, Rajamani is a frequent speaker at Cisco Live and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Anna University.
Cisco
Amy Ryan
Principal Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Amy Ryan is a Principal Solutions Engineer at Cisco with over 26 years of experience driving innovation in networking and collaboration technologies. Throughout her 16-year tenure within Cisco’s Global Collaboration Sales Engineering organization,
Amy has established herself as a trusted advisor, specializing in the architecture and deployment of complex enterprise-grade solutions. Her technical expertise spans the full spectrum of calling architectures—including premise, cloud, and hybrid environments—with a particular focus on seamless cloud migrations and the implementation of robust hybrid work strategies.
Amy is a recognized leader in field sales and partner enablement, having spearheaded high-impact initiatives such as Collaboration Technical Advisory Groups and Cisco’s X-Architecture programs. As a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker and a CCIE (#24677), Amy is widely respected for her ability to translate intricate technical requirements into scalable, business-aligned solutions. She continues to be a driving force in the evolution of collaboration technology and helping organizations navigate the complexities of the modern digital workplace.
Amy has established herself as a trusted advisor, specializing in the architecture and deployment of complex enterprise-grade solutions. Her technical expertise spans the full spectrum of calling architectures—including premise, cloud, and hybrid environments—with a particular focus on seamless cloud migrations and the implementation of robust hybrid work strategies.
Amy is a recognized leader in field sales and partner enablement, having spearheaded high-impact initiatives such as Collaboration Technical Advisory Groups and Cisco’s X-Architecture programs. As a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker and a CCIE (#24677), Amy is widely respected for her ability to translate intricate technical requirements into scalable, business-aligned solutions. She continues to be a driving force in the evolution of collaboration technology and helping organizations navigate the complexities of the modern digital workplace.
Cisco
Ishan Sambhi
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Ishan Sambhi is a Collaboration Pre-Sales Systems Engineer at Cisco, partnering with large enterprise organizations to design and implement modern workplace solutions across Webex Calling, Devices, Meetings and AI-powered Contact Center.
He specializes in complex cloud migrations, multi-cluster architectures, device strategy, and operational simplification for distributed enterprises. Ishan has supported strategic deployments across financial services, healthcare, hospitality, and global enterprise environments.
Beyond the field, Ishan contributes to Cisco's technical community by helping develop content and authoring exam questions for the CCIE certification program. He is a Cisco Live distinguished speaker and Webex One speaker, where he shares real-world deployment insights, architectural best practices, and lessons learned from enterprise transformation initiatives.
Ishan is passionate about translating roadmap innovation into practical, scalable solutions that elevate both IT operations and end-user experience.
He specializes in complex cloud migrations, multi-cluster architectures, device strategy, and operational simplification for distributed enterprises. Ishan has supported strategic deployments across financial services, healthcare, hospitality, and global enterprise environments.
Beyond the field, Ishan contributes to Cisco's technical community by helping develop content and authoring exam questions for the CCIE certification program. He is a Cisco Live distinguished speaker and Webex One speaker, where he shares real-world deployment insights, architectural best practices, and lessons learned from enterprise transformation initiatives.
Ishan is passionate about translating roadmap innovation into practical, scalable solutions that elevate both IT operations and end-user experience.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Cisco Devices: The Backbone of the Intelligent Workplace
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Did you know you might be spending thousands on workplace sensors and automation tools that are already available in Cisco collaboration devices? Powered by industry-leading NVIDIA chips, Cisco devices go beyond superior audio and video to serve as the backbone of the modern, intelligent workplace.
But an intelligent workplace is about more than the technology in the room—it’s about how we design spaces around the way people work today. Take a virtual walk through Cisco’s PENN 1 office and other Cisco workplaces to explore real-world spaces, the technology behind them, and the design decisions that bring them to life. Along the way, we’ll look at how Cisco devices enable smarter workspace management, IoT, automation, sustainability, and better employee experiences. We'll also explore where the intelligent workplace is headed next.
Learn how to create an office that becomes a “magnet, not a mandate” by bringing together people, spaces, and technology—often using capabilities you already own.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Chris Palermo
Global Leader - Collaboration & Workplace Strategy, Cisco
Chris Palermo is a Global Leader within Cisco's Devices Center of Excellence, helping organizations reimagine the workplace through collaboration technology, smart and sustainable buildings, AI, and employee experience.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the collaboration industry, Chris works closely with Cisco customers, partners, and product teams to shape strategies that help organizations create workplaces people actually want to use. His expertise spans enterprise collaboration, workplace transformation, hybrid work, smart buildings, and the future of work.
Chris has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Unified Communications Influencers and was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for his thought leadership in workplace design and sales presentations. Through his writing, speaking, and social media presence, he shares practical, real-world insights on technology adoption, workplace experience, and business transformation.
A frequent speaker at Cisco and industry events worldwide, Chris is known for blending technology trends, business outcomes, and engaging storytelling into highly rated presentations that resonate with both technical and business audiences.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the collaboration industry, Chris works closely with Cisco customers, partners, and product teams to shape strategies that help organizations create workplaces people actually want to use. His expertise spans enterprise collaboration, workplace transformation, hybrid work, smart buildings, and the future of work.
Chris has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Unified Communications Influencers and was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for his thought leadership in workplace design and sales presentations. Through his writing, speaking, and social media presence, he shares practical, real-world insights on technology adoption, workplace experience, and business transformation.
A frequent speaker at Cisco and industry events worldwide, Chris is known for blending technology trends, business outcomes, and engaging storytelling into highly rated presentations that resonate with both technical and business audiences.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Vibe Code Your Contact Center Solution (Option 1)
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Bring your CX pain points to an interactive session where we'll create prompts and the facilitator will "vibe code", live, a tailored UX solution based on your needs. Using an iterative approach to product design and user experience, we'll turn your feedback into a solution to demonstrate the latest AI-powered UX tools used to build great CX experiences.
This unique, innovative workshop explores user-centered creative problem-solving with collaborative activities, where you'll actively participate in shaping future-ready contact center experiences.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Cheryl Couris
Senior Director, Design Strategy + Planning, Cisco
Cheryl Couris is the Senior Director of Design Strategy + Planning for Cisco Collaboration Design organization, where she builds AI systems, skills and operational infrastructure to help designers and researchers scale and unlock design + product experiences as business drivers and differentiators.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Inside Webex for Government: The Innovations Changing the Game
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This session covers feature updates from Webex Calling to the newest cloud-based AI capabilities for the first time in Webex for Government. We'll explore the Video Mesh Node and its expanded role in mission-ready collaboration, including local meeting recording that keeps recordings on your network and gives agencies full control over sensitive content. We'll also unveil the integration of AI PODs with Webex enabling you to run Webex AI features completely on your own infrastructure—bringing the power of AI to hybrid environments without compromise.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Chris Hess
Customer Delivery Architect, Cisco
Chris Hess is a Delivery Architect on the Cisco Customer Experience team supporting US Public Sector with a focus on sovereign, disconnected and hybrid environments. With a deep background in Cisco's portfolio-including Security, Networking, Collaboration and Webex for Government. He works closely with stakeholders to understand their requirements and architects secure and efficient solutions while overseeing the end-to-end delivery process, providing technical leadership delivering resilient, mission-ready solutions at scale.
Cisco
Wes Wiley
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
With a distinguished 15-year career dedicated to the US Public Sector customers, Wes Wiley serves as a Solutions Engineer at Cisco, where he helps our most important and complex customers navigate the complexities of modern collaboration. Over the last seven years, Wes has been instrumental in supporting the Department of War, architecting secure and resilient environments that empower mission-critical operations. His expertise lies in translating intricate technical infrastructure into actionable strategies that drive user adoption and operational efficiency. Wes is passionate about leveraging Webex technology to solve the unique challenges faced by public sector organizations, ensuring they remain agile and connected in an evolving hybrid landscape.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshooting Webex Meetings: Logging, Metrics, and ThousandEyes Analytics
Technical Training Class: Expert
When meeting issues arise, administrators need fast answers. This session provides an in-depth look at Webex Meetings architecture paired with ThousandEyes Analytics, covering common problems around joining and suboptimal experiences on computers and devices. You'll work through Control Hub's troubleshooting and diagnostic features and learn how to identify and correct the network-related issues most likely to impact meeting quality.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Eric Embling
Technical Consulting Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco
Eric Embling is an Technical Leader for Webex Platform based out of the RTP area in North Carolina. Eric holds a Bachelor of Science in Networking from Rochester Institute of Technology. Starting his 13-year Cisco career working in on-prem collaboration with the Cisco Unified Communications Manager team, moving to the Cloud Collaboration team, and then moving to the Technical Leader role. Currently, he is focused on the Webex Suite Meeting Platform.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Where Is Your Webex? Sovereignty, Security, and Residency Explained
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Organizations increasingly need to know exactly where their collaboration data lives, how it's protected, and who controls it. This session breaks down data sovereignty vs. residency, encryption and media anchoring, Hybrid Data Security (HDS), Sovereign Controls, ultra-secure meetings and calling, and AI governance — giving you a clear framework for maintaining control within Webex.
CE credits: 2
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Mark Rankin
Distinguished Systems Engineer, Cisco
Mark Rankin is a Distinguished Systems Engineer and a senior technical leader in the Cisco Global Collaboration Sales Centre of Excellence. His current focus is on Cisco's overall collaboration strategy, and he is currently focused on the impact of AI, Mobility, and aspects relating to SaaS data residency, sovereignty, and air-gap environments. Mark has a particular interest in calling and real-time communications and how this has, and continues to, evolve. Mark was the lead architect during the development of the incubation project that became Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS). Prior to his current role, Mark was the lead architect for Cisco's private 5G incubation project.
Over his career, Mark has worked with some of the world's largest service providers to help them transform their networks and services from TDM to IP and now towards Cloud, NFV, SDN, and Automated platforms. Mark has expertise in Fixed and Mobile Networks, WAN, LAN, DC/Cloud, SP Voice, Collaboration, and IoT services. Mark has 25 years of experience in the service provider marketplace. He holds a BSc in Mathematical Physics from UMIST and an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Manchester.
Over his career, Mark has worked with some of the world's largest service providers to help them transform their networks and services from TDM to IP and now towards Cloud, NFV, SDN, and Automated platforms. Mark has expertise in Fixed and Mobile Networks, WAN, LAN, DC/Cloud, SP Voice, Collaboration, and IoT services. Mark has 25 years of experience in the service provider marketplace. He holds a BSc in Mathematical Physics from UMIST and an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Manchester.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshooting Cisco Devices: Webex, MTR, Zoom, and WebRTC
Technical Training Class: Expert
As organizations increasingly adopt multi-platform environments, ensuring seamless integration is a top priority. This session provides the technical expertise to troubleshoot Cisco RoomOS devices across Webex, Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR), Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC), and Zoom for Cisco deployments. We'll cover common Technical Assistance Center (TAC) reported issues—including activation, configuration, scheduling, and meeting quality—while demonstrating how to leverage device logs and diagnostic tools. You'll leave with the expertise to apply best practices and resolve issues using device logs and diagnostic tools, making multi-platform meeting management seamless for IT and end users.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Tim Kratzke
Technical Leader, Cisco
Tim Kratzke has been working on Cisco Telepresence products for over 14 years, ranging from Immersive video systems, video infrastructure such as Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) and Expressway, and for the past 8 years specializing in video endpoints. After working as a Telepresence TAC engineer, Tim now works with global CX teams training new engineers, building tools and automation to aid in the troubleshooting process, and working with engineering to improve the serviceability of collaboration video endpoints. In his spare time Tim is an avid hockey fan and enjoys traveling and exploring new destinations.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Planning and Designing Successful Cloud Calling Deployments with Webex Calling
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Customers and partners considering a cloud calling deployment based on Webex Calling need to navigate decisions including PSTN selection, location planning, dial plan design, call routing, integrations with existing call control systems, and mapping business requirements to Webex Calling features. In this session, attendees will get guidance on all of the above, plus coverage of some of the latest Webex Calling features. This session does not cover Webex Calling Dedicated Instance.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Johannes Krohn
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Johannes Krohn joined Cisco System in Germany in 2000. In his over 30 years of experience in the networking and telecommunication industry he worked in several IT companies gaining knowledge in engineering, system design and technologies from ATM to multiprotocol networking. In the last 20+ years he mainly focussed on IP telephony, Unified Collaboration and on-premise and cloud based collaboration solutions. As Technical Marketing Engineer working on Collaboration System Architectures he provides design guidance in key projects and is responsible to transferring new product information of Cisco Collaboration Solutions to audiences internally and externally. Technology focus areas include call routing architectures, collaboration architecture simplification and cloud collaboration. As part of the continuous development cycle he is providing input to the system level planing of future solutions. He holds a CCIE Voice.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Shaping the Future of Collaboration: A Design Thinking and AI Readiness Workshop
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Join us for an interactive breakout session where your voice will directly shape the future of collaboration user experiences and drive innovation with product design leaders across Webex Suite, Contact Center, and Control Hub.
We'll map AI use cases to uncover pain points, adoption blockers, and opportunities as we engage in hands-on activities to help you define and prioritize your AI investments, troubleshoot current challenges, and co-create practical solutions that leverage the Webex platform to drive measurable business outcomes.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Kristin Harvey
Product Design Director, Cisco
Kristin Harvey is Director of Product Design at Cisco, where she leads the team shaping Collaboration Control Hub—the experience administrators rely on to manage collaboration at scale. Across more than 20 years in nonprofits, finance, and technology, she has built a career making complex systems clearer, more useful, and more human. Kristin looks for opportunity in moments of friction, bringing teams and customers into the work to turn strategic shifts into durable product change. She believes the best design builds trust—in the product, across disciplines, and with the people it serves.
Cisco
Cheryl Couris
Senior Director, Design Strategy + Planning, Cisco
Cheryl Couris is the Senior Director of Design Strategy + Planning for Cisco Collaboration Design organization, where she builds AI systems, skills and operational infrastructure to help designers and researchers scale and unlock design + product experiences as business drivers and differentiators.
Cisco
Wen Jiang
Senior Director of Product Design, Cisco
Wen Jiang is Senior Design Director for Collaboration Software Design at Cisco. She leads design strategy across Webex collaboration and customer experience software, including meetings, calling, contact center, engagement, and AI-powered experiences. Her work focuses on creating thoughtful, human-centered systems that connect business strategy with meaningful customer impact. She is passionate about shaping intelligent, inclusive collaboration experiences that make work and customer engagement more intuitive, connected, and effective at scale.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 3:15 PM – 5:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Building AI Projects: I've Got Skills, They're Multiplying! (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
Join this hands-on lab to build practical projects like a fitness tracker, medication tracker, portfolio analyzer, or email organizer. Using this new generation of co-working tools, such as Claude Co-work and Cursor, participants will follow step-by-step guidance to complete their chosen project. The workshop highlights the differences between these tools, how skills evolve, and how to guide Claude Code for generation and troubleshooting. Participants will gain a deep appreciation of these tools as force multipliers and be inspired to explore further.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Gaurav Khanna
AI Executive, Cisco
Dr. Gaurav Khanna is an AI Executive at Cisco Systems. During his 26 year career at Cisco, he has held many roles including managing early-in-career SE programs and founding the first data science and machine learning team in Sales. His team pioneered the use of predictive and generative AI systems in Sales at Cisco.
In his current role, he is focused on guiding customers on their overall AI strategy and business transformation. He is also active fostering strategic partnerships within Cisco and the industry. Teaching and mentoring students has long been a passion; he currently teaches a popular foundational AI/ML course at Stanford Continuing Studies and travels frequently to speak about AI in industry forums.
In his spare time, he loves to travel, hike in National Parks, and read about history, finance, build with AI, and is a “math enthusiast”. Originally from New York, he has been a long-time resident of San Jose, CA, with his wife and two teenage children. He received his B.S. in Physics from Yale and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
In his current role, he is focused on guiding customers on their overall AI strategy and business transformation. He is also active fostering strategic partnerships within Cisco and the industry. Teaching and mentoring students has long been a passion; he currently teaches a popular foundational AI/ML course at Stanford Continuing Studies and travels frequently to speak about AI in industry forums.
In his spare time, he loves to travel, hike in National Parks, and read about history, finance, build with AI, and is a “math enthusiast”. Originally from New York, he has been a long-time resident of San Jose, CA, with his wife and two teenage children. He received his B.S. in Physics from Yale and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
Cisco
Max Acquatella
Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Maxime Acquatella is a Systems Engineer in Cisco's Webex Global Center of Excellence with more than 15 years of experience in Cisco Collaboration. Throughout his career, he has helped customers, partners, and sales teams adopt and maximize the value of the Cisco Webex Suite through technical leadership, customer engagements, and solution enablement.
Over the past three years, Max has specialized in Webex Events, helping grow the business into a multi-million-dollar practice by delivering more than 125 customer demonstrations, technical workshops, and strategic engagements. More recently, he has focused on AI-powered collaboration, helping customers understand and adopt Cisco's latest AI capabilities across the Webex portfolio.
At WebexOne, Max will be a co presenter (with Gaurav Khanna) on a skills workshop: LAB-11058 - Claude AI Lab: I've Got Skills, They're Multiplying. The workshop will introduce attendees to the power of using an ecosystem of tools and files, and the ability to modify these, to significantly increate their ability to automate workflows. He and Gaurav will both be presenters and session proctors for the lab. Max will also be supporting any other requirements of instructors, such as being at booths in the solutions solutions showcase, meeting attendees and customers.
Over the past three years, Max has specialized in Webex Events, helping grow the business into a multi-million-dollar practice by delivering more than 125 customer demonstrations, technical workshops, and strategic engagements. More recently, he has focused on AI-powered collaboration, helping customers understand and adopt Cisco's latest AI capabilities across the Webex portfolio.
At WebexOne, Max will be a co presenter (with Gaurav Khanna) on a skills workshop: LAB-11058 - Claude AI Lab: I've Got Skills, They're Multiplying. The workshop will introduce attendees to the power of using an ecosystem of tools and files, and the ability to modify these, to significantly increate their ability to automate workflows. He and Gaurav will both be presenters and session proctors for the lab. Max will also be supporting any other requirements of instructors, such as being at booths in the solutions solutions showcase, meeting attendees and customers.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 3:15 PM – 5:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Supercharging Salesforce Service Cloud Voice with Webex Contact Center
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Discover how to seamlessly integrate Webex Contact Center with Salesforce Service Cloud Voice (SCV) in this hands-on technical session. This instructor-led session will guide you through deploying the out-of-the-box connector and validating its functionality within the Salesforce Omni-Channel console. Participants will leave with practical experience on how this integration drives a unified agent experience, delivers AI-powered insights, and streamlines workflows.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
D.K. Singh
Principal Engineer, Cisco
D.K., is a member of the Cisco Customer Experience (CX) Leadership team for Cisco Collaboration technologies. With over 30 years of industry experience and more than 25 years in Cisco TAC, he is a recognized technical leader, Business Unit advisor, and collaboration expert. Throughout his career, D.K. has led strategic initiatives in product serviceability, solution interoperability, automation, and customer enablement for hybrid and cloud collaboration solutions. He has played a key role in establishing multiple TAC teams across Cisco's global Customer Experience (CX) and Global Delivery Partner (GDP) centers while actively mentoring and developing technical talent.
A CCIE Voice/Collaboration for over 20 years and a Cisco Live! & WebexOne Distinguished Speaker, D.K. is widely recognized for his expertise in SIP, Session Border Controllers (SBC), and Contact Center technologies. He regularly advises Cisco's largest telecommunications customers, helping them solve complex technical and business challenges.
Prior to Cisco, D.K. worked in software development and real-time embedded systems for telecommunications applications. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Technology. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
A CCIE Voice/Collaboration for over 20 years and a Cisco Live! & WebexOne Distinguished Speaker, D.K. is widely recognized for his expertise in SIP, Session Border Controllers (SBC), and Contact Center technologies. He regularly advises Cisco's largest telecommunications customers, helping them solve complex technical and business challenges.
Prior to Cisco, D.K. worked in software development and real-time embedded systems for telecommunications applications. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Technology. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
Cisco
Anuj Bhatia
Sr. Technical Leader, Cisco
Anuj Bhatia is a Senior Technical Leader within Cisco Customer Experience (CX), directing global support operations for Webex Contact Center (WxCC) and Enterprise (WxCCE )cloud platforms. With over two decades of leadership experience at Cisco, he possesses deep-domain expertise in modern contact center architectures and the broader Webex collaboration ecosystem. Anuj holds a Master’s degree from Wichita State University, is a certified Cisco professional, and focuses on scaling high-performance technical support operations and Strategy for TAC. He is based in Massachusetts, operating out of Cisco’s Boxborough office.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 5 3:15 PM – 5:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Flow Like a Pro: Level Up (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Ready to take your Webex Connect flows to the next level? This hands-on lab builds on last year's "Flow Like a Pro" session and introduces more advanced techniques for intelligent messaging workflows. Participants will move beyond SMS and MMS to explore multi-channel flows, interactive RCS messaging, business logic, and AI-powered automation. Through guided exercises, attendees will build and test a complete flow that routes messages, delivers rich interactions, and integrates AI to enhance customer engagement.
CE credits: 3
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Arun Dekkala
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Arun is a Director of Product Management at Cisco, working on Webex products across agentic interoperability, developer experiences, and orchestration. He focuses on building platforms that help enterprises connect AI agents, integrations, and workflows into production-grade collaboration experiences. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling, speaking, and mentoring on AI, innovation, and product.
Cisco
Kevin Simpson
Solutions Manager, Cisco
Kevin Simpson is a Solutions Manager with the Webex Contact Center, where he passionately channels his enthusiasm for innovation, education, and enablement. He has earned a reputation for his remarkable ability to demystify complex concepts, transforming advanced topics into accessible and engaging content for individuals who are eager to learn and expand their knowledge.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Calling Interoperability with Microsoft Teams
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Many organizations rely on both Microsoft Teams and Cisco calling platforms. This session shows you how to get the best of both.
Learn how Cisco Call for Microsoft Teams enables seamless interoperability between Microsoft Teams and Cisco calling platforms. We'll cover the client-side integration in depth, explore common customer deployment scenarios, and compare alternative approaches, including Teams Phone with Direct Routing and SIP Gateway for Cisco Phones.
Whether you're planning a deployment or optimizing an existing environment, you'll leave with a practical understanding of the available integration options and when to use each.
Topics include:
- Cisco Call for Microsoft Teams
- Teams Phone with Direct Routing and SIP Gateway for Cisco Phones
- Common customer deployment scenarios and best practices
A basic understanding of Cisco calling platforms and the Webex App is recommended.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Sara Macías Salete
Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Sara Macías Salete is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer at Cisco. Working within the Global Collaboration Center of Excellence, she specializes in Interoperability and Competition. Her main area of expertise is Calling Interoperability with Microsoft Teams, but she also covers video interoperability with Microsoft, Google, and Zoom, as well as Webex Suite integrations with Microsoft Copilot.
Sara joined Cisco 12 years ago as a Sales Engineer. She has been a regular speaker at Cisco Live and WebexOne since 2022, having been recognized as a Distinguished Speaker on multiple occasions.
Based in Madrid, Spain, Sara enjoys spending her free time running, traveling, swing dancing, and exploring the world of wine.
Sara joined Cisco 12 years ago as a Sales Engineer. She has been a regular speaker at Cisco Live and WebexOne since 2022, having been recognized as a Distinguished Speaker on multiple occasions.
Based in Madrid, Spain, Sara enjoys spending her free time running, traveling, swing dancing, and exploring the world of wine.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Getting Webex Administration Troubleshooting Under Control (in Control Hub)
Technical Training Class: Expert
Control Hub is your single pane of glass — and as it expands, knowing how to troubleshoot it is increasingly critical. This session covers the areas of Webex administration that generate the most TAC cases: troubleshooting users and groups, site and org features, and how to get the most from Analytics, Reporting, and Troubleshooting logs.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Josue Jonathan Vizcaino Huape
Technical Consulting Engineer - Team Lead, Cisco
Josue Vizcaino is a Technical Consulting Engineer at Cisco, with over 24 years of experience in the IT industry and 8 years at Cisco. As a Team Leader in the Webex Meetings TAC in RTP, North Carolina, Josue plays a key role in driving technical excellence and process improvements within the Technical Assistance Center (TAC). He is also a Cisco Live and Webex One speaker, sharing his expertise with a global audience through technical breakout sessions and hands-on labs.
Passionate about knowledge sharing and mentorship, Josue has led chalk talks, training sessions, and workshops covering a range of networking topics, including Webex and Hybrid Services. He is actively involved in multiple initiatives aimed at enhancing TAC processes, ensuring efficiency and continuous improvement in customer support and troubleshooting.
Josue holds a Master of Science in Computer Networking and multiple industry certifications, including ITIL v3 Foundations, Cisco Meraki Network Associate, and Google Apps Certified Administrator.
Passionate about knowledge sharing and mentorship, Josue has led chalk talks, training sessions, and workshops covering a range of networking topics, including Webex and Hybrid Services. He is actively involved in multiple initiatives aimed at enhancing TAC processes, ensuring efficiency and continuous improvement in customer support and troubleshooting.
Josue holds a Master of Science in Computer Networking and multiple industry certifications, including ITIL v3 Foundations, Cisco Meraki Network Associate, and Google Apps Certified Administrator.
Cisco
Paul Stojanovski
Principal Engineer, Cisco
Paul is a Principal Engineer at Cisco within the Customer Experience (CX) organization, where he supports Webex solutions. His work spans several areas, including driving product serviceability, building AI solutions for TAC case-opening tools, and shaping a global TAC support strategy.
Paul has spent his entire professional career working with Collaboration technologies. He began as a TAC engineer supporting the on-premise Collaboration portfolio, with a primary focus on Immersive systems and Mobile and Remote Access. Over the past decade in Webex support, he led the effort to bring Webex support into alignment with Cisco's global CX support teams.
Today, his time is split between product and innovation. On the product side, he focuses on the Webex administration experience, working with Webex Control Hub and Cisco/Webex Identity. On the innovation side, he drives AI Assistant solutions that deliver personalized answers for customers' most common questions.
Paul is passionate about driving change within Webex products to deliver better serviceability and self-service capabilities to customers, partners, and everyone who uses them. He is a former WebexOne speaker and a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker.
Paul has spent his entire professional career working with Collaboration technologies. He began as a TAC engineer supporting the on-premise Collaboration portfolio, with a primary focus on Immersive systems and Mobile and Remote Access. Over the past decade in Webex support, he led the effort to bring Webex support into alignment with Cisco's global CX support teams.
Today, his time is split between product and innovation. On the product side, he focuses on the Webex administration experience, working with Webex Control Hub and Cisco/Webex Identity. On the innovation side, he drives AI Assistant solutions that deliver personalized answers for customers' most common questions.
Paul is passionate about driving change within Webex products to deliver better serviceability and self-service capabilities to customers, partners, and everyone who uses them. He is a former WebexOne speaker and a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker.
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Transforming Patient Engagement: Best Practices for AI-Driven EHR Integration and Workflow Automation
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Integrating Webex AI Agents into electronic health record (EHR) platforms is vital for modern healthcare efficiency. This session details technical implementation using Cisco's secure architecture, focusing on observability and regulatory compliance. We explore the "human-in-the-loop" paradigm, where AI-to-clinician transitions are optimized through context-aware data transfers and interaction logs. By augmenting human capabilities with AI Assistant features, providers can reduce administrative tasks and improve response times. This offers a scalable framework for IT architects to enhance patient care and privacy.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Holger Esser
AI Operations Leader, Cisco
Holger is an AI Operations leader focused on contact center AI and the healthcare CCaaS vertical. With more than 24 years in contact center technology spanning pre-sales engineering, AI specialization, and product leadership, he brings deep expertise in AI-powered customer experience — from conversational IVR to autonomous virtual agents. His recent work centers on healthcare, including EHR integrations, HIPAA-compliant AI architectures, and ROI modeling for AI adoption. He is the creator of the SAIL (Survey, Analyze, Ideate, Launch) AI transformation methodology and a Learning-First framework for agentic deployments.
Cisco
Chandramouli Vaithiyanathan
Sr Technical Leader, Cisco
I am a Senior Technical Leader at Cisco with more than 20 years of experience in contact center technologies. Throughout my career, I have worked across engineering, customer onboarding, solution design, partner enablement, and technical consulting, giving me a comprehensive understanding of how contact center solutions are developed, deployed, adopted, and optimized.
In my current role, I focus on bringing AI capabilities into Webex Contact Center and helping customers and partners translate complex use cases into practical, scalable solutions. I serve as a subject-matter expert for AI Agents, AI Assistant, intelligent routing, workflow automation, and AI-driven customer engagement. I work closely with customers, partners, product teams, and engineering organizations to shape solution architectures, overcome implementation challenges, and accelerate the adoption of AI across the contact center.
As a CCIE Collaboration–certified professional, I combine deep Cisco contact center expertise with a strong focus on innovation, helping organizations use AI to improve customer experiences, agent productivity, and operational efficiency
In my current role, I focus on bringing AI capabilities into Webex Contact Center and helping customers and partners translate complex use cases into practical, scalable solutions. I serve as a subject-matter expert for AI Agents, AI Assistant, intelligent routing, workflow automation, and AI-driven customer engagement. I work closely with customers, partners, product teams, and engineering organizations to shape solution architectures, overcome implementation challenges, and accelerate the adoption of AI across the contact center.
As a CCIE Collaboration–certified professional, I combine deep Cisco contact center expertise with a strong focus on innovation, helping organizations use AI to improve customer experiences, agent productivity, and operational efficiency
Technical Training Class
OCT 5 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Unlocking Connected Intelligence with Webex Suite
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Attendees will learn how Cisco AI Agents can reduce everyday collaboration friction and help people stay focused before, during, and after meetings. Through examples such as the Notetaker Agent and Scheduling Agent, attendees will see how Cisco AI Agents can reduce coordination overhead while keeping access and governance under administrative control.
Attendees will explore what the Real-Time Media Streaming API is, why it matters in today’s AI ecosystem, and the experiences it enables. The session will focus on the Media Intelligence platform architecture, authentication flow, and end-to-end audio-streaming process. In the session, range of uses cases will be highlight to show how live Webex media can power intelligent, responsive experiences.
Together, these capabilities unlock smarter collaboration and new AI-powered experiences built on live Webex media.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Tina Kim
Engineering Product Manager, Cisco
Tina Kim is a product leader at Cisco, where she shapes Webex’s Media Intelligence and AI platform strategy. She leads products that transform live audio and video into developer-ready APIs, enabling real-time transcription, translation, and intelligent experiences. With deep experience across Webex Meetings, media infrastructure, and applied AI, Tina focuses on turning complex technology into scalable products and meaningful customer outcomes.
Cisco
Mithun Baphana
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Mithun Baphana is a product leader for Cisco's Webex Suite and AI, responsible for the Webex App experience across mobile, desktop, web, automotive, webinars, and emerging AR/VR and mixed reality platforms. Over his 15-year career in mobile and enterprise collaboration, he has pioneered multiple industry-first launches, including an AI Notetaker agent for in-person meetings, native in-vehicle collaboration, and 3D spatial meetings for Apple Vision Pro, with his work featured across premier global technology media and international keynote stages, such as Mobile World Congress. Mithun holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) and a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics & Telecommunications from the University of Pune.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
The Future-Ready Meeting Room: Exploring Cisco Devices and Video Interoperability
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Unlock the full potential of Cisco devices and RoomOS in this in-depth session dedicated to interoperability and cross-platform collaboration. We'll cover the latest capabilities, innovations, and roadmap highlights that make Cisco devices the most versatile choice in mixed meeting environments. This session focuses exclusively on the most recent developments over the past 12 months and provides a preview of what's coming next.
We'll explore the Cisco Rooms experience with Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and Webex, and RoomOS and Android container experiences, including Microsoft Teams Rooms, Zoom Rooms, and USB Passthrough.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Charlie Thorpe
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Charlie Thorpe brings a wealth of experience and innovation to his role as a Technical Marketing Engineer within Cisco's Collaboration Technology Group, serving as a key member of the Collaboration Technical Marketing Engineering (TME) team.
Charlie specializes in technologies such as Microsoft Teams Rooms, RoomOS, Desk Series, Sharing, and Webex Edge for Devices, driving impactful solutions across Cisco's collaboration portfolio.
Before stepping into his current role, Charlie excelled as a Technical Solutions Architect on the EMEA Webex SE team, where he led initiatives around Webex SaaS offerings-including Webex Messaging, Meetings, Calling, and Hybrid Services. Since joining Cisco in 2010, he has consistently championed the adoption and evolution of collaboration technologies.
Charlie's career journey also includes four years at Nortel as a Systems Engineer in the Enterprise Sales organization, where he focused on IP telephony, contact centers, and data networking. Prior to Nortel, he spent 15 years at BT, developing a strong foundation in the communications industry and establishing himself as a trusted expert in the field.
Charlie specializes in technologies such as Microsoft Teams Rooms, RoomOS, Desk Series, Sharing, and Webex Edge for Devices, driving impactful solutions across Cisco's collaboration portfolio.
Before stepping into his current role, Charlie excelled as a Technical Solutions Architect on the EMEA Webex SE team, where he led initiatives around Webex SaaS offerings-including Webex Messaging, Meetings, Calling, and Hybrid Services. Since joining Cisco in 2010, he has consistently championed the adoption and evolution of collaboration technologies.
Charlie's career journey also includes four years at Nortel as a Systems Engineer in the Enterprise Sales organization, where he focused on IP telephony, contact centers, and data networking. Prior to Nortel, he spent 15 years at BT, developing a strong foundation in the communications industry and establishing himself as a trusted expert in the field.
Cisco
Davide Preti
TME Technical Leader, Cisco
Davide Preti is a Technical Marketing Engineering Leader in Cisco's Collaboration Technology Group, specializing in Unified Communications and cross-platform interoperability. Based in Italy, he joined Cisco in 2010 through the TANDBERG acquisition. His expertise spans Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom integrations, with a strong focus on video devices, meeting experiences, and interoperability-driven collaboration architectures.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Flow Like a Pro: Level Up (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Ready to take your Webex Connect flows to the next level? This hands-on lab builds on last year's "Flow Like a Pro" session and introduces more advanced techniques for intelligent messaging workflows. Participants will move beyond SMS and MMS to explore multi-channel flows, interactive RCS messaging, business logic, and AI-powered automation. Through guided exercises, attendees will build and test a complete flow that routes messages, delivers rich interactions, and integrates AI to enhance customer engagement.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Kevin Simpson
Solutions Manager, Cisco
Kevin Simpson is a Solutions Manager with the Webex Contact Center, where he passionately channels his enthusiasm for innovation, education, and enablement. He has earned a reputation for his remarkable ability to demystify complex concepts, transforming advanced topics into accessible and engaging content for individuals who are eager to learn and expand their knowledge.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Beyond the AI Pilot: A Flight Plan for Trusted CX at Scale
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
AI pilots are multiplying but trusted, measurable value at scale remains elusive. The challenge is not choosing another AI capability; it is creating an operating model that connects technology, people, data, governance, and outcomes across the customer journey.
In this intermediate session, contact center architects, administrators, and CX leaders will use the F.L.I.G.H.T. framework to move beyond experimentation: Find the right use case, Launch deliberately, Interact and tune, Govern and secure, Handoff with context, and Transform through measurable outcomes. Grounded in Webex Contact Center and informed by real deployments, end-to-end walkthroughs reveal the decisions that separate pilots from durable operations. This includes: where AI belongs, how it should be tuned and measured, when humans should enter the journey, and how trust is maintained as autonomy grows. Leave with practical principles for scaling AI without losing context, control, or sight of business value.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Krishna Tyagi
Senior Technical Leader, Webex CX & AI FDE, Cisco
Krishna Tyagi is a Senior Technical Leader within the Webex Customer Experience AI FDE at Cisco Systems, working across the full Webex CX portfolio — including Webex Contact Center, AI Agent, AI Assistant, and AI Quality Management. He guides enterprise organisations through the complete AI lifecycle, from architecture and design through large-scale deployment and optimisation, partnering closely with Cisco's Product, Engineering, and AI Strategy teams.
With 21 years of industry experience, Krishna has advised C-suite leaders at organisations through complex, large-scale AI transformations. He is a Distinguished Cisco Live Speaker and a recipient of the Cisco-wide Innovation Award, presented by Cisco's CEO. He holds Cisco Generative AI Blue Belt and Business AI Practitioner credentials, is an IEEE Senior Member, and regularly publishes thought leadership on AI and customer experience. Krishna holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and an Executive Leadership certification from Cornell University.
With 21 years of industry experience, Krishna has advised C-suite leaders at organisations through complex, large-scale AI transformations. He is a Distinguished Cisco Live Speaker and a recipient of the Cisco-wide Innovation Award, presented by Cisco's CEO. He holds Cisco Generative AI Blue Belt and Business AI Practitioner credentials, is an IEEE Senior Member, and regularly publishes thought leadership on AI and customer experience. Krishna holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and an Executive Leadership certification from Cornell University.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Best Practices for Securing Cisco Collaboration 15 On-Premises Deployments
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This technical session covers the security architecture and deployment best practices for Cisco Collaboration 15 on-premises products — Cisco UCM, Unity Connection, Expressway, and more. Topics include layered security, toll-fraud mitigation, certificate management, and media and signaling encryption, with practical guidance on configuring each to protect your on-premises environment.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Scott Kiewert
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Scott Kiewert is a Technical Marketing Engineer in the Collaboration Technology Group (CTG) at Cisco. He helps to provide best practice guidelines for Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Webex. His main areas of focus are on-premises collaboration and Webex identity, security, privacy, and APIs. He has authored questions for multiple Cisco certification exams and holds an active CCIE Collaboration certification.
Cisco
Matt Jordy
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Matt Jordy is a Principal Technical Marketing Engineer in the Collaboration Technology Group at Cisco. He provides collaboration solutions design and deployment guidance to the Cisco sales force and Cisco's customers and partners around the world. His primary technology focus is on-premises and cloud collaboration security.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Hands-On: Migrating Premises Contact Center Enterprise to the Cloud (with Webex Contact Center)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Is your on-premises Packaged Contact Center Enterprise (PCCE) or Unified Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE) environment outdated? Join this interactive session to explore the effort and benefits of moving to Webex Contact Center. You’ll take a hands-on approach to building out a complete Contact Center Enterprise flow into Webex Contact Center, end-to-end. We’ll highlight best practices, important considerations, and major feature differences between the two solutions so you’ll be able to make an informed migration plan.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Joe Wong
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Expert in optimizing business and technical outcomes utilizing AI and contact center technologies in a cloud, premise, or hybrid solution.
Joe Wong is a Solutions Engineer that focuses on the whole customer experience and engagement, including those who manage and use the technology. He has 20+ years of contact center experience with 17 years focused on Cisco solutions. He is a recognized Cisco Distinguished Speaker and 5-Star Speaker at Cisco Live and WebexOne respectively. He was a Solutions Architect with Cisco's Contact Center Delivery Team for 8 years handling critical enterprise accounts and strategic engagements specializing in complex environments before joining Cisco Sales Engineering in 2022.
Prior to Cisco, he has been a customer twice and part of our partner ecosystem. Joe's expertise encompasses the entire Contact Center portfolio, large and small, with more recent blending of modern and exciting opportunities using AI services and digital channels across multiple verticals. With an extensive background in design, delivery, and support in both customer experience architecture and applications, he is constantly looking for optimizations and improvements around the customer, patient, agent, and administrator experiences.
Joe Wong is a Solutions Engineer that focuses on the whole customer experience and engagement, including those who manage and use the technology. He has 20+ years of contact center experience with 17 years focused on Cisco solutions. He is a recognized Cisco Distinguished Speaker and 5-Star Speaker at Cisco Live and WebexOne respectively. He was a Solutions Architect with Cisco's Contact Center Delivery Team for 8 years handling critical enterprise accounts and strategic engagements specializing in complex environments before joining Cisco Sales Engineering in 2022.
Prior to Cisco, he has been a customer twice and part of our partner ecosystem. Joe's expertise encompasses the entire Contact Center portfolio, large and small, with more recent blending of modern and exciting opportunities using AI services and digital channels across multiple verticals. With an extensive background in design, delivery, and support in both customer experience architecture and applications, he is constantly looking for optimizations and improvements around the customer, patient, agent, and administrator experiences.
Cisco
Gino D'Addario
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Gino D'Addario is a Senior Solutions Engineer that brings his passion for Customer Experience to businesses of all shapes and sizes around the globe. A Cisco veteran since 2007, he understands that an effective CX strategy is not a one-size-fits-all approach. He has no shame in asking questions, no matter how obvious they may seem, to get to the root of a customer's needs and identify a desired outcome.
A key advocate for Cisco's on-premises installed base, Gino excels at identifying the ideal architectural path to deliver rapid business value regardless of cloud appetite. He is actively involved with customers driving continued innovation on-premises, as well as those pursuing hybrid or full cloud models at their own pace.
Prior to joining Cisco's Global Specialists organization, Gino was a Customer Success Engineer in the Contact Center Business Unit handling critical accounts and strategic proactive engagements. Gino is a veteran Distinguished Speaker at Cisco Live! US and EMEA, presenting BRK/LTR/TEC sessions yearly since 2012. This is his first WebexOne event since the 2019 Contact Center Sales Summit, so please say "Hi!" when you see him!
A key advocate for Cisco's on-premises installed base, Gino excels at identifying the ideal architectural path to deliver rapid business value regardless of cloud appetite. He is actively involved with customers driving continued innovation on-premises, as well as those pursuing hybrid or full cloud models at their own pace.
Prior to joining Cisco's Global Specialists organization, Gino was a Customer Success Engineer in the Contact Center Business Unit handling critical accounts and strategic proactive engagements. Gino is a veteran Distinguished Speaker at Cisco Live! US and EMEA, presenting BRK/LTR/TEC sessions yearly since 2012. This is his first WebexOne event since the 2019 Contact Center Sales Summit, so please say "Hi!" when you see him!
Cisco
Matt Holbrook
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Matt Holbrook is a Solutions Engineer focused on helping organizations optimize business and technical outcomes through modern patient and customer engagement technologies across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments. With more than 20 years of experience in collaboration and contact center solutions, including over 15 years specializing in healthcare, Matt brings deep expertise in designing connected, scalable, and user-centered engagement experiences.
As a subject matter expert for native Cisco integrations with Epic EHR, Matt helps bridge the gap between complex healthcare technology environments and seamless, intuitive experiences for both patients and the teams who support them. Prior to joining Cisco, Matt spent 25 years in the Cisco partner ecosystem, giving him a broad perspective across the full solution lifecycle—from discovery and architecture through delivery, support, and ongoing optimization.
Matt’s expertise spans the Cisco contact center portfolio, with a strong focus on the evolving role of agentic services, digital channels, and intelligent automation in transforming customer and patient engagement. He is passionate about designing architectures that improve the end-to-end experience across the intelligent front door, agentic virtual interactions, and human agent engagement—enhancing outcomes for customers, patients, agents, supervisors, and administrators alike.
As a subject matter expert for native Cisco integrations with Epic EHR, Matt helps bridge the gap between complex healthcare technology environments and seamless, intuitive experiences for both patients and the teams who support them. Prior to joining Cisco, Matt spent 25 years in the Cisco partner ecosystem, giving him a broad perspective across the full solution lifecycle—from discovery and architecture through delivery, support, and ongoing optimization.
Matt’s expertise spans the Cisco contact center portfolio, with a strong focus on the evolving role of agentic services, digital channels, and intelligent automation in transforming customer and patient engagement. He is passionate about designing architectures that improve the end-to-end experience across the intelligent front door, agentic virtual interactions, and human agent engagement—enhancing outcomes for customers, patients, agents, supervisors, and administrators alike.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Contact Center Outbound Dialer and Campaign Manager: From Reactive to Proactive
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Outbound campaign issues in Webex Contact Center can be hard to untangle. This session introduces a structured "ideal flow" approach for troubleshooting across Campaign Manager, Dialer, and call progress analysis (CPA). Through practical case studies — data import failures, dialing inefficiencies, CPA misconfigurations — you'll leave with a repeatable playbook for reducing downtime and improving campaign performance.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Meenakshi Sundaram Kandasamy
Technical Consulting Engineer, Cisco
Meenakshi Sundaram Kandasamy is a Senior Technical Consulting Engineer within the Webex Contact Center Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team, bringing extensive experience in the contact center (CC)) industry since 2007. Specializing in both on-premises and cloud-based contact center solutions, he leverages his deep expertise in the Cisco portfolio to drive customer success. He began his career as a Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer for the Unified Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE) portfolio before transitioning to his current role, where he supports a broad range of on-premises and cloud CC offerings. A frequent speaker at various Troubleshooting Summits and Cisco Live, He holds a Master's degree in Software Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science.
Cisco
Ashwin Venkata Krishnan
Software Engineer, Cisco
Ashwin Venkata Krishnan is a Software Engineer at Cisco with more than a decade of experience building Scalable Distributed Systems. He specializes in Routing, Queuing, and Outbound Engagement Architecture for Webex Contact Center and has contributed to capabilities including Agent-based routing, Personal callbacks, and Predictive Dialing. His session will share practical lessons for designing reliable, high-scale contact-center solutions. Ashwin holds a master’s degree in Information Systems from Northeastern University and enjoys experimenting with AI Agent workflows.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Calling Customer Assist Hands-On Lab
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
This hands-on lab offers you practical experience in configuring and deploying a foundational, voice-only call center environment using Webex Calling Customer Assist. You’ll actively set up an auto attendant, intelligent call routing, and queue management. The lab moves from theoretical knowledge to practical application, enabling you to optimize call handling, enhance customer experience, and improve agent productivity. Upon completion, you’ll be skilled in implementing a professional, streamlined voice contact solution within your Webex Calling environment.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Susan Parrish
Webex Enablement Specialist, Cisco
Susan Parrish is a Technical Enablement Specialist at Cisco with over 20 years of experience in technology and customer-facing roles. Specializing in Webex solutions, she bridges the gap between complex software and practical application through effective adult education strategies. A 5-star instructor at WebexOne since its inception in 2022 and a 2025 Visionary Award nominee, Susan is also an active member of Women of Cisco and Women in Collaboration. She holds a Master’s in Adult Education from East Carolina University and a BS in Management of Information Systems from Mount Olive University. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys tailgating at ECU football games, traveling, and spending time at the beach.
Cisco
Vanesa Melendez
Instructional Design & Training Specialist, Cisco
Vanesa Melendez is a Training Specialist currently providing training for Webex Calling and Webex Contact Center at Cisco Webex Academy. With previous experience at Broadsoft and Ericsson. She is an Panamanian graduated in Electronics Engineering with more than a decade of experience in the telecommunications field.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Deep-Dive into Cisco RoomOS xAPIs (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
This hands-on lab focuses on teaching different integration points—SSH, HTTP, WebSockets, Cloud xAPI, Macros—for RoomOS endpoint customization and automation. You’ll learn xAPI fundamentals, UI extensions, and web content. Plus, you’ll build your own customization using Macros and begin your deployment journey, introducing Control Hub's ability to deploy customizations and using third-party tooling that leverages the same xAPI to deploy at scale.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Tim Kratzke
Technical Leader, Cisco
Tim Kratzke has been working on Cisco Telepresence products for over 14 years, ranging from Immersive video systems, video infrastructure such as Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) and Expressway, and for the past 8 years specializing in video endpoints. After working as a Telepresence TAC engineer, Tim now works with global CX teams training new engineers, building tools and automation to aid in the troubleshooting process, and working with engineering to improve the serviceability of collaboration video endpoints. In his spare time Tim is an avid hockey fan and enjoys traveling and exploring new destinations.
Cisco
Bobby McGonigle Jr
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
I’m a Technical Marketing Engineer in Cisco’s Devices Business Unit, focusing on RoomOS products designed for integrators, including the Codec Pro G2 and Codec EQ. My interest in collaboration technology began during a university internship, where my first exposure to professional audiovisual systems centered on Cisco. I was hooked.
I’m now in my fifth year at Cisco, where I specialize in RoomOS xAPIs, macros, and room design. Before joining Cisco, I spent four years supporting RoomOS devices in education, an environment where complex technology needs to feel simple and natural for teachers. That experience still shapes my work today. I like to think of myself as a Cisco customer with a little extra access, helping make a product I already love even better.
One project I’m especially proud of is the Join Zoom macro. I originally created it at the university to make joining Zoom SIP meetings easier for my users, then shared it with the wider Cisco community. After joining Cisco, I had the opportunity to watch that idea evolve into an official product capability. The final implementation was not my code, but it solved the same problem and reflected the user experience I had set out to create. The macro has since been retired in favor of the current Join Zoom solution, but I’m proud that something I built for my users served the wider community and lived a full life.
That journey captures what I enjoy most about RoomOS. I want to help people discover what they can create with it. My goal as a speaker is to take people with little or no coding or xAPI experience and give them the confidence to interact with RoomOS devices like professionals.
I’m now in my fifth year at Cisco, where I specialize in RoomOS xAPIs, macros, and room design. Before joining Cisco, I spent four years supporting RoomOS devices in education, an environment where complex technology needs to feel simple and natural for teachers. That experience still shapes my work today. I like to think of myself as a Cisco customer with a little extra access, helping make a product I already love even better.
One project I’m especially proud of is the Join Zoom macro. I originally created it at the university to make joining Zoom SIP meetings easier for my users, then shared it with the wider Cisco community. After joining Cisco, I had the opportunity to watch that idea evolve into an official product capability. The final implementation was not my code, but it solved the same problem and reflected the user experience I had set out to create. The macro has since been retired in favor of the current Join Zoom solution, but I’m proud that something I built for my users served the wider community and lived a full life.
That journey captures what I enjoy most about RoomOS. I want to help people discover what they can create with it. My goal as a speaker is to take people with little or no coding or xAPI experience and give them the confidence to interact with RoomOS devices like professionals.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Practical Guide to Webex Contact Center Troubleshooting and Flow Design (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Webex Contact Center technology is evolving fast, making it hard to keep up and avoid misconfigurations. Join this hands-on lab to move beyond the basics and sharpen your troubleshooting skills.
Instead of simple setup, you'll learn to build optimal voice configurations using skill-based and personalized AI routing. We'll also walk through real-world digital use cases, breaking down the logic behind end-to-end flows and integrations. Participants will leave ready to build effective solutions with the right guardrails in place to ensure their contact center runs smoothly.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
D.K. Singh
Principal Engineer, Cisco
D.K., is a member of the Cisco Customer Experience (CX) Leadership team for Cisco Collaboration technologies. With over 30 years of industry experience and more than 25 years in Cisco TAC, he is a recognized technical leader, Business Unit advisor, and collaboration expert. Throughout his career, D.K. has led strategic initiatives in product serviceability, solution interoperability, automation, and customer enablement for hybrid and cloud collaboration solutions. He has played a key role in establishing multiple TAC teams across Cisco's global Customer Experience (CX) and Global Delivery Partner (GDP) centers while actively mentoring and developing technical talent.
A CCIE Voice/Collaboration for over 20 years and a Cisco Live! & WebexOne Distinguished Speaker, D.K. is widely recognized for his expertise in SIP, Session Border Controllers (SBC), and Contact Center technologies. He regularly advises Cisco's largest telecommunications customers, helping them solve complex technical and business challenges.
Prior to Cisco, D.K. worked in software development and real-time embedded systems for telecommunications applications. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Technology. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
A CCIE Voice/Collaboration for over 20 years and a Cisco Live! & WebexOne Distinguished Speaker, D.K. is widely recognized for his expertise in SIP, Session Border Controllers (SBC), and Contact Center technologies. He regularly advises Cisco's largest telecommunications customers, helping them solve complex technical and business challenges.
Prior to Cisco, D.K. worked in software development and real-time embedded systems for telecommunications applications. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Technology. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
Cisco
Anuj Bhatia
Sr. Technical Leader, Cisco
Anuj Bhatia is a Senior Technical Leader within Cisco Customer Experience (CX), directing global support operations for Webex Contact Center (WxCC) and Enterprise (WxCCE )cloud platforms. With over two decades of leadership experience at Cisco, he possesses deep-domain expertise in modern contact center architectures and the broader Webex collaboration ecosystem. Anuj holds a Master’s degree from Wichita State University, is a certified Cisco professional, and focuses on scaling high-performance technical support operations and Strategy for TAC. He is based in Massachusetts, operating out of Cisco’s Boxborough office.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Building and Securing Business Outcomes with Agentic AI Agent (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this two-hour hands-on lab, you’ll build a secure, production-ready AI agents using Cisco Agentic AI Agent within a One Cisco strategy. You’ll work across four pillars—Proactive, AI Agent, Human Agent, and One Cisco—to create an end-to-end blueprint that connects agentic AI with the broader Cisco portfolio and turns strategy into practical business value.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Rue Green
Sr. Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rue Green is a Senior Solutions Engineer and global architect at Cisco, where he has spent 20 years designing enterprise contact center and collaboration systems across the APJC and US regions. He specializes in Webex Contact Center and PCCE architecture with a current focus on agentic AI in the customer experience space. An active CCIE, Rue has earned four CCIE certifications over his career—Enterprise Infrastructure, Voice, Collaboration, and Automation—with Automation (formerly DevNet Expert) earned as the third person to pass the exam in 2025. He is also a CISSP, a US patent holder, and a Cisco Live Distinguished Speaker Hall of Fame member, and is completing a Master's in Computer Science with a machine learning specialization at Georgia Tech.
Cisco
Preetham Kademada
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Preetham Kademada is a Solutions Engineer with more than 23 years of experience shaping the contact center and customer experience industry. He has navigated every stage of the customer engagement lifecycle — from architecture and design through deployment and long-term support — giving him a rare end-to-end perspective that bridges strategy and execution.
Before joining Cisco Sales Engineering in 2021, Preetham spent eight years leading professional services teams through some of the most complex Cisco Contact Center deployments in the field, earning a reputation for delivering under pressure on enterprise accounts where the stakes are high and the margin for error is low.
Today, Preetham works at the intersection of partner success and enterprise innovation, helping organizations design scalable contact center solutions built for what's next. His technical depth spans the full Cisco Contact Center portfolio, with a sharp focus on Webex Contact Center AI workloads, next-generation digital engagement channels, and cloud-first modernization. He has a particular gift for translating technical complexity into business clarity — making the case not just for what a solution does, but why it matters.
Preetham brings to every engagement a partner-first mindset, ensuring solutions are engineered not only to perform on day one, but to scale and endure over time.
Before joining Cisco Sales Engineering in 2021, Preetham spent eight years leading professional services teams through some of the most complex Cisco Contact Center deployments in the field, earning a reputation for delivering under pressure on enterprise accounts where the stakes are high and the margin for error is low.
Today, Preetham works at the intersection of partner success and enterprise innovation, helping organizations design scalable contact center solutions built for what's next. His technical depth spans the full Cisco Contact Center portfolio, with a sharp focus on Webex Contact Center AI workloads, next-generation digital engagement channels, and cloud-first modernization. He has a particular gift for translating technical complexity into business clarity — making the case not just for what a solution does, but why it matters.
Preetham brings to every engagement a partner-first mindset, ensuring solutions are engineered not only to perform on day one, but to scale and endure over time.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Vibe Code Your Contact Center Solution (Option 2)
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Bring your CX pain points to an interactive session where we'll create prompts and the facilitator will "vibe code", live, a tailored UX solution based on your needs. Using an iterative approach to product design and user experience, we'll turn your feedback into a solution to demonstrate the latest AI-powered UX tools used to build great CX experiences.
This unique, innovative workshop explores user-centered creative problem-solving with collaborative activities, where you'll actively participate in shaping future-ready contact center experiences.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Cheryl Couris
Senior Director, Design Strategy + Planning, Cisco
Cheryl Couris is the Senior Director of Design Strategy + Planning for Cisco Collaboration Design organization, where she builds AI systems, skills and operational infrastructure to help designers and researchers scale and unlock design + product experiences as business drivers and differentiators.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Beyond the Hype: Designing Intelligent Workflows with Webex Suite and Webex Customer Experience AI
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
From employee productivity to customer experience, Webex AI helps organizations work smarter at every level.
In this session, we'll bring the Webex AI portfolio together to help you understand where each solution fits and the business outcomes it delivers. We'll showcase how Webex AI improves productivity with AI Assistant and AI Receptionist in Webex Suite, then explore how AI Agents and AI Assistants transform customer and agent experiences across Webex Customer Experience solutions. Through real-world use cases and live demos, you'll gain the architectural understanding needed to deploy the right AI capabilities for the right business outcomes.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Alejandra Gonzalez Romero
Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
With 17 years of experience at the forefront of Cisco's collaboration technology, I specialize in bridging the gap between complex technical infrastructure and high-level business strategy. As a CCIE-certified engineer, I don't just implement technology; I architect collaboration solutions that drive organizational productivity.
My career began in the trenches of the Technical Assistance Center (TAC), where I learned to solve the most critical, high-stakes challenges in the industry. This technical foundation allows me to speak with authority on how collaboration tools can be leveraged to solve real-world business problems.
Beyond my day-to-day work, I am a recognized voice in the industry, having presented multiple times at Cisco Connect LATAM and serving as a frequent host for live webinars within the Cisco Community. My focus is always the same: translating technical innovation into clear, measurable value for decision-makers. I am dedicated to helping our customers and partners navigate the complexities of modern collaboration, ensuring that their technology investments are fully aligned with their strategic goals and long-term business success.
My career began in the trenches of the Technical Assistance Center (TAC), where I learned to solve the most critical, high-stakes challenges in the industry. This technical foundation allows me to speak with authority on how collaboration tools can be leveraged to solve real-world business problems.
Beyond my day-to-day work, I am a recognized voice in the industry, having presented multiple times at Cisco Connect LATAM and serving as a frequent host for live webinars within the Cisco Community. My focus is always the same: translating technical innovation into clear, measurable value for decision-makers. I am dedicated to helping our customers and partners navigate the complexities of modern collaboration, ensuring that their technology investments are fully aligned with their strategic goals and long-term business success.
Cisco
Bryan Waldmann
Manager, Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Bryan Waldmann is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer / SE Leader on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP). In this role, Bryan guides the Collaboration Pre-Sales trial team, working closely with customers across a range of industries. He brings deep expertise in Webex Calling, UCM/DI, US FedRAMP, and Webex Devices. Bryan has presented/spoken at multiple WebexOne and Cisco Live sessions in the past. Prior to joining CCEP, Bryan worked in the Partner space, deploying CUCM and video solutions nationwide, with a particular focus on healthcare. He successfully led conversions of hundreds of hospitals and physician sites to CUCM. Bryan lives in the Cincinnati Metro area with his wife and five children.
Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer/TSA on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) team. Specializing in Webex Calling, Dedicated Instance, Contact Center, and Devices, he leverages over a decade of experience in Cisco Unified Communications to help customers succeed. Formerly a Technical Consulting Engineer in CX, Rajamani is a frequent speaker at Cisco Live and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Anna University.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Mastering Events and Production with Webex
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Did you know you have access to powerful event capabilities as part of the Webex Suite?
In this session, you'll learn how to leverage Webex Suite as your event production studio using Slido, Vidcast, Webex Webinars, Webex Events, and Webex Relay. This session goes beyond the mechanics of running an event to show how Webex can help you plan, produce, and engage audiences across in-person, hybrid, and virtual experiences.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Justin Jordan
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Justin Jordan is a Senior Product Manager at Cisco in the Webex Suite Business group. He has been at Cisco 15 years and enjoys presenting and working with our Customers and Partners on all things Collaboration! Justin resides in the Texas Hill Country with his family and loves all things Pugs, Flying, and Arcades!
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Discover the Power of Webex Calling and Its Latest AI Innovations
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Webex Calling is evolving fast. This session previews the AI Receptionist for automating routine tasks, "Prep me for my next call" for pre-call intelligence, real-time suggested responses, live speech-to-speech translation, call sentiment analysis, and topic analytics. If you manage or use Webex Calling, this is where to see what's next.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Vladimiro Lerena
Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
With a career spanning over 25 years, Electronic Engineer and 18-year Cisco veteran Vladimiro Lerena combines deep technical expertise with a passion for innovation. An active CCIE in Collaboration and a recognized distinguished speaker at Cisco Live, Vladimiro currently leads initiatives to harness the power of AI to transform business processes for organizations throughout Latin America.
Cisco
Jose Linero
Senior Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Jose Linero is a Senior Solutions Engineer with more than 25 years of experience driving innovation in SaaS, cloud, and AI-powered collaboration solutions. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the development and evolution of scalable Collaboration-as-a-Service platforms that transform how organizations connect, collaborate, and engage in a digital-first world.
He plays a strategic role in advancing Webex Calling, Webex Contact Center, and AI-driven customer engagement solutions, helping customers across multiple industry verticals modernize communications, elevate customer experiences, and enable intelligent hybrid work environments. By integrating automation, analytics, and AI capabilities into cloud architectures, Jose helps organizations translate technology innovation into measurable business outcomes.
Currently pursuing a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence, Jose is deepening his expertise in machine learning, AI architectures, and intelligent systems to further bridge advanced research with real-world enterprise collaboration solutions.
As a Cisco Webex Subject Matter Expert and Hall of Fame Distinguished Cisco Live speaker, Jose is recognized for connecting AI, cloud platforms, and collaboration technologies into a cohesive vision for the future of enterprise communications.
He plays a strategic role in advancing Webex Calling, Webex Contact Center, and AI-driven customer engagement solutions, helping customers across multiple industry verticals modernize communications, elevate customer experiences, and enable intelligent hybrid work environments. By integrating automation, analytics, and AI capabilities into cloud architectures, Jose helps organizations translate technology innovation into measurable business outcomes.
Currently pursuing a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence, Jose is deepening his expertise in machine learning, AI architectures, and intelligent systems to further bridge advanced research with real-world enterprise collaboration solutions.
As a Cisco Webex Subject Matter Expert and Hall of Fame Distinguished Cisco Live speaker, Jose is recognized for connecting AI, cloud platforms, and collaboration technologies into a cohesive vision for the future of enterprise communications.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Designing for Scale: Webex Calling Multi-Tenant Architecture
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Join this technical deep dive into how Webex Calling multi-tenant services are architected, scaled, and operated globally. We’ll clarify the core building blocks across shared services, global topology, data residency, media handling, AI processing, high availability, security, and network connectivity—so attendees understand the design considerations that shape future deployment decisions.
CE credits: 1
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Owen Friel
Distinguished Engineer, Cisco
Owen Friel is a Distinguished Engineer and Chief Architect for Webex Calling. He joined the Collaboration group in Cisco in 2007. He has had multiple roles across Collaboration including CUCM IM&P lead architect and CUCM lead architect. Owen has been working on Webex Calling since its inception.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
AI Agents and Securing the Agentic Future
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Agentic AI is transforming enterprise systems by enabling AI to plan, reason, and act across tools and workflows. In this session, we'll demystify agentic architectures, from augmented Large Language Models (LLMs) to multi-agent collaboration using protocols like the Model Context Protocol (MCP). We'll then address the critical challenge: security. As agents gain autonomy, risks like prompt injection and tool misuse increase. You'll learn practical design patterns and a simple framework for building secure, scalable agentic AI systems in real-world environments.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Gaurav Khanna
AI Executive, Cisco
Dr. Gaurav Khanna is an AI Executive at Cisco Systems. During his 26 year career at Cisco, he has held many roles including managing early-in-career SE programs and founding the first data science and machine learning team in Sales. His team pioneered the use of predictive and generative AI systems in Sales at Cisco.
In his current role, he is focused on guiding customers on their overall AI strategy and business transformation. He is also active fostering strategic partnerships within Cisco and the industry. Teaching and mentoring students has long been a passion; he currently teaches a popular foundational AI/ML course at Stanford Continuing Studies and travels frequently to speak about AI in industry forums.
In his spare time, he loves to travel, hike in National Parks, and read about history, finance, build with AI, and is a “math enthusiast”. Originally from New York, he has been a long-time resident of San Jose, CA, with his wife and two teenage children. He received his B.S. in Physics from Yale and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
In his current role, he is focused on guiding customers on their overall AI strategy and business transformation. He is also active fostering strategic partnerships within Cisco and the industry. Teaching and mentoring students has long been a passion; he currently teaches a popular foundational AI/ML course at Stanford Continuing Studies and travels frequently to speak about AI in industry forums.
In his spare time, he loves to travel, hike in National Parks, and read about history, finance, build with AI, and is a “math enthusiast”. Originally from New York, he has been a long-time resident of San Jose, CA, with his wife and two teenage children. He received his B.S. in Physics from Yale and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Hands-On Flow Designer Lab: APIs, AI Agents, and MCP in Action (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this hands-on lab, attendees will build a real Webex Contact Center flow from scratch using provided lab computers and sandbox environments. Starting with Flow Designer fundamentals, the lab progresses through connecting to an external API, integrating a Webex AI Agent, and adding an external Model Context Protocol (MCP) server connection. The finale puts it all together: using the new Flow Designer MCP server to build and modify flows through natural language with AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT. No prior Flow Designer experience required. Leave with a working flow and the skills to build your own.
CE credits: 3
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Adam Weeks
Webex Developer Relations Technical Leader, Cisco
Adam Weeks is a lifelong developer with a passion for learning, teaching, and building applications, with over 20 years of industry experience. As a Technical Leader on the Webex Developer Relations team at Cisco, Adam focuses on building AI-powered solutions and developer tools that extend the Webex platform, turning ideas into working software that helps developers and customers get more out of the ecosystem. A Cisco Distinguished Speaker, he has presented worldwide to audiences of all sizes, from intimate workshops to the large conferences. Adam is a native Floridian, and when he's not at the keyboard, you'll find him on the water somewhere in Central Florida.
Cisco
Arunabh Bhattacharjee
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Arunabh Bhattacharjee is a Senior Product Manager at Cisco focused on agentic AI for automation, orchestration and AI-powered customer experience (CX). He leads product for Webex Contact Center in orchestration and platform integrations, helping enterprises build seamless omnichannel journeys and connect external systems to achieve business outcomes. Across multiple roles spanning more than 13 years at Cisco in product management, engineering, and solution leadership, Arunabh has translated complex technology into practical, scalable product direction. He is a Cisco Live Distinguished Speaker, a contributor to the Webex developer ecosystem, a published author and speaker on the Webex developer platform, and co-author of publications on orchestration and AI agents.
At WebexOne, attendees will leave with practical ways to use agentic AI for building orchestration, learn about context, APIs, AI agents, MCP, and Flow Designer to modernize customer journeys. Based in Toronto, Canada he also enjoys hackathons and building side projects that keep him close to hands-on problem solving.
At WebexOne, attendees will leave with practical ways to use agentic AI for building orchestration, learn about context, APIs, AI agents, MCP, and Flow Designer to modernize customer journeys. Based in Toronto, Canada he also enjoys hackathons and building side projects that keep him close to hands-on problem solving.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Designing the Future Admin Experience: Control Hub for Calling and Contact Center (Option 2)
Technical Training Class: Foundation
The future of manageability isn't more pages and features—it's a cohesive platform with clearer workflows, actionable surfaces, and AI that helps admins move faster without losing control.
In this interactive Control Hub session, admins will work with UX leaders to identify friction points, define what makes admin experiences more actionable, and explore the trust, transparency, and control needed for AI to add real value.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Janet Cheng
Product Designer, Cisco
Janet Cheng is a Senior Product Designer who has been untangling the complex world of admin experiences since joining Cisco in 2018. Her work has spanned Calling, core Control Hub experiences, and now CX, where she leads the admin experience. She's excited to explore what's next with admins, imagining and shaping the future of the admin experience.
Cisco
Kristin Harvey
Product Design Director, Cisco
Kristin Harvey is Director of Product Design at Cisco, where she leads the team shaping Collaboration Control Hub—the experience administrators rely on to manage collaboration at scale. Across more than 20 years in nonprofits, finance, and technology, she has built a career making complex systems clearer, more useful, and more human. Kristin looks for opportunity in moments of friction, bringing teams and customers into the work to turn strategic shifts into durable product change. She believes the best design builds trust—in the product, across disciplines, and with the people it serves.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Scaling Engagement, Not Effort: Reach More, Engage Better with Vidcast and Slido
Technical Training Class: Foundation
What if engagement didn't stop when the meeting ended—and didn't require more meetings to achieve?
As work becomes more distributed, teams need smarter and easier ways to connect at scale without losing impact. In this session, we'll explore Webex's Intelligent Engagement vision and bring it to life through real-time demos of Vidcast and Slido. Whether you're driving executive communications, enabling teams, or delivering training, we'll show how to scale your reach while creating more meaningful, two-way experiences.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Hannah Thompson
Sr. Growth Product Manager, Cisco
Hannah Thompson is a Senior Growth Product Manager for the Webex Suite at Cisco, where she drives adoption and engagement across the full portfolio, from Meetings and Messaging to AI, Vidcast, and Slido. She partners closely with customers, product, and marketing teams to bring the Webex story to life through podcasts, customer interviews, and hands-on programs. A regular voice at Cisco Live and WebexOne, Hannah is passionate about helping every role and workstyle get more value from the Webex platform.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
AI for On-Prem for Contact Center Enterprise: Cisco Native and BYO AI with Universal Harness
Technical Training Class: Expert
In this session, we’ll introduce Cisco’s on-premises AI solution for Contact Center Enterprise (CCE). You’ll see how to build reusable AI capabilities with Universal Harness, package them as portable services, and deploy them wherever customers need them—across the Cisco cloud, Cloud Connect/Fusion, Cisco AI POD, or bring-your-own (BYO) AI infrastructure.
You’ll learn how Universal Harness supports both Cisco-native AI services and customer-selected speech-to-speech or BYO AI providers, including OpenAI Realtime, Gemini Live, Nova Sonic, Azure Voice Live, and other pluggable models. You’ll leave with a reference architecture, provider integration patterns, and a practical blueprint for delivering real-time voice AI in CCE while preserving customer control, deployment flexibility, and a path to a fully on-premises AI deployment with Cisco AI POD.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Ankush Jaggi
Sr. Product Manager, Cisco
Ankush Jaggi is a Senior Product Manager for Cisco Contact Center with nearly 24 years of experience in telecommunications, including a decade in product management. His background spans voice and video infrastructure, calling platforms, and cloud and on-premises IVR and self-service. At WebexOne, he will introduce Universal Harness On-Premises (UHop) and discuss speech services on the Collab AI Pod.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshooting Cisco Webex Calling
Technical Training Class: Expert
This session dives into troubleshooting Webex Calling, from end-user onboarding, synchronization, and management to location, number, and dial plan configuration. We'll cover Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connectivity including premises-based PSTN, focusing on Webex Calling Multi-Tenant (Dedicated Instance not included). Learn to troubleshoot using Control Hub, Multiplatform Phones (MPP), the Webex App, Cisco Devices, and SIP trunks. We'll tackle media connectivity and quality diagnostics, walk through the tools available to pinpoint issues fast, and explore APIs to automate provisioning and troubleshooting.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Esteban Valverde
Technical Consulting Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco
Esteban Valverde is a Global Technical Leader at the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC), where he has spent more than 20 years working at the intersection of Collaboration, Networking, and Software Development. Today he serves on the Global Webex Calling Technical Leadership team, bringing deep expertise across Cisco's entire Collaboration portfolio — from on-premises voice platforms to Webex Calling.
Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Esteban has built his career on a simple conviction: the hardest problems deserve the sharpest tools. Beyond resolving some of Cisco's most complex customer escalations, he develops automation and augmentation tools that accelerate issue resolution and partners directly with Cisco Engineering to improve product diagnostics and serviceability. The structured troubleshooting methodologies, diagnostic tooling, and knowledge frameworks he has created empower TAC engineers and customers alike, elevating the end-to-end support experience.
Over the years, Esteban has been the technical leader behind numerous critical global Collaboration deployments, and he shares that expertise generously — through comprehensive training, meticulous documentation, and mentorship for Cisco internal teams, customers, and partners. He served as the technical reviewer of two Cisco Press Collaboration books and holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.
Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Esteban has built his career on a simple conviction: the hardest problems deserve the sharpest tools. Beyond resolving some of Cisco's most complex customer escalations, he develops automation and augmentation tools that accelerate issue resolution and partners directly with Cisco Engineering to improve product diagnostics and serviceability. The structured troubleshooting methodologies, diagnostic tooling, and knowledge frameworks he has created empower TAC engineers and customers alike, elevating the end-to-end support experience.
Over the years, Esteban has been the technical leader behind numerous critical global Collaboration deployments, and he shares that expertise generously — through comprehensive training, meticulous documentation, and mentorship for Cisco internal teams, customers, and partners. He served as the technical reviewer of two Cisco Press Collaboration books and holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.
Cisco
Paul Stojanovski
Principal Engineer, Cisco
Paul is a Principal Engineer at Cisco within the Customer Experience (CX) organization, where he supports Webex solutions. His work spans several areas, including driving product serviceability, building AI solutions for TAC case-opening tools, and shaping a global TAC support strategy.
Paul has spent his entire professional career working with Collaboration technologies. He began as a TAC engineer supporting the on-premise Collaboration portfolio, with a primary focus on Immersive systems and Mobile and Remote Access. Over the past decade in Webex support, he led the effort to bring Webex support into alignment with Cisco's global CX support teams.
Today, his time is split between product and innovation. On the product side, he focuses on the Webex administration experience, working with Webex Control Hub and Cisco/Webex Identity. On the innovation side, he drives AI Assistant solutions that deliver personalized answers for customers' most common questions.
Paul is passionate about driving change within Webex products to deliver better serviceability and self-service capabilities to customers, partners, and everyone who uses them. He is a former WebexOne speaker and a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker.
Paul has spent his entire professional career working with Collaboration technologies. He began as a TAC engineer supporting the on-premise Collaboration portfolio, with a primary focus on Immersive systems and Mobile and Remote Access. Over the past decade in Webex support, he led the effort to bring Webex support into alignment with Cisco's global CX support teams.
Today, his time is split between product and innovation. On the product side, he focuses on the Webex administration experience, working with Webex Control Hub and Cisco/Webex Identity. On the innovation side, he drives AI Assistant solutions that deliver personalized answers for customers' most common questions.
Paul is passionate about driving change within Webex products to deliver better serviceability and self-service capabilities to customers, partners, and everyone who uses them. He is a former WebexOne speaker and a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker.
Cisco
Luis Ramirez
CX TAC Technical Leader Webex Calling, Cisco
As the current Technical Leader for Cisco's TAC in Webex Calling Technology, Luis has been at the vanguard of enhancing global support capabilities and refining the Webex Calling experience for customers and engineers alike. With a career spanning over 16 years within Cisco TAC, Luis brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of Cisco Collaboration products to the forefront of technological innovation.
At the heart of Luis's work is a passion for mentorship. By dedicating a significant portion of time to guide and nurture the skills of TAC engineers, Luis ensures that the next generation of technical support is prepared to meet the complex demands of modern collaboration solutions. This commitment to excellence extends beyond team development, as Luis actively contributes to the improvement of product serviceability.
Renowned for expertise in complex hybrid Collaboration implementations, Luis plays a pivotal role in assisting customers as they transition to cloud-based solutions. This expertise is underpinned by a ten-year mastery of the CCIE Collaboration Certification #40952, a testament to Luis's dedication and skill in the field.
Driven by an unwavering commitment to instigate positive change, Luis is instrumental in elevating the Webex Calling Offer. Through a focus on customer support and service enhancement, Luis not only addresses current needs but also paves the way for a more innovative and reliable future in cloud collaboration. #Teacher #Pioneer
At the heart of Luis's work is a passion for mentorship. By dedicating a significant portion of time to guide and nurture the skills of TAC engineers, Luis ensures that the next generation of technical support is prepared to meet the complex demands of modern collaboration solutions. This commitment to excellence extends beyond team development, as Luis actively contributes to the improvement of product serviceability.
Renowned for expertise in complex hybrid Collaboration implementations, Luis plays a pivotal role in assisting customers as they transition to cloud-based solutions. This expertise is underpinned by a ten-year mastery of the CCIE Collaboration Certification #40952, a testament to Luis's dedication and skill in the field.
Driven by an unwavering commitment to instigate positive change, Luis is instrumental in elevating the Webex Calling Offer. Through a focus on customer support and service enhancement, Luis not only addresses current needs but also paves the way for a more innovative and reliable future in cloud collaboration. #Teacher #Pioneer
Cisco
Tanvi Palav
Technical Consulting Engineer, Cisco
I'm a Technical Consulting Engineer with Webex Calling TAC team in the Americas. Since joining Cisco in 2019, I’ve built my career in collaboration technologies, with a focus on Webex Calling, PSTN, SIP/VoIP, and complex troubleshooting.
Working with real-world customer issues every day has given me a unique perspective on where Webex Calling deployments and configurations can go wrong and how to troubleshoot them effectively. In my session, “Troubleshooting Cisco Webex Calling,” I’ll share practical troubleshooting approaches and insights to help attendees investigate Webex Calling issues in greater depth and with more confidence.
Working with real-world customer issues every day has given me a unique perspective on where Webex Calling deployments and configurations can go wrong and how to troubleshoot them effectively. In my session, “Troubleshooting Cisco Webex Calling,” I’ll share practical troubleshooting approaches and insights to help attendees investigate Webex Calling issues in greater depth and with more confidence.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Inside the Webex Suite Developer Platform: APIs, Tools, and Practical Applications
Technical Training Class: Foundation
This session explores the Webex Developer Platform available at developer.webex.com, covering the core REST APIs across Webex Meetings, Messaging, Calling, and admin and compliance. Learn how to automate workflows, integrate Webex into existing systems, and build new experiences using the full developer toolkit—including SDKs for web, iOS, and Android, Embedded Apps, Service Apps, Guest Issuer, webhooks, and the OAuth framework. We'll highlight recent platform updates and real-world use cases. Attendees will leave knowing what the developer platform offers, where the biggest opportunities are, and how to get started.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Phil Bellanti
Senior Developer Evangelist, Cisco
Phil Bellanti is a Senior Developer Evangelist on the Cisco Webex team based in Orlando, Florida. A cloud API veteran since 2007, he joined Cisco in 2015 following its acquisition of Tropo, a real-time communications API provider. Today, Phil helps developers build with Webex by creating and delivering tech talks, workshops, webinars, and other live events. He also produces blogs, newsletters, documentation, and developer guides for both the Webex Suite and Webex Contact Center platforms.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Extend the Power of Control Hub for Cisco Devices with Your Favorite LLMs
Technical Training Class: Foundation
This training session explores how to extend the capabilities of Control Hub by integrating its Model Context Protocol (MCP) with your favorite Large Language Models (LLMs) and external applications. Attendees will learn how to leverage Control Hub's unified cloud admin portal to seamlessly connect device management, analytics, and troubleshooting features into conversational AI tools and custom workflows. The session covers practical methods for adding MCP APIs to external apps, enabling real-time device telemetry access, workspace insights, and proactive management through natural language interfaces. By the end of this session, participants will understand how to enhance workspace administration, automate complex tasks, and deliver targeted insights directly within their preferred AI environments, empowering IT teams to optimize collaboration device deployments at scale.
REQUIREMENTS: Please note, for the best interactive learning experience, all attendees should bring their own laptop device, and should have a personal ChatGPT account to use in the class.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Kari Mo
Software Engineering Leader, Cisco
Kari Mo is a Software Engineering Leader at Cisco, heading the Real-Time Machine Learning team for Webex Devices, where her team builds on-device AI models that power intelligent video experiences. At WebexOne, she is co-leading the training session on integrating Collaboration Control Hub device management and telemetry into LLMs and custom AI environments.
Cisco
Phrida Norrhall
Leader, Software Engineering, Cisco
Phrida Norrhall is a Senior Engineering Leader at Cisco, leading a group of 50 engineers across Oslo and North Carolina. Her teams build admin experiences for Cisco Devices through Control Hub and Workspace Designer, helping administrators plan, manage, and operate their device fleets at scale.
In this session, Phrida will show how Control Hub for Cisco Devices can be extended with your favorite LLMs to create smarter admin workflows, uncover richer device insights, and turn ideas into hands-on automation. She is passionate about building technology that makes complex systems simpler to operate and about empowering engineers to turn ambitious ideas into products.
In this session, Phrida will show how Control Hub for Cisco Devices can be extended with your favorite LLMs to create smarter admin workflows, uncover richer device insights, and turn ideas into hands-on automation. She is passionate about building technology that makes complex systems simpler to operate and about empowering engineers to turn ambitious ideas into products.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 12:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Explore Webex Calling for Government (FedRAMP)
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
Are you a federal customer stuck with an aging on-prem phone system? Time to move! This hands-on lab puts you inside a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Control Hub org, without the headache of production network constraints. Configure locations, set up users, deploy devices (apps and phones), and build out Auto Attendants, Call Queues (including Customer Assist), Hunt Groups, and so much more. The full Webex Calling suite is yours to explore, including Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) access via Cloud Connected PSTN. Come ready to build, test, and leave with real Webex Calling skills!
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Bryan Waldmann
Manager, Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Bryan Waldmann is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer / SE Leader on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP). In this role, Bryan guides the Collaboration Pre-Sales trial team, working closely with customers across a range of industries. He brings deep expertise in Webex Calling, UCM/DI, US FedRAMP, and Webex Devices. Bryan has presented/spoken at multiple WebexOne and Cisco Live sessions in the past. Prior to joining CCEP, Bryan worked in the Partner space, deploying CUCM and video solutions nationwide, with a particular focus on healthcare. He successfully led conversions of hundreds of hospitals and physician sites to CUCM. Bryan lives in the Cincinnati Metro area with his wife and five children.
Cisco
Michael Wang
Webex Suite Product Owner: US Public Sector, Cisco
Michael is the Webex Suite Product Owner for the Webex for Government Program offering across US Public Sector: Federal, Civilian, State, Local, and Education at Cisco. Prior to Cisco, Michael was at Microsoft where he held Product and Program Management roles across Operations, Licensing and Pricing, Enterprise Commerce, and Microsoft Teams where he was responsible for driving Quarterly Planning, Release Management, and Engineering Systems across the Calling Meeting and Devices Org, leading device certification programs and partner engagements for Peripherals Product categories across Teams Devices ecosystem. Michael leads by promoting inclusive team cultures in meetings and incorporating customer empathy in design thinking. He holds a MBA from Seattle University and a BS from University of Washington in Applied Mathematics.
Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer/TSA on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) team. Specializing in Webex Calling, Dedicated Instance, Contact Center, and Devices, he leverages over a decade of experience in Cisco Unified Communications to help customers succeed. Formerly a Technical Consulting Engineer in CX, Rajamani is a frequent speaker at Cisco Live and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Anna University.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 12:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshoot and Manage Your Organization with an AI Assistant
Technical Training Lab: Expert
In this hands-on session, we'll build an AI Assistant using the Webex Meetings MCP server to schedule and manage meetings. We'll integrate it with a Webex Bot and then build a custom MCP server using Webex APIs for advanced Control Hub administration and troubleshooting.
This session will cover:
- Using the Meetings MCP server in your IDE
- Integrating your AI Assistant with a Webex Bot
- Building a custom MCP server to expand functionality for Control Hub administration and troubleshooting using Webex APIs
CE credits: 5
Speakers
Cisco
Mo Eyad Musallam
Technical Leader, CX, Cisco
Mo Eyad Musallam is a Technical Leader within Cisco's Collaboration TAC organization based in Krakow, Poland, specializing in the Cisco Contact Center portfolio. With more than eight years of experience in Cisco TAC, he focuses on AI and agentic development for customer experience (CX) workflows. Mo is passionate about applying AI to modern contact center support and automation and regularly speaks on AI-driven innovation in customer experience.
Cisco
Diego Manuel Jimenez Moreno
TAC Technical Leader, Cisco
Diego Manuel Jimenez Moreno is a Technical Leader at Cisco for TAC Collaboration, where he has been since 2019. With over 9 years of experience in the IT industry, he holds the CCIE Collaboration certification (#66728).
Diego has been actively involved in key events such as TAC Workshops and TAC Troubleshooting Summits, Cisco Live, and WebexOne, where he has delivered various presentations and labs. He specializes in Cisco On-Prem Collaboration, Webex Calling, and Webex Programmability, and is currently focused on Contact Center Solutions.
Passionate about automation and innovation, Diego has made significant contributions to internal projects and is currently focused on leveraging AI capabilities.
Diego has been actively involved in key events such as TAC Workshops and TAC Troubleshooting Summits, Cisco Live, and WebexOne, where he has delivered various presentations and labs. He specializes in Cisco On-Prem Collaboration, Webex Calling, and Webex Programmability, and is currently focused on Contact Center Solutions.
Passionate about automation and innovation, Diego has made significant contributions to internal projects and is currently focused on leveraging AI capabilities.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 12:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Using AI and Webex APIs to Develop Custom Tools and Functionality in Webex Contact Center (Option 1)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this session, you'll explore how to harness the power of AI to code custom tools and functionalities in Webex Contact Center. You'll use a method called Spec-Driven Development, which provides structure and guardrails for your project. You'll build AI Agents to assist you in refining your requirements, implementing your plan, testing your code, and reviewing your results.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Barry McLellan
Solutions Designer, Cisco
Barry McLellan is a Cisco pre-sales professional with over 25 years of experience in contact center technology. He started his career as a computer programmer in 1998, then moved into the contact center world shortly after, where he spent his first years worrying about rotary phone callers and javaSDK version issues!
Since then, Barry has worked across every side of the ecosystem: as a customer, a partner, and in Cisco CX delivery — building a practical, ground-level understanding of how contact center solutions get built, deployed, and supported.
Barry currently works in technical pre-sales as a Solutions Designer with Webex Contact Center and Webex Connect, helping customers see what's possible and shaping solutions around their vision, with a focus on automation and emerging technology. Beyond that, he builds demos, middleware integrations, and technical lab guides for Cisco's partner and customer community — including contributing to hands-on lab content presented at Cisco Live — and continues to mentor others in the field as the technology evolves.
Since then, Barry has worked across every side of the ecosystem: as a customer, a partner, and in Cisco CX delivery — building a practical, ground-level understanding of how contact center solutions get built, deployed, and supported.
Barry currently works in technical pre-sales as a Solutions Designer with Webex Contact Center and Webex Connect, helping customers see what's possible and shaping solutions around their vision, with a focus on automation and emerging technology. Beyond that, he builds demos, middleware integrations, and technical lab guides for Cisco's partner and customer community — including contributing to hands-on lab content presented at Cisco Live — and continues to mentor others in the field as the technology evolves.
Cisco
Kevin Simpson
Solutions Manager, Cisco
Kevin Simpson is a Solutions Manager with the Webex Contact Center, where he passionately channels his enthusiasm for innovation, education, and enablement. He has earned a reputation for his remarkable ability to demystify complex concepts, transforming advanced topics into accessible and engaging content for individuals who are eager to learn and expand their knowledge.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 12:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Calling Migration Lab
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
The focus of this lab is to actively use tools to assist with migrating configurations, users, and devices from premises-based Cisco UCM to Webex Calling. This includes instruction on the steps and best practices for the migration process, strategy, and dial plan considerations. The tools used in this lab include what's available with Control Hub, Cloud Connected UC, and third-party tooling.
CE credits: 4
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Carl Newton
Soulitions Engineer, Cisco
Carl Newton is a solutions engineer on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) Team, specialising in configuring customer trials of cloud collaboration solutions. With over 20 years experience in the field, he has deployed countless setups of the wider range of Cisco Collaboration solutions globally. This broad experience enables him to engage with product deployment, development and education; ensuring customers get the best solution to meet their collaboration needs.
Cisco
Jose Linero
Senior Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Jose Linero is a Senior Solutions Engineer with more than 25 years of experience driving innovation in SaaS, cloud, and AI-powered collaboration solutions. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the development and evolution of scalable Collaboration-as-a-Service platforms that transform how organizations connect, collaborate, and engage in a digital-first world.
He plays a strategic role in advancing Webex Calling, Webex Contact Center, and AI-driven customer engagement solutions, helping customers across multiple industry verticals modernize communications, elevate customer experiences, and enable intelligent hybrid work environments. By integrating automation, analytics, and AI capabilities into cloud architectures, Jose helps organizations translate technology innovation into measurable business outcomes.
Currently pursuing a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence, Jose is deepening his expertise in machine learning, AI architectures, and intelligent systems to further bridge advanced research with real-world enterprise collaboration solutions.
As a Cisco Webex Subject Matter Expert and Hall of Fame Distinguished Cisco Live speaker, Jose is recognized for connecting AI, cloud platforms, and collaboration technologies into a cohesive vision for the future of enterprise communications.
He plays a strategic role in advancing Webex Calling, Webex Contact Center, and AI-driven customer engagement solutions, helping customers across multiple industry verticals modernize communications, elevate customer experiences, and enable intelligent hybrid work environments. By integrating automation, analytics, and AI capabilities into cloud architectures, Jose helps organizations translate technology innovation into measurable business outcomes.
Currently pursuing a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence, Jose is deepening his expertise in machine learning, AI architectures, and intelligent systems to further bridge advanced research with real-world enterprise collaboration solutions.
As a Cisco Webex Subject Matter Expert and Hall of Fame Distinguished Cisco Live speaker, Jose is recognized for connecting AI, cloud platforms, and collaboration technologies into a cohesive vision for the future of enterprise communications.
Cisco
Amy Ryan
Principal Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Amy Ryan is a Principal Solutions Engineer at Cisco with over 26 years of experience driving innovation in networking and collaboration technologies. Throughout her 16-year tenure within Cisco’s Global Collaboration Sales Engineering organization,
Amy has established herself as a trusted advisor, specializing in the architecture and deployment of complex enterprise-grade solutions. Her technical expertise spans the full spectrum of calling architectures—including premise, cloud, and hybrid environments—with a particular focus on seamless cloud migrations and the implementation of robust hybrid work strategies.
Amy is a recognized leader in field sales and partner enablement, having spearheaded high-impact initiatives such as Collaboration Technical Advisory Groups and Cisco’s X-Architecture programs. As a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker and a CCIE (#24677), Amy is widely respected for her ability to translate intricate technical requirements into scalable, business-aligned solutions. She continues to be a driving force in the evolution of collaboration technology and helping organizations navigate the complexities of the modern digital workplace.
Amy has established herself as a trusted advisor, specializing in the architecture and deployment of complex enterprise-grade solutions. Her technical expertise spans the full spectrum of calling architectures—including premise, cloud, and hybrid environments—with a particular focus on seamless cloud migrations and the implementation of robust hybrid work strategies.
Amy is a recognized leader in field sales and partner enablement, having spearheaded high-impact initiatives such as Collaboration Technical Advisory Groups and Cisco’s X-Architecture programs. As a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker and a CCIE (#24677), Amy is widely respected for her ability to translate intricate technical requirements into scalable, business-aligned solutions. She continues to be a driving force in the evolution of collaboration technology and helping organizations navigate the complexities of the modern digital workplace.
Cisco
Venky Yechuri
Technical Projects Systems Engineer, Cisco
I’m a Cisco Collaboration Engineer with the dCloud team, specializing in collaboration, cloud, security, and enterprise technologies across Cisco and integrated solutions. I’m passionate about AI/ML and exploring innovative ways to apply AI, automation, and emerging technologies to improve troubleshooting, customer experiences, and technical operations. I enjoy building technical demos and lab environments that showcase integrated cloud, security, observability, and on-premises capabilities.
Cisco
Hussain Ali
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Hussain Ali (CCIE# 38068 - VOICE, COLLAB) is a Technical Marketing Engineer/Technical Leader in the Collaboration Technology Group at Cisco Systems. He is responsible for all Unified Communications services and applications on the ISR, Catalyst 8300 & virtual routing platforms like Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE), Cloud Calling solutions such as Webex Calling, call recording, Direct Routing with Microsoft Phone System, and Webex Contact Center.
He provides architectural design guidance for unified communication services and solutions to enterprise customers, service providers, Cisco sales force, and Cisco partners.
He works directly with the product management and engineering teams in strategizing future product development to meet customer needs. Prior to joining this group, he led the Multiservices Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team in Richardson, TX, troubleshooting and diagnosing some of the largest Cisco Collaboration deployments.
He provides architectural design guidance for unified communication services and solutions to enterprise customers, service providers, Cisco sales force, and Cisco partners.
He works directly with the product management and engineering teams in strategizing future product development to meet customer needs. Prior to joining this group, he led the Multiservices Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team in Richardson, TX, troubleshooting and diagnosing some of the largest Cisco Collaboration deployments.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Design and Build an EHR-Integrated Webex AI Agent for Patient Matching and Scheduling
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
In this technical class, you'll design and build an EHR-integrated Webex AI Agent for patient identity matching and appointment management, with escalation to Webex Contact Center. We'll configure APIs against an Epic sandbox or EHR simulator, build Flow Builder logic to invoke EHR APIs (read/write) for patient matching and slot lookup, map responses back to the agent, and escalate with context to Webex Contact Center.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Steve Beamer
Solution Engineer, Cisco
Steve Beamer is a Global Center of Excellence (CoE) Solutions Engineer at Cisco specializing in healthcare customer experience, with more than 20 years of experience designing communications, AI, and contact center solutions. He works with healthcare providers and payers to architect and deploy Epic-integrated solutions that combine Webex AI Agent, Webex Connect (CPaaS), and Webex Contact Center to streamline patient access, automate workflows, and improve engagement across the care journey. His work focuses on production deployments integrating AI, APIs, and workflow orchestration with Epic to support patient authentication, appointment management, revenue cycle operations, and service interactions. Steve is a speaker on healthcare AI and digital transformation, sharing practical approaches for building production-ready solutions that improve both patient experience and operational efficiency.
Cisco
Holger Esser
AI Operations Leader, Cisco
Holger is an AI Operations leader focused on contact center AI and the healthcare CCaaS vertical. With more than 24 years in contact center technology spanning pre-sales engineering, AI specialization, and product leadership, he brings deep expertise in AI-powered customer experience — from conversational IVR to autonomous virtual agents. His recent work centers on healthcare, including EHR integrations, HIPAA-compliant AI architectures, and ROI modeling for AI adoption. He is the creator of the SAIL (Survey, Analyze, Ideate, Launch) AI transformation methodology and a Learning-First framework for agentic deployments.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Agile Management of Webex Calling: There's an API for That
Technical Training Class: Expert
Webex Calling offers flexible management options, ranging from individual configuration in Control Hub to bulk provisioning and powerful public APIs. This session covers the technical essentials, including Representational State Transfer (REST), JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), serialization and deserialization, integrations, scopes, and Open Authorization (OAuth) flows. You'll learn best practices for building custom provisioning tools using a Python Software Development Kit (SDK) designed to simplify Webex Calling API consumption. Finally, we'll explore how AI can accelerate the development of your custom solutions, empowering you to manage your collaboration environment with greater speed and agility.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Johannes Krohn
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Johannes Krohn joined Cisco System in Germany in 2000. In his over 30 years of experience in the networking and telecommunication industry he worked in several IT companies gaining knowledge in engineering, system design and technologies from ATM to multiprotocol networking. In the last 20+ years he mainly focussed on IP telephony, Unified Collaboration and on-premise and cloud based collaboration solutions. As Technical Marketing Engineer working on Collaboration System Architectures he provides design guidance in key projects and is responsible to transferring new product information of Cisco Collaboration Solutions to audiences internally and externally. Technology focus areas include call routing architectures, collaboration architecture simplification and cloud collaboration. As part of the continuous development cycle he is providing input to the system level planing of future solutions. He holds a CCIE Voice.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 1:45 PM – 2:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Master the Fleet: Optimized Operations of Cisco Devices via Control Hub
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Master your collaboration device fleet with Control Hub's modern administration and analytics. This session covers the entire device lifecycle, from bulk onboarding and zero-touch provisioning to advanced RoomOS and Microsoft Teams Rooms configurations. Learn how to move beyond basic deployment by leveraging Control Hub's remote access, AI-ranked insights, and alerting tools. Finally, we'll explore device and workspace analytics that help transform your operations from reactive "firefighting" to proactive, data-driven management—optimizing room utilization and ensuring a high-quality experience across your entire ecosystem.
CE credits: 1
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Maria Erickson
Collaboration Solutions Engineer - Global Enterpise Segment, Cisco
Maria Erickson is a pre-sales Solutions Engineer for Cisco Systems’ Collaboration organization. With over two decades of experience, Maria has been driving the evolution of workplace tech — from the pioneering days of unified communications to today's complex landscape of agentic AI. Based in the greater Washington, DC area, she lives where the countryside meets the data centers, surrounded by a lively crew of nieces and nephews.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 6 2:45 PM – 4:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Building AI Projects: I've Got Skills, They're Multiplying! (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
Join this hands-on lab to build practical projects like a fitness tracker, medication tracker, portfolio analyzer, or email organizer. Using this new generation of co-working tools, such as Claude Co-work and Cursor, participants will follow step-by-step guidance to complete their chosen project. The workshop highlights the differences between these tools, how skills evolve, and how to guide Claude Code for generation and troubleshooting. Participants will gain a deep appreciation of these tools as force multipliers and be inspired to explore further.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Gaurav Khanna
AI Executive, Cisco
Dr. Gaurav Khanna is an AI Executive at Cisco Systems. During his 26 year career at Cisco, he has held many roles including managing early-in-career SE programs and founding the first data science and machine learning team in Sales. His team pioneered the use of predictive and generative AI systems in Sales at Cisco.
In his current role, he is focused on guiding customers on their overall AI strategy and business transformation. He is also active fostering strategic partnerships within Cisco and the industry. Teaching and mentoring students has long been a passion; he currently teaches a popular foundational AI/ML course at Stanford Continuing Studies and travels frequently to speak about AI in industry forums.
In his spare time, he loves to travel, hike in National Parks, and read about history, finance, build with AI, and is a “math enthusiast”. Originally from New York, he has been a long-time resident of San Jose, CA, with his wife and two teenage children. He received his B.S. in Physics from Yale and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
In his current role, he is focused on guiding customers on their overall AI strategy and business transformation. He is also active fostering strategic partnerships within Cisco and the industry. Teaching and mentoring students has long been a passion; he currently teaches a popular foundational AI/ML course at Stanford Continuing Studies and travels frequently to speak about AI in industry forums.
In his spare time, he loves to travel, hike in National Parks, and read about history, finance, build with AI, and is a “math enthusiast”. Originally from New York, he has been a long-time resident of San Jose, CA, with his wife and two teenage children. He received his B.S. in Physics from Yale and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
Cisco
Max Acquatella
Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Maxime Acquatella is a Systems Engineer in Cisco's Webex Global Center of Excellence with more than 15 years of experience in Cisco Collaboration. Throughout his career, he has helped customers, partners, and sales teams adopt and maximize the value of the Cisco Webex Suite through technical leadership, customer engagements, and solution enablement.
Over the past three years, Max has specialized in Webex Events, helping grow the business into a multi-million-dollar practice by delivering more than 125 customer demonstrations, technical workshops, and strategic engagements. More recently, he has focused on AI-powered collaboration, helping customers understand and adopt Cisco's latest AI capabilities across the Webex portfolio.
At WebexOne, Max will be a co presenter (with Gaurav Khanna) on a skills workshop: LAB-11058 - Claude AI Lab: I've Got Skills, They're Multiplying. The workshop will introduce attendees to the power of using an ecosystem of tools and files, and the ability to modify these, to significantly increate their ability to automate workflows. He and Gaurav will both be presenters and session proctors for the lab. Max will also be supporting any other requirements of instructors, such as being at booths in the solutions solutions showcase, meeting attendees and customers.
Over the past three years, Max has specialized in Webex Events, helping grow the business into a multi-million-dollar practice by delivering more than 125 customer demonstrations, technical workshops, and strategic engagements. More recently, he has focused on AI-powered collaboration, helping customers understand and adopt Cisco's latest AI capabilities across the Webex portfolio.
At WebexOne, Max will be a co presenter (with Gaurav Khanna) on a skills workshop: LAB-11058 - Claude AI Lab: I've Got Skills, They're Multiplying. The workshop will introduce attendees to the power of using an ecosystem of tools and files, and the ability to modify these, to significantly increate their ability to automate workflows. He and Gaurav will both be presenters and session proctors for the lab. Max will also be supporting any other requirements of instructors, such as being at booths in the solutions solutions showcase, meeting attendees and customers.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
On-Premises to Hybrid: How Cisco UCM is Evolving with Cisco Cloud
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Discover how Cisco is extending on-premises Cisco UCM with hybrid cloud services that deliver new capabilities without requiring a full cloud migration. We'll cover the latest product updates, upcoming innovations, and the roadmap for modernizing on-premises communication through Cisco Cloud.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Justin Jordan
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Justin Jordan is a Senior Product Manager at Cisco in the Webex Suite Business group. He has been at Cisco 15 years and enjoys presenting and working with our Customers and Partners on all things Collaboration! Justin resides in the Texas Hill Country with his family and loves all things Pugs, Flying, and Arcades!
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Same Platform, Different Workstyles: How Webex AI Empowers Every Role
Technical Training Class: Foundation
What if AI transformed the way every role in your organization worked?
In this interactive session, we bring that idea to life in a healthcare scenario through the lens of three different personas—sales, retail workers, and healthcare professionals—as they navigate their day with the help of Webex AI. Through live demos and role-based storytelling, you'll see how AI powers smarter communication, provides real-time insights, and enables faster decisions—reducing manual tasks, improving experiences, and making everyone's day easier to manage.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Hannah Thompson
Sr. Growth Product Manager, Cisco
Hannah Thompson is a Senior Growth Product Manager for the Webex Suite at Cisco, where she drives adoption and engagement across the full portfolio, from Meetings and Messaging to AI, Vidcast, and Slido. She partners closely with customers, product, and marketing teams to bring the Webex story to life through podcasts, customer interviews, and hands-on programs. A regular voice at Cisco Live and WebexOne, Hannah is passionate about helping every role and workstyle get more value from the Webex platform.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Workforce Management for the Infinite Workforce
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
AI agents introduce a theoretically unlimited workforce into the contact center, which breaks every assumption traditional workforce management (WFM) was built on. In this 90-minute technical exploration, see how Webex WFM is purpose-built for the hybrid era: ML-powered forecasting that factors AI deflection rates alongside human volume, AI-optimized scheduling that matches agents to complexity rather than raw AHT, and a real-time intraday control plane that manages human and AI agents from a single surface. We'll demonstrate predictive SLA alerts with "what-if" simulations, one-click staffing actions, and automated surplus reallocation showing how workforce planning evolves from reactive queue-watching to proactive, intent-driven orchestration.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Sivacharan Bandi
Director of Product Management, Cisco
Siva is a Director of Product Management at Cisco, where he leads product strategy for Webex Contact Center Workforce Management. He is focused on rethinking workforce management for an AI-first world, spanning forecasting, scheduling, intraday operations, and the coordination of human and AI agents.
Technical Training Class
OCT 6 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Flow Designer: AI Agent Fulfillment, Omnichannel Engagement, Headless Flows, and MCP Integration
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Explore how Webex Contact Center Flow Designer is evolving to support more intelligent, connected, and flexible customer journeys.
This session will examine:
AI-agent fulfillment that turns intent into action through reusable flows.
Omnichannel capabilities that extend engagement across BYO channels, live chat, SMS, and email.
Headless flows and MCP integration that connect Contact Center workflows with AI systems and enterprise tools.
Attendees will get a view of generally available capabilities, early-access innovations, and the longer-term roadmap.
CE credits: 2
This session will examine:
AI-agent fulfillment that turns intent into action through reusable flows.
Omnichannel capabilities that extend engagement across BYO channels, live chat, SMS, and email.
Headless flows and MCP integration that connect Contact Center workflows with AI systems and enterprise tools.
Attendees will get a view of generally available capabilities, early-access innovations, and the longer-term roadmap.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Arun Dekkala
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Arun is a Director of Product Management at Cisco, working on Webex products across agentic interoperability, developer experiences, and orchestration. He focuses on building platforms that help enterprises connect AI agents, integrations, and workflows into production-grade collaboration experiences. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling, speaking, and mentoring on AI, innovation, and product.
Quick Takes
OCT 6 5:00 PM – 5:20 PM CT
Are you investing in AI or Business Outcomes?
Walk away with specific actions to close the gap between AI hype and AI ROI
Think about the last time you were on hold and got bounced between three systems before a human even picked up. That's not a customer experience problem. That's an integration problem, and most AI vendors are making it worse, not better.
Cisco and Verint have spent decades building the opposite: one workforce, working in one solution, with agentic AI embedded where the work actually happens instead of layered on top of it.
Join us for a candid look at what the gap between AI hype and AI ROI, and what it actually takes to close it.
Cisco and Verint have spent decades building the opposite: one workforce, working in one solution, with agentic AI embedded where the work actually happens instead of layered on top of it.
Join us for a candid look at what the gap between AI hype and AI ROI, and what it actually takes to close it.
Speakers
Verint
Robert Nyberg
Director of Platform Consulting, Verint
Robert Nyberg has spent nearly 20 years directly helping contact centers get value out of workforce optimization, and he has watched the industry evolve on the wave of AI from the inside. He spent 11 years at Verint as a Solutions Engineer, Workforce Optimization Specialist and Principal Consultant, then moved to Calabrio in 2018, where he has led strategic consulting, application consulting and solutions engineering.
Breakout
OCT 6 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM CT
Agentic Productivity: Amazon Quick + Webex Powering Business Users with Insights and Actions
See how anyone can unite Webex + enterprise data with plain-language AI
What can every industry learn from financial services?
In highly competitive markets where customer trust matters and service expectations continue to rise, financial services organizations are often among the first to rethink how customer service is delivered. In this rapid-fire discussion, customer leaders share practical lessons from improving customer and employee experiences, simplifying operations, and preparing for what's next.
Attendees will leave with real-world ideas that can be applied across any contact center environment.
In highly competitive markets where customer trust matters and service expectations continue to rise, financial services organizations are often among the first to rethink how customer service is delivered. In this rapid-fire discussion, customer leaders share practical lessons from improving customer and employee experiences, simplifying operations, and preparing for what's next.
Attendees will leave with real-world ideas that can be applied across any contact center environment.
Speakers
Cisco
Arun Dekkala
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Arun is a Director of Product Management at Cisco, working on Webex products across agentic interoperability, developer experiences, and orchestration. He focuses on building platforms that help enterprises connect AI agents, integrations, and workflows into production-grade collaboration experiences. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling, speaking, and mentoring on AI, innovation, and product.
AWS
David Gordon
ISV Partner GTM Lead, Amazon Quick, AWS, AWS
David Gordon leads ISV partner GTM for Amazon Quick at AWS, helping business teams harness AI assistants that connect collaboration tools and enterprise data through simple, natural-language conversations—no coding required.
Quick Takes
OCT 6 5:25 PM – 5:45 PM CT
Instructing the Agent: The Knowledge Layer Behind Trusted CX AI
Cisco has put real AI capabilities in the hands of CX leaders today, but what that capability has exposed is a problem sitting one layer down: the knowledge these systems run on is fragmented, inconsistent, and ungoverned.
An AI agent is only as reliable as what it has been given. Outdated policies and procedures, duplicate content, and conflicting instructions produce wrong answers to customers, failed automation, and compliance risk, eroding trust in the brand.
This session looks at how CX leaders build a trusted instruction layer for enterprise AI. Drawing on hyper-scale deployments, eGain will show how to move past traditional knowledge management to AI-ready infrastructure, so Cisco customers get accurate answers and actions every time.
Speakers
eGain
James Hunt
VP, Product Management & Solutions Strategy, eGain
James Hunt is VP of Products & Strategic Solutions at eGain, where he helps enterprises transform customer service through AI, automation, and knowledge management. He brings deep expertise in product strategy, CX, and enterprise AI.
Quick Takes
OCT 6 5:50 PM – 6:10 PM CT
C.A.R.E.S.: A New Standard for Measuring Human + AI Contact Center Performance
Measure AI by customer outcomes, not simply containment and automation.
Is a contained AI interaction really a successful interaction? And are humans always better than AI? As AI agents handle more customer conversations, contact centers need a common standard for measuring performance across the human + AI workforce.
This session introduces the C.A.R.E.S. framework: Compliance, Accuracy, Resolution, Effort and Sentiment. Learn how to compare human and AI performance by customer intent, determine where AI outperforms humans—and where it doesn’t—and identify opportunities to improve both.
See how SuccessKPI AI AutoQM and interaction analytics apply these measures at scale, uncover failures traditional metrics miss, and provide independent performance reporting and governance.
This session introduces the C.A.R.E.S. framework: Compliance, Accuracy, Resolution, Effort and Sentiment. Learn how to compare human and AI performance by customer intent, determine where AI outperforms humans—and where it doesn’t—and identify opportunities to improve both.
See how SuccessKPI AI AutoQM and interaction analytics apply these measures at scale, uncover failures traditional metrics miss, and provide independent performance reporting and governance.
Speakers
SuccessKPI
David Rennyson
CEO, SuccessKPI
Dave Rennyson is the President, CEO, and Co-Founder of SuccessKPI, a contact center AI Insight and Action company based in Fairfax County, VA. A SaaS veteran and early pioneer of contact center transformation, Rennyson previously served in senior executive roles at MicroStrategy, Genesys, Angel, Broadband Office, Interactions, Spirent, and Verizon. He is the co-author of the book ""The Art of SaaS"" and is passionate about transforming customer experiences by building SaaS products and employee-led teams that solve big challenges.
Quick Takes
OCT 6 5:50 PM – 6:10 PM CT
Beyond the Screen: Establishing the Standard for the Connected Enterprise (Option 1)
Future Workplaces with Samsung and Cisco
This session takes a deeper look at how to build the connected enterprise with Samsung and Cisco to deliver the best workplace experience—on-site and remote—for a truly collaborative hybrid working model. Follow the day in the life of an employee and the Samsung solutions certified by Cisco for seamless connectivity, reliability and performance at scale.
Speakers
Samsung
Mat Stribling
Channel Sales Master, Samsung
Mat Stribling is a Senior Channel Sales Manager at Samsung Displays, managing national partners and alliances. With 15 years’ experience in UC and Digital Signage, he builds ecosystems around Samsung’s technology to transform hybrid workspaces.
Quick Takes
OCT 6 6:15 PM – 6:35 PM CT
The Smartest Workplace Investment May Already Be in the Room
Future-proof, integrate, and maximize every workplace investment
The workplace is no longer just a place people go -it’s a connected, intelligent environment that senses and responds to how people work. In this session, discover how Cisco collaboration and networking devices, together with Cisco Spaces, create intelligent experiences that help employees and visitors navigate buildings, find and reserve rooms and desks, and move through the workplace with less friction.
See how occupancy and environmental analytics help real-estate teams optimize space, plan and design better workspaces, and reduce energy waste. Get an exclusive first look at new announcements that bring workplace intelligence into planning tools, enterprise systems, and AI-powered workflows.
See how occupancy and environmental analytics help real-estate teams optimize space, plan and design better workspaces, and reduce energy waste. Get an exclusive first look at new announcements that bring workplace intelligence into planning tools, enterprise systems, and AI-powered workflows.
Speakers
Cisco
Dennis Adams
Engineering Product Manager, Cisco
Dennis Adams is a product manager with the Cisco Spaces team in San Francisco. He started out at Cisco Meraki back in 2008 and has spent the last 8 years following his curiosity and creativity, which eventually led him to Cisco Spaces. Dennis has hands-on experience rolling out and managing Collaboration, Wireless, and IoT solutions, and he loves how Cisco Spaces brings all these pieces together. He's genuinely excited about what's next. Before Cisco, Dennis spent a decade as a professional dancer, performing and touring around the globe-an adventure that still inspires how he approaches work and life.
Keynote
OCT 7 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM CT
Opening Keynote: From Possibility to Progress: How AI Is Changing the Way We Work and Engage
Join Cisco executive leaders for an inspiring look at how AI is moving from experimentation to enterprise-scale impact. Hear leaders from Google and Glean share how they are putting AI to work for their businesses and customers.
You'll leave with a vision of how to apply AI to transform collaboration and redefine how work gets done.
Speakers
Cisco
Anurag Dhingra
SVP & GM, Networking & Collaboration, Cisco
During his tenure with Cisco, Anurag has held several leadership roles in the Collaboration business, including Chief Technology and Product Officer where he led the entire Collaboration software business. He was also Vice President and Head of Engineering for Webex Meetings where he was responsible for delivering applications and services to power online meetings for millions of users worldwide.
With over two decades of experience in the Communications, Collaboration, and SaaS industries, Anurag is accomplished at building high performance global teams and creating innovative, market leading products. Anurag takes pride in being a customer-focused leader, with a proven track record of strategic thinking and executing with a strong culture of innovation.
Passionate about applying technology for good, Anurag serves on Cisco's Human Rights Advisory Council and was the founding executive sponsor of Cisco's Responsible AI Framework.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India.
With over two decades of experience in the Communications, Collaboration, and SaaS industries, Anurag is accomplished at building high performance global teams and creating innovative, market leading products. Anurag takes pride in being a customer-focused leader, with a proven track record of strategic thinking and executing with a strong culture of innovation.
Passionate about applying technology for good, Anurag serves on Cisco's Human Rights Advisory Council and was the founding executive sponsor of Cisco's Responsible AI Framework.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India.
Cisco
Jeetu Patel
President & Chief Product Officer, Cisco
Jeetu Patel is Cisco’s President and Chief Product Officer. He combines a bold vision, steeped in product design and development expertise, operational rigor, and innate market understanding to create high growth businesses. He is relentlessly focused on building world class products that solve Cisco customers’ biggest problems—bringing the power of the Cisco portfolio together to connect and protect every aspect of their organization in the era of AI. Previously he was Cisco’s Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration where he led the strategy and development for these businesses and held P&L responsibility for the multibillion-dollar portfolio. In this role, Jeetu led with his creative vision and intense focus on innovation and swift execution.
Together with his team, he transformed and positioned our Security and Collaboration portfolios for success and growth. In both areas, he reinvigorated organic innovation, championed key inorganic investments, and drove simplification across these portfolios with a fanatical focus on design and user experience. Prior to joining Cisco in 2020, Jeetu was the Chief Product Officer (CPO) and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Box, a role he pioneered. He led the company’s product and platform strategy, setting the company’s long-term vision and roadmap for cloud content management in the enterprise. He transformed Box from a single product application to a multi-product platform used by 100K customers representing 69% of the Fortune 500. The discipline, quality standards, performance metrics, and stability Jeetu instilled fueled the platform’s growth – nearly quadrupling revenues to $700M+. Box’s growth scaled to reach over 60M users with over 50% of customers using multiple products.
He also created the Box Platform business unit where he led product strategy, marketing and developer relations – driving products from incubation stage to mature offerings. Before joining Box, Jeetu was General Manager and Chief Executive of EMC’s newly acquired Syncplicity business unit, a cloud service for Enterprise File Sync Sharing (EFSS) and collaboration. One of the first SaaS-based solutions offered by EMC, Jeetu spearheaded the company’s acquisition. He created a world class leadership team, secured some of the market’s largest customers and led the group to become one of the fastest growing EFSS companies in a highly competitive market. Other key roles at EMC included CMO for the Information Intelligence Group and Chief Strategy Officer, where he drove the organic and inorganic strategy for the division’s cloud and mobile growth. Previously, Jeetu was President of Doculabs, a research and advisory firm co-owned by Forrester Research. The firm focused on collaboration and content management across a range of industries including financial services, insurance, energy, manufacturing, and life sciences. He currently serves on the board of JLL, an American commercial real estate services company. Jeetu holds a B.S. in Information Decision Sciences from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his family.
Together with his team, he transformed and positioned our Security and Collaboration portfolios for success and growth. In both areas, he reinvigorated organic innovation, championed key inorganic investments, and drove simplification across these portfolios with a fanatical focus on design and user experience. Prior to joining Cisco in 2020, Jeetu was the Chief Product Officer (CPO) and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Box, a role he pioneered. He led the company’s product and platform strategy, setting the company’s long-term vision and roadmap for cloud content management in the enterprise. He transformed Box from a single product application to a multi-product platform used by 100K customers representing 69% of the Fortune 500. The discipline, quality standards, performance metrics, and stability Jeetu instilled fueled the platform’s growth – nearly quadrupling revenues to $700M+. Box’s growth scaled to reach over 60M users with over 50% of customers using multiple products.
He also created the Box Platform business unit where he led product strategy, marketing and developer relations – driving products from incubation stage to mature offerings. Before joining Box, Jeetu was General Manager and Chief Executive of EMC’s newly acquired Syncplicity business unit, a cloud service for Enterprise File Sync Sharing (EFSS) and collaboration. One of the first SaaS-based solutions offered by EMC, Jeetu spearheaded the company’s acquisition. He created a world class leadership team, secured some of the market’s largest customers and led the group to become one of the fastest growing EFSS companies in a highly competitive market. Other key roles at EMC included CMO for the Information Intelligence Group and Chief Strategy Officer, where he drove the organic and inorganic strategy for the division’s cloud and mobile growth. Previously, Jeetu was President of Doculabs, a research and advisory firm co-owned by Forrester Research. The firm focused on collaboration and content management across a range of industries including financial services, insurance, energy, manufacturing, and life sciences. He currently serves on the board of JLL, an American commercial real estate services company. Jeetu holds a B.S. in Information Decision Sciences from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his family.
Cisco
Snorre Kjesbu
SVP & GM, Collaboration, Cisco
Snorre Kjesbu is Senior Vice President & General Manager of Collaboration Devices at Cisco. He is a global citizen leading a worldwide organization responsible for the collaboration devices business ranging from IP phones to immersive video systems.
Snorre’s passion for design with over 20 years of engineering experience are at the core of his 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.
He and his team at ABB were awarded the Wall Street Journal Innovation award for their work on wireless sensors in 2002. 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. He has obtained more than 20 patents in the areas of communications and video conferencing and is on the board of directors for several IT companies. When not working, Snorre can likely be seen on a pair of skis – whether on snow or water.
Snorre’s passion for design with over 20 years of engineering experience are at the core of his 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.
He and his team at ABB were awarded the Wall Street Journal Innovation award for their work on wireless sensors in 2002. 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. He has obtained more than 20 patents in the areas of communications and video conferencing and is on the board of directors for several IT companies. When not working, Snorre can likely be seen on a pair of skis – whether on snow or water.
Glean
Arvind Jain
Founder and CEO, Glean
Arvind Jain is the Founder and CEO of Glean, the AI-powered work assistant that brings people the answers they need to be more productive and happier at work. Prior to Glean, Arvind co-founded and led R&D at Rubrik, a publicly traded leader in the data security space.
Arvind also spent over a decade at Google as a distinguished engineer, where he led teams in Google’s Search, Maps, and YouTube products. Prior, Arvind held a leadership position at Akamai and started his career at Microsoft. He earned his BTech in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and his Masters in Computer Science from the University of Washington.
Arvind also spent over a decade at Google as a distinguished engineer, where he led teams in Google’s Search, Maps, and YouTube products. Prior, Arvind held a leadership position at Akamai and started his career at Microsoft. He earned his BTech in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and his Masters in Computer Science from the University of Washington.
Google
Mark Ewing
Director, Product Management, Google Meet & Google Voice, Google
Mark Ewing is a product management leader at Google where he drives vision, strategy, and roadmap for the cross-functional team responsible for delivering the Meet product experience for hybrid teams. This includes build Meet web, mobile, and hardware experiences; and any other solutions for making hybrid meetings successful. Mark also leads Google Voice. Mark is passionate about building products that provide meaningful utility in people’s lives and drive the future of work in the AI era.
Mark has worked at Google for over 15 years, with product and operations experience on Search, Maps, and Workspace.
Mark has worked at Google for over 15 years, with product and operations experience on Search, Maps, and Workspace.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
AI-Powered Meetings: Build a Follow-Up Agent and Troubleshooting Assistant with Webex Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
Imagine an AI agent that turns your meeting transcript into a follow-up Webex space with action items, or takes a meeting number and hands you back a quality analysis in seconds. Webex's new Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers make this possible by giving AI agents direct access to meeting data, transcripts, and messaging. In this hands-on lab, you'll learn what MCP is, enable the servers on a Webex org, and build two workflows: one that auto-creates a follow-up space from a transcript, and one that analyzes meeting quality and generates an HTML troubleshooting report.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Payven Simien
Technical Consulting Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco
Payven Simien is a Technical Leader at Cisco with an expertise in building AI native Automation Systems and Tools within the Webex Collaboration space. A DevNet certified professional, Payven spent time over the years designing internal systems to enhance productivity and streamline support workflows before transitioning into the forefront of AI adoption and integration. He specializes in optimizing prompt engineering, developing MCP servers, deploying and orchestrating AI Agents and workflows.
Cisco
Chad Patterson
Technical Consulting Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco
Chad Patterson is a Technical Leader in Cisco’s Customer Experience Collaboration Engine. During his 14 years at Cisco, he has developed deep expertise in Collaboration technologies, including Telepresence and Webex. His recent work focuses on developing, scaling, and improving AI and automation tools across Cisco’s Technical Assistance Center. Chad has presented at Cisco Live and is the co-author of a book on SaaS fundamentals. He holds bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering from North Carolina State University.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Build Webex AI Agents with Your Own Custom LLM (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this hands-on lab, you'll learn how to connect your own custom large language model (LLM) to Webex AI Agent Studio and use it to power a Webex AI Agent. We'll walk through the full flow: exposing a model through a Chat Completions-compatible API, configuring it in Agent Studio, and testing it in a real customer-facing use case, such as a Webex Contact Center interaction. You'll leave with a practical understanding of how custom LLMs can support more flexible, domain-specific agent experiences, while giving builders more control over model behavior, responses, and integration choices.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Adam Weeks
Webex Developer Relations Technical Leader, Cisco
Adam Weeks is a lifelong developer with a passion for learning, teaching, and building applications, with over 20 years of industry experience. As a Technical Leader on the Webex Developer Relations team at Cisco, Adam focuses on building AI-powered solutions and developer tools that extend the Webex platform, turning ideas into working software that helps developers and customers get more out of the ecosystem. A Cisco Distinguished Speaker, he has presented worldwide to audiences of all sizes, from intimate workshops to the large conferences. Adam is a native Floridian, and when he's not at the keyboard, you'll find him on the water somewhere in Central Florida.
Cisco
Mykola Danylchuk
Technical Consulting Engineer, Cisco
Mykola Danylchuk is a Senior Technical Consulting Engineer on the Webex Contact Center Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team. He has over 10 years of experience in Cisco Collaboration and Contact Center technologies.
As the AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) for his team, Mykola is responsible for delivering technical enablement and training to fellow TAC engineers, as well as conducting technical workshops, classes, and hands-on labs for Cisco customers and partners. His primary focus is accelerating AI adoption by helping customers successfully onboard, integrate, and optimize AI capabilities within their Webex Contact Center environments.
As the AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) for his team, Mykola is responsible for delivering technical enablement and training to fellow TAC engineers, as well as conducting technical workshops, classes, and hands-on labs for Cisco customers and partners. His primary focus is accelerating AI adoption by helping customers successfully onboard, integrate, and optimize AI capabilities within their Webex Contact Center environments.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Practical Guide to Webex Contact Center Troubleshooting and Flow Design (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Webex Contact Center technology is evolving fast, making it hard to keep up and avoid misconfigurations. Join this hands-on lab to move beyond the basics and sharpen your troubleshooting skills.
Instead of simple setup, you'll learn to build optimal voice configurations using skill-based and personalized AI routing. We'll also walk through real-world digital use cases, breaking down the logic behind end-to-end flows and integrations. Participants will leave ready to build effective solutions with the right guardrails in place to ensure their contact center runs smoothly.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
D.K. Singh
Principal Engineer, Cisco
D.K., is a member of the Cisco Customer Experience (CX) Leadership team for Cisco Collaboration technologies. With over 30 years of industry experience and more than 25 years in Cisco TAC, he is a recognized technical leader, Business Unit advisor, and collaboration expert. Throughout his career, D.K. has led strategic initiatives in product serviceability, solution interoperability, automation, and customer enablement for hybrid and cloud collaboration solutions. He has played a key role in establishing multiple TAC teams across Cisco's global Customer Experience (CX) and Global Delivery Partner (GDP) centers while actively mentoring and developing technical talent.
A CCIE Voice/Collaboration for over 20 years and a Cisco Live! & WebexOne Distinguished Speaker, D.K. is widely recognized for his expertise in SIP, Session Border Controllers (SBC), and Contact Center technologies. He regularly advises Cisco's largest telecommunications customers, helping them solve complex technical and business challenges.
Prior to Cisco, D.K. worked in software development and real-time embedded systems for telecommunications applications. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Technology. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
A CCIE Voice/Collaboration for over 20 years and a Cisco Live! & WebexOne Distinguished Speaker, D.K. is widely recognized for his expertise in SIP, Session Border Controllers (SBC), and Contact Center technologies. He regularly advises Cisco's largest telecommunications customers, helping them solve complex technical and business challenges.
Prior to Cisco, D.K. worked in software development and real-time embedded systems for telecommunications applications. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Technology. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
Cisco
Anuj Bhatia
Sr. Technical Leader, Cisco
Anuj Bhatia is a Senior Technical Leader within Cisco Customer Experience (CX), directing global support operations for Webex Contact Center (WxCC) and Enterprise (WxCCE )cloud platforms. With over two decades of leadership experience at Cisco, he possesses deep-domain expertise in modern contact center architectures and the broader Webex collaboration ecosystem. Anuj holds a Master’s degree from Wichita State University, is a certified Cisco professional, and focuses on scaling high-performance technical support operations and Strategy for TAC. He is based in Massachusetts, operating out of Cisco’s Boxborough office.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Beyond the Ring: Unleashing Webex Calling AI for the Modern Enterprise
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
Step into the future of business communication in this hands-on lab exploring Webex Calling AI features. Build a real-world industry use case end-to-end using AI Assistant for Calling (Automatic Summaries and Share-on-Transfer), Ask Me Anything, and the AI Receptionist. You'll design, configure, and validate your solution with live test calls, seeing real-time summaries, intelligent call routing, and context-aware handoffs in action. Walk away with a working prototype, a deployment blueprint, and the skills to transform voice into your organization's smartest productivity asset.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Alejandra Gonzalez Romero
Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
With 17 years of experience at the forefront of Cisco's collaboration technology, I specialize in bridging the gap between complex technical infrastructure and high-level business strategy. As a CCIE-certified engineer, I don't just implement technology; I architect collaboration solutions that drive organizational productivity.
My career began in the trenches of the Technical Assistance Center (TAC), where I learned to solve the most critical, high-stakes challenges in the industry. This technical foundation allows me to speak with authority on how collaboration tools can be leveraged to solve real-world business problems.
Beyond my day-to-day work, I am a recognized voice in the industry, having presented multiple times at Cisco Connect LATAM and serving as a frequent host for live webinars within the Cisco Community. My focus is always the same: translating technical innovation into clear, measurable value for decision-makers. I am dedicated to helping our customers and partners navigate the complexities of modern collaboration, ensuring that their technology investments are fully aligned with their strategic goals and long-term business success.
My career began in the trenches of the Technical Assistance Center (TAC), where I learned to solve the most critical, high-stakes challenges in the industry. This technical foundation allows me to speak with authority on how collaboration tools can be leveraged to solve real-world business problems.
Beyond my day-to-day work, I am a recognized voice in the industry, having presented multiple times at Cisco Connect LATAM and serving as a frequent host for live webinars within the Cisco Community. My focus is always the same: translating technical innovation into clear, measurable value for decision-makers. I am dedicated to helping our customers and partners navigate the complexities of modern collaboration, ensuring that their technology investments are fully aligned with their strategic goals and long-term business success.
Cisco
Bryan Waldmann
Manager, Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Bryan Waldmann is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer / SE Leader on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP). In this role, Bryan guides the Collaboration Pre-Sales trial team, working closely with customers across a range of industries. He brings deep expertise in Webex Calling, UCM/DI, US FedRAMP, and Webex Devices. Bryan has presented/spoken at multiple WebexOne and Cisco Live sessions in the past. Prior to joining CCEP, Bryan worked in the Partner space, deploying CUCM and video solutions nationwide, with a particular focus on healthcare. He successfully led conversions of hundreds of hospitals and physician sites to CUCM. Bryan lives in the Cincinnati Metro area with his wife and five children.
Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer/TSA on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) team. Specializing in Webex Calling, Dedicated Instance, Contact Center, and Devices, he leverages over a decade of experience in Cisco Unified Communications to help customers succeed. Formerly a Technical Consulting Engineer in CX, Rajamani is a frequent speaker at Cisco Live and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Anna University.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Building Custom Webex Contact Center Dashboards: Organization Visibility and Control with APIs
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this 120-minute hands-on lab, learn to build a custom, real-time dashboard that provides full visibility and limited administrative control over your Webex environment. We'll guide you through pulling organizational data and leveraging the Search API alongside real-time data to visualize live traffic. Finally, we'll expand the scope by integrating broader Webex APIs, creating a unified view that extends beyond the contact center.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Meenakshi Sundaram Kandasamy
Technical Consulting Engineer, Cisco
Meenakshi Sundaram Kandasamy is a Senior Technical Consulting Engineer within the Webex Contact Center Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team, bringing extensive experience in the contact center (CC)) industry since 2007. Specializing in both on-premises and cloud-based contact center solutions, he leverages his deep expertise in the Cisco portfolio to drive customer success. He began his career as a Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer for the Unified Contact Center Enterprise (UCCE) portfolio before transitioning to his current role, where he supports a broad range of on-premises and cloud CC offerings. A frequent speaker at various Troubleshooting Summits and Cisco Live, He holds a Master's degree in Software Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science.
Cisco
Joshua Zuke
Technical Consulting Engineer, Cisco
Joshua Zuke is a TAC engineer for Webex Contact Center who has been working with the product since 2018 and has 17+ years of experience in the field. He continues to evolve with the technology, sharing that knowledge through presentations, trainings, and automation projects.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Transform Customer Engagement: Mastering Webex AI Receptionist with Customer Assist (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Modernize your customer experience by building a seamless, AI-driven communication flow. In this hands-on lab, you will deploy the Webex AI Receptionist to automate call routing and build intelligent knowledge bases, then integrate it with Webex Calling Customer Assist to empower your human agents. Gain practical experience configuring advanced workflows—including skill-based routing and Text-to-Speech—to deliver a sophisticated, high-touch support environment.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Niket Shah
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Niket has 15 years of experience in Cisco Unified Communications, UCaaS, and Data Center. Prior to his current role , he worked with Cisco cloud managed services as a technical architect for white glove cloud uc offerings for banks & service providers , as a technical lead for TAC for the UC team. Niket holds a CCIE in Collaboration, Master in Microlectronics , Bachelors in Electronics, Bachelors in Telecommunications engineering . He is currently a Solutions Engineer focused on collaboration for global enterprise with focus on cloud calling, contact center architectures, AI and hybrid work.
Cisco
Eddy Chandra
Product Management Architect, Cisco
Eddy Chandra has over 20 years of experience with Cisco UC product/solutions. He is CCIE, Meraki and VMware certified professional. Currently in Cisco’s CX Collaboration Product Management role, he provides architectural guidance, best practices, and strategic recommendations to help customers maximize the value of Cisco’s Collaboration solutions. He focuses on Webex Calling migrations, working closely with BE product and engineering teams to streamline migration processes for enterprise customers and partners transitioning from on-premises to cloud-based solutions.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshooting Managed and Survivability Deployments in Webex Calling
Technical Training Class: Expert
In today’s hybrid work environment, voice continuity is the backbone of business operations. Ensuring your Webex Calling environment remains resilient requires a deep understanding of Managed and Survivability Gateways, which are critical to maintaining uptime. This session covers their architecture and operational best practices in detail. Explore common failure scenarios and learn systematic approaches to resolve issues quickly through practical examples and demonstrations. Designed for network engineers and administrators supporting Webex Calling Multi-Tenant. Foundational knowledge of Webex Calling, Cisco gateways, and network architecture is recommended.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Esteban Valverde
Technical Consulting Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco
Esteban Valverde is a Global Technical Leader at the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC), where he has spent more than 20 years working at the intersection of Collaboration, Networking, and Software Development. Today he serves on the Global Webex Calling Technical Leadership team, bringing deep expertise across Cisco's entire Collaboration portfolio — from on-premises voice platforms to Webex Calling.
Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Esteban has built his career on a simple conviction: the hardest problems deserve the sharpest tools. Beyond resolving some of Cisco's most complex customer escalations, he develops automation and augmentation tools that accelerate issue resolution and partners directly with Cisco Engineering to improve product diagnostics and serviceability. The structured troubleshooting methodologies, diagnostic tooling, and knowledge frameworks he has created empower TAC engineers and customers alike, elevating the end-to-end support experience.
Over the years, Esteban has been the technical leader behind numerous critical global Collaboration deployments, and he shares that expertise generously — through comprehensive training, meticulous documentation, and mentorship for Cisco internal teams, customers, and partners. He served as the technical reviewer of two Cisco Press Collaboration books and holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.
Based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Esteban has built his career on a simple conviction: the hardest problems deserve the sharpest tools. Beyond resolving some of Cisco's most complex customer escalations, he develops automation and augmentation tools that accelerate issue resolution and partners directly with Cisco Engineering to improve product diagnostics and serviceability. The structured troubleshooting methodologies, diagnostic tooling, and knowledge frameworks he has created empower TAC engineers and customers alike, elevating the end-to-end support experience.
Over the years, Esteban has been the technical leader behind numerous critical global Collaboration deployments, and he shares that expertise generously — through comprehensive training, meticulous documentation, and mentorship for Cisco internal teams, customers, and partners. He served as the technical reviewer of two Cisco Press Collaboration books and holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Migration, Simplified: Cisco UCM to Webex Calling
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
A successful migration starts with the right plan.
Join us for a practical guide to migrating from Cisco UCM to Webex Calling using Cisco's recommended PPDIO (Prepare, Plan, Design, Implement, Operate) framework. We'll cover a proven three-phase migration approach and demonstrate how Control Hub and partner tools help simplify planning, accelerate deployment, and reduce operational complexity.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Steven Fly
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Steven Fly is a Technical Marketing Engineer (TME) within Cisco's Collaboration Technology Group, bringing more than 20 years of experience in Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco TelePresence/video collaboration, and Webex technologies. His areas of expertise include Webex Calling, Webex Customer Assist, AI Receptionist, and Webex migration strategies. Steven has delivered multiple technical sessions and hands-on labs at Cisco Live, sharing best practices and technical expertise with customers, partners, and Cisco engineers.
Steven has worked with many of Cisco's enterprise customers and partners, helping them define and execute their collaboration strategies, architectures, and solution designs. He collaborates closely with Cisco's Webex product management and engineering teams, translating customer feedback and real-world requirements into product enhancements and future capabilities.
Steven has worked with many of Cisco's enterprise customers and partners, helping them define and execute their collaboration strategies, architectures, and solution designs. He collaborates closely with Cisco's Webex product management and engineering teams, translating customer feedback and real-world requirements into product enhancements and future capabilities.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
The Best of Both Worlds: Designing Hybrid Collaboration Between Cisco UCM and Webex Cloud
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Modern collaboration demands seamless interaction between on-premises and cloud users. This session explores how hybrid architectures—leveraging Cisco UCM, Video Mesh Nodes, CCUC, and Local Gateways—connect to Webex Calling to create a unified experience. Learn how to enable transparent communication, extend existing investments, and unlock cloud innovations such as AI-powered features for on-prem users. Gain practical insights into architecture patterns, design considerations, available features, and real-world deployment strategies.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Johannes Krohn
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Johannes Krohn joined Cisco System in Germany in 2000. In his over 30 years of experience in the networking and telecommunication industry he worked in several IT companies gaining knowledge in engineering, system design and technologies from ATM to multiprotocol networking. In the last 20+ years he mainly focussed on IP telephony, Unified Collaboration and on-premise and cloud based collaboration solutions. As Technical Marketing Engineer working on Collaboration System Architectures he provides design guidance in key projects and is responsible to transferring new product information of Cisco Collaboration Solutions to audiences internally and externally. Technology focus areas include call routing architectures, collaboration architecture simplification and cloud collaboration. As part of the continuous development cycle he is providing input to the system level planing of future solutions. He holds a CCIE Voice.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Collaboration Without Boundaries: Unified Communications Deployment and AI-Driven User Experience in Disconnected Environments
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Learn how organizations in air-gapped environments can access the same AI-powered collaboration features as their cloud-connected counterparts. Topics include how Cisco AI PODs deliver meeting intelligence locally with no cloud dependency, voice and video deployment for disconnected users with Cisco UCM and Expressway integration, and how Cisco Meeting Server (CMS) 4 delivers a fully on-premises collaboration stack. We'll also showcase a Splunk-based unified collaboration dashboard built for disconnected environments providing a unified interface across the integrated communications stack for real-time calling health and rapid fault isolation.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Chris Hess
Customer Delivery Architect, Cisco
Chris Hess is a Delivery Architect on the Cisco Customer Experience team supporting US Public Sector with a focus on sovereign, disconnected and hybrid environments. With a deep background in Cisco's portfolio-including Security, Networking, Collaboration and Webex for Government. He works closely with stakeholders to understand their requirements and architects secure and efficient solutions while overseeing the end-to-end delivery process, providing technical leadership delivering resilient, mission-ready solutions at scale.
Cisco
Wes Wiley
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
With a distinguished 15-year career dedicated to the US Public Sector customers, Wes Wiley serves as a Solutions Engineer at Cisco, where he helps our most important and complex customers navigate the complexities of modern collaboration. Over the last seven years, Wes has been instrumental in supporting the Department of War, architecting secure and resilient environments that empower mission-critical operations. His expertise lies in translating intricate technical infrastructure into actionable strategies that drive user adoption and operational efficiency. Wes is passionate about leveraging Webex technology to solve the unique challenges faced by public sector organizations, ensuring they remain agile and connected in an evolving hybrid landscape.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 11:00 AM – 11:20 AM CT
Context is King: The Next Generation of Customer-Centric AI Agents
How to create highly personalized, seamless CX experiences.
This session takes a deeper look into how to leverage AI Concierge to create highly personalized, seamless experiences that move beyond basic self-service and embrace sophisticated agentic systems.
The most effective AI agents combine three critical capabilities: persistent memory, contextual awareness, and multi-agent orchestration. Together, these capabilities transform AI from a transactional tool into an intelligent digital workforce capable of understanding nuanced customer needs, adapting to changing circumstances, and delivering precise, effective resolutions. By designing AI agents that can remember, reason, coordinate, and act, organizations can create differentiated customer experiences that drive higher satisfaction, faster problem resolution, and stronger long-term loyalty.
The future of customer engagement lies not in single AI models, but in orchestrated ecosystems of intelligent agents working together to deliver truly personalized outcomes at scale.
Speakers
Cisco
Arunabh Bhattacharjee
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Arunabh Bhattacharjee is a Senior Product Manager at Cisco focused on agentic AI for automation, orchestration and AI-powered customer experience (CX). He leads product for Webex Contact Center in orchestration and platform integrations, helping enterprises build seamless omnichannel journeys and connect external systems to achieve business outcomes. Across multiple roles spanning more than 13 years at Cisco in product management, engineering, and solution leadership, Arunabh has translated complex technology into practical, scalable product direction. He is a Cisco Live Distinguished Speaker, a contributor to the Webex developer ecosystem, a published author and speaker on the Webex developer platform, and co-author of publications on orchestration and AI agents.
At WebexOne, attendees will leave with practical ways to use agentic AI for building orchestration, learn about context, APIs, AI agents, MCP, and Flow Designer to modernize customer journeys. Based in Toronto, Canada he also enjoys hackathons and building side projects that keep him close to hands-on problem solving.
At WebexOne, attendees will leave with practical ways to use agentic AI for building orchestration, learn about context, APIs, AI agents, MCP, and Flow Designer to modernize customer journeys. Based in Toronto, Canada he also enjoys hackathons and building side projects that keep him close to hands-on problem solving.
Cisco
Sam Watson
Product Marketing Manager, Cisco
Sam Watson is a Product Marketing Manager at Webex, leading strategic initiatives across the Webex Customer Experience portfolio. He brings more than a decade of experience in customer experience and enterprise communications, with expertise spanning customer journey orchestration, Webex AI Agent, CPaaS, and both cloud and on-premises contact center technologies. His work spans product strategy, positioning and messaging, launches, sales enablement, and cross-functional programs that help bring customer experience innovation to market.
Breakout
OCT 7 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM CT
Make Every Call Count: The Future of Intelligent, Secure Calling
Modernize communications across every deployment: cloud, on-premises, and hybrid.
Explore how Cisco is redefining enterprise calling with AI-powered experiences, trusted security, and resilient communications across Webex Calling, Cisco UCM, and hybrid deployments. Cisco Calling product leaders will share the latest innovations helping organizations modernize at their own pace, protect reliability and control, and future-proof their communications strategy for what’s next.
Speakers
Ameriprise Financial
Ellery Heiniemi
Sr. Director, Voice, Conversational AI & Contact Center Technologies, Ameriprise Financial
Ellery Heiniemi is a technology executive responsible for enterprise collaboration, calling, contact center, and AI platforms at Ameriprise Financial. With deep experience leading communications transformation in a highly regulated industry, Ellery focuses on how organizations can use cloud communications, AI, and automation to strengthen customer relationships, empower employees, and drive business outcomes. Ellery is passionate about the future convergence of calling, collaboration, and AI, and the role these technologies will play in transforming the way people work and connect.
Cisco
Amey Parandekar
Vice President of Product Management for Cisco Calling and on-premise UCM, Cisco
Amey leads Product Management for Cisco Calling including cloud Calling, on-premise Unified Communications Manager (UCM) and Broadworks. Cisco calling is an easy to use, mobile integrated, enterprise grade, innovative calling phone system that is easy to setup and manage for IT admins, with best-in-class security & global availability.
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.
Prior to Cisco, Amey built Microsoft Teams calling and meetings from ground up and grew Teams adoption to millions of users. He also led Product management for Microsoft's Azure cloud IaaS/PaaS services across different verticals segments including sovereign clouds and government verticals. He has extensive experience working at large companies as well as startups, building innovative products and bringing them to market.
Amey brings more than 25 years of experience in areas such as product management, design, cloud engineering in productivity software at Microsoft Office, natural language processing, machine learning with search and NUI experiences, hardware integration for audio and video and analytics. He has developed 20 patents over his career.
Amey has a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and a Masters 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.
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.
Prior to Cisco, Amey built Microsoft Teams calling and meetings from ground up and grew Teams adoption to millions of users. He also led Product management for Microsoft's Azure cloud IaaS/PaaS services across different verticals segments including sovereign clouds and government verticals. He has extensive experience working at large companies as well as startups, building innovative products and bringing them to market.
Amey brings more than 25 years of experience in areas such as product management, design, cloud engineering in productivity software at Microsoft Office, natural language processing, machine learning with search and NUI experiences, hardware integration for audio and video and analytics. He has developed 20 patents over his career.
Amey has a B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and a Masters 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.
Roundtable
OCT 7 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM CT
Grow in the SMB Market with Webex Wholesale: Innovation, Insights, and AI
A compelling roadmap with partner-led success stories.
Discover how Webex Wholesale is driving innovation and growth for partners serving the SMB market worldwide. This interactive roundtable showcases our latest AI innovations-including AI Receptionist and Partner Hub insights-alongside an exclusive preview of the future roadmap.
Moderated by Mike Tryon, Vice President of Cisco Sales, the session features a panel of four industry-leading Service Provider partners sharing real-world success stories, growth strategies, and best practices, while providing attendees direct access to Cisco Collaboration leaders.
Ideal for service provider and channel partners eager to leverage Webex Wholesale to capture market share and build a sustainable competitive advantage.
Moderated by Mike Tryon, Vice President of Cisco Sales, the session features a panel of four industry-leading Service Provider partners sharing real-world success stories, growth strategies, and best practices, while providing attendees direct access to Cisco Collaboration leaders.
Ideal for service provider and channel partners eager to leverage Webex Wholesale to capture market share and build a sustainable competitive advantage.
Roundtable
OCT 7 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM CT
Modern Healthcare: Improving Access, Care Team Collaboration, and Patient Experience
How AI agents, secure collaboration, and connected workplaces can reduce friction across the care journey.
Join healthcare leaders to discuss how AI agents, secure collaboration, and connected workplaces can reduce friction across the care journey. Explore strategies for improving patient access, supporting care teams, enabling flexible work models, and streamlining operations through intelligent automation.
This interactive peer-to-peer roundtable is an opportunity to share challenges, exchange best practices, and discuss how organizations are improving efficiency, engagement, and the human experience in modern healthcare.
This interactive peer-to-peer roundtable is an opportunity to share challenges, exchange best practices, and discuss how organizations are improving efficiency, engagement, and the human experience in modern healthcare.
Speakers
Cisco
Chris Palermo
Global Leader - Collaboration & Workplace Strategy, Cisco
Chris Palermo is a Global Leader within Cisco's Devices Center of Excellence, helping organizations reimagine the workplace through collaboration technology, smart and sustainable buildings, AI, and employee experience.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the collaboration industry, Chris works closely with Cisco customers, partners, and product teams to shape strategies that help organizations create workplaces people actually want to use. His expertise spans enterprise collaboration, workplace transformation, hybrid work, smart buildings, and the future of work.
Chris has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Unified Communications Influencers and was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for his thought leadership in workplace design and sales presentations. Through his writing, speaking, and social media presence, he shares practical, real-world insights on technology adoption, workplace experience, and business transformation.
A frequent speaker at Cisco and industry events worldwide, Chris is known for blending technology trends, business outcomes, and engaging storytelling into highly rated presentations that resonate with both technical and business audiences.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the collaboration industry, Chris works closely with Cisco customers, partners, and product teams to shape strategies that help organizations create workplaces people actually want to use. His expertise spans enterprise collaboration, workplace transformation, hybrid work, smart buildings, and the future of work.
Chris has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Unified Communications Influencers and was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for his thought leadership in workplace design and sales presentations. Through his writing, speaking, and social media presence, he shares practical, real-world insights on technology adoption, workplace experience, and business transformation.
A frequent speaker at Cisco and industry events worldwide, Chris is known for blending technology trends, business outcomes, and engaging storytelling into highly rated presentations that resonate with both technical and business audiences.
Cisco
Amy Ryan
Principal Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Amy Ryan is a Principal Solutions Engineer at Cisco with over 26 years of experience driving innovation in networking and collaboration technologies. Throughout her 16-year tenure within Cisco’s Global Collaboration Sales Engineering organization,
Amy has established herself as a trusted advisor, specializing in the architecture and deployment of complex enterprise-grade solutions. Her technical expertise spans the full spectrum of calling architectures—including premise, cloud, and hybrid environments—with a particular focus on seamless cloud migrations and the implementation of robust hybrid work strategies.
Amy is a recognized leader in field sales and partner enablement, having spearheaded high-impact initiatives such as Collaboration Technical Advisory Groups and Cisco’s X-Architecture programs. As a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker and a CCIE (#24677), Amy is widely respected for her ability to translate intricate technical requirements into scalable, business-aligned solutions. She continues to be a driving force in the evolution of collaboration technology and helping organizations navigate the complexities of the modern digital workplace.
Amy has established herself as a trusted advisor, specializing in the architecture and deployment of complex enterprise-grade solutions. Her technical expertise spans the full spectrum of calling architectures—including premise, cloud, and hybrid environments—with a particular focus on seamless cloud migrations and the implementation of robust hybrid work strategies.
Amy is a recognized leader in field sales and partner enablement, having spearheaded high-impact initiatives such as Collaboration Technical Advisory Groups and Cisco’s X-Architecture programs. As a Cisco Live Hall of Fame Distinguished Speaker and a CCIE (#24677), Amy is widely respected for her ability to translate intricate technical requirements into scalable, business-aligned solutions. She continues to be a driving force in the evolution of collaboration technology and helping organizations navigate the complexities of the modern digital workplace.
GetixHealth
Dan Womack
VP, Software Engineering, GetixHealth
Dan Womack is Vice President of Software Engineering at GetixHealth, where he helps lead the development and advancement of technology supporting healthcare revenue cycle operations and patient financial engagement.
With nearly three decades of experience across software engineering, product management, contact management solutions, and sales engineering, Dan brings a unique perspective that bridges technology, product strategy, and the operational realities of the accounts receivable and revenue cycle industries.
Prior to joining GetixHealth, Dan held senior engineering and product leadership positions with Finvi and Columbia Ultimate, progressing through roles spanning product engineering, product management, contact management solutions, and sales engineering. His experience has given him a deep understanding of how technology can be applied to improve workflows, increase efficiency, and solve complex operational challenges.
At GetixHealth, Dan is also involved in advancing the organization’s use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation. He has represented GetixHealth in industry discussions on the practical application of AI within healthcare collections and continues to focus on translating new technology into scalable, real-world solutions.
With nearly three decades of experience across software engineering, product management, contact management solutions, and sales engineering, Dan brings a unique perspective that bridges technology, product strategy, and the operational realities of the accounts receivable and revenue cycle industries.
Prior to joining GetixHealth, Dan held senior engineering and product leadership positions with Finvi and Columbia Ultimate, progressing through roles spanning product engineering, product management, contact management solutions, and sales engineering. His experience has given him a deep understanding of how technology can be applied to improve workflows, increase efficiency, and solve complex operational challenges.
At GetixHealth, Dan is also involved in advancing the organization’s use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation. He has represented GetixHealth in industry discussions on the practical application of AI within healthcare collections and continues to focus on translating new technology into scalable, real-world solutions.
Cisco
Manali Dongre
Senior Director, Product Management, Cisco
Manali Dongre is a product leader at Cisco, where she heads the team driving Agent, Supervisor, and Analyzer Experiences for Webex Contact Center within Cisco’s Collaboration Group. A passionate advocate for inclusive design, she also leads Accessibility and Inclusivity initiatives across the Collaboration portfolio, ensuring Cisco’s products are usable by all. Since joining Cisco in 2020, Manali has been at the forefront of delivering innovative, user-centered experiences that enhance productivity and collaboration. She lives in Mumbai, India with her husband and their cat, Izzy.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Michael Carter
Senior Director (Enterprise Architect), Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital
Michael Carter is an Enterprise Architect at Mass General Brigham, where he shapes the technology strategy behind how patients access, navigate, and experience care across one of the nation’s largest academic health systems. With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare technology, Michael has led architecture and digital transformation initiatives spanning virtual care, digital health, AI, patient access, contact centers, and digital engagement.
His recent work includes helping launch Mass General Brigham’s 24/7 AI-enabled virtual care platform, advancing the use of conversational and clinical AI to improve patient access and engagement, and establishing an enterprise architecture approach for Digital Patient Experience. His work focuses on translating emerging technologies into scalable, practical solutions that improve the patient experience while integrating with the complex clinical and operational environments of a large health system.
His recent work includes helping launch Mass General Brigham’s 24/7 AI-enabled virtual care platform, advancing the use of conversational and clinical AI to improve patient access and engagement, and establishing an enterprise architecture approach for Digital Patient Experience. His work focuses on translating emerging technologies into scalable, practical solutions that improve the patient experience while integrating with the complex clinical and operational environments of a large health system.
NYU Langone Health
Sandro Sherrod
Director, Collab Infrastructure & Strategy, NYU Langone Health
Sandro Sherrod is a technology director at NYU Langone Health, where he draws on more than 25 years of experience to align engineering and operations with the specialized workflows of a complex academic medical environment. His work focuses on developing workplace technology strategy, leveraging collaboration technologies and AI, and establishing effective platform governance to deliver intuitive, consistent, and secure user experiences aligned with broader organizational needs.
Cisco
Travis Pouliot
Director, Employee Experience, Cisco
Travis Pouliot serves as Engineering Manager at Cisco, bringing over 25 years of experience to the organization. He leads a global pre-sales engineering team responsible for driving technical strategy and solution delivery across Cisco's core collaboration portfolio—including the Webex Suite, Customer Experience (CX) technologies, and Cisco Devices.
Throughout his multi-decade tenure at Cisco, Travis has maintained a strong focus on connecting with customers and partners worldwide. He is passionate about leveraging these relationships to gather real-world insights, advocate for client needs, and drive continuous innovation across the broader Cisco ecosystem.
Throughout his multi-decade tenure at Cisco, Travis has maintained a strong focus on connecting with customers and partners worldwide. He is passionate about leveraging these relationships to gather real-world insights, advocate for client needs, and drive continuous innovation across the broader Cisco ecosystem.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 11:30 AM – 11:50 AM CT
Cisco Devices: One Room. Every Meeting Platform.
Easily join Webex, Teams, Google, or Zoom meetings with one tap.
Your teams use multiple collaboration platforms—sometimes all in the same day. Regardless of your primary platform, people often need to meet colleagues, customers, and other stakeholders across many different platforms. Discover how the unique architecture of RoomOS enables AI-powered Cisco devices to enhance the experience across native Webex, Microsoft Teams Rooms, Zoom Rooms, and Google Meet. One device gives teams the maximum flexibility and choice to work their way, while protecting your AI infrastructure investments.
Speakers
Cisco
Gabrielle Varatharajah
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Gabrielle D. Varatharajah is the Senior Product Manager for Microsoft Teams Meeting Experiences on Cisco Devices. She is responsible for Microsoft Teams Rooms and Cisco Webex Video Integration for Microsoft Teams (VIMT), Cisco's Cloud Video Interop solution. She sets the product strategy and roadmap, working across engineering and partner teams to deliver seamless, market-leading Microsoft Teams meeting experiences across Cisco's video device portfolio.
Breakout
OCT 7 11:40 AM – 12:10 PM CT
AI in the Contact Center: A Conversation with CX Leaders
A candid look at real-world AI wins, walls, and the path to success.
The AI hype is loud. The reality is more nuanced, and much more interesting. Join the customers for a conversation about deploying Webex Contact Center, AI Assistant, and AI Agent in the real world.
What ROI have they experienced? Where did they hit walls? What were the security considerations around AI? What does their AI roadmap look like, and how does it align to where the industry is heading?
From navigating implementation barriers to charting a new path using agentic CX, this session offers a transparent look at how leaders are turning AI ambition into tangible business value.
What ROI have they experienced? Where did they hit walls? What were the security considerations around AI? What does their AI roadmap look like, and how does it align to where the industry is heading?
From navigating implementation barriers to charting a new path using agentic CX, this session offers a transparent look at how leaders are turning AI ambition into tangible business value.
Speakers
HD Supply
James McEvoy
Director, IT and Salesforce Platform Architect, HD Supply
James McEvoy is the Director of Information Technology at HD Supply, where he leads the enterprise Salesforce teams to optimize contact center performance and elevate the customer experience. Currently, he is leading the critical Salesforce CTI integration portion of a major Webex Contact Center transition, modernizing HD Supply's multiple contact centers with AI and Machine Learning solutions. Backed by deep expertise in both Salesforce and SAP platforms, James has built an IT leadership career spanning the distribution, technology, and professional services sectors. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Stefany, four children, and three dogs.
BrokerLink
Lisa Cook
Director, Infrastructure, Data & Acquisition Integrations, BrokerLink
Lisa Cook is Director, Technology at BrokerLink, where she leads strategic technology portfolios spanning customer experience platforms, data and analytics, infrastructure, and acquisition integrations. She is responsible for the ongoing evolution of BrokerLink's contact centre technology strategy, including Webex Contact Center and the adoption of emerging AI capabilities.
With a focus on balancing innovation, governance, and business value, Lisa brings a pragmatic perspective on deploying AI in complex, highly regulated environments. Drawing on firsthand experience leading large-scale technology transformation, she is passionate about turning emerging technologies into measurable improvements for both customers and employees.
With a focus on balancing innovation, governance, and business value, Lisa brings a pragmatic perspective on deploying AI in complex, highly regulated environments. Drawing on firsthand experience leading large-scale technology transformation, she is passionate about turning emerging technologies into measurable improvements for both customers and employees.
McGee-Smith Analytics, LLC
Sheila McGee-Smith
President, McGee-Smith Analytics, LLC
Sheila McGee-Smith, the founder and principal analyst at McGee-Smith Analytics, is a communications industry analyst and strategic consultant focused on the CX, EX and AI markets. Her insight helps enterprises and solution providers develop strategies to meet the escalating demands of today’s consumer and business customers.
Sheila is a regular speaker on the main stage at EnterpriseConnect as well as at North American and European industry events. Her views on the CX and AI markets can be found regularly on No Jitter, a media outlet that provides daily commentary and analysis of the enterprise communications, customer experience and AI markets.
Sheila is a regular speaker on the main stage at EnterpriseConnect as well as at North American and European industry events. Her views on the CX and AI markets can be found regularly on No Jitter, a media outlet that provides daily commentary and analysis of the enterprise communications, customer experience and AI markets.
Americo Life and Annuity
Richard Scarborough
Assistant Vice President, Infrastructure Services, Americo Life and Annuity
Richard is the Assistant Vice President of Infrastructure Services at Americo, providing strategic oversight for the company's enterprise technology infrastructure. With more than 30 years of experience in IT leadership, Richard plays a pivotal role
in ensuring Americo's systems are secure, scalable, and aligned with long-term
business objectives. At Americo, Richard leads several core technology functions, including infrastructure operations, cloud services, application and database support, and the enterprise service desk. His teams are responsible for the full scope of IT operations—from traditional data center and network management to cloud integration and end-user support. Under his leadership, Americo has advanced its IT capabilities through enhanced system reliability, improved service levels, and proactive support structures that drive business continuity.
Richard joined Americo in 2014, bringing a diverse and accomplished background in information technology. He began his career with IBM in 1986 as a Systems 36/38 implementation specialist. He has since held various senior leadership roles,
including President of two IT companies and Regional Director of a national training institute. His experience spans combat communications engineering, customer service leadership, and enterprise-level infrastructure management. Known for his
results-driven leadership, Richard has led enterprise-wide customer service initiatives that significantly improved service level agreements and increased Tier 1 resolution rates. He has also negotiated major vendor contracts that reduced costs and
introduced new technologies across the organization.
Richard has demonstrated a strong commitment to professional development and knowledge sharing throughout his career. He has been a featured speaker at prominent industry events, including Help Desk International, Gartner conferences, Cisco Webex forums, and Captive eight leadership summits. His presentations have addressed topics such as emerging IT trends, help desk operations, collaboration tools, and infrastructure resilience.
Born and raised on the island of Guam, Richard moved to the United States at 16. He and his wife of 16 years have a large blended family, with seven children, fifteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He comes from a long line of military
service members and is a proud recipient of the Quilt of Valor, honoring his family's legacy of dedication and sacrifice.
in ensuring Americo's systems are secure, scalable, and aligned with long-term
business objectives. At Americo, Richard leads several core technology functions, including infrastructure operations, cloud services, application and database support, and the enterprise service desk. His teams are responsible for the full scope of IT operations—from traditional data center and network management to cloud integration and end-user support. Under his leadership, Americo has advanced its IT capabilities through enhanced system reliability, improved service levels, and proactive support structures that drive business continuity.
Richard joined Americo in 2014, bringing a diverse and accomplished background in information technology. He began his career with IBM in 1986 as a Systems 36/38 implementation specialist. He has since held various senior leadership roles,
including President of two IT companies and Regional Director of a national training institute. His experience spans combat communications engineering, customer service leadership, and enterprise-level infrastructure management. Known for his
results-driven leadership, Richard has led enterprise-wide customer service initiatives that significantly improved service level agreements and increased Tier 1 resolution rates. He has also negotiated major vendor contracts that reduced costs and
introduced new technologies across the organization.
Richard has demonstrated a strong commitment to professional development and knowledge sharing throughout his career. He has been a featured speaker at prominent industry events, including Help Desk International, Gartner conferences, Cisco Webex forums, and Captive eight leadership summits. His presentations have addressed topics such as emerging IT trends, help desk operations, collaboration tools, and infrastructure resilience.
Born and raised on the island of Guam, Richard moved to the United States at 16. He and his wife of 16 years have a large blended family, with seven children, fifteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He comes from a long line of military
service members and is a proud recipient of the Quilt of Valor, honoring his family's legacy of dedication and sacrifice.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 12:00 PM – 12:20 PM CT
Create Meeting-Ready Workspaces in Minutes
Watch as we unbox, provision, and join a meeting.
In this session, we’ll put an all-in-one system to the test and show how quickly a Desk Pro G2 can be unpacked, provisioned, and made meeting-ready.
See what happens when cables, components, and manual steps are taken out of the equation. We’ll show how integrated devices can simplify deployment, reduce friction for IT and AV teams, and help create meeting-ready workspaces in minutes.
See what happens when cables, components, and manual steps are taken out of the equation. We’ll show how integrated devices can simplify deployment, reduce friction for IT and AV teams, and help create meeting-ready workspaces in minutes.
Speakers
Cisco
Simon Brough
Business Development Collaboration, Cisco
With more than 20 years of experience at Cisco, Simon Brough believes that the best work happens when people are truly connected. As a Senior Business Development Manager, Simon translates complex business challenges into simple, high-impact workplace solutions. He is a passionate advocate for technology that doesn't just function, but actively enables teams to perform at their best. Simon's career is defined by his commitment to building tools that support the way we work today, and the way we will work tomorrow.
Roundtable
OCT 7 12:25 PM – 1:40 PM CT
Next-Gen Financial Services: Balancing Innovation, Compliance, and Customer Trust
Using secure AI, customer insights, and intelligent collaboration to personalize service while managing risk.
Join financial services leaders to discuss how institutions are balancing innovation, compliance, and customer trust in a digital-first world. Explore how secure AI, customer insights, intelligent automation, and collaboration platforms can help personalize service while managing regulatory complexity and risk.
This interactive peer-to-peer roundtable will focus on practical strategies for adopting technology responsibly, improving customer and employee experiences, and maintaining the highest standards for security and compliance.
This interactive peer-to-peer roundtable will focus on practical strategies for adopting technology responsibly, improving customer and employee experiences, and maintaining the highest standards for security and compliance.
Speakers
Markel
Stephanie McKeon
Principal Infrastructure Engineer, Markel
Stephanie McKeon is a Principal Infrastructure Engineer at Markel, where she leads workplace technology and collaboration initiatives that support a connected global workforce. She has played a key role in modernizing Markel’s collaboration spaces using the latest Cisco devices to create a consistent experience that allows employees to walk into any office around the world and confidently join, host, and collaborate in meetings with ease. She recently led a large-scale headquarters renovation which established a new standard for Markel’s workplace technology and employee experience.
When not focused on designing and deploying modern meeting spaces, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family attending baseball games and concerts and escaping to the beach whenever she can.
When not focused on designing and deploying modern meeting spaces, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her family attending baseball games and concerts and escaping to the beach whenever she can.
Cisco
Justin Jordan
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Justin Jordan is a Senior Product Manager at Cisco in the Webex Suite Business group. He has been at Cisco 15 years and enjoys presenting and working with our Customers and Partners on all things Collaboration! Justin resides in the Texas Hill Country with his family and loves all things Pugs, Flying, and Arcades!
Veterans United Home Loans
Brent Tegerdine
Technology Team Lead, Veterans United Home Loans
Brent Tegerdine is a Technology Team Lead at Veterans United Home Loans, where he leads a team responsible for the engineering and operation of the company's collaboration, calling, and contact center platforms.
A U.S. Army veteran, Brent began his technology career in military satellite and network communications before moving into information security and enterprise unified communications. Over the course of his career, he has worked across highly regulated environments including higher education, healthcare, and financial services, with a focus on building communications systems that are reliable, secure, and practical for the people who depend on them.
Most recently, Brent helped lead Veterans United's transition from its on-premises Cisco Unified Communications and contact center environment to Webex Calling and Webex Contact Center. His work now focuses on continuing that cloud transformation through automation, integrations, and the engineering practices needed to operate modern communications platforms at enterprise scale.
A U.S. Army veteran, Brent began his technology career in military satellite and network communications before moving into information security and enterprise unified communications. Over the course of his career, he has worked across highly regulated environments including higher education, healthcare, and financial services, with a focus on building communications systems that are reliable, secure, and practical for the people who depend on them.
Most recently, Brent helped lead Veterans United's transition from its on-premises Cisco Unified Communications and contact center environment to Webex Calling and Webex Contact Center. His work now focuses on continuing that cloud transformation through automation, integrations, and the engineering practices needed to operate modern communications platforms at enterprise scale.
Cigna
Spencer Hartmann
Sr. Video Engineer, Cigna
Spencer Hartmann is a technology leader in enterprise collaboration and workplace experience, serving as an Infrastructure Video Engineer at Cigna. He leads initiatives focused on Cisco Webex and RoomOS platforms, collaboration device management, Control Hub administration, AV infrastructure, and AI-enabled workplace solutions. Spencer is passionate about transforming how organizations connect, collaborate, and deliver seamless hybrid experiences through innovative technology and automation.
With extensive experience deploying and managing enterprise collaboration environments at global scale, Spencer specializes in workplace technology strategy, lifecycle management of collaboration devices, and creating seamless meeting experiences across physical and digital workspaces. He is particularly focused on leveraging automation, analytics, and emerging AI capabilities to simplify operations, improve reliability, and enhance the employee experience.
With extensive experience deploying and managing enterprise collaboration environments at global scale, Spencer specializes in workplace technology strategy, lifecycle management of collaboration devices, and creating seamless meeting experiences across physical and digital workspaces. He is particularly focused on leveraging automation, analytics, and emerging AI capabilities to simplify operations, improve reliability, and enhance the employee experience.
Cisco
Andrew Cammer
CX COE, Cisco
Andrew Cammer is a global leader in Customer Experience (CX) Solutions and Agentic AI at Cisco, bringing over 25 years of industry expertise.
He is dedicated to enabling large organizations to embrace innovative technologies and seamlessly integrate them into their customer transformation journeys.
With a strong emphasis on delivering tangible business results, Andrew is committed to redefining how companies connect with their customers and empower their employees in the age of Agentic AI.
He is dedicated to enabling large organizations to embrace innovative technologies and seamlessly integrate them into their customer transformation journeys.
With a strong emphasis on delivering tangible business results, Andrew is committed to redefining how companies connect with their customers and empower their employees in the age of Agentic AI.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 12:30 PM – 12:50 PM CT
Beyond Agents: Building the Relationship Enterprise
The operating systems for managing customer relationships at scale.
Enterprises have created many agents, yet customer relationships remain fragmented. Conversations lose context, interactions restart, and no one owns the relationship end-to-end. A new operating system can connect existing systems, workflows, departments, and agents—so context and continuity travel with the customer. Agents run on it. Departmental systems become tools it can invoke. The result: white-glove experiences at enterprise scale, growing more personal with every interaction. The future of AI is one relationship that remembers, understands, and endures.
Speakers
Cisco
Abhiram Kramadhati
Director, AI Solutions Consulting, Cisco
Abhiram leads the AI GTM function for the Customer Experience Business at Cisco. He is based out of Melbourne, Australia. Using AI in the CX space is his favourite domain. In his role, he works with early customers on their CX transformation by leveraging AI and also helps define the strategy to make the broader Cisco customer and partner community be successful with Cisco's AI portfolio for their CX requirements. He has previously worked at Google and Uniphore in the same space.
Breakout
OCT 7 12:50 PM – 1:20 PM CT
Future-Proofed Workplaces: Powering an AI-Ready Infrastructure
Leveraging Cisco devices for the last mile of your AI infrastructure.
Intelligent workplaces are where people and AI intersect.
Cisco devices, powered by Cisco RoomOS and NVIDIA AI/ML, enable intelligent workplace experiences that propel your teams forward. Beyond industry-leading video conferencing devices, they can be a critical component of your AI infrastructure and an extension of your network.
Join this session to see what that looks like in practice. It starts with helping employees find the right place to work, using digital signage, space mapping, room booking, and wayfinding to remove the guesswork. From there, AI agents keep team interactions equitable, so work flows to the right people instead of stalling on logistics. As conditions change throughout the day, the workplace adapts with them, staying comfortable and productive rather than static. And behind it all, IT teams get the insights they need to optimize the experience and know exactly where to prioritize their next investment.
Speakers
Cisco
Chris Palermo
Global Leader - Collaboration & Workplace Strategy, Cisco
Chris Palermo is a Global Leader within Cisco's Devices Center of Excellence, helping organizations reimagine the workplace through collaboration technology, smart and sustainable buildings, AI, and employee experience.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the collaboration industry, Chris works closely with Cisco customers, partners, and product teams to shape strategies that help organizations create workplaces people actually want to use. His expertise spans enterprise collaboration, workplace transformation, hybrid work, smart buildings, and the future of work.
Chris has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Unified Communications Influencers and was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for his thought leadership in workplace design and sales presentations. Through his writing, speaking, and social media presence, he shares practical, real-world insights on technology adoption, workplace experience, and business transformation.
A frequent speaker at Cisco and industry events worldwide, Chris is known for blending technology trends, business outcomes, and engaging storytelling into highly rated presentations that resonate with both technical and business audiences.
With nearly 30 years of experience in the collaboration industry, Chris works closely with Cisco customers, partners, and product teams to shape strategies that help organizations create workplaces people actually want to use. His expertise spans enterprise collaboration, workplace transformation, hybrid work, smart buildings, and the future of work.
Chris has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Unified Communications Influencers and was named a LinkedIn Top Voice for his thought leadership in workplace design and sales presentations. Through his writing, speaking, and social media presence, he shares practical, real-world insights on technology adoption, workplace experience, and business transformation.
A frequent speaker at Cisco and industry events worldwide, Chris is known for blending technology trends, business outcomes, and engaging storytelling into highly rated presentations that resonate with both technical and business audiences.
Asahi Beverages
James Parry
Senior Manager, Infrastructure, Cloud, and Workplace, Asahi Beverages
James Parry leads Infrastructure, Cloud & Workplace Services for Asahi Beverages across Australia and New Zealand. A technology leader with extensive experience in modern workplace transformation, cloud platforms, infrastructure operations, and digital employee experience, James specializes in turning technology strategy into measurable business outcomes. He is known for building high-performing teams, driving operational excellence, and delivering large-scale transformation programs that enable organizations to work smarter, more securely, and more collaboratively.
Cisco
Andy Johnston
Leader, Product Marketing, Cisco
Andy currently serves as product marketing leader for our portfolio of video collaboration devices, including Cisco Room Bars and Kits, and Cisco Board Pro series. Andy has been a member of the collaboration product marketing team for over 12 years. Prior to his current role, he has held product marketing roles for a wide range of Cisco collaboration devices, and on-premises and cloud collaboration solutions. Andy has over 25 years’ experience supporting a range of diverse technologies in business management, marketing, product management, and engineering leadership roles with technology manufacturers, software development, and channel partner organizations. He has a Master of Engineering degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and a Diploma in Marketing from the Charted Institute of Marketing. Andy lives with his family in the UK, and enjoys listening to music, going to festivals and playing the guitar (not very well).
Duke Energy
Mark Cook
VP, Telecom, Infrastructure, & Operations, Duke Energy
Mark Cook serves as vice president, telecom, infrastructure, critical infrastructure operations (CIOPS) and operations for Duke Energy. In this role, he leads the teams who ensure reliable, resilient and secure networking and communication capabilities across the company’s footprint in addition to the foundational infrastructure upon which applications and grid control systems rely. His organization also supports all enterprise technology needs including end user support services and audio/visual equipment.
Mark joined Duke Energy in 2000 and has held a variety of roles in information technology including application development and support for finance, customer and cybersecurity, server and storage support, and end user support. He led Finance IT for
Duke Energy’s mergers with Progress Energy and Cinergy and spearheaded a multi- year IT transformation program.
Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts in business from Thomas Moore University. He currently serves on the board of the Charlotte Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and sits on customer advisory boards for Cisco, Dell, Dynatrace, and World Wide Technology
(WWT). He enjoys giving back to his local community through nonprofit organizations including Apparo, Safe Alliance, and Young Black Leadership Alliance (YBLA).
Mark joined Duke Energy in 2000 and has held a variety of roles in information technology including application development and support for finance, customer and cybersecurity, server and storage support, and end user support. He led Finance IT for
Duke Energy’s mergers with Progress Energy and Cinergy and spearheaded a multi- year IT transformation program.
Mark earned a Bachelor of Arts in business from Thomas Moore University. He currently serves on the board of the Charlotte Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and sits on customer advisory boards for Cisco, Dell, Dynatrace, and World Wide Technology
(WWT). He enjoys giving back to his local community through nonprofit organizations including Apparo, Safe Alliance, and Young Black Leadership Alliance (YBLA).
Quick Takes
OCT 7 1:00 PM – 1:20 PM CT
Personal agents for Webex Calling: Prioritize Every Important Call
AI-powered call screening and responses from anywhere.
Learn how Personal Agents for Webex Calling helps busy professionals stay responsive without answering every call.
This feature screens incoming calls, identifies urgent or high-value callers, and notifies users wherever they are.
Users can answer immediately, send a quick message, or invite the caller to schedule a meeting, ensuring important conversations are addressed quickly while reducing interruptions from lower-priority calls.
This feature screens incoming calls, identifies urgent or high-value callers, and notifies users wherever they are.
Users can answer immediately, send a quick message, or invite the caller to schedule a meeting, ensuring important conversations are addressed quickly while reducing interruptions from lower-priority calls.
Speakers
Cisco
Sonu Arora
Senior Director of Product, Webex Calling and Webex Control Hub, Cisco
Sonu Arora is Senior Director of Product for Webex Calling at Cisco, where she leads product management for one of the world’s most widely used calling platform. With over 20 years of experience spanning engineering and product leadership, Sonu has helped shape collaboration technologies at both Cisco and Microsoft — including contributions to Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Azure Infrastructure. She’s passionate about building products that connect people, simplify work, and scale globally. Sonu brings a unique blend of technical depth and customer-first thinking to every conversation. Sonu resides in Seattle area with her husband and two daughters.
Cisco
Teney Takahashi
Product Marketing Manager, Cisco
Teney is a Product Marketing Manager in the Webex Calling team. He has spent much of his career in the unified communications industry during the transition from on-premises to the cloud.
Teney received undergraduate and MBA degrees in Marketing from Santa Clara University. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Teney received undergraduate and MBA degrees in Marketing from Santa Clara University. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
How to Get Your AI Agent to Do What You Actually Want: A Prompt Engineering Session
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
LLM-based AI agents are powerful but can be hard to control: They may ask for information users don’t have or fail to follow procedures correctly, even when those procedures are clearly defined in the instructions or knowledge base. This session shows how to design prompts that guide agents to behave reliably and do what you actually want.
CE credits: 2
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Luca Pellegrini
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Luca Pellegrini is a Technical Marketing Engineer at Cisco with a background in Collaboration. Over the years, he has worked on several machine learning initiatives, including spam call detection and endpoint metrics analysis.
He recently joined the Contact Center organization, where he is now focused on AI Agents. His current areas of investigation include AI Agent reliability, developing approaches to measure and evaluate agent performance, and prompt engineering to improve the consistency and predictability of AI-driven interactions.
He recently joined the Contact Center organization, where he is now focused on AI Agents. His current areas of investigation include AI Agent reliability, developing approaches to measure and evaluate agent performance, and prompt engineering to improve the consistency and predictability of AI-driven interactions.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
From Infrastructure to Intelligence: How Cisco Reimagined Voice Support with AI Agents
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Contact center leaders once viewed voice as an infrastructure pathway: route the call, create the case, move on. With AI agents in Webex Contact Center, it can become a smarter, more adaptive part of the customer journey.
In this session, Cisco’s customer support leadership shares how they rethought voice operations with AI agents, shifting from infrastructure-first workflows to an agile model built for continuous optimization. Learn the business case, cross-channel AI strategy, lessons learned, and best practices for scaling AI-assisted support across a global enterprise. For implementation details, attend the companion technical session: Under the Hood: How Cisco Deployed Webex Contact Center and AI Agents for Intelligent Automation.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Kate Baldwin
Director, Customer Experience, Cisco
Kate Baldwin is the Director for Global Delivery inside of Cisco’s Customer Experience (CX) organization, responsible for critical support teams such as the TAC Frontline, Global Licensing Organization, Portfolio Activation and the TAC Global Escalations team. She has previously led the CX Centers Strategic Programs Office, as well TAC Delivery and Technical Leader teams in the Webex, Collaboration, and Service Provider Networking technology groups.
Kate's current focus is transforming a manual frontline support model into an AI-driven resolution ecosystem that enhances the customer experience and eliminates unnecessary cases. Ask her about how Cisco has evolved to enhance self-service and the lessons learned in using AI across voice, chat, and email channels.
Kate's current focus is transforming a manual frontline support model into an AI-driven resolution ecosystem that enhances the customer experience and eliminates unnecessary cases. Ask her about how Cisco has evolved to enhance self-service and the lessons learned in using AI across voice, chat, and email channels.
Cisco
Kenneth Russell
Senior Technical Leader, Cisco
Kenneth is a senior Technical Leader with over 25 years at Cisco, where he began his career supporting Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco IP Phones. He is currently a part of the Customer Experience Engineering organization, focusing on Cisco's Collaboration solutions. His key focus for the past few years has been bringing automation and intelligence to our customer support experiences with AI, including using Cisco's own technologies such as Webex Contact Center.
He holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from Clemson University as well as his Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) Voice.
He holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from Clemson University as well as his Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) Voice.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Bridging the Gap: Seamless Coexistence of On-Premises and Cloud Collaboration Solutions
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
As organizations modernize their collaboration environments, the path from on-premises solutions (like Cisco UCM, Unity Connection, and Microsoft Active Directory) to cloud-based services (such as Webex Calling and Entra ID) introduces new challenges and opportunities. This session explores architectural patterns and best practices for hybrid deployments that deliver a seamless, secure, and productive user experience. Attendees will learn how to maintain coexistence, enable interoperability, and plan for a phased transition to the cloud.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Johannes Krohn
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Johannes Krohn joined Cisco System in Germany in 2000. In his over 30 years of experience in the networking and telecommunication industry he worked in several IT companies gaining knowledge in engineering, system design and technologies from ATM to multiprotocol networking. In the last 20+ years he mainly focussed on IP telephony, Unified Collaboration and on-premise and cloud based collaboration solutions. As Technical Marketing Engineer working on Collaboration System Architectures he provides design guidance in key projects and is responsible to transferring new product information of Cisco Collaboration Solutions to audiences internally and externally. Technology focus areas include call routing architectures, collaboration architecture simplification and cloud collaboration. As part of the continuous development cycle he is providing input to the system level planing of future solutions. He holds a CCIE Voice.
Cisco
Owen Friel
Distinguished Engineer, Cisco
Owen Friel is a Distinguished Engineer and Chief Architect for Webex Calling. He joined the Collaboration group in Cisco in 2007. He has had multiple roles across Collaboration including CUCM IM&P lead architect and CUCM lead architect. Owen has been working on Webex Calling since its inception.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Bringing Live Video Support into the Webex Contact Center Agent Desktop
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This session demonstrates a complete end-to-end flow: an end user initiates a support request from a Webex video device, gets routed to a Webex Contact Center agent, and connects via live video — all without the agent leaving the desktop. Use cases include kiosks, healthcare check-ins, retail assistance, and remote expert support.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Victor Vazquez
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Victor is a Solutions Engineer within the Customer Experience Center of Excellence, where he supports customers worldwide.
His journey at Cisco started as as a System Engineer more than 25 years ago, and evolved as he transitioned into a Collaboration specialist. Over the years, Victor has honed his expertise, particularly focusing on Contact Center, CPaaS and AI. He was also part of the Webex Solutions Developer Group where he specialized in building cross-architecture solutions that enable businesses to achieve their objectives.
His journey at Cisco started as as a System Engineer more than 25 years ago, and evolved as he transitioned into a Collaboration specialist. Over the years, Victor has honed his expertise, particularly focusing on Contact Center, CPaaS and AI. He was also part of the Webex Solutions Developer Group where he specialized in building cross-architecture solutions that enable businesses to achieve their objectives.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Edge Connect: Mastering Design and Deployment for Meetings, Calling, and Dedicated Instance
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Webex Edge Connect provides private network peering that bypasses the public Internet, directly linking your network to the Webex backbone for Meetings and Calling services, enabling your organization to gain access to the latest Webex innovations.
In this session, we'll cover the Edge Connect solution in detail, including key design considerations for different architecture types, deployment best practices, and the latest updates to the offering.
A foundational understanding of Webex Meetings and Calling products is recommended to fully benefit from the session content.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Richard Murphy
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Richard Murphy is a Technical Marketing Engineer and a Technical Leader within the Cisco Collaboration Technology Group business unit. He is a member of the Webex Technical Marketing Engineering (TME) team, concentrating on the Webex Edge, On-Premises AI and Meetings services. This encompasses Edge Connect, Collaboration AI POD, Video Mesh, Edge Audio, Cisco Meeting Server, and Webex Meetings.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 1:30 PM – 1:50 PM CT
Modernize Your On-Prem Contact Center
A practical path to AI, digital channels, and the cloud.
Legacy infrastructure doesn't have to mean legacy results. Have an on-premises contact center? You don't need a total "rip and replace" to start delivering a more modern customer experience.
In this session, we'll explore how to bridge the gap between your current on-premises environment and the future of CX. Learn how to layer Webex AI Agent, AI Assistant, and digital-first channels directly onto your existing setup to drive immediate operational impact, boost agent productivity, and deliver the personalized support your customers expect today.
Speakers
Cisco
Paula Goldrich
Product Marketing Leader, Cisco
Paula Goldrich is a dynamic Product Marketing Leader for Webex Customer Experience Solutions, recognized for her inquisitive nature and passion for storytelling. With over a decade of experience spanning CPaaS, CCaaS, UCaaS, and retail operations, Paula brings a distinctive perspective on customer needs, stakeholder priorities, and market trends. She excels at elevating the Webex Customer Experience portfolio, launching innovative products and features, and navigating the rapidly evolving customer experience landscape. Paula's unique background empowers her to connect with diverse audiences and drive impactful results. Paula holds a B.S. in Marketing and a B.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University. She currently resides in New Jersey.
Breakout
OCT 7 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM CT
The AI Concierge Advantage: Delivering Personalized CX at Scale
Delivering great CX through hyper-personalized AI agents.
AI is reshaping customer experience—from the contact center to every customer touchpoint across the enterprise. As AI assistants, AI agents, and intelligent workforce solutions become embedded throughout the customer journey, organizations have a unique opportunity to deliver faster service and more personalized experiences for stronger business outcomes.
As AI takes on a more active role in customer interactions, the opportunity is to move beyond individual agents toward an AI Concierge focused on managing customer experiences at scale. We’ll explore how AI memory and intelligent orchestration can connect context across people, agents, and enterprise systems to create more personal, continuous experiences—while maintaining the trust, security, governance, and human oversight needed to scale with confidence. We’ll also hear from Community Health in a fireside chat about how they’re putting AI agents into practice and building trusted AI experiences for their customers.
Speakers
Cisco
Manoj Muthavarapu
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Manoj leads the product team shaping AI agents for customer experience at Cisco, with a focus on building intelligent, autonomous experiences that transform how businesses serve their customers. A full-stack developer turned product manager, he joined Cisco through the IMImobile acquisition and is based in Hyderabad, India, where he lives with his wife and son. Outside work, he enjoys cricket, travel, and good conversations over coffee.
Community Health Network
Tim Messenger
Team Manager, Unified Communications - Contact Center, Community Health Network
Tim Messenger has spent two decades supporting the telephony environment at Community Health Network. Prior to working in IT, Tim spent time doing low voltage cabling and phone system installation, as well as a few years working in Emergency Medicine before returning to the world of IT. Initially starting as a contractor at CHNw for the E911 location mapping project, then joining the Voice Services/UC Team as an analyst supporting Nortel, and eventually Cisco Call Manager and UCCX. In 2012, he accepted a position as a Contact Center analyst supporting the UCCE IP/IVR environment. Then assisted in the migration to UCCE CVP.
In 2017, a specific Contact Center Team was created, with Tim as the manager. During this time, he and his team assisted in many environment upgrades, support, and enhancements. In 2024, CHNw began the process of building the first WxCC contact centers, setting the stage for a full migration from UCCE. Tim and his team migrated over 120 contact centers and over 400 IVRs as well as deploying centralized scheduling and triage for Primary Care practices. During this they also worked with Cisco and Presidio to develop the first deployment of WxCC AI for a pilot program for a rescheduling agent integrated with the existing practice IVRs. After the pilot was completed, the UC Contact Center Team deployed the AI Rescheduling Agent to an additional 50 practices.
Currently, they are working on the next use cases covering New Appointment Scheduling, Registration, as well as Bill Pay/Payment Plans. Tim and his team continue to evolve to support the growing changes of the Contact Center world to help ensure the patients and care givers at Community Health Network have the best experience and care as possible.
In 2017, a specific Contact Center Team was created, with Tim as the manager. During this time, he and his team assisted in many environment upgrades, support, and enhancements. In 2024, CHNw began the process of building the first WxCC contact centers, setting the stage for a full migration from UCCE. Tim and his team migrated over 120 contact centers and over 400 IVRs as well as deploying centralized scheduling and triage for Primary Care practices. During this they also worked with Cisco and Presidio to develop the first deployment of WxCC AI for a pilot program for a rescheduling agent integrated with the existing practice IVRs. After the pilot was completed, the UC Contact Center Team deployed the AI Rescheduling Agent to an additional 50 practices.
Currently, they are working on the next use cases covering New Appointment Scheduling, Registration, as well as Bill Pay/Payment Plans. Tim and his team continue to evolve to support the growing changes of the Contact Center world to help ensure the patients and care givers at Community Health Network have the best experience and care as possible.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 1:45 PM – 5:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Hands-On AI in Webex Contact Center: Building Connected Experiences from Self-Service to Agent Assistance
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Modern customer experience is moving from reactive bots to proactive, agentic systems. This hands-on lab walks through eight technical missions: Topic Analytics for friction discovery, autonomous AI Agents in Webex AI Studio, agent-to-agent collaboration via MCP, the Cisco AI Assistant for human augmentation, AI routing for outcome-driven agent matching, and AI Quality Management evaluating 100% of interactions. Built for IT leaders and CX architects ready to stop managing isolated AI tools and start building a connected experience. Leave with working configurations and operational patterns.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Krishna Tyagi
Senior Technical Leader, Webex CX & AI FDE, Cisco
Krishna Tyagi is a Senior Technical Leader within the Webex Customer Experience AI FDE at Cisco Systems, working across the full Webex CX portfolio — including Webex Contact Center, AI Agent, AI Assistant, and AI Quality Management. He guides enterprise organisations through the complete AI lifecycle, from architecture and design through large-scale deployment and optimisation, partnering closely with Cisco's Product, Engineering, and AI Strategy teams.
With 21 years of industry experience, Krishna has advised C-suite leaders at organisations through complex, large-scale AI transformations. He is a Distinguished Cisco Live Speaker and a recipient of the Cisco-wide Innovation Award, presented by Cisco's CEO. He holds Cisco Generative AI Blue Belt and Business AI Practitioner credentials, is an IEEE Senior Member, and regularly publishes thought leadership on AI and customer experience. Krishna holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and an Executive Leadership certification from Cornell University.
With 21 years of industry experience, Krishna has advised C-suite leaders at organisations through complex, large-scale AI transformations. He is a Distinguished Cisco Live Speaker and a recipient of the Cisco-wide Innovation Award, presented by Cisco's CEO. He holds Cisco Generative AI Blue Belt and Business AI Practitioner credentials, is an IEEE Senior Member, and regularly publishes thought leadership on AI and customer experience. Krishna holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and an Executive Leadership certification from Cornell University.
Cisco
Barry McLellan
Solutions Designer, Cisco
Barry McLellan is a Cisco pre-sales professional with over 25 years of experience in contact center technology. He started his career as a computer programmer in 1998, then moved into the contact center world shortly after, where he spent his first years worrying about rotary phone callers and javaSDK version issues!
Since then, Barry has worked across every side of the ecosystem: as a customer, a partner, and in Cisco CX delivery — building a practical, ground-level understanding of how contact center solutions get built, deployed, and supported.
Barry currently works in technical pre-sales as a Solutions Designer with Webex Contact Center and Webex Connect, helping customers see what's possible and shaping solutions around their vision, with a focus on automation and emerging technology. Beyond that, he builds demos, middleware integrations, and technical lab guides for Cisco's partner and customer community — including contributing to hands-on lab content presented at Cisco Live — and continues to mentor others in the field as the technology evolves.
Since then, Barry has worked across every side of the ecosystem: as a customer, a partner, and in Cisco CX delivery — building a practical, ground-level understanding of how contact center solutions get built, deployed, and supported.
Barry currently works in technical pre-sales as a Solutions Designer with Webex Contact Center and Webex Connect, helping customers see what's possible and shaping solutions around their vision, with a focus on automation and emerging technology. Beyond that, he builds demos, middleware integrations, and technical lab guides for Cisco's partner and customer community — including contributing to hands-on lab content presented at Cisco Live — and continues to mentor others in the field as the technology evolves.
Cisco
Mykola Danylchuk
Technical Consulting Engineer, Cisco
Mykola Danylchuk is a Senior Technical Consulting Engineer on the Webex Contact Center Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team. He has over 10 years of experience in Cisco Collaboration and Contact Center technologies.
As the AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) for his team, Mykola is responsible for delivering technical enablement and training to fellow TAC engineers, as well as conducting technical workshops, classes, and hands-on labs for Cisco customers and partners. His primary focus is accelerating AI adoption by helping customers successfully onboard, integrate, and optimize AI capabilities within their Webex Contact Center environments.
As the AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) for his team, Mykola is responsible for delivering technical enablement and training to fellow TAC engineers, as well as conducting technical workshops, classes, and hands-on labs for Cisco customers and partners. His primary focus is accelerating AI adoption by helping customers successfully onboard, integrate, and optimize AI capabilities within their Webex Contact Center environments.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 1:45 PM – 5:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Integrating Customer Journey Data Services for Enhanced Customer Experiences
Technical Training Lab: Expert
Stop treating every interaction as if it's the customer's first. In this lab, we go under the hood of Customer Journey Data Services (CJDS) to build a "memory" for your contact center. You'll move beyond simple data capture to true journey orchestration, learning how to propagate persistent context across IVR, AI Agents, and the Agent Workspace. We'll explore JDS actions in detail, showing you how to trigger real-time, event-driven workflows that respond to customer behavior the moment it happens. If you want to build smarter, more responsive customer journeys, this is the session for you.
CE credits: 5
Speakers
Cisco
Phil Bellanti
Senior Developer Evangelist, Cisco
Phil Bellanti is a Senior Developer Evangelist on the Cisco Webex team based in Orlando, Florida. A cloud API veteran since 2007, he joined Cisco in 2015 following its acquisition of Tropo, a real-time communications API provider. Today, Phil helps developers build with Webex by creating and delivering tech talks, workshops, webinars, and other live events. He also produces blogs, newsletters, documentation, and developer guides for both the Webex Suite and Webex Contact Center platforms.
Cisco
Sebastian Hernandez
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Sebastian Hernandez is a Partner Solutions Engineer at Cisco, leading Webex Customer Experience technical readiness across EMEA. A CCIE Collaboration holder with over 25 years in the technology industry, he has held roles in sales engineering, product management, solution consulting, and industry analysis at companies like Zoom, Gartner, Vodafone, and other integrators and service providers. His work focuses on driving success in selling, implementing, and deploying AI-powered Webex Customer Experience solutions.
Cisco
Luis Garcia
Technical Marketing Leader, Cisco
Luis Garcia Delgado is a Leader of Technical Marketing at Cisco, leading a team focused on the Webex Customer Experience (CX) portfolio and AI Agent solutions, with a proven background across Cisco TAC, Technical Marketing, and Customer Success. He has over a decade of experience bridging complex product engineering with real-world customer deployments—translating cutting-edge technical capabilities into scalable architectures and field enablement. He frequently delivers technical sessions and hands-on training on Contact Center AI technologies, multi-channel workflows, and modern contact center architectures.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 1:45 PM – 5:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Getting Started with Webex Calling: Hands-On Lab
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
Enhance your cloud-based calling skills with this interactive, accelerated hands-on lab focused on Webex Calling. During this four-hour session, you'll engage in practical exercises including configuring Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connections, using key features, and managing call routing through Webex Control Hub. By utilizing a simulated environment to practice efficient call handling, explore advanced mid-call functions, and master call flow management, you'll gain the skills necessary to optimize your organization’s telephony infrastructure and communication systems.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Susan Parrish
Webex Enablement Specialist, Cisco
Susan Parrish is a Technical Enablement Specialist at Cisco with over 20 years of experience in technology and customer-facing roles. Specializing in Webex solutions, she bridges the gap between complex software and practical application through effective adult education strategies. A 5-star instructor at WebexOne since its inception in 2022 and a 2025 Visionary Award nominee, Susan is also an active member of Women of Cisco and Women in Collaboration. She holds a Master’s in Adult Education from East Carolina University and a BS in Management of Information Systems from Mount Olive University. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys tailgating at ECU football games, traveling, and spending time at the beach.
Cisco
Vanesa Melendez
Instructional Design & Training Specialist, Cisco
Vanesa Melendez is a Training Specialist currently providing training for Webex Calling and Webex Contact Center at Cisco Webex Academy. With previous experience at Broadsoft and Ericsson. She is an Panamanian graduated in Electronics Engineering with more than a decade of experience in the telecommunications field.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 1:45 PM – 5:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Ignite Collaboration with Webex AI: AI Features to Transform Admin, Employee, and Customer Experiences
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Join this immersive lab to unlock AI's potential across Webex. Discover how AI transforms collaboration and customer interactions, boosting productivity and engagement. Gain practical experience setting up AI in Control Hub using the Cisco AI Assistant for management and analytics. Explore AI-powered calling, smart meeting insights, Vidcasts, and Slido engagement. Learn to implement the AI Receptionist and optimize Customer Assist with sentiment analysis. Master Webex AI, connect with experts, and get an overview of advanced AI Agent capabilities in Webex Contact Center.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Vladimiro Lerena
Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
With a career spanning over 25 years, Electronic Engineer and 18-year Cisco veteran Vladimiro Lerena combines deep technical expertise with a passion for innovation. An active CCIE in Collaboration and a recognized distinguished speaker at Cisco Live, Vladimiro currently leads initiatives to harness the power of AI to transform business processes for organizations throughout Latin America.
Cisco
Jose Linero
Senior Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Jose Linero is a Senior Solutions Engineer with more than 25 years of experience driving innovation in SaaS, cloud, and AI-powered collaboration solutions. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the development and evolution of scalable Collaboration-as-a-Service platforms that transform how organizations connect, collaborate, and engage in a digital-first world.
He plays a strategic role in advancing Webex Calling, Webex Contact Center, and AI-driven customer engagement solutions, helping customers across multiple industry verticals modernize communications, elevate customer experiences, and enable intelligent hybrid work environments. By integrating automation, analytics, and AI capabilities into cloud architectures, Jose helps organizations translate technology innovation into measurable business outcomes.
Currently pursuing a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence, Jose is deepening his expertise in machine learning, AI architectures, and intelligent systems to further bridge advanced research with real-world enterprise collaboration solutions.
As a Cisco Webex Subject Matter Expert and Hall of Fame Distinguished Cisco Live speaker, Jose is recognized for connecting AI, cloud platforms, and collaboration technologies into a cohesive vision for the future of enterprise communications.
He plays a strategic role in advancing Webex Calling, Webex Contact Center, and AI-driven customer engagement solutions, helping customers across multiple industry verticals modernize communications, elevate customer experiences, and enable intelligent hybrid work environments. By integrating automation, analytics, and AI capabilities into cloud architectures, Jose helps organizations translate technology innovation into measurable business outcomes.
Currently pursuing a Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence, Jose is deepening his expertise in machine learning, AI architectures, and intelligent systems to further bridge advanced research with real-world enterprise collaboration solutions.
As a Cisco Webex Subject Matter Expert and Hall of Fame Distinguished Cisco Live speaker, Jose is recognized for connecting AI, cloud platforms, and collaboration technologies into a cohesive vision for the future of enterprise communications.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 1:45 PM – 5:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Advanced Webex Calling: Mastering Multi-Site Dial Plans and Cisco UCM Integration
Technical Training Lab: Expert
Migrating from on-premises Cisco UCM to cloud collaboration requires seamless integration of established dialing habits. This session tackles hybrid enterprise dial plan complexities. Learn to design multi-site configurations, manage extension overlaps, and use virtual lines and translation patterns for granular routing. Through real-world scenarios, you'll master call routing verification, outbound permissions, and advanced troubleshooting for legacy coexistence. Ideal for admins ready to architect complex, enterprise-grade calling solutions.
CE credits: 5
Speakers
Cisco
Carl Newton
Soulitions Engineer, Cisco
Carl Newton is a solutions engineer on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) Team, specialising in configuring customer trials of cloud collaboration solutions. With over 20 years experience in the field, he has deployed countless setups of the wider range of Cisco Collaboration solutions globally. This broad experience enables him to engage with product deployment, development and education; ensuring customers get the best solution to meet their collaboration needs.
Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer/TSA on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) team. Specializing in Webex Calling, Dedicated Instance, Contact Center, and Devices, he leverages over a decade of experience in Cisco Unified Communications to help customers succeed. Formerly a Technical Consulting Engineer in CX, Rajamani is a frequent speaker at Cisco Live and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Anna University.
Cisco
Venky Yechuri
Technical Projects Systems Engineer, Cisco
I’m a Cisco Collaboration Engineer with the dCloud team, specializing in collaboration, cloud, security, and enterprise technologies across Cisco and integrated solutions. I’m passionate about AI/ML and exploring innovative ways to apply AI, automation, and emerging technologies to improve troubleshooting, customer experiences, and technical operations. I enjoy building technical demos and lab environments that showcase integrated cloud, security, observability, and on-premises capabilities.
Cisco
Hussain Ali
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Hussain Ali (CCIE# 38068 - VOICE, COLLAB) is a Technical Marketing Engineer/Technical Leader in the Collaboration Technology Group at Cisco Systems. He is responsible for all Unified Communications services and applications on the ISR, Catalyst 8300 & virtual routing platforms like Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE), Cloud Calling solutions such as Webex Calling, call recording, Direct Routing with Microsoft Phone System, and Webex Contact Center.
He provides architectural design guidance for unified communication services and solutions to enterprise customers, service providers, Cisco sales force, and Cisco partners.
He works directly with the product management and engineering teams in strategizing future product development to meet customer needs. Prior to joining this group, he led the Multiservices Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team in Richardson, TX, troubleshooting and diagnosing some of the largest Cisco Collaboration deployments.
He provides architectural design guidance for unified communication services and solutions to enterprise customers, service providers, Cisco sales force, and Cisco partners.
He works directly with the product management and engineering teams in strategizing future product development to meet customer needs. Prior to joining this group, he led the Multiservices Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team in Richardson, TX, troubleshooting and diagnosing some of the largest Cisco Collaboration deployments.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 7 1:45 PM – 5:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Using AI and Webex APIs to Develop Custom Tools and Functionality in Webex Contact Center (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
In this session, you'll explore how to harness the power of AI to code custom tools and functionalities in Webex Contact Center. You'll use a method called Spec-Driven Development, which provides structure and guardrails for your project. You'll build AI Agents to assist you in refining your requirements, implementing your plan, testing your code, and reviewing your results.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Adam Weeks
Webex Developer Relations Technical Leader, Cisco
Adam Weeks is a lifelong developer with a passion for learning, teaching, and building applications, with over 20 years of industry experience. As a Technical Leader on the Webex Developer Relations team at Cisco, Adam focuses on building AI-powered solutions and developer tools that extend the Webex platform, turning ideas into working software that helps developers and customers get more out of the ecosystem. A Cisco Distinguished Speaker, he has presented worldwide to audiences of all sizes, from intimate workshops to the large conferences. Adam is a native Floridian, and when he's not at the keyboard, you'll find him on the water somewhere in Central Florida.
Cisco
Kevin Simpson
Solutions Manager, Cisco
Kevin Simpson is a Solutions Manager with the Webex Contact Center, where he passionately channels his enthusiasm for innovation, education, and enablement. He has earned a reputation for his remarkable ability to demystify complex concepts, transforming advanced topics into accessible and engaging content for individuals who are eager to learn and expand their knowledge.
Roundtable
OCT 7 1:50 PM – 3:05 PM CT
AI Across Industries: What's Working, What's Stalled, and What's Next
How AI is showing up in real workflows, team experiences, and customer-facing moments, and what leaders are learning along the way
The most interesting AI conversations are happening in the messy middle: where early ideas meet real teams, real workflows, and real customer expectations. This roundtable brings leaders together to trade concrete use cases across industries — where an approach proven in financial services might transfer to government, or a solution built for healthcare could reshape retail. The value is practical cross-pollination: surfacing applications one industry has already solved that others haven't yet tried.
Speakers
Cisco
Mark Rankin
Distinguished Systems Engineer, Cisco
Mark Rankin is a Distinguished Systems Engineer and a senior technical leader in the Cisco Global Collaboration Sales Centre of Excellence. His current focus is on Cisco's overall collaboration strategy, and he is currently focused on the impact of AI, Mobility, and aspects relating to SaaS data residency, sovereignty, and air-gap environments. Mark has a particular interest in calling and real-time communications and how this has, and continues to, evolve. Mark was the lead architect during the development of the incubation project that became Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS). Prior to his current role, Mark was the lead architect for Cisco's private 5G incubation project.
Over his career, Mark has worked with some of the world's largest service providers to help them transform their networks and services from TDM to IP and now towards Cloud, NFV, SDN, and Automated platforms. Mark has expertise in Fixed and Mobile Networks, WAN, LAN, DC/Cloud, SP Voice, Collaboration, and IoT services. Mark has 25 years of experience in the service provider marketplace. He holds a BSc in Mathematical Physics from UMIST and an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Manchester.
Over his career, Mark has worked with some of the world's largest service providers to help them transform their networks and services from TDM to IP and now towards Cloud, NFV, SDN, and Automated platforms. Mark has expertise in Fixed and Mobile Networks, WAN, LAN, DC/Cloud, SP Voice, Collaboration, and IoT services. Mark has 25 years of experience in the service provider marketplace. He holds a BSc in Mathematical Physics from UMIST and an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Manchester.
First Horizon Bank
Jason O'Dell
VP, Voice Services, First Horizon Bank
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. O’Dell is driven to discover innovative, cost-effective and risk-compliant solutions that improve the company’s ability to serve clients and communities.
O’Dell 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 20 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.
Jason has won two Webex One Customer Awards while at First Horizon for “Customer Experience Extrodinaire” and the “Webex Luminary” Awards.
O’Dell 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 20 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.
Jason has won two Webex One Customer Awards while at First Horizon for “Customer Experience Extrodinaire” and the “Webex Luminary” Awards.
CarShield
Abdalnafie Sibaie
AI Specialist, Team Lead, CarShield
Sibaie is the AI Specialist and Team Lead of the AI Team at CarShield, where he leads the design and deployment of AI across the contact center and beyond. His team builds production voice AI agents, AI-powered quality assurance pipelines, agentic applications, and workflow automations spanning Cisco Webex Contact Center, Azure AI Foundry, and modern voice AI platforms.
His work focuses on moving AI out of the demo stage and into real workflows, from automated claims review to AI agents handling live customer conversations at scale.
Sibaie holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology.
His work focuses on moving AI out of the demo stage and into real workflows, from automated claims review to AI agents handling live customer conversations at scale.
Sibaie holds a degree in Computer Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology.
American Eagle
Joe McQueen
Sr Manager of Collaboration, American Eagle
Joseph McQueen leads enterprise collaboration strategy at American Eagle Outfitters, where he has driven full Webex Suite adoption across a complex retail environment of 1,000+ stores and 4,200 users. With more than 15 years of continuous Webex experience dating back to Cisco’s 2007 acquisition, he has overseen the transition from CUCM to Webex Calling, the standardization of 300+ custom conference rooms, and the integration of Meetings, Messaging, Webinars, and Contact Center into daily retail operations.
Joseph is the architect behind AEO’s extensive Webex automation platform. His team has built 50+ custom bots and API integrations that have transformed store provisioning from a one-hour manual process into a five-minute, fully consistent workflow. These solutions connect Webex with Meraki, ServiceChannel, Jira, and internal store systems to deliver automated device provisioning, intelligent ticket enrichment, real-time alerting, and AI-assisted support. The same platform is now expanding into Webex Contact Center AI agents designed to reduce seasonal staffing needs and preserve institutional knowledge.
His work emphasizes practical scale: 4,572 devices under management, “Real Vision Rooms” combining Cisco Codec EQ, Pro Ceiling Microphones, and wireless cameras, and the integration of Cisco EQ into AEO’s Town Hall for accessible large-scale Webex Webinars. The results include dramatically faster deployments, higher operational consistency, and a measurable shift of support effort from repetitive tasks to higher-value problem solving.
At Webex One, Joseph shares a retail practitioner’s view of what full-suite Webex adoption looks like when automation, device strategy, and AI are treated as core operational capabilities rather than side projects.
Joseph is the architect behind AEO’s extensive Webex automation platform. His team has built 50+ custom bots and API integrations that have transformed store provisioning from a one-hour manual process into a five-minute, fully consistent workflow. These solutions connect Webex with Meraki, ServiceChannel, Jira, and internal store systems to deliver automated device provisioning, intelligent ticket enrichment, real-time alerting, and AI-assisted support. The same platform is now expanding into Webex Contact Center AI agents designed to reduce seasonal staffing needs and preserve institutional knowledge.
His work emphasizes practical scale: 4,572 devices under management, “Real Vision Rooms” combining Cisco Codec EQ, Pro Ceiling Microphones, and wireless cameras, and the integration of Cisco EQ into AEO’s Town Hall for accessible large-scale Webex Webinars. The results include dramatically faster deployments, higher operational consistency, and a measurable shift of support effort from repetitive tasks to higher-value problem solving.
At Webex One, Joseph shares a retail practitioner’s view of what full-suite Webex adoption looks like when automation, device strategy, and AI are treated as core operational capabilities rather than side projects.
Cisco
Christina Dolan
Director, Americas CX Solution Engineering, Cisco
Christina Dolan is a Director of Solutions Engineering at Cisco, where she leads engineering strategies for the Americas Customer Engagement Sales team. With over 30 years of expertise, she specializes in guiding engineering teams to drive customer business transformation and capitalize on opportunities within the evolving digital landscape.
Throughout her three-decade tenure at Cisco, Christina has focused on Solutions Engineering, holding various leadership roles dedicated to technology evangelization. Prior to Cisco, she served at Australia’s Defense Science Technology Organization, where she conducted research for early warning systems designed to detect helicopter gearbox failures.
Christina combines deep operational expertise with a commitment to strategic planning. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Aeronautical Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and an MBA from NC State's Poole College of Management.
Throughout her three-decade tenure at Cisco, Christina has focused on Solutions Engineering, holding various leadership roles dedicated to technology evangelization. Prior to Cisco, she served at Australia’s Defense Science Technology Organization, where she conducted research for early warning systems designed to detect helicopter gearbox failures.
Christina combines deep operational expertise with a commitment to strategic planning. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Aeronautical Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and an MBA from NC State's Poole College of Management.
Cisco
Carlos Guadamuz
Business Development Manager, Cisco
Carlos Guadamuz is an award-winning solutions engineer, an in-demand public speaker, and a driving force behind the next generation of customer experience (CX) technology. As a Business Development Manager for Cisco’s Contact Center Business Unit, Carlos brings over 26 years of deep technical and business expertise to the stage, specializing in translating emerging tech trends into actionable, growth-driven strategies.
A passionate advocate for customer-centric innovation, Carlos currently serves as a key member of Cisco’s CX Solutions team, where he spearheads the demo strategy for cutting-edge AI tools and experiences. His ability to bring complex technology to life is well-known across the industry; he recently led the creativity and innovation strategy for the keynote demos at WebexOne 2025 and is the architect behind the highly acclaimed "Quiet Cube" demo experience.
Recognized with the 2019 CXC Excellence Award, Carlos excels at unraveling the intricacies of the modern business landscape. He bridges the critical gap between cutting-edge technological advancements and exceptional human experiences. Attendees of his sessions leave equipped not just with foresight into the future of the contact center industry, but with tailored, actionable solutions to elevate their own customer engagement standards.
A passionate advocate for customer-centric innovation, Carlos currently serves as a key member of Cisco’s CX Solutions team, where he spearheads the demo strategy for cutting-edge AI tools and experiences. His ability to bring complex technology to life is well-known across the industry; he recently led the creativity and innovation strategy for the keynote demos at WebexOne 2025 and is the architect behind the highly acclaimed "Quiet Cube" demo experience.
Recognized with the 2019 CXC Excellence Award, Carlos excels at unraveling the intricacies of the modern business landscape. He bridges the critical gap between cutting-edge technological advancements and exceptional human experiences. Attendees of his sessions leave equipped not just with foresight into the future of the contact center industry, but with tailored, actionable solutions to elevate their own customer engagement standards.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 2:00 PM – 2:20 PM CT
Building Natural Voice AI Agents with Webex AI Agent and Amazon Nova 2.5 Sonic
Real-time speech-to-speech AI for better customer conversations
What if your AI agent could listen, reason, and respond as naturally as your best human agent?
Amazon Nova 2.5 Sonic is a speech-to-speech foundation model that unifies speech understanding and generation in a single model, enabling real-time, human-like voice conversations.
Building on Nova 2 Sonic, Nova 2.5 Sonic delivers stronger reasoning, more reliable instruction following, and more accurate tool calling, with lower latency. Learn how Cisco and AWS teamed up to bring Nova 2.5 Sonic to Webex AI Agent, see it handle real customer conversations, and walk away with practical guidance for launching voice AI agents in your contact center.
Amazon Nova 2.5 Sonic is a speech-to-speech foundation model that unifies speech understanding and generation in a single model, enabling real-time, human-like voice conversations.
Building on Nova 2 Sonic, Nova 2.5 Sonic delivers stronger reasoning, more reliable instruction following, and more accurate tool calling, with lower latency. Learn how Cisco and AWS teamed up to bring Nova 2.5 Sonic to Webex AI Agent, see it handle real customer conversations, and walk away with practical guidance for launching voice AI agents in your contact center.
Speakers
Amazon
Gui Ruggiero
Principal Product Manager, IMAX AI Speech Services, Amazon
Gui Ruggiero leads Nova Sonic, Amazon's speech-to-speech foundation model.
Before Nova Sonic, he owned Alexa's speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS), bringing 7+ years in speech AI and 8+ years in machine learning.
Before Nova Sonic, he owned Alexa's speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS), bringing 7+ years in speech AI and 8+ years in machine learning.
Breakout
OCT 7 2:10 PM – 2:40 PM CT
The Fast Track to Smarter Meeting Rooms
Simplify AV deployment and eliminate room complexity.
Many meeting rooms are still built from disconnected components, custom programming, and multi-vendor workflows that slow deployment and drive costs higher.
In this session, you’ll learn how Cisco’s integrated approach helps IT and AV teams create smarter, repeatable workspaces with less complexity and lower TCO.
We’ll explore new devices and innovations including Room Kit Pro G2, IP cameras, and audio peripherals, and showcase how Cisco brings video, audio, networking, and management together into one orchestrated room experience. We’ll also explore how agentic capabilities can make rooms more adaptive, automated, and easier to operate over time.
Speakers
Cisco
Astrid Kongelf Jensen
Engineering Product Manager, Cisco
Astrid Kongelf Jensen is the Product Manager for Camera Intelligence and Workplace Sensor Intelligence at Cisco. She is in charge of setting the strategy and backlog for three camera intelligence teams and a real time ML-team. Since joining Cisco, she has worked across software engineering and product management, including leading product management for the Microsoft Teams Rooms integration. She now focuses on multicamera setups and camera calibration, always pushing for the best possible quality and usability, even in the most advanced rooms.
D. E. Shaw Group
Sean Scott
VP, Voice & Video Engineering, D. E. Shaw Group
Sean Scott is a vice president of D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P. and a member of the D. E. Shaw group’s Systems department operating from the firm’s New York headquarters. In that role, Mr. Scott leads the engineering function within Systems’ voice and video team, with responsibility for the design, deployment, and operation of the firm’s conferencing and collaboration technologies. In 2024, he led the audiovisual buildout of the newly constructed New York office space, a program encompassing more than 350 video-enabled locations standardized on the most recent generation of endpoints provided by Cisco Systems, Inc. Mr. Scott joined the firm in 2008 and assumed his current role in 2023.
AMD
Justin Watts
Director IT, Global Video and Events and North America/Europe OSS, AMD
Justin Watts CTS, ITIL, MTA, EAVA, ECS is the Director IT, Global Infrastructure Services at AMD in Austin, Texas. He has spent more than 30 years in collaboration related endeavors ranging from staging and live production to IT centric collaboration technologies. Justin has wide ranging experience in the corporate audio-visual space with a specific focus in large scale technology companies having worked at Google, Facebook, Apple, and now AMD.
Justin is also an active AVIXA volunteer where his efforts include teaching yearly at the InfoComm show as a Senior Faculty Instructor. He is currently the Chair of the Content and Learning Commitee and has also served on Standards Committees, the Diversity Council, the Certification Steering Committee and the Tech Manager’s Council. Along with holding his CTS and ITIL certification, he has also been recognized as a 40 under 40 by SCN magazine and as AV Living Legend #75 by Commercial Integrator Magazine.
Justin is also an active AVIXA volunteer where his efforts include teaching yearly at the InfoComm show as a Senior Faculty Instructor. He is currently the Chair of the Content and Learning Commitee and has also served on Standards Committees, the Diversity Council, the Certification Steering Committee and the Tech Manager’s Council. Along with holding his CTS and ITIL certification, he has also been recognized as a 40 under 40 by SCN magazine and as AV Living Legend #75 by Commercial Integrator Magazine.
Cisco
Gyorgy Gyarmati
Product Marketing Manager, Cisco
Gyorgy is the Product Marketing Lead for Cisco room devices, room accessories, and Workspace Designer. He's an experienced B2B marketer with expertise in driving success with product marketing, solutions marketing, and content strategy, from strategy to execution, at Fortune 500 companies (Cisco, IBM, Verint) and high-growth startups (Verba Technologies).
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
A Practical Guide to Deployment of the Webex App with Cisco UCM Calling
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This session covers everything you need to deploy the Webex App with Cisco UCM calling — architecture, deployment models, and key configuration steps. We'll dig into service discovery, authentication, security, user provisioning, and calling resiliency so you leave with the knowledge to deliver a smooth, enterprise-grade collaboration experience.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Shane Long
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Shane Long is a Technical Marketing Engineer (TME) within the Workplace Technology Group, focusing on all things Webex app. This includes deployment, best practices and integrations, with a particular focus on Webex App with Unified CM calling. Prior to working on Webex, Shane mainly focused on Cisco Jabber. Shane began working at Cisco as part of collaboration engineering in 2007, and became a TME in 2012. Shane is passionate about helping customers overcome any collaboration deployment blockers they may have
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Hybrid Architecture for Webex: Where On-Premises Control Meets Cloud Innovation
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Hybrid architecture decisions are easier when teams understand what should stay on-premises, what belongs in the cloud, and how the pieces work together. This intermediate session introduces Webex hybrid architecture concepts, common benefits, and practical considerations for making the most of current capabilities while preparing for what comes next.
CE credits: 2
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Trevor Peddle
Product Management Technical Leader, Cisco
Trevor Peddle is a Product Management Technical Leader and Collaboration Architect at Cisco, with broad expertise across calling, contact center, meetings, messaging, devices and the wider collaboration portfolio. He has more than 30 years of technology experience spanning cloud, on-premises and hybrid architectures and is a CCIE Collaboration and Chartered Engineer. Trevor consults with customers, partners and technical teams, delivering education and enablement that helps them understand complex technology choices and turn them into practical business outcomes.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
From Insight to Action: AI-Powered Troubleshooting with MCP Integrations for Webex Control Hub and ThousandEyes
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Managing user experience at scale means correlating signals across multiple platforms — fast, and with limited resources. This session shows how Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations for Webex Control Hub and ThousandEyes create an AI-driven troubleshooting platform that turns raw telemetry into actionable insight.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Rafat Kuraishi
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rafat is a Systems Architect at Cisco Systems with dual CCIE certifications in Voice and Collaboration technologies. He brings over 15 years of experience delivering and supporting Cisco collaboration solutions across diverse industries, including large financial institutions, healthcare, and hyperscale accounts. Rafat's expertise spans both on-premises and cloud collaboration products, with a strong focus on cross-architecture integrations involving Collaboration and Observability platforms. Previously, he contributed as a Collaboration Architect within Cisco's Advanced Services team and gained deep technical insights as a TAC engineer supporting Cisco's collaboration portfolio.
Amazon
Leif Gustafson
AV Service Ops Engineer, Amazon
Leif Gustafson is an AV Service Operations Engineer lead within Amazon's Corporate Infrastructure Services (CIS) organization in Seattle, where he supports the Global AV Operations Escalations team. He has supported Amazon's audiovisual environments for roughly a decade — first as an AV vendor beginning in 2016, then as an Amazonian since 2017 — working across IT Support, AV support, and service operations engineering, including Tier II escalations, executive briefing center environments, and on-premise events.
His background pre-Amazon as a trained electronic-equipment service technician informs a hands-on, systems-level approach to troubleshooting, monitoring, and automation for enterprise video-conferencing and collaboration infrastructure, including AI-assisted methods for call-quality analysis and incident resolution.
At WebexOne 2026, he is co-presenting on using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to streamline troubleshooting workflows across Webex Control Hub and ThousandEyes.
His background pre-Amazon as a trained electronic-equipment service technician informs a hands-on, systems-level approach to troubleshooting, monitoring, and automation for enterprise video-conferencing and collaboration infrastructure, including AI-assisted methods for call-quality analysis and incident resolution.
At WebexOne 2026, he is co-presenting on using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to streamline troubleshooting workflows across Webex Control Hub and ThousandEyes.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Agentic AI in Action: A Practical Guide to the Design, Implementation, and Operation of Contact Centers
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Manual scripting and complex custom coding are no longer the only path. This session is a practical guide to using agentic AI tools to design, deploy, and operate Webex Contact Center. We'll walk through three real-world applications showing how agentic tools interact with system environments, write code, and translate human intent into complex technical configurations.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Carles Duz Palau
Solution Engineer, Cisco
Carles Duz Palau is a highly experienced Solution Engineer at Cisco Systems, with over 19 years of expertise in Customer Experience technologies, focusing on Contact Center and AI solutions. Since joining Cisco in 2007, Carles has held various roles that showcase his depth of knowledge and dedication to customer success.
Carles began his journey at Cisco as a Customer Support Engineer in TAC and later transitioned to Network Consulting Engineer in the Advanced Services team, where he deployed one of the first Contact Centers as a Service for one of Cisco's largest customers. Following this, he transitioned to a Technical Solution Manager role in the Contact Center Business Unit where, during 9 years, developed tight connections with multiple organizations within Cisco and with customers and partners to deliver customer success during the transition to native cloud technologies.
Over the last five years, he has been thriving in his current role as a Solution Engineer, specializing in delivering transformative solutions that enhance customer engagement and drive measurable business outcomes. After two years at Center Of Excellence central team he is now part of the team of Global Solution Engineers for CX focusing on strategic accounts.
Carles began his journey at Cisco as a Customer Support Engineer in TAC and later transitioned to Network Consulting Engineer in the Advanced Services team, where he deployed one of the first Contact Centers as a Service for one of Cisco's largest customers. Following this, he transitioned to a Technical Solution Manager role in the Contact Center Business Unit where, during 9 years, developed tight connections with multiple organizations within Cisco and with customers and partners to deliver customer success during the transition to native cloud technologies.
Over the last five years, he has been thriving in his current role as a Solution Engineer, specializing in delivering transformative solutions that enhance customer engagement and drive measurable business outcomes. After two years at Center Of Excellence central team he is now part of the team of Global Solution Engineers for CX focusing on strategic accounts.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 2:30 PM – 2:50 PM CT
The Art of Sound: Elevating Audio Experiences in the Modern Workplace
Learn how to optimize the audio experience in your workplace.
High-quality sound is essential for inclusive video meetings, yet meeting room audio often remains the most complex part of AV. Join this session to learn how modern room audio solutions simplify deployment with plug-and-play installation over IP and embedded edge AI, delivering clear, equitable sound throughout the room. You'll also discover how improved manageability helps IT deploy and manage audio across meeting spaces, from conference rooms to large auditoriums, as part of the broader workspace ecosystem.
Speakers
Cisco
Anna Bieber
Product Manager, Cisco
Anna is a Senior Product Manager for Collaboration Devices at Cisco, based in Oslo, Norway. She specializes in AV over IP peripherals, driving innovation across both software and hardware to deliver exceptional audio experiences. Her goal is simple and ambitious: every voice should be heard. Whether you sit at the front of the room or the back, join from the office or remotely, or connect through any meeting platform, Anna is focused on ensuring people have an equal voice in every conversation. Through her expertise and dedication, she plays a key role in shaping the future of collaboration technology—fostering more connected, inclusive, and equitable communication experiences for teams worldwide.
Breakout
OCT 7 2:50 PM – 3:20 PM CT
AI Where You Work: The Power of Connected Intelligence Across the Webex Suite
Bring intelligence into every workstream.
The most powerful AI isn't a separate tool you have to go find—it’s one that lives right where the work is already happening.
In this session, discover how Webex Suite delivers AI that understands collaboration in context, surfacing the right information, insights, and assistance at the right time to help teams move from conversation to action without switching apps.
Join us to see how connected AI across Webex Suite is turning everyday interactions into smarter outcomes for your organization with intelligent support that understands the full picture of how teams collaborate while helping leaders stay ahead without adding complexity.
In this session, discover how Webex Suite delivers AI that understands collaboration in context, surfacing the right information, insights, and assistance at the right time to help teams move from conversation to action without switching apps.
Join us to see how connected AI across Webex Suite is turning everyday interactions into smarter outcomes for your organization with intelligent support that understands the full picture of how teams collaborate while helping leaders stay ahead without adding complexity.
Speakers
Labcorp
John Grande
Sr IT Director, Voice and Collaboration, Labcorp
John Grande serves as the Director of Voice Services at Labcorp, where he leads a high-performing global collaboration team responsible for the strategic vision and operational execution of the organization’s enterprise-wide communication infrastructure. In this capacity, John oversees the delivery of secure, scalable, and high-performance solutions that underpin Labcorp’s mission-critical global operations.
With a deep background in telecommunications and network architecture, John is a driving force behind Labcorp’s digital transformation initiatives. He specializes in the modernization of legacy voice platforms and the integration of advanced unified communication technologies, ensuring that the company’s infrastructure remains agile and aligned with evolving business objectives. His leadership is defined by a commitment to operational excellence and the pursuit of seamless connectivity that empowers a global workforce.
Under John’s guidance, his global team has successfully established Webex as the enterprise standard for collaboration. His strategic oversight has resulted in the deployment of over 400 Cisco endpoints and the support of 20,000 active Webex users. Currently, his team facilitates an average of 60,000 monthly meetings, with a strong focus on driving AI-led productivity. Notably, John has championed the adoption of AI-powered features, achieving an 85% utilization rate for Post-Meeting Summaries across the organization.
John resides in Florida with his wife, Charlene. Outside of his professional endeavors, he is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys spending time in local parks and on the coast with his dogs. He is also a dedicated craftsman who enjoys refining his carpentry skills.
With a deep background in telecommunications and network architecture, John is a driving force behind Labcorp’s digital transformation initiatives. He specializes in the modernization of legacy voice platforms and the integration of advanced unified communication technologies, ensuring that the company’s infrastructure remains agile and aligned with evolving business objectives. His leadership is defined by a commitment to operational excellence and the pursuit of seamless connectivity that empowers a global workforce.
Under John’s guidance, his global team has successfully established Webex as the enterprise standard for collaboration. His strategic oversight has resulted in the deployment of over 400 Cisco endpoints and the support of 20,000 active Webex users. Currently, his team facilitates an average of 60,000 monthly meetings, with a strong focus on driving AI-led productivity. Notably, John has championed the adoption of AI-powered features, achieving an 85% utilization rate for Post-Meeting Summaries across the organization.
John resides in Florida with his wife, Charlene. Outside of his professional endeavors, he is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys spending time in local parks and on the coast with his dogs. He is also a dedicated craftsman who enjoys refining his carpentry skills.
Cisco
Mayada Abdelrahman
Director of Product Management, Cisco
Mayada Abdelrahman is Director of AI Product Management at Cisco, where she leads product strategy for Webex’s Speech AI portfolio and AI Agent platform for Collaboration.
Her work spans foundational speech technologies, including speech recognition, text-to-speech, translation, and speaker intelligence, as well as the development of multimodal AI agents designed for secure, enterprise collaboration experiences.
Prior to Cisco, Mayada was the lead product manager at Voicea, an enterprise AI voice assistant that was acquired by Cisco. Since then, she has helped bring AI-powered experiences to millions of Webex users across Meetings, Calling, and Contact Center.
With more than 18 years of experience across software, hardware, and AI, Mayada is passionate about translating emerging technologies into practical, secure, and responsible products that transform how people work and communicate. She holds an MBA from Duke University and a Computer Science degree from the American University in Cairo.
Her work spans foundational speech technologies, including speech recognition, text-to-speech, translation, and speaker intelligence, as well as the development of multimodal AI agents designed for secure, enterprise collaboration experiences.
Prior to Cisco, Mayada was the lead product manager at Voicea, an enterprise AI voice assistant that was acquired by Cisco. Since then, she has helped bring AI-powered experiences to millions of Webex users across Meetings, Calling, and Contact Center.
With more than 18 years of experience across software, hardware, and AI, Mayada is passionate about translating emerging technologies into practical, secure, and responsible products that transform how people work and communicate. She holds an MBA from Duke University and a Computer Science degree from the American University in Cairo.
Cisco
Shweta Vijayaraghavan
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Quick Takes
OCT 7 3:00 PM – 3:20 PM CT
Powering the Workplace with Agentic AI
How AI agents in Cisco devices become your team’s digital workforce.
Your people are ready with the AI tools they need to succeed. But is your workplace ready?
Join this session to see how AI agents built into Cisco devices help remove the friction and elevate the workplace experience. Explore the Translator, Notetaker, Director, and Workspace Advisor Agents to see how AI can silently work in the background to ensure the best possible experience, both in a meeting and beyond.
Speakers
Cisco
Julie Sildnes
Senior Product Manager, Cisco
Julie Sildnes is a Senior Product Manager working on Workplace Designer helping organizations plan, visualize, and optimize their real estate from early design through AI-driven workspace management. She has previous experience from Audio and Camera Intelligence on Collaboration devices, taking Cinematic Meetings to market.
Roundtable
OCT 7 3:15 PM – 4:30 PM CT
Government & Public Sector: Modernizing Services with Secure, Resilient Platforms
Trusted, resilient workplaces that help agencies connect and deliver secure, scalable services to the communities and citizens they serve.
Join government, utilities, education, and public service leaders to discuss how trusted, secure, and resilient workplaces can support both employee collaboration and citizen service delivery at scale. Explore strategies for connecting teams across offices, improving operational continuity, expanding access to services, and strengthening community engagement.
This interactive peer-to-peer roundtable will focus on how secure collaboration, intelligent automation, and scalable digital platforms can help agencies deliver reliable, trusted experiences for employees and the communities they serve.
This interactive peer-to-peer roundtable will focus on how secure collaboration, intelligent automation, and scalable digital platforms can help agencies deliver reliable, trusted experiences for employees and the communities they serve.
Speakers
Cisco
Michael McGary
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Michael is Cisco’s Director of Product Management overseeing Collaboration Market Access, Webex Suite Security, Scheduling & Calendar Systems, and other Webex back-end services. With over a decade of experience in cloud solutions, Michael has been pivotal in leading key projects such as the OBTP “Green Join Button,” Video Integration for Microsoft Teams, and Zero Trust Security for Webex. Michael's career began at General Electric, where he led the Video Communications team, managing video conferencing, satellite, and internal cable television systems for GE Power Systems. He was also the first to implement an internal webcasting network at GE. Prior to his role at Cisco, Michael worked at TANDBERG for over 8 years, where he played a significant role in designing solutions and architectures for many key customers starting with US Southwest region, expanding to all of US, and later world-wide.
Rutgers University
Avram Paris
Director, IT, Rutgers University
Avram Paris is the Enterprise Video Conferencing hardware and software manager at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, serving primarily as the lead strategist for video conferencing and web conference platforms. With over 25 years of experience in IT, starting with a C64, Avram specializes in modernizing digital workflows and scaling collaboration tech. Recently, Avram spearheaded a multi-million dollar refresh of over 100 rooms, with 300 more on the horizon. Avram holds an MBA from Rutgers and is a lifelong passionate technologist who enjoys hobbies ranging from building custom PC’s to hobby farming.
E.ON
Tim Hausmann
Lead, Facilities IT, E.ON
Tim Hausmann leads Facilities IT for E.ON Digital Technology GmbH, overseeing workplace technology services that support employees across multiple European countries. His organization is responsible for collaboration platforms, Microsoft Teams Telephony, Contact Center services, Meeting Room Technologies, Enterprise Printing, Office Networks, and Digital Workplace Services.
Over the course of his career, Tim has worked at the intersection of collaboration, workplace technology, and user experience. He specializes in transforming workplace services through integrated technology strategies that connect people, spaces, and digital platforms.
Today, Tim is leading the development of Smart Campus and Workplace Technology initiatives at E.ON, focusing on hybrid work, intelligent collaboration experiences, and the convergence of digital workplace and facility services. His passion lies in creating friction-free experiences that help employees collaborate and perform at their best, regardless of location.
Over the course of his career, Tim has worked at the intersection of collaboration, workplace technology, and user experience. He specializes in transforming workplace services through integrated technology strategies that connect people, spaces, and digital platforms.
Today, Tim is leading the development of Smart Campus and Workplace Technology initiatives at E.ON, focusing on hybrid work, intelligent collaboration experiences, and the convergence of digital workplace and facility services. His passion lies in creating friction-free experiences that help employees collaborate and perform at their best, regardless of location.
City of Edmonton
Paul Hopkins
Service Desk / Desktop Support - Team Lead, City of Edmonton
Paul Hopkins is the Team Lead of the Service Desk for the City of Edmonton, serving as an operational leader in municipal service delivery and technology management. With extensive experience driving performance across civic contact centres—including serving as a 311 Operations Manager from 2021 to 2025—he specializes in modernizing workflows, managing organizational change, and optimizing cross-departmental operations.
Paul has leveraged enterprise contact centre solutions—including Cisco technologies—to optimize call routing, streamline service delivery, and elevate agent performance. He is driven by a passion for empowering contact centre teams and continually improving the citizen experience.
Paul has leveraged enterprise contact centre solutions—including Cisco technologies—to optimize call routing, streamline service delivery, and elevate agent performance. He is driven by a passion for empowering contact centre teams and continually improving the citizen experience.
Cisco
Andrew Cammer
CX COE, Cisco
Andrew Cammer is a global leader in Customer Experience (CX) Solutions and Agentic AI at Cisco, bringing over 25 years of industry expertise.
He is dedicated to enabling large organizations to embrace innovative technologies and seamlessly integrate them into their customer transformation journeys.
With a strong emphasis on delivering tangible business results, Andrew is committed to redefining how companies connect with their customers and empower their employees in the age of Agentic AI.
He is dedicated to enabling large organizations to embrace innovative technologies and seamlessly integrate them into their customer transformation journeys.
With a strong emphasis on delivering tangible business results, Andrew is committed to redefining how companies connect with their customers and empower their employees in the age of Agentic AI.
Cisco
Rick Brewer
Global Director, Collaboration Devices Center of Excellence, Cisco
As the Global Director of the Collaboration Devices Center of Excellence, Rick Brewer oversees global sales and go-to-market strategy for Cisco’s video, telephony, and headset portfolios. He is dedicated to delivering secure, integrated collaboration solutions designed to address the complex requirements and unique challenges of Cisco’s global client base.
With over 26 years of experience in the communications industry, Rick brings a comprehensive, cross-functional perspective to his leadership. His career is marked by strategic roles across Customer Experience, Engineering, and Sales. A veteran of the technology sector, Rick joined Cisco through two pivotal acquisitions: the pioneering video conferencing firm TANDBERG and the video-bridging startup Acano, which he helped co-found. His background also includes eight years of specialized focus on the U.S. Federal market, where he developed a deep expertise in navigating high-stakes environments and mission-critical requirements.
Rick attended University of Maryland, College Park for Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and subsequently earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Manchester, UK, graduating with distinction.
With over 26 years of experience in the communications industry, Rick brings a comprehensive, cross-functional perspective to his leadership. His career is marked by strategic roles across Customer Experience, Engineering, and Sales. A veteran of the technology sector, Rick joined Cisco through two pivotal acquisitions: the pioneering video conferencing firm TANDBERG and the video-bridging startup Acano, which he helped co-found. His background also includes eight years of specialized focus on the U.S. Federal market, where he developed a deep expertise in navigating high-stakes environments and mission-critical requirements.
Rick attended University of Maryland, College Park for Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and subsequently earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Manchester, UK, graduating with distinction.
Breakout
OCT 7 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM CT
Phones Built for Your Frontline Workforce
Explore the latest Cisco phones built for customer-facing teams.
Frontline employees are often the closest point of contact with customers, patients, students, and the public, which makes reliable communication mission critical.
In this session, you’ll learn how the Cisco Desk Phone 9800 Series, including the new Wireless Phone 9821, helps organizations support desk-based, shared-space, and mobile frontline workflows.
We’ll explore how these devices deliver consistent call quality, strong device security, and reliable wireless connectivity across environments such as healthcare, retail, education, and public-facing spaces. You’ll also learn how IT teams can simplify deployment, support scalable communications, and give frontline teams the tools they need to stay connected when every interaction matters.
Speakers
Cisco
Ashley Prettyman
Engineering Product Manager Lead, Cisco
Ashley Prettyman is a Product Manager Lead in Cisco Collaboration Devices, specializing in driving innovative products through their full lifecycle—from initial concept, development, market launch, and ongoing feature enhancement. With over 13 years of experience in new product development, Ashley brings a broad expertise spanning product portfolio management, hardware and software development, vendor relations, product marketing, supply chain operations, and partner and customer engagements.
Before joining Cisco, Ashley worked at a global oil and gas company in supply chain and portfolio management providing valuable experiences across industries. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring diverse cultures and cuisines through traveling and maintains an active lifestyle playing soccer and pickleball.
Before joining Cisco, Ashley worked at a global oil and gas company in supply chain and portfolio management providing valuable experiences across industries. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Distribution from Texas A&M University. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring diverse cultures and cuisines through traveling and maintains an active lifestyle playing soccer and pickleball.
Cisco
Marisa Rutti
Product Marketing Manager, Cisco
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 more productive experiences within the workplace. Over her 10 years at Cisco, she has contributed to industry and IoT solutions. Prior to joining Cisco, Marisa held positions within the high-tech partner community and start-ups, building expertise in storytelling, product, and digital marketing.
Houston Methodist Hospital
Jose S Venegas
Sr. Collaboration Engineer, Houston Methodist Hospital
As a Collaboration Engineer at Houston Methodist Hospital, I oversee the organization’s voice infrastructure while contributing to innovative solutions and new technology initiatives. Key accomplishments include implementing E911 with RedSky, upgrading Cisco Voice Servers to 15 SU4, and implementing Microsoft Teams/Lumen Direct Routing. Outside of work, I enjoy physical training and spending time watching my kids play volleyball and football.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Under the Hood: How Cisco Deployed Webex Contact Center and AI Agents for Intelligent Automation
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Cisco TAC set out to bring the same intelligent automation powering web and chat to the voice channel. Using Webex Contact Center's built-in AI Agents, we replaced traditional IVR menus with natural language intent detection and built autonomous case creation flows complete with real-time entitlement checks and optional SMS-based input. This session covers our journey from migration through iterative proof-of-concept (POC) refinement and the design decisions that worked—and those that didn't. For the leadership perspective on shifting from infrastructure pathway to intelligent solution, see our companion session: From Infrastructure to Intelligence: How Cisco Reimagined Voice Support with AI Agents.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Kate Baldwin
Director, Customer Experience, Cisco
Kate Baldwin is the Director for Global Delivery inside of Cisco’s Customer Experience (CX) organization, responsible for critical support teams such as the TAC Frontline, Global Licensing Organization, Portfolio Activation and the TAC Global Escalations team. She has previously led the CX Centers Strategic Programs Office, as well TAC Delivery and Technical Leader teams in the Webex, Collaboration, and Service Provider Networking technology groups.
Kate's current focus is transforming a manual frontline support model into an AI-driven resolution ecosystem that enhances the customer experience and eliminates unnecessary cases. Ask her about how Cisco has evolved to enhance self-service and the lessons learned in using AI across voice, chat, and email channels.
Kate's current focus is transforming a manual frontline support model into an AI-driven resolution ecosystem that enhances the customer experience and eliminates unnecessary cases. Ask her about how Cisco has evolved to enhance self-service and the lessons learned in using AI across voice, chat, and email channels.
Cisco
Kenneth Russell
Senior Technical Leader, Cisco
Kenneth is a senior Technical Leader with over 25 years at Cisco, where he began his career supporting Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Cisco IP Phones. He is currently a part of the Customer Experience Engineering organization, focusing on Cisco's Collaboration solutions. His key focus for the past few years has been bringing automation and intelligence to our customer support experiences with AI, including using Cisco's own technologies such as Webex Contact Center.
He holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from Clemson University as well as his Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) Voice.
He holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from Clemson University as well as his Cisco Certified Internetworking Expert (CCIE) Voice.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshooting Webex Calling Endpoint Cloud Redundancy
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This session explores Webex Calling endpoint registration and high availability across the Webex App, IP phones, and room devices. Attendees will gain a deep understanding of registration flows and the cloud redundancy mechanisms that ensure seamless connectivity during disruptions. We'll cover practical troubleshooting techniques and best practices for diagnosing registration and redundancy challenges. Ideal for IT administrators and engineers, this session provides actionable insights to maximize reliability and optimize the user experience in your Webex environment.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Luis Ramirez
CX TAC Technical Leader Webex Calling, Cisco
As the current Technical Leader for Cisco's TAC in Webex Calling Technology, Luis has been at the vanguard of enhancing global support capabilities and refining the Webex Calling experience for customers and engineers alike. With a career spanning over 16 years within Cisco TAC, Luis brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of Cisco Collaboration products to the forefront of technological innovation.
At the heart of Luis's work is a passion for mentorship. By dedicating a significant portion of time to guide and nurture the skills of TAC engineers, Luis ensures that the next generation of technical support is prepared to meet the complex demands of modern collaboration solutions. This commitment to excellence extends beyond team development, as Luis actively contributes to the improvement of product serviceability.
Renowned for expertise in complex hybrid Collaboration implementations, Luis plays a pivotal role in assisting customers as they transition to cloud-based solutions. This expertise is underpinned by a ten-year mastery of the CCIE Collaboration Certification #40952, a testament to Luis's dedication and skill in the field.
Driven by an unwavering commitment to instigate positive change, Luis is instrumental in elevating the Webex Calling Offer. Through a focus on customer support and service enhancement, Luis not only addresses current needs but also paves the way for a more innovative and reliable future in cloud collaboration. #Teacher #Pioneer
At the heart of Luis's work is a passion for mentorship. By dedicating a significant portion of time to guide and nurture the skills of TAC engineers, Luis ensures that the next generation of technical support is prepared to meet the complex demands of modern collaboration solutions. This commitment to excellence extends beyond team development, as Luis actively contributes to the improvement of product serviceability.
Renowned for expertise in complex hybrid Collaboration implementations, Luis plays a pivotal role in assisting customers as they transition to cloud-based solutions. This expertise is underpinned by a ten-year mastery of the CCIE Collaboration Certification #40952, a testament to Luis's dedication and skill in the field.
Driven by an unwavering commitment to instigate positive change, Luis is instrumental in elevating the Webex Calling Offer. Through a focus on customer support and service enhancement, Luis not only addresses current needs but also paves the way for a more innovative and reliable future in cloud collaboration. #Teacher #Pioneer
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Collaboration AI PODs: Bringing AI to On-Premises Environments
Technical Training Class: Foundation
This introductory session explores Cisco Meeting Server, the on-premises solution that brings video, audio, and web communications together, as well as Collaboration AI PODs, which deliver cloud-grade AI features for on-premises deployments. You'll learn about the latest features, as well as the hardware, integration points, and use cases for Collaboration AI PODs.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Richard Murphy
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Richard Murphy is a Technical Marketing Engineer and a Technical Leader within the Cisco Collaboration Technology Group business unit. He is a member of the Webex Technical Marketing Engineering (TME) team, concentrating on the Webex Edge, On-Premises AI and Meetings services. This encompasses Edge Connect, Collaboration AI POD, Video Mesh, Edge Audio, Cisco Meeting Server, and Webex Meetings.
Cisco
Roshin Thovarai
Principal Software Engineer, Cisco
Roshin Thovarai is a Principal Software Engineer and Lead Architect at Cisco Webex. He spearheads the Architecture of Collaboration AI POD, Webex Video Mesh, Hybrid Data Security, and Webex Hybrid Services. With deep expertise in architecting ultra-secure conferencing, on-premise AI, and hybrid infrastructure, Roshin is dedicated to driving the next generation of AI enabled, scalable and secure collaboration technology.
Cisco
Kevin McMenamy
Distinguished Architect - Collaboration CTO, Cisco
Kevin McMenamy is a Distinguished Architect in the Cisco Collaboration Technology Group (CTG), leading AI integration initiatives. Kevin is a veteran of the Real-Time Communications industry and has contributed to numerous ground-breaking technology innovations and products. He has held both individual contributor roles (Technical Leader, Principal Engineer and Distinguished Engineer), and organizational leadership roles (Director of Engineering, VP of Software and CTO). He has published 4 patents on Cisco technologies, and is an accomplished author and speaker.
Technical Training Class
OCT 7 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Cisco 9800 Phone Series: A Technical Exploration
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
This session goes deep on the Cisco 9800 Series — starting with what's new in PhoneOS, then spotlighting the 9821 wireless phone's hardware attributes and integration potential. We'll also cover the Action Button and how it handles emergency alerts, external integrations, and complex multi-event workflows.
CE credits: 2
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
David Scott
Engineering Product Manager, Cisco
Product Manager, Cisco. David has been with Cisco over 15 years and holds a CCIE. David is an Engineering Product Manager with a focus on Collaboration endpoints.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 3:30 PM – 3:50 PM CT
Enhancing Patient Experience and ROI with Webex Contact Center and AI
Reduce patient effort, empower staff, and deliver measurable ROI.
Healthcare organizations must improve patient access and satisfaction while managing staffing shortages, rising interaction volumes, and operational complexity.
In this interactive session, Mike Wydra and Scott Merritt use a Jeopardy-style format to demonstrate how Webex Contact Center and Webex AI create more connected, efficient, and personalized patient experiences.
Through practical healthcare scenarios, attendees will explore intelligent self-service, virtual agents, real-time agent assistance, automated summaries, digital engagement, and advanced routing. These capabilities will be tied to measurable outcomes, including lower call volume, shorter handle times, improved first-contact resolution, increased productivity, and higher patient satisfaction.
In this interactive session, Mike Wydra and Scott Merritt use a Jeopardy-style format to demonstrate how Webex Contact Center and Webex AI create more connected, efficient, and personalized patient experiences.
Through practical healthcare scenarios, attendees will explore intelligent self-service, virtual agents, real-time agent assistance, automated summaries, digital engagement, and advanced routing. These capabilities will be tied to measurable outcomes, including lower call volume, shorter handle times, improved first-contact resolution, increased productivity, and higher patient satisfaction.
Speakers
CDW
Scott Merritt
Patient Experience Architect, CDW
Scott Merritt is a Patient Experience Architect at CDW specializing in healthcare and customer experience transformation. He helps organizations modernize contact centers using AI, automation, cloud technologies, and digital engagement strategies.
CDW
Michael Wydra
Service Delivery Manager, CDW
Mike Wydra has over 25 years' experience in contact center and collaboration technologies. In his role as a Service Delivery Manager, Mike oversees a team of highly skilled consulting engineers supporting modern customer experience and contact center platforms. His recent focus has included driving delivery excellence, developing strategic partner relationships, supporting AI and CCaaS initiatives, and helping customers modernize their engagement strategies through innovative technology solutions.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 3:55 PM – 4:15 PM CT
Carry Your Own Future: How Enterprises Are Winning with BYOC on Webex
You'll leave knowing whether BYOC belongs in your Webex strategy and what it realistically takes to get there.
You're on Webex — or you're evaluating it. And the question of who owns your carrier relationship is one of the most consequential decisions in that deployment.
54% of enterprises have already adopted Bring Your Own Carrier. In this session, Bandwidth and three of Webex's top channel partners share what they've seen from customers who made that move: what triggered it, what the migration looked like, and what changed on the other side in cost, control, and flexibility.
No slides. No product demo. Just partners who've been in the room when enterprise customers made this call.
54% of enterprises have already adopted Bring Your Own Carrier. In this session, Bandwidth and three of Webex's top channel partners share what they've seen from customers who made that move: what triggered it, what the migration looked like, and what changed on the other side in cost, control, and flexibility.
No slides. No product demo. Just partners who've been in the room when enterprise customers made this call.
Speakers
Bandwidth
Lauren Brockman
Sr. Director, Product Management, Bandwidth
Lauren is the Product Lead for Bandwidth's Direct-to-Enterprise portfolio, including the Maestro℠ platform and AI & Trust solutions. With 20+ years in communications, she's passionate about AI's impact on customer experience.
Breakout
OCT 7 4:10 PM – 4:40 PM CT
Bring AgenticOps to Life with Control Hub and Cisco Devices
Automate management, troubleshoot faster, and simplify operations with AI.
IT teams are stretched thin by complex troubleshooting, growing ticket queues, and the daily work of managing devices, workspaces, users, and collaboration services.
In this session, you’ll learn how new AI capabilities in Control Hub help teams automate common tasks, catch issues earlier, and move from symptoms to resolution faster. You'll also learn how you can continually optimize your workspaces to increase user adoption.
We’ll cover how Cisco Cloud Control brings Control Hub into a unified AgenticOps platform, giving admins easier access to a simplified experience. You’ll also learn about new innovations like AI Canvas for natural language troubleshooting, and Control Hub AI integration with agent platforms including Microsoft Copilot and Amazon Quick.
You’ll walk away from this session with clear examples of use cases your teams can try now.
In this session, you’ll learn how new AI capabilities in Control Hub help teams automate common tasks, catch issues earlier, and move from symptoms to resolution faster. You'll also learn how you can continually optimize your workspaces to increase user adoption.
We’ll cover how Cisco Cloud Control brings Control Hub into a unified AgenticOps platform, giving admins easier access to a simplified experience. You’ll also learn about new innovations like AI Canvas for natural language troubleshooting, and Control Hub AI integration with agent platforms including Microsoft Copilot and Amazon Quick.
You’ll walk away from this session with clear examples of use cases your teams can try now.
Speakers
Cisco
Nirav Chanchani
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Nirav is a Director of Product Management at Cisco, and manages a team responsible for Control Hub - the management platform for the Webex Collaboration suite of products. This encompasses the areas of partner and customer onboarding, user management, administration, licensing, and service provisioning across all the Webex GTM channels.
Nirav joined Cisco as a product manager helping build and then successfully launching Cisco’s cloud-based instant messaging product, Webex Messenger/Jabber. He led the initial onboarding of several marquee early adopter customers onto the new product and grew it to 4.5 million users. Subsequently, Nirav led the building of a cloud-based service for automating the provisioning of Cisco’s entire collaboration portfolio of products. This resulted in reducing operational costs, while significantly improving customer satisfaction by cutting down of provisioning times by over 90% and a significant reduction in support cases.
Nirav has over 20 years of experience in building enterprise software and has previously held product management positions at Oracle, and BEA Systems. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Pune, and a MBA for San Jose State University.
Nirav joined Cisco as a product manager helping build and then successfully launching Cisco’s cloud-based instant messaging product, Webex Messenger/Jabber. He led the initial onboarding of several marquee early adopter customers onto the new product and grew it to 4.5 million users. Subsequently, Nirav led the building of a cloud-based service for automating the provisioning of Cisco’s entire collaboration portfolio of products. This resulted in reducing operational costs, while significantly improving customer satisfaction by cutting down of provisioning times by over 90% and a significant reduction in support cases.
Nirav has over 20 years of experience in building enterprise software and has previously held product management positions at Oracle, and BEA Systems. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Pune, and a MBA for San Jose State University.
Cisco
Marte Sannesmoen
Product Marketing Manager, Cisco
Marte is a Product Marketing Manager for Cisco Devices. She thrives on telling stories on how technology can change the world for the better.
Royal Bank of Canada
Anmol Sekhon
Director, Collaboration Services, Royal Bank of Canada
A visionary leader in digital transformation, Anmol Sekhon spearheads collaboration technology for over 100,000 users across global teams at RBC. With 14 years of expertise, she orchestrates large-scale migrations and optimizes platforms like Webex and other SaaS tools to drive productivity in a highly regulated financial landscape.
What sets her apart?
• AI-powered innovation: Leveraging AI and automation to troubleshoot faster, boost efficiency, and deliver seamless user experiences.
• User-centric strategy: Championing adoption and operational excellence in cross-border collaboration.
• Award-winning leadership: Twice honored with the RBC Leadership Award and recognized at the 2022 RBC Conference for transformative impact.
Beyond the boardroom, Anmol fuels her creativity through painting and gardening, blending analytical rigor with artistic mindfulness—a philosophy she applies to fostering growth in both technology and life.
At Webex One, she’ll share actionable insights on scaling collaboration tools, harnessing AI, and driving satisfaction in complex, global environments.
What sets her apart?
• AI-powered innovation: Leveraging AI and automation to troubleshoot faster, boost efficiency, and deliver seamless user experiences.
• User-centric strategy: Championing adoption and operational excellence in cross-border collaboration.
• Award-winning leadership: Twice honored with the RBC Leadership Award and recognized at the 2022 RBC Conference for transformative impact.
Beyond the boardroom, Anmol fuels her creativity through painting and gardening, blending analytical rigor with artistic mindfulness—a philosophy she applies to fostering growth in both technology and life.
At Webex One, she’ll share actionable insights on scaling collaboration tools, harnessing AI, and driving satisfaction in complex, global environments.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 4:20 PM – 4:40 PM CT
Beyond Migration: Governing the Full Collaboration Lifecycle with Akkadian
Turn your Webex migration into lasting lifecycle governance
Migrating to Webex is only the beginning. This session shows how Akkadian's Advanced Migrate for Webex brings readiness assessment, validated planning, and governed provisioning into one enterprise-scale migration workflow, then how the same platform carries that discipline into ongoing operations.
See how lifecycle automation and governance, including drift detection and event-driven orchestration, help large enterprises, healthcare organizations, and government agencies reduce risk, cut manual effort, and maintain consistent, auditable control across hybrid collaboration environments. Walk away with a practical framework for moving from a one-time migration project to predictable, governed collaboration operations at scale.
See how lifecycle automation and governance, including drift detection and event-driven orchestration, help large enterprises, healthcare organizations, and government agencies reduce risk, cut manual effort, and maintain consistent, auditable control across hybrid collaboration environments. Walk away with a practical framework for moving from a one-time migration project to predictable, governed collaboration operations at scale.
Speakers
Akkadian
Mike Magil
Technical Product Manager, Akkadian
Mike Magil is a Technical Product Manager at Akkadian Labs, where he applies deep Cisco collaboration expertise to shape automation that simplifies provisioning, lifecycle management, and governance across Cisco Collaboration and Webex environments.
Quick Takes
OCT 7 4:45 PM – 5:05 PM CT
The Deepfake Crisis In Real-time Communication
With Pindrop and Webex, modernized identity verification can help safeguard sensitive information and improve customer and agent experience.
Is your organization prepared to defend against AI attacks? With bots, attackers are now empowered to impersonate executives or genuine customers, infiltrate hiring processes, manipulate helpdesks, and exploit the trust placed in familiar faces and voices. Over 74% of organizations have been hit by a deepfake, and most didn’t know it at the time.
Join Pindrop’s SVP of Global Partner Sales Sumant Mauskar and Ellery Heiniemi, Enterprise Technology Executive at Ameriprise Financial to learn how deepfake attacks are trending, why traditional security is no longer effective, and how leading organizations like Ameriprise are working to better secure their interactions across every real-time communication channel: from the contact center, to internal phone systems, to virtual meeting rooms.
Join Pindrop’s SVP of Global Partner Sales Sumant Mauskar and Ellery Heiniemi, Enterprise Technology Executive at Ameriprise Financial to learn how deepfake attacks are trending, why traditional security is no longer effective, and how leading organizations like Ameriprise are working to better secure their interactions across every real-time communication channel: from the contact center, to internal phone systems, to virtual meeting rooms.
Speakers
Ameriprise Financial
Ellery Heiniemi
Sr. Director, Voice, Conversational AI & Contact Center Technologies, Ameriprise Financial
Ellery Heiniemi is a technology executive responsible for enterprise collaboration, calling, contact center, and AI platforms at Ameriprise Financial. With deep experience leading communications transformation in a highly regulated industry, Ellery focuses on how organizations can use cloud communications, AI, and automation to strengthen customer relationships, empower employees, and drive business outcomes. Ellery is passionate about the future convergence of calling, collaboration, and AI, and the role these technologies will play in transforming the way people work and connect.
Pindrop Inc.
Sumant Mauskar
SVP of Sales and Global Partners, Pindrop Inc.
Sumant leads the Global Partner Network at Pindrop. With 20+ years experience deploying complex enterprise solutions, he architects integrations with strategic partners like Cisco to deliver enterprise-grade voice authentication and fraud prevention.
Breakout
OCT 8 7:45 AM – 8:30 AM CT
Women in Technology Panel: The Next Era of Leadership
Join women leaders for a candid, forward-looking conversation about the next era of leadership.
All attendees will receive priority seating at the keynote! Grab breakfast and join a future-focused conversation with inspiring women about leadership in the age of AI.
What if the conversation about women at work has been asking the wrong question?
For decades, we've asked what needs to change for women. But what has already changed for everyone because women gained enough influence to change it? What have we mistaken for resilience when we should have questioned why it was required? And if allyship never asks anything of us, is it really allyship?
Now, as AI gives us the chance to shape a new era of work, there's an even bigger question: Will we build something different, or use tomorrow's technology to scale yesterday's assumptions?
Join women leaders from akamai, M&T Bank, and Cisco for a candid conversation about what leadership has asked women to become, what women have changed for everyone, what real allyship requires, and the choices we have to make now if we want the future of work to be meaningfully different from the past.
The future of leadership isn't something women are waiting to be included in. We're already helping build it.
What if the conversation about women at work has been asking the wrong question?
For decades, we've asked what needs to change for women. But what has already changed for everyone because women gained enough influence to change it? What have we mistaken for resilience when we should have questioned why it was required? And if allyship never asks anything of us, is it really allyship?
Now, as AI gives us the chance to shape a new era of work, there's an even bigger question: Will we build something different, or use tomorrow's technology to scale yesterday's assumptions?
Join women leaders from akamai, M&T Bank, and Cisco for a candid conversation about what leadership has asked women to become, what women have changed for everyone, what real allyship requires, and the choices we have to make now if we want the future of work to be meaningfully different from the past.
The future of leadership isn't something women are waiting to be included in. We're already helping build it.
Speakers
Akamai Technologies
Nikki Parsons
VP, IT Engineering, Akamai Technologies
Nikki Parsons boasts a remarkable career spanning over 20 years in the information technology sector, with a specialized focus on infrastructure. Currently holding the position of Vice President of IT Engineering at Akamai Technologies, Nikki oversees the Network, Unified Communications, Messaging, and Service Delivery teams.
Having joined Akamai in 2014, Nikki embarked on a mission to redesign and modernize the enterprise's unified communications and collaboration platforms. Her strategic efforts laid a robust pre-pandemic foundation, facilitating a seamless transition to a fully remote and highly productive workforce within a matter of days.
Over the ensuing years, Nikki has spearheaded the reimagination of IT's service delivery, fostering a frictionless hybrid experience that concurrently propels employee productivity. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Nikki was honored as the inaugural IT Winner of Akamai's most prestigious award, the Danny Lewin Award, in 2021.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Nikki is deeply committed to cultivating a workplace culture characterized by trust, transparency, and professional independence. Her dedication to fostering inclusivity is evident in her recent appointment as the Chair of Akamai’s Enterprise Women’s Network. During her leisure time, Nikki indulges in outdoor activities, such as hiking and running, and maintains a commitment to physical fitness through strength training and participation in Orangetheory Fitness. Notably, throughout her tenure in the Bay Area, she has accomplished the impressive feat of completing seven marathons.
Having joined Akamai in 2014, Nikki embarked on a mission to redesign and modernize the enterprise's unified communications and collaboration platforms. Her strategic efforts laid a robust pre-pandemic foundation, facilitating a seamless transition to a fully remote and highly productive workforce within a matter of days.
Over the ensuing years, Nikki has spearheaded the reimagination of IT's service delivery, fostering a frictionless hybrid experience that concurrently propels employee productivity. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Nikki was honored as the inaugural IT Winner of Akamai's most prestigious award, the Danny Lewin Award, in 2021.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Nikki is deeply committed to cultivating a workplace culture characterized by trust, transparency, and professional independence. Her dedication to fostering inclusivity is evident in her recent appointment as the Chair of Akamai’s Enterprise Women’s Network. During her leisure time, Nikki indulges in outdoor activities, such as hiking and running, and maintains a commitment to physical fitness through strength training and participation in Orangetheory Fitness. Notably, throughout her tenure in the Bay Area, she has accomplished the impressive feat of completing seven marathons.
Cisco
Courtenay Godshall
Director, Marketing, Cisco
Cisco
Jenna Leahy
Head of People, Cisco Networking and Collaboration Organization, Cisco
Jenna is a former founder turned strategic people leader, with a track record of building high-performing organizations at scale. Today, she serves as Head of People for Cisco's $54B Networking and Collaboration businesses, where she sits on the executive leadership team and act as a strategic advisor, executive coach, and human capital expert. She leads global HR strategy and execution for 26K+ employees across Engineering, Product, Design, GTM, Strategy, and Customer Success, overseeing a team of 15 HRBPs and a 30-member extended team spanning our Centers of Excellence.
Earlier in her career, Jenna was a founder and CEO, an experience that shaped how she operates today: biasing toward action, scaling with intention, and leading through complexity and rapid change. For this effort, she was recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017. A 3x certified executive coach, she’s delivered 600+ hours of coaching to 100+ executives across Fortune 500s, high-growth startups, and private-equity-backed companies.
Jenna holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management where she was an F.C. Austin Scholar.
Earlier in her career, Jenna was a founder and CEO, an experience that shaped how she operates today: biasing toward action, scaling with intention, and leading through complexity and rapid change. For this effort, she was recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2017. A 3x certified executive coach, she’s delivered 600+ hours of coaching to 100+ executives across Fortune 500s, high-growth startups, and private-equity-backed companies.
Jenna holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management where she was an F.C. Austin Scholar.
Cisco
Anna Hukill
VP, Strategy & Planning and Chief of Staff, Cisco
M&T Bank
Katie Gilliland
Senior Vice President, M&T Bank
Katie Gilliland is an Engineering Manager, people leader, and live event technology professional whose career has been built at the intersection of art, technology, and human connection. With experience spanning nonprofit, academic, and corporate events, she is passionate about translating complex technology into experiences that bring people together. Katie focuses on building strong teams, developing people, and courageously exploring new frontiers in how technology can help us communicate and collaborate.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Architecting Webex Calling for Your Industry: A Vertical-Specific, Persona-Based Hands-On Lab
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
Get ready to build! In this hands-on lab, you'll design real Webex Calling Multi-Tenant solutions for your industry: Healthcare, Retail, Finance, Education, or Government (non-FedRAMP). Pick your vertical and dive in: add users, configure Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), provision devices, and set up Auto Attendants, Call Queues, Hunt Groups, AI Receptionist, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and the latest AI Calling features. No theory, just real workflows, real use cases, and real skills you can use immediately. Let's get to work!
CE credits: 3
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Bryan Waldmann
Manager, Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Bryan Waldmann is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer / SE Leader on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP). In this role, Bryan guides the Collaboration Pre-Sales trial team, working closely with customers across a range of industries. He brings deep expertise in Webex Calling, UCM/DI, US FedRAMP, and Webex Devices. Bryan has presented/spoken at multiple WebexOne and Cisco Live sessions in the past. Prior to joining CCEP, Bryan worked in the Partner space, deploying CUCM and video solutions nationwide, with a particular focus on healthcare. He successfully led conversions of hundreds of hospitals and physician sites to CUCM. Bryan lives in the Cincinnati Metro area with his wife and five children.
Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rajamani Nallakaruppan is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer/TSA on the Cisco Collaboration Experience Program (CCEP) team. Specializing in Webex Calling, Dedicated Instance, Contact Center, and Devices, he leverages over a decade of experience in Cisco Unified Communications to help customers succeed. Formerly a Technical Consulting Engineer in CX, Rajamani is a frequent speaker at Cisco Live and holds a Bachelor of Engineering from Anna University.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
AI by Design for Collaboration
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
The first half of this hands-on lab explores Webex’s AI capabilities across messaging, calling, and meetings. Discover how AI can improve productivity, surface insights, support conversations, and enhance collaboration experiences within Webex.
The second half goes beyond AI fundamentals, introducing core concepts and practical tools for building real-world generative AI applications. Learn how transformers process language and how embeddings represent meaning in modern AI systems. Using LangChain, build an AI-powered application integrated with Webex and gain practical experience creating intelligent messaging workflows.
By the end of the lab, you will understand how Webex AI supports everyday collaboration and how generative AI frameworks can be used to develop custom Webex experiences. Familiarity with Webex and basic programming concepts is helpful, but no prior AI development experience is required.
CE credits: 4
The second half goes beyond AI fundamentals, introducing core concepts and practical tools for building real-world generative AI applications. Learn how transformers process language and how embeddings represent meaning in modern AI systems. Using LangChain, build an AI-powered application integrated with Webex and gain practical experience creating intelligent messaging workflows.
By the end of the lab, you will understand how Webex AI supports everyday collaboration and how generative AI frameworks can be used to develop custom Webex experiences. Familiarity with Webex and basic programming concepts is helpful, but no prior AI development experience is required.
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Shane Long
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Shane Long is a Technical Marketing Engineer (TME) within the Workplace Technology Group, focusing on all things Webex app. This includes deployment, best practices and integrations, with a particular focus on Webex App with Unified CM calling. Prior to working on Webex, Shane mainly focused on Cisco Jabber. Shane began working at Cisco as part of collaboration engineering in 2007, and became a TME in 2012. Shane is passionate about helping customers overcome any collaboration deployment blockers they may have
Cisco
Venky Yechuri
Technical Projects Systems Engineer, Cisco
I’m a Cisco Collaboration Engineer with the dCloud team, specializing in collaboration, cloud, security, and enterprise technologies across Cisco and integrated solutions. I’m passionate about AI/ML and exploring innovative ways to apply AI, automation, and emerging technologies to improve troubleshooting, customer experiences, and technical operations. I enjoy building technical demos and lab environments that showcase integrated cloud, security, observability, and on-premises capabilities.
Cisco
Hussain Ali
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Hussain Ali (CCIE# 38068 - VOICE, COLLAB) is a Technical Marketing Engineer/Technical Leader in the Collaboration Technology Group at Cisco Systems. He is responsible for all Unified Communications services and applications on the ISR, Catalyst 8300 & virtual routing platforms like Cisco Unified Border Element (CUBE), Cloud Calling solutions such as Webex Calling, call recording, Direct Routing with Microsoft Phone System, and Webex Contact Center.
He provides architectural design guidance for unified communication services and solutions to enterprise customers, service providers, Cisco sales force, and Cisco partners.
He works directly with the product management and engineering teams in strategizing future product development to meet customer needs. Prior to joining this group, he led the Multiservices Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team in Richardson, TX, troubleshooting and diagnosing some of the largest Cisco Collaboration deployments.
He provides architectural design guidance for unified communication services and solutions to enterprise customers, service providers, Cisco sales force, and Cisco partners.
He works directly with the product management and engineering teams in strategizing future product development to meet customer needs. Prior to joining this group, he led the Multiservices Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team in Richardson, TX, troubleshooting and diagnosing some of the largest Cisco Collaboration deployments.
Cisco
Omer Ilyas
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Omer is a CCIE qualified Technical Marketing Engineer at Cisco, specializing in AI, agentic workflows, and cross-architecture innovation. His work focuses on applying technologies such as Generative AI, AI agents, MCP, RAG, and foundation models to create intelligent, secure, and connected experiences across Cisco platforms.
With over a decade of experience across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, Omer combines deep technical expertise with a strong focus on turning emerging AI technologies into practical enterprise solutions. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Software Engineering.
With over a decade of experience across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments, Omer combines deep technical expertise with a strong focus on turning emerging AI technologies into practical enterprise solutions. He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Software Engineering.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Securing Webex with Identity Management, Zero Trust Encryption, and Data Compliance
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Learn how to configure and manage Webex identity and security capabilities, such as:
Identity, Authentication, and Authorization: Provision Webex users from Cisco Duo using SCIM 2.0, explore settings and licensing templates, and configure SSO using both SAML and OIDC
End-to-End (E2E) Encryption: Examine Webex zero trust end-to-end encrypted meetings and calling, along with media watermarking and deepfake detection
Compliance: Investigate compliance for Webex Meetings, Messaging, and Calling, including data retention, eDiscovery with Webex Compliance Hub, and DLP/AMP with Secure Access
CE credits: 4
Speakers
Cisco
Niket Shah
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Niket has 15 years of experience in Cisco Unified Communications, UCaaS, and Data Center. Prior to his current role , he worked with Cisco cloud managed services as a technical architect for white glove cloud uc offerings for banks & service providers , as a technical lead for TAC for the UC team. Niket holds a CCIE in Collaboration, Master in Microlectronics , Bachelors in Electronics, Bachelors in Telecommunications engineering . He is currently a Solutions Engineer focused on collaboration for global enterprise with focus on cloud calling, contact center architectures, AI and hybrid work.
Cisco
Scott Kiewert
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Scott Kiewert is a Technical Marketing Engineer in the Collaboration Technology Group (CTG) at Cisco. He helps to provide best practice guidelines for Cisco Unified Communications Manager and Webex. His main areas of focus are on-premises collaboration and Webex identity, security, privacy, and APIs. He has authored questions for multiple Cisco certification exams and holds an active CCIE Collaboration certification.
Cisco
Matt Jordy
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Matt Jordy is a Principal Technical Marketing Engineer in the Collaboration Technology Group at Cisco. He provides collaboration solutions design and deployment guidance to the Cisco sales force and Cisco's customers and partners around the world. His primary technology focus is on-premises and cloud collaboration security.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Deploying Advanced AI Workflows: Proactive Campaigns, Autonomous Agents, and Intelligent Handoffs
Technical Training Lab: Expert
Master the technical architecture of the AI-augmented contact center. This session covers orchestrating complex workflows using Webex. You'll learn to configure proactive outbound campaigns, build autonomous AI Agents with secure backend API integrations, and implement intelligent handoffs between AI and human experts. We'll explore using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to bridge AI Agents with enterprise data and tools. Discover how to leverage real-time assistance and multi-agent orchestration to create secure, automated customer journeys at scale.
CE credits: 5
Speakers
Cisco
Juan Corral
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Juan Corral is a senior Partner Enablement and Go-To-Market (GTM) specialist within Cisco’s Global Collaboration Partner Sales organization, bringing more than 30 years of accumulated experience in the collaboration and communications space. Based in Madrid, Spain, Juan focuses on Customer Experience (CX) and Contact Center Channel and is responsible for driving worlwide partner readiness, designing comprehensive enablement programs, and executing enablement plans that empower Cisco CX partners to successfully adopt and deliver advanced Webex Contact Center solutions.
With extensive international experience executing high-impact worldwide partner events, Juan focuses on simplifying complex systems, streamline operational readiness, and accelerating time-to-market for Cisco's channel ecosystem. Juan's recent work centers on expanding partner capabilities in emerging contact center technologies and artificial intelligence integrations. He leads hands-on technical bootcamps and localized training delivery across AMER, EMEAR and APJC regions to ensure partner engineers are fully equipped to deploy and optimize Cisco Collaboration suites.
With extensive international experience executing high-impact worldwide partner events, Juan focuses on simplifying complex systems, streamline operational readiness, and accelerating time-to-market for Cisco's channel ecosystem. Juan's recent work centers on expanding partner capabilities in emerging contact center technologies and artificial intelligence integrations. He leads hands-on technical bootcamps and localized training delivery across AMER, EMEAR and APJC regions to ensure partner engineers are fully equipped to deploy and optimize Cisco Collaboration suites.
Cisco
Sebastian Hernandez
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Sebastian Hernandez is a Partner Solutions Engineer at Cisco, leading Webex Customer Experience technical readiness across EMEA. A CCIE Collaboration holder with over 25 years in the technology industry, he has held roles in sales engineering, product management, solution consulting, and industry analysis at companies like Zoom, Gartner, Vodafone, and other integrators and service providers. His work focuses on driving success in selling, implementing, and deploying AI-powered Webex Customer Experience solutions.
Cisco
Luis Garcia
Technical Marketing Leader, Cisco
Luis Garcia Delgado is a Leader of Technical Marketing at Cisco, leading a team focused on the Webex Customer Experience (CX) portfolio and AI Agent solutions, with a proven background across Cisco TAC, Technical Marketing, and Customer Success. He has over a decade of experience bridging complex product engineering with real-world customer deployments—translating cutting-edge technical capabilities into scalable architectures and field enablement. He frequently delivers technical sessions and hands-on training on Contact Center AI technologies, multi-channel workflows, and modern contact center architectures.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex Calling Administration Professional exam [Partner Only]
The Webex Calling Administration Professional exam for Cisco Partners validates that you can deploy, configure, and maintain Webex Calling environments in production. It is designed for IT professionals, system administrators, and partner engineers responsible for day-to-day operations.
The exam tests hands-on competency across the core administrative domains: user and device management, call flow and dial plan configuration, feature provisioning, and troubleshooting. Passing confirms you can stand up a working deployment, optimize it for performance, and resolve issues without escalation. For Partners, the credential is a concrete signal of delivery capability. It demonstrates that your team can implement Webex Calling correctly the first time, reduce support overhead, and support customer growth on cloud telephony. Credentialed administrators bring verified expertise in Webex Calling architecture, configuration, and best practices.
Speakers
Cisco
Susan Parrish
Webex Enablement Specialist, Cisco
Susan Parrish is a Technical Enablement Specialist at Cisco with over 20 years of experience in technology and customer-facing roles. Specializing in Webex solutions, she bridges the gap between complex software and practical application through effective adult education strategies. A 5-star instructor at WebexOne since its inception in 2022 and a 2025 Visionary Award nominee, Susan is also an active member of Women of Cisco and Women in Collaboration. She holds a Master’s in Adult Education from East Carolina University and a BS in Management of Information Systems from Mount Olive University. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys tailgating at ECU football games, traveling, and spending time at the beach.
Cisco
Vanesa Melendez
Instructional Design & Training Specialist, Cisco
Vanesa Melendez is a Training Specialist currently providing training for Webex Calling and Webex Contact Center at Cisco Webex Academy. With previous experience at Broadsoft and Ericsson. She is an Panamanian graduated in Electronics Engineering with more than a decade of experience in the telecommunications field.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Workspace Designer: Building Smarter Spaces and Custom Rooms (Option 2)
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
Design smarter hybrid workspaces with the lead developers of two powerful free tools: Workspace Designer and Video Room Calculator. Build custom room designs, optimize camera and microphone placement for complex spaces, optimize Cinematic Meeting setups, and use AI image generation to transform your floor plans into polished, professional proposals. Ideal for those with a foundational understanding of video conferencing and room design.
CE credits: 3
Speakers
Cisco
Charlie Thorpe
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Charlie Thorpe brings a wealth of experience and innovation to his role as a Technical Marketing Engineer within Cisco's Collaboration Technology Group, serving as a key member of the Collaboration Technical Marketing Engineering (TME) team.
Charlie specializes in technologies such as Microsoft Teams Rooms, RoomOS, Desk Series, Sharing, and Webex Edge for Devices, driving impactful solutions across Cisco's collaboration portfolio.
Before stepping into his current role, Charlie excelled as a Technical Solutions Architect on the EMEA Webex SE team, where he led initiatives around Webex SaaS offerings-including Webex Messaging, Meetings, Calling, and Hybrid Services. Since joining Cisco in 2010, he has consistently championed the adoption and evolution of collaboration technologies.
Charlie's career journey also includes four years at Nortel as a Systems Engineer in the Enterprise Sales organization, where he focused on IP telephony, contact centers, and data networking. Prior to Nortel, he spent 15 years at BT, developing a strong foundation in the communications industry and establishing himself as a trusted expert in the field.
Charlie specializes in technologies such as Microsoft Teams Rooms, RoomOS, Desk Series, Sharing, and Webex Edge for Devices, driving impactful solutions across Cisco's collaboration portfolio.
Before stepping into his current role, Charlie excelled as a Technical Solutions Architect on the EMEA Webex SE team, where he led initiatives around Webex SaaS offerings-including Webex Messaging, Meetings, Calling, and Hybrid Services. Since joining Cisco in 2010, he has consistently championed the adoption and evolution of collaboration technologies.
Charlie's career journey also includes four years at Nortel as a Systems Engineer in the Enterprise Sales organization, where he focused on IP telephony, contact centers, and data networking. Prior to Nortel, he spent 15 years at BT, developing a strong foundation in the communications industry and establishing himself as a trusted expert in the field.
Cisco
Alexander Andersen
Software Engineer, Cisco
Alexander Andersen is a Software Engineer at Cisco. During his tenure there, he has been writing code for Cisco Collaboration Devices, primarily focusing on customizations, before moving to his current role working on the Workspace Designer.
Keynote
OCT 8 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM CT
Keynote: Beyond the Pilot: Scaling AI Across Teams, Operations, and Service
Join Cisco Collaboration leaders to discover how Cisco is powering transformation in customer service and create more intelligent workplace experiences.
Hear from customers and technology leaders from Anthropic, American Eagle, AWS, General Motors, GetixHealth, and Western Digital. You'll hear how AI is powering new ways to modernize operations, reimagine customer experience, and scale work across businesses. Don't miss this opportunity to see what's next for AI-powered collaboration and customer experience.
Speakers
Cisco
Espen Loberg
VP & GM, Cisco Collaboration Devices, Cisco
Espen Løberg leads Product Management for Cisco Collaboration Devices. Espen joined Cisco with the acquisition of Tandberg in 2010, and since then he's managed Cisco's Video Conferencing and Telepresence business through several market transitions. When Espen isn’t passionately discussing the future of work, he enjoys spending time in the outdoors with family and friends. He holds a Master of Science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and lives and works in Oslo.
Cisco
Amit Barave
VP & GM, Webex Suite & AI, Cisco
Amit Barave is Vice President and General Manager for Cisco's Webex Suite and AI, where he leads a multi-billion-dollar SaaS business delivering collaboration solutions to enterprises worldwide. His portfolio includes Webex messaging, meetings, calling, events, and customer experience platforms, all enhanced by AI capabilities.
Amit has shaped Webex's AI strategy and led the transformation of the Webex Suite to meet the demands of hybrid work. Under his leadership, the product team has advanced AI-powered collaboration while driving customer value and market leadership.
Throughout his career at Cisco, Amit has held leadership roles across product, engineering, and business functions. He launched industry-first products in TelePresence Cloud Services and IP-Radio communications, scaling them to market-leading positions. His track record includes sustained growth across large-scale product lines and successful business transformations.
Amit holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and has been awarded 17 US patents in communications technologies. His technical expertise spans general management, product strategy, artificial intelligence, SaaS platforms, enterprise software, and go-to-market execution.
Amit has shaped Webex's AI strategy and led the transformation of the Webex Suite to meet the demands of hybrid work. Under his leadership, the product team has advanced AI-powered collaboration while driving customer value and market leadership.
Throughout his career at Cisco, Amit has held leadership roles across product, engineering, and business functions. He launched industry-first products in TelePresence Cloud Services and IP-Radio communications, scaling them to market-leading positions. His track record includes sustained growth across large-scale product lines and successful business transformations.
Amit holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and has been awarded 17 US patents in communications technologies. His technical expertise spans general management, product strategy, artificial intelligence, SaaS platforms, enterprise software, and go-to-market execution.
Cisco
Snorre Kjesbu
SVP & GM, Collaboration, Cisco
Snorre Kjesbu is Senior Vice President & General Manager of Collaboration Devices at Cisco. He is a global citizen leading a worldwide organization responsible for the collaboration devices business ranging from IP phones to immersive video systems.
Snorre’s passion for design with over 20 years of engineering experience are at the core of his 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.
He and his team at ABB were awarded the Wall Street Journal Innovation award for their work on wireless sensors in 2002. 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. He has obtained more than 20 patents in the areas of communications and video conferencing and is on the board of directors for several IT companies. When not working, Snorre can likely be seen on a pair of skis – whether on snow or water.
Snorre’s passion for design with over 20 years of engineering experience are at the core of his 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.
He and his team at ABB were awarded the Wall Street Journal Innovation award for their work on wireless sensors in 2002. 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. He has obtained more than 20 patents in the areas of communications and video conferencing and is on the board of directors for several IT companies. When not working, Snorre can likely be seen on a pair of skis – whether on snow or water.
Cisco
Vinod Muthukrishnan
VP & GM, Webex Customer Experience, Cisco
Vinod Muthukrishnan is Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Cisco’s Webex Customer Experience Business Unit, where he leads Go-To-Market, Customer, and Business Operations. A serial entrepreneur and product visionary, Vinod is passionate about solving real customer pain points and building high-performing teams and communities.
He joined Cisco through the acquisition of CloudCherry, a startup he co-founded and led as CEO, which laid the foundation for Webex Experience Management. Vinod has also held leadership roles at Uniphore and Webex Contact Center, driving innovation in AI and CPaaS. A former Merchant Marine officer and early pioneer in mobile trading, he now mentors founders, serves on the SaaSboomi Governing Council, and co-chairs the USISPF Startup Connect Program. Vinod lives in the Bay Area with his family and a vocal Husky, and spends weekends strategizing cricket plays with his amateur league team.
He joined Cisco through the acquisition of CloudCherry, a startup he co-founded and led as CEO, which laid the foundation for Webex Experience Management. Vinod has also held leadership roles at Uniphore and Webex Contact Center, driving innovation in AI and CPaaS. A former Merchant Marine officer and early pioneer in mobile trading, he now mentors founders, serves on the SaaSboomi Governing Council, and co-chairs the USISPF Startup Connect Program. Vinod lives in the Bay Area with his family and a vocal Husky, and spends weekends strategizing cricket plays with his amateur league team.
Western Digital
George Wilson
Director, Enterprise Collaboration, Western Digital
George Wilson is the Director of Business Applications at Western Digital, where he leads global teams focused on workplace technology, collaboration, communications, and digital transformation. Combining a people-first leadership philosophy with deep hands-on technical expertise, George has spent more than 20 years helping organizations modernize how employees connect, collaborate, and innovate. He has led large-scale initiatives spanning Microsoft 365, AI and Copilot adoption, cloud services, enterprise communications, and digital workplace platforms. Driven by a belief that technology should empower people, George focuses on delivering practical solutions that improve employee experiences, simplify operations, and create lasting business value.
American Eagle
Sandrine Kubinski
VP, Workplace Innovation & Facilities, American Eagle
With over two decades of brand leadership with American Eagle Outfitters Inc. and a career path of high impact roles across prominent retail brands, Sandrine's extensive experience has uniquely equipped her to drive significant brand and business transformation. She is a disciplined, strategic and action-oriented leader who adeptly transitions from one role to the next with unrivaled enthusiasm, focus and results. In short, Sandrine inspires teams, leads with passion and makes things happen. Her experience includes VP of Visual Merchandising, VP of Store Design, SVP of Store Operations and, currently, as VP Workplace Innovation & Facilities, where she is responsible for transforming the AEO Inc. corporate workspace and design studio to meet the needs of today's ever-evolving work and collaboration styles.
Prior to her time at AEO, she served as Studio Director for Resource and Director of Visual Merchandising and multiple store leadership roles at Abercrombie & Fitch. Sandrine resides in Sewickley, PA with her husband, Steve, where they raised their three children, Lucie, Matt and Julia.
Prior to her time at AEO, she served as Studio Director for Resource and Director of Visual Merchandising and multiple store leadership roles at Abercrombie & Fitch. Sandrine resides in Sewickley, PA with her husband, Steve, where they raised their three children, Lucie, Matt and Julia.
General Motors
Jason Button
Director, End User Experience, General Motors
Jason Button is Director of End User Experience at General Motors, where he works to make technology simple, secure, and productive for employees everywhere. He is an IT and security leader with more than 26 years of experience spanning end-user services, infrastructure, employee experience, M&A integration, customer security assurance, and data governance. Before joining GM, Jason held leadership roles at Cisco and Duo Security, where he led global IT, security, and integration initiatives.
AWS
Andy Brockett
Senior Partner Development Manager, AWS Worldwide Public Sector, AWS
Andy Brockett drives the Cisco-AWS partnership for public sector. Since taking Cisco ownership in 2023, he's grown public sector revenue 698%. A 2026 AWSome Legend Award recipient with 25 years in tech and consulting.
GetixHealth
Kevin Lonergan
CEO, GetixHealth
Kevin Lonergan is a senior healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in Revenue Cycle Management and business operations. Throughout his career, he has focused on driving growth and operational performance while remaining committed to colleagues, clients, and the communities they serve.
Kevin founded Rev Solutions, a Revenue Cycle Management company, in 2010 and has since led the organization through significant growth and transformation. His experience includes building and expanding worldwide service offerings, implementing new processes and technologies, developing strong client partnerships, and leading successful mergers and acquisitions.
Kevin has also been actively involved with the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and other industry forums, where he has spoken on topics including revenue cycle optimization, agency partnerships that enhance patient satisfaction and customer service, as well as strategies for maximizing recovery throughout the revenue cycle.
Today, Kevin serves as the CEO of GetixHealth, where he continues to focus on advancing the organization through innovation, technology, global workforce, operational excellence, and a strong commitment to clients and the patients they serve.
Kevin founded Rev Solutions, a Revenue Cycle Management company, in 2010 and has since led the organization through significant growth and transformation. His experience includes building and expanding worldwide service offerings, implementing new processes and technologies, developing strong client partnerships, and leading successful mergers and acquisitions.
Kevin has also been actively involved with the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and other industry forums, where he has spoken on topics including revenue cycle optimization, agency partnerships that enhance patient satisfaction and customer service, as well as strategies for maximizing recovery throughout the revenue cycle.
Today, Kevin serves as the CEO of GetixHealth, where he continues to focus on advancing the organization through innovation, technology, global workforce, operational excellence, and a strong commitment to clients and the patients they serve.
Anthropic
Andrew Cohen
Applied AI, Anthropic
Technical Training Class
OCT 8 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Getting the Best Out of Webex Calling When Migrating from Cisco UCM
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Webex Calling offers a comprehensive, enterprise-grade feature set to address a wide array of business requirements. When moving to Webex Calling from Cisco UCM, focusing too much on replicating Cisco UCM features one-for-one will lead to a suboptimal solution. This session helps you understand the challenges and offers guidance on reaching an optimal Webex Calling deployment, while reducing implementation effort by using existing tools that gather Cisco UCM configuration data to drive the Webex Calling setup.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Johannes Krohn
Principal Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Johannes Krohn joined Cisco System in Germany in 2000. In his over 30 years of experience in the networking and telecommunication industry he worked in several IT companies gaining knowledge in engineering, system design and technologies from ATM to multiprotocol networking. In the last 20+ years he mainly focussed on IP telephony, Unified Collaboration and on-premise and cloud based collaboration solutions. As Technical Marketing Engineer working on Collaboration System Architectures he provides design guidance in key projects and is responsible to transferring new product information of Cisco Collaboration Solutions to audiences internally and externally. Technology focus areas include call routing architectures, collaboration architecture simplification and cloud collaboration. As part of the continuous development cycle he is providing input to the system level planing of future solutions. He holds a CCIE Voice.
Technical Training Class
OCT 8 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Troubleshooting Webex Video Integration for Microsoft Teams
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
VIMT works great — until it doesn't. When devices end up stuck in the Teams lobby as "unverified," the root cause is rarely the device itself. This session unpacks how VIMT actually works under the hood, the trusted-device model that controls lobby bypass, and the failure patterns that show up most often in real customer cases. You'll leave with a clearer architecture picture and a practical first-check playbook.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Chad Patterson
Technical Consulting Engineering Technical Leader, Cisco
Chad Patterson is a Technical Leader in Cisco’s Customer Experience Collaboration Engine. During his 14 years at Cisco, he has developed deep expertise in Collaboration technologies, including Telepresence and Webex. His recent work focuses on developing, scaling, and improving AI and automation tools across Cisco’s Technical Assistance Center. Chad has presented at Cisco Live and is the co-author of a book on SaaS fundamentals. He holds bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer engineering from North Carolina State University.
Technical Training Class
OCT 8 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
RoomOS 26: Smarter Devices. Smarter Workspaces.
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Cisco collaboration devices are becoming more intelligent, more capable, and more valuable with every release.
Join us for an in-depth look at the latest innovations in RoomOS 26 and discover how they transform Cisco devices into intelligent workplace platforms—not just powerful video endpoints. We'll showcase the newest capabilities released over the past four months, demonstrate how they improve everyday collaboration experiences, and preview what's coming next.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Charlie Thorpe
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Charlie Thorpe brings a wealth of experience and innovation to his role as a Technical Marketing Engineer within Cisco's Collaboration Technology Group, serving as a key member of the Collaboration Technical Marketing Engineering (TME) team.
Charlie specializes in technologies such as Microsoft Teams Rooms, RoomOS, Desk Series, Sharing, and Webex Edge for Devices, driving impactful solutions across Cisco's collaboration portfolio.
Before stepping into his current role, Charlie excelled as a Technical Solutions Architect on the EMEA Webex SE team, where he led initiatives around Webex SaaS offerings-including Webex Messaging, Meetings, Calling, and Hybrid Services. Since joining Cisco in 2010, he has consistently championed the adoption and evolution of collaboration technologies.
Charlie's career journey also includes four years at Nortel as a Systems Engineer in the Enterprise Sales organization, where he focused on IP telephony, contact centers, and data networking. Prior to Nortel, he spent 15 years at BT, developing a strong foundation in the communications industry and establishing himself as a trusted expert in the field.
Charlie specializes in technologies such as Microsoft Teams Rooms, RoomOS, Desk Series, Sharing, and Webex Edge for Devices, driving impactful solutions across Cisco's collaboration portfolio.
Before stepping into his current role, Charlie excelled as a Technical Solutions Architect on the EMEA Webex SE team, where he led initiatives around Webex SaaS offerings-including Webex Messaging, Meetings, Calling, and Hybrid Services. Since joining Cisco in 2010, he has consistently championed the adoption and evolution of collaboration technologies.
Charlie's career journey also includes four years at Nortel as a Systems Engineer in the Enterprise Sales organization, where he focused on IP telephony, contact centers, and data networking. Prior to Nortel, he spent 15 years at BT, developing a strong foundation in the communications industry and establishing himself as a trusted expert in the field.
Technical Training Class
OCT 8 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Webex as an Agentic Platform: MCP, A2A, and the Future of Intelligent Automation
Technical Training Class: Foundation
AI agents are only as useful as the tools and workflows they can reach.
In this session, we'll explore Webex as an agentic platform. You'll learn how external tools connect into Webex via inbound Model Context Protocol (MCP), how Webex exposes its own capabilities to AI agents via outbound MCP, and what's on the horizon with Agent-to-Agent (A2A) workflows. You'll see live demos of MCP in action and walk away knowing how to build it for your organization. Whether you're a Webex power user, administrator, or developer, this session provides the foundation to plan for the agentic future.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Adam Weeks
Webex Developer Relations Technical Leader, Cisco
Adam Weeks is a lifelong developer with a passion for learning, teaching, and building applications, with over 20 years of industry experience. As a Technical Leader on the Webex Developer Relations team at Cisco, Adam focuses on building AI-powered solutions and developer tools that extend the Webex platform, turning ideas into working software that helps developers and customers get more out of the ecosystem. A Cisco Distinguished Speaker, he has presented worldwide to audiences of all sizes, from intimate workshops to the large conferences. Adam is a native Floridian, and when he's not at the keyboard, you'll find him on the water somewhere in Central Florida.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Understanding AI in Webex Contact Center: Best Practices, Pitfalls, and Pro Tips
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
In this session, you’ll learn about the latest AI features in Webex Contact Center to make your business more efficient. You’ll discover how to set up AI agents and assistants, connect them technically, and enhance LLM engines for optimal results. Beyond the basics, you’ll explore how to build business use cases using omnichannel capabilities while leveraging advanced AI features like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) framework, which speeds up complex tasks by sharing data seamlessly. Finally, you’ll use AI Quality Management (QM) to analyze customer sentiment and trends, and learn how to use coaching suggestions to improve agent performance.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
D.K. Singh
Principal Engineer, Cisco
D.K., is a member of the Cisco Customer Experience (CX) Leadership team for Cisco Collaboration technologies. With over 30 years of industry experience and more than 25 years in Cisco TAC, he is a recognized technical leader, Business Unit advisor, and collaboration expert. Throughout his career, D.K. has led strategic initiatives in product serviceability, solution interoperability, automation, and customer enablement for hybrid and cloud collaboration solutions. He has played a key role in establishing multiple TAC teams across Cisco's global Customer Experience (CX) and Global Delivery Partner (GDP) centers while actively mentoring and developing technical talent.
A CCIE Voice/Collaboration for over 20 years and a Cisco Live! & WebexOne Distinguished Speaker, D.K. is widely recognized for his expertise in SIP, Session Border Controllers (SBC), and Contact Center technologies. He regularly advises Cisco's largest telecommunications customers, helping them solve complex technical and business challenges.
Prior to Cisco, D.K. worked in software development and real-time embedded systems for telecommunications applications. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Technology. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
A CCIE Voice/Collaboration for over 20 years and a Cisco Live! & WebexOne Distinguished Speaker, D.K. is widely recognized for his expertise in SIP, Session Border Controllers (SBC), and Contact Center technologies. He regularly advises Cisco's largest telecommunications customers, helping them solve complex technical and business challenges.
Prior to Cisco, D.K. worked in software development and real-time embedded systems for telecommunications applications. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Technology. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, gardening, and traveling.
Cisco
Anuj Bhatia
Sr. Technical Leader, Cisco
Anuj Bhatia is a Senior Technical Leader within Cisco Customer Experience (CX), directing global support operations for Webex Contact Center (WxCC) and Enterprise (WxCCE )cloud platforms. With over two decades of leadership experience at Cisco, he possesses deep-domain expertise in modern contact center architectures and the broader Webex collaboration ecosystem. Anuj holds a Master’s degree from Wichita State University, is a certified Cisco professional, and focuses on scaling high-performance technical support operations and Strategy for TAC. He is based in Massachusetts, operating out of Cisco’s Boxborough office.
Breakout
OCT 8 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM CT
One Workforce, One Solution: Aligning Humans and AI for Exceptional CX
Meet the first AI-native WEM solution built for the agentic workforce
Customer experience has always depended on workforce performance, but today's workforce looks fundamentally different than it did just a few years ago. As AI agents and AI assistants increasingly handle customer interactions, automate workflows, and support employees in real time, organizations must rethink how they engage, manage, and optimize the people and technologies responsible for delivering customer outcomes.
In this session, discover how Webex AI Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) is evolving to support a new workforce of human employees and AI agents. Learn how you can apply workforce planning, performance management, quality assurance, and coaching across both human and AI to improve efficiency, elevate customer experiences, and drive business results.
The future of CX isn’t powered by humans or AI alone–it’s driven by how effectively organizations manage them together.
In this session, discover how Webex AI Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) is evolving to support a new workforce of human employees and AI agents. Learn how you can apply workforce planning, performance management, quality assurance, and coaching across both human and AI to improve efficiency, elevate customer experiences, and drive business results.
The future of CX isn’t powered by humans or AI alone–it’s driven by how effectively organizations manage them together.
Speakers
Cisco
Manali Dongre
Senior Director, Product Management, Cisco
Manali Dongre is a product leader at Cisco, where she heads the team driving Agent, Supervisor, and Analyzer Experiences for Webex Contact Center within Cisco’s Collaboration Group. A passionate advocate for inclusive design, she also leads Accessibility and Inclusivity initiatives across the Collaboration portfolio, ensuring Cisco’s products are usable by all. Since joining Cisco in 2020, Manali has been at the forefront of delivering innovative, user-centered experiences that enhance productivity and collaboration. She lives in Mumbai, India with her husband and their cat, Izzy.
Cisco
Jessica Smith
Director, Product Marketing, Cisco
Since starting in the CCaaS space back in 2012, Jess has found a passion for CX through navigating the complexity of the market, while also recognizing (and relating to) the need for continuous innovation in the contact center. Throughout her time in this space, Jessica has held various roles in Product Marketing, Competitive Intelligence, and Sales and Channel Enablement giving a well-rounded depth of knowledge applied to her communication practices and endless curiosity in a rapidly changing environment. Now as a Director of Product Marketing at Webex by Cisco, Jessica champions thought leadership and AI innovation to keep us all immersed in the requirements and changes of the CX and EX landscape.
Groupe Touchette
Jonathan Senécal
Telecommunication System Specialist, Groupe Touchette
Jonathan Senécal is a Telecommunications System Specialist at Groupe Touchette, Canada's largest tire distributor, where he supports and evolves the organization's Cisco collaboration, voice, and contact center technologies. Based in Montréal, Québec, he is responsible for enterprise telephony services, Webex Contact Center solutions, PSTN connectivity, and the ongoing modernization of communication platforms that support employees, customers, and business operations across Canada.
With a strong background in Cisco technologies, Jonathan works closely with business stakeholders, technology partners, service providers, and internal IT teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and user-focused communication solutions. His experience includes contact center implementations, carrier service management, voice infrastructure, system integrations, and customer experience initiatives.
What sets him apart?
- Contact center expertise: Supporting the evolution of customer engagement through Webex Contact Center, AI-powered capabilities, and automation.
- Telecommunications leadership: Managing voice services, carrier relationships, and enterprise communication platforms in a complex national environment.
- Practical innovation: Leveraging technology to improve operational efficiency, simplify processes, and enhance end-user experiences.
- Collaborative approach: Working closely with business teams, vendors, and technology partners to deliver reliable and effective communication solutions.
Passionate about the future of customer experience and collaboration technologies, Jonathan focuses on leveraging innovation and automation to improve how organizations connect with customers and employees.
With a strong background in Cisco technologies, Jonathan works closely with business stakeholders, technology partners, service providers, and internal IT teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and user-focused communication solutions. His experience includes contact center implementations, carrier service management, voice infrastructure, system integrations, and customer experience initiatives.
What sets him apart?
- Contact center expertise: Supporting the evolution of customer engagement through Webex Contact Center, AI-powered capabilities, and automation.
- Telecommunications leadership: Managing voice services, carrier relationships, and enterprise communication platforms in a complex national environment.
- Practical innovation: Leveraging technology to improve operational efficiency, simplify processes, and enhance end-user experiences.
- Collaborative approach: Working closely with business teams, vendors, and technology partners to deliver reliable and effective communication solutions.
Passionate about the future of customer experience and collaboration technologies, Jonathan focuses on leveraging innovation and automation to improve how organizations connect with customers and employees.
Quick Takes
OCT 8 11:00 AM – 11:20 AM CT
Collaboration Without Compromise: On-Premises, Cloud, or Hybrid
Giving you complete choice and flexibility in your deployment.
Not every organization is the same—and your deployment shouldn't be either.
This session covers how Webex supports the full spectrum of deployment models: cloud, hybrid, and on-premises. We'll walk through the latest innovations—including Cisco AI PODs, Hybrid Calling, and more—that give teams the flexibility to deploy and manage collaboration on their own terms, while keeping users connected and productive regardless of environment. Whether you're all-in on cloud, hybrid, or committed to on-premises, Webex meets you there.
This session covers how Webex supports the full spectrum of deployment models: cloud, hybrid, and on-premises. We'll walk through the latest innovations—including Cisco AI PODs, Hybrid Calling, and more—that give teams the flexibility to deploy and manage collaboration on their own terms, while keeping users connected and productive regardless of environment. Whether you're all-in on cloud, hybrid, or committed to on-premises, Webex meets you there.
Speakers
Cisco
Ashish Chotai
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Ashish is a Sr. Director of Product Management for the Webex Media Platform, where he leads the Media AI strategy within Cisco’s Collaboration Technology Group. He is also responsible for On-premise and Hybrid meeting products and oversees the Webex Edge portfolio. Before joining the Webex team, Ashish was instrumental in bringing several industry-first Telepresence and IP Phone products to market. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science and an MBA from the University of Iowa, and is the inventor on 17 U.S. patents spanning multimedia communications, wireless technology, and video conferencing.
Roundtable
OCT 8 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM CT
Beyond the AI Pilot: Securing, Governing, and Scaling Agentic AI
Exploring the shift from AI pilots to agent-enabled work, and the trust, governance, and readiness questions leaders are navigating
AI is moving quickly from experimentation toward more autonomous, agent-enabled workflows, creating new questions around trust, governance, security, and readiness. This peer roundtable will explore the broader industry shift from AI pilots to scaled adoption, including what leaders are watching, where risks and opportunities are emerging, and how organizations are thinking about responsible growth as AI becomes more embedded in day-to-day work.
Speakers
Cisco
Sara Macías Salete
Collaboration Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Sara Macías Salete is a Collaboration Solutions Engineer at Cisco. Working within the Global Collaboration Center of Excellence, she specializes in Interoperability and Competition. Her main area of expertise is Calling Interoperability with Microsoft Teams, but she also covers video interoperability with Microsoft, Google, and Zoom, as well as Webex Suite integrations with Microsoft Copilot.
Sara joined Cisco 12 years ago as a Sales Engineer. She has been a regular speaker at Cisco Live and WebexOne since 2022, having been recognized as a Distinguished Speaker on multiple occasions.
Based in Madrid, Spain, Sara enjoys spending her free time running, traveling, swing dancing, and exploring the world of wine.
Sara joined Cisco 12 years ago as a Sales Engineer. She has been a regular speaker at Cisco Live and WebexOne since 2022, having been recognized as a Distinguished Speaker on multiple occasions.
Based in Madrid, Spain, Sara enjoys spending her free time running, traveling, swing dancing, and exploring the world of wine.
Deutsche Telekom AG
Sebastian Leuser
Solution Architect, Deutsche Telekom AG
Sebastian Leuser is a Solution Architect at Deutsche Telekom with more than 20 years of experience in enterprise communications, collaboration, and customer experience technologies. His work sits at the intersection of collaboration, customer experience, AI, security, and data privacy with a strong focus on turning innovative technologies into solutions that are secure, scalable, and ready for real-world use.
As one of the lead architects for Deutsche Telekom’s migration to Webex Contact Center, Sebastian has helped shape the architecture and transformation of a large, highly complex enterprise environment. His experience spans technical strategy, integration, automation, and the security and data privacy requirements that come with deploying cloud technologies in a global organization.
Sebastian is particularly interested in how AI is reshaping collaboration and customer experience and how organizations can embrace these new capabilities without compromising trust, security, or privacy. He enjoys challenging conventional approaches, connecting technology with business needs, and sharing practical lessons learned from large-scale transformations.
For Sebastian, great architecture is not just about making technology work. It is about making innovation usable, secure, and valuable for the people who ultimately depend on it.
As one of the lead architects for Deutsche Telekom’s migration to Webex Contact Center, Sebastian has helped shape the architecture and transformation of a large, highly complex enterprise environment. His experience spans technical strategy, integration, automation, and the security and data privacy requirements that come with deploying cloud technologies in a global organization.
Sebastian is particularly interested in how AI is reshaping collaboration and customer experience and how organizations can embrace these new capabilities without compromising trust, security, or privacy. He enjoys challenging conventional approaches, connecting technology with business needs, and sharing practical lessons learned from large-scale transformations.
For Sebastian, great architecture is not just about making technology work. It is about making innovation usable, secure, and valuable for the people who ultimately depend on it.
Cisco
Abhiram Kramadhati
Director, AI Solutions Consulting, Cisco
Abhiram leads the AI GTM function for the Customer Experience Business at Cisco. He is based out of Melbourne, Australia. Using AI in the CX space is his favourite domain. In his role, he works with early customers on their CX transformation by leveraging AI and also helps define the strategy to make the broader Cisco customer and partner community be successful with Cisco's AI portfolio for their CX requirements. He has previously worked at Google and Uniphore in the same space.
Cisco
Keith Griffin
Cisco Fellow, VP, Cisco
Keith Griffin is a Cisco Fellow in the collaboration group focused on AI and Machine Learning in the office of CTO. He is also the site leader for Cisco in Galway, Ireland where he is based. Keith formed Collaborations AI/ML technology strategy in 2016 and helped to form Cisco’s Responsible AI framework from initial machine learning data privacy through to today’s responsible AI framework for generative AI and large language models.
He leads technology scouting for Collaboration M&A and investments, Cisco’s Collaboration IP, Patent and Research strategy and has been Cisco’s top inventor for collaboration technology for over ten years.
He leads technology scouting for Collaboration M&A and investments, Cisco’s Collaboration IP, Patent and Research strategy and has been Cisco’s top inventor for collaboration technology for over ten years.
Akamai Technologies
Nikki Parsons
VP, IT Engineering, Akamai Technologies
Nikki Parsons boasts a remarkable career spanning over 20 years in the information technology sector, with a specialized focus on infrastructure. Currently holding the position of Vice President of IT Engineering at Akamai Technologies, Nikki oversees the Network, Unified Communications, Messaging, and Service Delivery teams.
Having joined Akamai in 2014, Nikki embarked on a mission to redesign and modernize the enterprise's unified communications and collaboration platforms. Her strategic efforts laid a robust pre-pandemic foundation, facilitating a seamless transition to a fully remote and highly productive workforce within a matter of days.
Over the ensuing years, Nikki has spearheaded the reimagination of IT's service delivery, fostering a frictionless hybrid experience that concurrently propels employee productivity. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Nikki was honored as the inaugural IT Winner of Akamai's most prestigious award, the Danny Lewin Award, in 2021.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Nikki is deeply committed to cultivating a workplace culture characterized by trust, transparency, and professional independence. Her dedication to fostering inclusivity is evident in her recent appointment as the Chair of Akamai’s Enterprise Women’s Network. During her leisure time, Nikki indulges in outdoor activities, such as hiking and running, and maintains a commitment to physical fitness through strength training and participation in Orangetheory Fitness. Notably, throughout her tenure in the Bay Area, she has accomplished the impressive feat of completing seven marathons.
Having joined Akamai in 2014, Nikki embarked on a mission to redesign and modernize the enterprise's unified communications and collaboration platforms. Her strategic efforts laid a robust pre-pandemic foundation, facilitating a seamless transition to a fully remote and highly productive workforce within a matter of days.
Over the ensuing years, Nikki has spearheaded the reimagination of IT's service delivery, fostering a frictionless hybrid experience that concurrently propels employee productivity. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Nikki was honored as the inaugural IT Winner of Akamai's most prestigious award, the Danny Lewin Award, in 2021.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Nikki is deeply committed to cultivating a workplace culture characterized by trust, transparency, and professional independence. Her dedication to fostering inclusivity is evident in her recent appointment as the Chair of Akamai’s Enterprise Women’s Network. During her leisure time, Nikki indulges in outdoor activities, such as hiking and running, and maintains a commitment to physical fitness through strength training and participation in Orangetheory Fitness. Notably, throughout her tenure in the Bay Area, she has accomplished the impressive feat of completing seven marathons.
3Corners Internetworking Services BV
Sijbren Beukenkamp
Solution Architect, 3Corners Internetworking Services BV
Sijbren Beukenkamp, CCIE #8440, is founder and principle solution architect at 3Corners. He designs sovereign, secure Webex platforms for governments healthcare and enterprises. Cisco Champion, Webex Insider Exper and Webex One Luminary finalist.
Quick Takes
OCT 8 11:25 AM – 11:45 AM CT
Inside Cisco Spaces at WWT: The Architecture Behind a Smarter Workplace
The architecture that makes Cisco Spaces work, and what it makes possible.
Cisco Spaces turns Wi-Fi and Meraki telemetry, Webex device data, and occupancy sensors into a live picture of how a building actually gets used — but only if the architecture underneath is built right.
This session opens the hood: the location layer (Wi-Fi/Meraki telemetry), the sensor layer (Webex Rooms, Navigator, people-count and environmental data), and the integration layer (the Spaces connector and APIs feeding booking and workplace systems).
We'll cover the design decisions that separate a deployment that just collects data from one that drives wayfinding, rooms ready before people arrive, and hybrid meetings where remote colleagues are equal participants — including what WWT learned running this exact stack at scale.
This session opens the hood: the location layer (Wi-Fi/Meraki telemetry), the sensor layer (Webex Rooms, Navigator, people-count and environmental data), and the integration layer (the Spaces connector and APIs feeding booking and workplace systems).
We'll cover the design decisions that separate a deployment that just collects data from one that drives wayfinding, rooms ready before people arrive, and hybrid meetings where remote colleagues are equal participants — including what WWT learned running this exact stack at scale.
Speakers
World Wide Technology
Tim Cappel
Technical Solutions Architect, World Wide Technology
Tim Cappel is a Technical Solutions Architect and 15-year WWT employee, currently focused on collaboration and digital workplace technology. He works across Cisco and Webex technologies and how they fit into the way people work.
Breakout
OCT 8 11:40 AM – 12:10 PM CT
Zero Trust, Zero Compromise: Securing Every Interaction Across Webex
How Webex protects every interaction, by design.
Every user verified. Every device checked. Every interaction secured. Zero trust isn't a buzzword, it's how Webex is built.
In this session, you’ll learn how Webex delivers a consistent, resilient, and secure experience across every interaction, every device, and every deployment by fusing security directly into its core fabric, enforcing zero trust, defending against deepfakes, and governing AI to preemptively protect against evolving threats.
In this session, you’ll learn how Webex delivers a consistent, resilient, and secure experience across every interaction, every device, and every deployment by fusing security directly into its core fabric, enforcing zero trust, defending against deepfakes, and governing AI to preemptively protect against evolving threats.
Speakers
Cisco
Raj Kumar
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Raj is Director of Product Management at Cisco and responsible for the strategy, product management, and go to market for Webex platform for US and Global Public Sector that includes Federal Civilian, State, Local and Education, Defense Industrial Base, and National Security and Defense.
In addition, Raj is also leads the strategy and product management of Webex expansion into new country/region through data residency, data sovereignty and sovereign clouds solutions, as well as encryption and key management technologies.
Previously, Raj also led the strategy and product management for Security, Identity Management, Compliance, Partner ecosystem and established Webex as best-in-breed secure Collaboration platform.
Raj has 15+ years of enterprise product management experience at leading technology companies, including Cisco, Microsoft, and Amazon. Raj holds a Master’s degree in the Computer Science from University of Florida and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
In addition, Raj is also leads the strategy and product management of Webex expansion into new country/region through data residency, data sovereignty and sovereign clouds solutions, as well as encryption and key management technologies.
Previously, Raj also led the strategy and product management for Security, Identity Management, Compliance, Partner ecosystem and established Webex as best-in-breed secure Collaboration platform.
Raj has 15+ years of enterprise product management experience at leading technology companies, including Cisco, Microsoft, and Amazon. Raj holds a Master’s degree in the Computer Science from University of Florida and a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
Cisco
Michael McGary
Director, Product Management, Cisco
Michael is Cisco’s Director of Product Management overseeing Collaboration Market Access, Webex Suite Security, Scheduling & Calendar Systems, and other Webex back-end services. With over a decade of experience in cloud solutions, Michael has been pivotal in leading key projects such as the OBTP “Green Join Button,” Video Integration for Microsoft Teams, and Zero Trust Security for Webex. Michael's career began at General Electric, where he led the Video Communications team, managing video conferencing, satellite, and internal cable television systems for GE Power Systems. He was also the first to implement an internal webcasting network at GE. Prior to his role at Cisco, Michael worked at TANDBERG for over 8 years, where he played a significant role in designing solutions and architectures for many key customers starting with US Southwest region, expanding to all of US, and later world-wide.
Quick Takes
OCT 8 11:50 AM – 12:10 PM CT
Cisco UCM: Investing in Your Foundation, Expanding Your Future
See what’s next for UCM and discover an all-new path to hybrid
Cisco UCM is the world’s leading on-premises calling platform, trusted by more than 30 million users to power mission-critical communications. And Cisco continues to invest in its future.
As IT leaders navigate rapid advances in AI alongside growing demands for security, governance, and resilience, choice has never been more important. In this session, discover how Cisco is advancing UCM while expanding your options across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud.
See the innovations that will help you modernize with confidence, protect the calling foundation your business depends on, and embrace what’s next on your terms.
As IT leaders navigate rapid advances in AI alongside growing demands for security, governance, and resilience, choice has never been more important. In this session, discover how Cisco is advancing UCM while expanding your options across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud.
See the innovations that will help you modernize with confidence, protect the calling foundation your business depends on, and embrace what’s next on your terms.
Speakers
Cisco
Payam Rouhani
Senior Director Product Management, Cisco
Payam Rouhani is Senior Director of Product Management in Cisco’s Webex Suite and AI organization. He has more than 15 years of experience building and scaling enterprise SaaS and AI-driven products for global markets.
He currently leads product strategy and roadmap for a billion-dollar portfolio spanning Webex SaaS and hybrid cloud solutions.
Before Cisco, Payam co-founded a unified communications product that was acquired by Cisco and integrated into Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
He currently leads product strategy and roadmap for a billion-dollar portfolio spanning Webex SaaS and hybrid cloud solutions.
Before Cisco, Payam co-founded a unified communications product that was acquired by Cisco and integrated into Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Quick Takes
OCT 8 12:15 PM – 12:35 PM CT
Beyond the Screen: Establishing the Standard for the Connected Enterprise (Option 2)
Future Workplaces with Samsung and Cisco
This session takes a deeper look at how to build the connected enterprise with Samsung and Cisco to deliver the best workplace experience—on-site and remote—for a truly collaborative hybrid working model. Follow the day in the life of an employee and the Samsung solutions certified by Cisco for seamless connectivity, reliability and performance at scale.
Speakers
Samsung
Mat Stribling
Channel Sales Master, Samsung
Mat Stribling is a Senior Channel Sales Manager at Samsung Displays, managing national partners and alliances. With 15 years’ experience in UC and Digital Signage, he builds ecosystems around Samsung’s technology to transform hybrid workspaces.
Breakout
OCT 8 12:20 PM – 12:50 PM CT
Is Your Network Ready for the Intelligent Workplace?
From technical readiness to collaboration confidence
Traditional network checks can tell you whether systems are reachable, but they do not always reveal whether employees can collaborate effectively.
This session examines the difference between infrastructure health and workplace experience, focusing on the signals that matter most for meetings, calling, devices, and hybrid workspaces.
Learn how to compare locations, recognize meaningful quality trends, and connect technical measurements to employee impact. Explore how Cisco Cloud Control can help create a shared operational view for collaboration, networking, and IT teams.
This session examines the difference between infrastructure health and workplace experience, focusing on the signals that matter most for meetings, calling, devices, and hybrid workspaces.
Learn how to compare locations, recognize meaningful quality trends, and connect technical measurements to employee impact. Explore how Cisco Cloud Control can help create a shared operational view for collaboration, networking, and IT teams.
Roundtable
OCT 8 12:25 PM – 1:40 PM CT
Modern Healthcare: Improving Access, Care Team Collaboration, and Patient Experience (2nd Run)
How AI agents, secure collaboration, and connected workplaces can reduce friction across the care journey.
Join healthcare leaders to discuss how AI agents, secure collaboration, and connected workplaces can reduce friction across the care journey. Explore strategies for improving patient access, supporting care teams, enabling flexible work models, and streamlining operations through intelligent automation.
This interactive peer-to-peer roundtable is an opportunity to share challenges, exchange best practices, and discuss how organizations are improving efficiency, engagement, and the human experience in modern healthcare.
This interactive peer-to-peer roundtable is an opportunity to share challenges, exchange best practices, and discuss how organizations are improving efficiency, engagement, and the human experience in modern healthcare.
Speakers
Cisco
Steve Beamer
Solution Engineer, Cisco
Steve Beamer is a Global Center of Excellence (CoE) Solutions Engineer at Cisco specializing in healthcare customer experience, with more than 20 years of experience designing communications, AI, and contact center solutions. He works with healthcare providers and payers to architect and deploy Epic-integrated solutions that combine Webex AI Agent, Webex Connect (CPaaS), and Webex Contact Center to streamline patient access, automate workflows, and improve engagement across the care journey. His work focuses on production deployments integrating AI, APIs, and workflow orchestration with Epic to support patient authentication, appointment management, revenue cycle operations, and service interactions. Steve is a speaker on healthcare AI and digital transformation, sharing practical approaches for building production-ready solutions that improve both patient experience and operational efficiency.
Cisco
Chang Chang
Senior Director, Head of Product, Webex CX Solutions, Cisco
Chang is a Senior Director of Product Management in the Webex Customer Experience Solutions business. With over 15 years of product leadership experience, Chang has held key roles at Intuit and Mighty Audio (early-stage startup) as well as a management consultant at PwC. Chang holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson.
Cisco
Rich Bayes
Senior Director of Product Strategy, Cisco
Rich Bayes holds a degree in Cyber Security and has built his career at the intersection of technology strategy, product management, and business transformation. With extensive experience leading global teams, he focuses on driving growth through innovation, partnerships, and new market expansion. Rich has played a pivotal role in positioning collaboration technologies as strategic enablers, connecting customer needs with emerging trends such as AI, security, and intelligent workplace solutions.
Cigna
Spencer Hartmann
Sr. Video Engineer, Cigna
Spencer Hartmann is a technology leader in enterprise collaboration and workplace experience, serving as an Infrastructure Video Engineer at Cigna. He leads initiatives focused on Cisco Webex and RoomOS platforms, collaboration device management, Control Hub administration, AV infrastructure, and AI-enabled workplace solutions. Spencer is passionate about transforming how organizations connect, collaborate, and deliver seamless hybrid experiences through innovative technology and automation.
With extensive experience deploying and managing enterprise collaboration environments at global scale, Spencer specializes in workplace technology strategy, lifecycle management of collaboration devices, and creating seamless meeting experiences across physical and digital workspaces. He is particularly focused on leveraging automation, analytics, and emerging AI capabilities to simplify operations, improve reliability, and enhance the employee experience.
With extensive experience deploying and managing enterprise collaboration environments at global scale, Spencer specializes in workplace technology strategy, lifecycle management of collaboration devices, and creating seamless meeting experiences across physical and digital workspaces. He is particularly focused on leveraging automation, analytics, and emerging AI capabilities to simplify operations, improve reliability, and enhance the employee experience.
Centerstone
Robert Bibey
Voice Engineer, Centerstone
Robert Bibey is a Voice Engineer at Centerstone, the largest nonprofit provider of mental health and substance use disorder care in the United States, following Centerstone's recent merger with Brightli. Robert owns Centerstone's Webex platform — 114 active Webex Calling locations — within a combined organization spanning 350+ locations that currently runs three collaboration platforms in parallel (Webex, GoTo, and Zoom), with a full migration to a single unified platform underway for 2027.
Since joining in 2018 (with legacy organization Burrell Behavioral Health), Robert has progressed from the help desk through network administration to architecting IVR, contact center flows, and AI agent development within the Cisco/Webex ecosystem — work focused on improving how patients access care and how care teams collaborate across a large, newly merged behavioral health system.
Robert also monitors compliance-related issues for Webex and handles faxing, paging, E911 management, and network infrastructure purchasing for legacy Brightli organizations. A recognized Webex Luminary (2024) and Webex Bold Explorer – Healthcare award recipient (2023), Robert brings both a practitioner's view of platform consolidation at scale and a personal one — having once been on the other end of these same services as a client, Robert has personally experienced the frustration of calling in for care, and now designs the systems meant to fix it.
Since joining in 2018 (with legacy organization Burrell Behavioral Health), Robert has progressed from the help desk through network administration to architecting IVR, contact center flows, and AI agent development within the Cisco/Webex ecosystem — work focused on improving how patients access care and how care teams collaborate across a large, newly merged behavioral health system.
Robert also monitors compliance-related issues for Webex and handles faxing, paging, E911 management, and network infrastructure purchasing for legacy Brightli organizations. A recognized Webex Luminary (2024) and Webex Bold Explorer – Healthcare award recipient (2023), Robert brings both a practitioner's view of platform consolidation at scale and a personal one — having once been on the other end of these same services as a client, Robert has personally experienced the frustration of calling in for care, and now designs the systems meant to fix it.
University of Tennessee Medical Center
Terri Schlitz
Director, Network Engineering, University of Tennessee Medical Center
Terri Schlitz is the Director of Network & Telecom Infrastructure at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she leads the strategy, engineering, and operations for enterprise networking, unified communications, wireless infrastructure, and telecommunications services supporting one of the region’s top academic medical centers and Level I Trauma Centers.
With more than 25 years of experience leading large technology teams, Terri has guided complex infrastructure modernization initiatives across healthcare and Fortune 500 environments. She is passionate about building resilient, highly available communications platforms that enable clinicians, support caregivers, and strengthen organizational operations. Her work has included enterprise Cisco networking, collaboration technologies, contact center modernization, wireless transformation, cybersecurity initiatives, and critical communications supporting patient care.
Terri has led major technology transformation programs including campus network modernization, Cisco Unified Communications deployments, enterprise wireless refreshes, and next-generation collaboration solutions that improve operational efficiency while maintaining the reliability required in healthcare environments. She is a strong advocate for aligning technology strategy with business and clinical priorities, developing high-performing engineering teams, and fostering a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement.
As a technology executive, Terri enjoys sharing practical lessons learned from leading enterprise-scale infrastructure transformations, driving organizational change, and leveraging collaboration technologies to improve communication, resiliency, and the overall user experience.
With more than 25 years of experience leading large technology teams, Terri has guided complex infrastructure modernization initiatives across healthcare and Fortune 500 environments. She is passionate about building resilient, highly available communications platforms that enable clinicians, support caregivers, and strengthen organizational operations. Her work has included enterprise Cisco networking, collaboration technologies, contact center modernization, wireless transformation, cybersecurity initiatives, and critical communications supporting patient care.
Terri has led major technology transformation programs including campus network modernization, Cisco Unified Communications deployments, enterprise wireless refreshes, and next-generation collaboration solutions that improve operational efficiency while maintaining the reliability required in healthcare environments. She is a strong advocate for aligning technology strategy with business and clinical priorities, developing high-performing engineering teams, and fostering a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement.
As a technology executive, Terri enjoys sharing practical lessons learned from leading enterprise-scale infrastructure transformations, driving organizational change, and leveraging collaboration technologies to improve communication, resiliency, and the overall user experience.
Technical Training Class
OCT 8 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Exploring the Programmability of the Cisco Desk Phone 9800 Series
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
The Cisco 9800 Series is more than a desk phone. This session covers cloud-based management via Webex Calling APIs, PhoneOS programmability through xAPI for telemetry and event-driven workflows, and hardware interfaces including NFC and the programmable Action Button. Leave with practical methods for automating device management and building integrations across your communication infrastructure.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Phil Bellanti
Senior Developer Evangelist, Cisco
Phil Bellanti is a Senior Developer Evangelist on the Cisco Webex team based in Orlando, Florida. A cloud API veteran since 2007, he joined Cisco in 2015 following its acquisition of Tropo, a real-time communications API provider. Today, Phil helps developers build with Webex by creating and delivering tech talks, workshops, webinars, and other live events. He also produces blogs, newsletters, documentation, and developer guides for both the Webex Suite and Webex Contact Center platforms.
Cisco
David Scott
Engineering Product Manager, Cisco
Product Manager, Cisco. David has been with Cisco over 15 years and holds a CCIE. David is an Engineering Product Manager with a focus on Collaboration endpoints.
Technical Training Class
OCT 8 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Modernize Your Contact Center: Route Business Processes and Bring Your Own Channel in Webex Contact Center
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
Organizations across all verticals want to improve customer service by adding new channels. The Webex Contact Center Work Items Framework makes this possible by routing any type of interaction giving organizations the flexibility to adapt and deliver on their business outcomes.
At the heart of this framework is Bring Your Own Channel (BYOC), which lets organizations extend Webex Contact Center to any digital messaging platform, like Webex Messaging, Microsoft Teams, or LINE.
We'll explore real-world use cases and live demos showing how to onboard new channels and turn every interaction into a measurable business outcome.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Victor Vazquez
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Victor is a Solutions Engineer within the Customer Experience Center of Excellence, where he supports customers worldwide.
His journey at Cisco started as as a System Engineer more than 25 years ago, and evolved as he transitioned into a Collaboration specialist. Over the years, Victor has honed his expertise, particularly focusing on Contact Center, CPaaS and AI. He was also part of the Webex Solutions Developer Group where he specialized in building cross-architecture solutions that enable businesses to achieve their objectives.
His journey at Cisco started as as a System Engineer more than 25 years ago, and evolved as he transitioned into a Collaboration specialist. Over the years, Victor has honed his expertise, particularly focusing on Contact Center, CPaaS and AI. He was also part of the Webex Solutions Developer Group where he specialized in building cross-architecture solutions that enable businesses to achieve their objectives.
Technical Training Class
OCT 8 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Customize the Contact Center: What's Possible with APIs, SDKs, and AI
Technical Training Class: Foundation
Webex Contact Center is more than a powerful out-of-the-box solution—it's a programmable platform.
In this session, we'll explore the full developer surface: REST APIs for data and configuration, Flow Designer for custom call routing, SDKs for building and embedding agent desktop experiences, and AI tools like AI Agent Studio and Model Context Protocol (MCP) integrations. Whether you're a customer or a partner, this session is your roadmap to extending and customizing Webex Contact Center.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Adam Weeks
Webex Developer Relations Technical Leader, Cisco
Adam Weeks is a lifelong developer with a passion for learning, teaching, and building applications, with over 20 years of industry experience. As a Technical Leader on the Webex Developer Relations team at Cisco, Adam focuses on building AI-powered solutions and developer tools that extend the Webex platform, turning ideas into working software that helps developers and customers get more out of the ecosystem. A Cisco Distinguished Speaker, he has presented worldwide to audiences of all sizes, from intimate workshops to the large conferences. Adam is a native Floridian, and when he's not at the keyboard, you'll find him on the water somewhere in Central Florida.
Technical Training Class
OCT 8 12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Considerations For Designing Rooms with AVoIP
Technical Training Class: Intermediate
An advanced room used to mean a camera, a handful of microphones, and speakers covering the space. Today those rooms are built from IP peripherals, which opens up experiences that weren't practical before. This session is about what you can build as their number grows, and the choices worth making early so the room still works the way you intended years later.
We'll start with the hardware: the full family of Cisco IP peripherals, how they differ from their non-IP counterparts, and which ones fit rooms of different size and shape. There may also be something new to see.
Good design is only half of it. The rest is the experience of building and living with the room, so we'll cover how setup and calibration are improving, how we're making these systems easier to manage and troubleshoot, and how a complex room stays predictable long after installation.
By the end you'll know what an advanced room can do, how to design for it, and what setup and ongoing management actually look like. We're the product managers for these features, so bring your questions.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Astrid Kongelf Jensen
Engineering Product Manager, Cisco
Astrid Kongelf Jensen is the Product Manager for Camera Intelligence and Workplace Sensor Intelligence at Cisco. She is in charge of setting the strategy and backlog for three camera intelligence teams and a real time ML-team. Since joining Cisco, she has worked across software engineering and product management, including leading product management for the Microsoft Teams Rooms integration. She now focuses on multicamera setups and camera calibration, always pushing for the best possible quality and usability, even in the most advanced rooms.
Cisco
Anna Bieber
Product Manager, Cisco
Anna is a Senior Product Manager for Collaboration Devices at Cisco, based in Oslo, Norway. She specializes in AV over IP peripherals, driving innovation across both software and hardware to deliver exceptional audio experiences. Her goal is simple and ambitious: every voice should be heard. Whether you sit at the front of the room or the back, join from the office or remotely, or connect through any meeting platform, Anna is focused on ensuring people have an equal voice in every conversation. Through her expertise and dedication, she plays a key role in shaping the future of collaboration technology—fostering more connected, inclusive, and equitable communication experiences for teams worldwide.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
From AI Agent to AI Workforce: Scaling Beyond the First Bot
Technical Training Lab: Intermediate
You've built your first AI agent. Now what? In this session, we'll explore how to evolve from a single virtual assistant into a fully scaled AI workforce within your contact center. Learn how to design multiple specialized AI agents, enable handoffs between bots and human agents, and create end-to-end customer journeys. We'll cover real-world architecture patterns and best practices for scaling AI. Whether you're expanding an existing deployment or planning your next phase, this session will give you the practical insights needed to move from isolated automation to enterprise-wide impact.
CE credits: 2
Speakers
Cisco
Krishna Tyagi
Senior Technical Leader, Webex CX & AI FDE, Cisco
Krishna Tyagi is a Senior Technical Leader within the Webex Customer Experience AI FDE at Cisco Systems, working across the full Webex CX portfolio — including Webex Contact Center, AI Agent, AI Assistant, and AI Quality Management. He guides enterprise organisations through the complete AI lifecycle, from architecture and design through large-scale deployment and optimisation, partnering closely with Cisco's Product, Engineering, and AI Strategy teams.
With 21 years of industry experience, Krishna has advised C-suite leaders at organisations through complex, large-scale AI transformations. He is a Distinguished Cisco Live Speaker and a recipient of the Cisco-wide Innovation Award, presented by Cisco's CEO. He holds Cisco Generative AI Blue Belt and Business AI Practitioner credentials, is an IEEE Senior Member, and regularly publishes thought leadership on AI and customer experience. Krishna holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and an Executive Leadership certification from Cornell University.
With 21 years of industry experience, Krishna has advised C-suite leaders at organisations through complex, large-scale AI transformations. He is a Distinguished Cisco Live Speaker and a recipient of the Cisco-wide Innovation Award, presented by Cisco's CEO. He holds Cisco Generative AI Blue Belt and Business AI Practitioner credentials, is an IEEE Senior Member, and regularly publishes thought leadership on AI and customer experience. Krishna holds a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and an Executive Leadership certification from Cornell University.
Cisco
Mykola Danylchuk
Technical Consulting Engineer, Cisco
Mykola Danylchuk is a Senior Technical Consulting Engineer on the Webex Contact Center Technical Assistance Center (TAC) team. He has over 10 years of experience in Cisco Collaboration and Contact Center technologies.
As the AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) for his team, Mykola is responsible for delivering technical enablement and training to fellow TAC engineers, as well as conducting technical workshops, classes, and hands-on labs for Cisco customers and partners. His primary focus is accelerating AI adoption by helping customers successfully onboard, integrate, and optimize AI capabilities within their Webex Contact Center environments.
As the AI Subject Matter Expert (SME) for his team, Mykola is responsible for delivering technical enablement and training to fellow TAC engineers, as well as conducting technical workshops, classes, and hands-on labs for Cisco customers and partners. His primary focus is accelerating AI adoption by helping customers successfully onboard, integrate, and optimize AI capabilities within their Webex Contact Center environments.
Cisco
Rajitha Kantheti
Solutions Engineer, Cisco
Rajitha Bhavani Kantheti is a Solutions Engineer within Global Collaboration Solutions Engineering org. She specializes in building cross-architecture solutions using Webex programmability to help businesses solve complex collaboration challenges. With a Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Clemson University, Rajitha brings a strong technical foundation and a passion for AI and innovation. Over the past five years at Cisco, she has developed a wide range of customer-facing and internal solutions using Webex APIs, SDKs, Webex devices, CPaaS and WxCC technologies. She also regularly delivers technical guidance and enablement to both internal teams and customers.
Technical Training Lab
OCT 8 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CT
TRAINING PASS REQUIRED
Collaboration AI PODs Lab
Technical Training Lab: Foundation
This lab provides a comprehensive introduction to the Cisco Collaboration AI PODs. Participants will gain practical, hands-on experience deploying, managing, and integrating AI-driven collaboration tools within a Cisco Meeting Server environment. You'll leave with a solid understanding of the architecture and the operational workflows required to leverage the Collaboration AI PODs effectively.
CE credits: 1
Speakers
Cisco
Richard Murphy
Technical Marketing Engineer, Cisco
Richard Murphy is a Technical Marketing Engineer and a Technical Leader within the Cisco Collaboration Technology Group business unit. He is a member of the Webex Technical Marketing Engineering (TME) team, concentrating on the Webex Edge, On-Premises AI and Meetings services. This encompasses Edge Connect, Collaboration AI POD, Video Mesh, Edge Audio, Cisco Meeting Server, and Webex Meetings.
Cisco
Roshin Thovarai
Principal Software Engineer, Cisco
Roshin Thovarai is a Principal Software Engineer and Lead Architect at Cisco Webex. He spearheads the Architecture of Collaboration AI POD, Webex Video Mesh, Hybrid Data Security, and Webex Hybrid Services. With deep expertise in architecting ultra-secure conferencing, on-premise AI, and hybrid infrastructure, Roshin is dedicated to driving the next generation of AI enabled, scalable and secure collaboration technology.
Cisco
Kevin McMenamy
Distinguished Architect - Collaboration CTO, Cisco
Kevin McMenamy is a Distinguished Architect in the Cisco Collaboration Technology Group (CTG), leading AI integration initiatives. Kevin is a veteran of the Real-Time Communications industry and has contributed to numerous ground-breaking technology innovations and products. He has held both individual contributor roles (Technical Leader, Principal Engineer and Distinguished Engineer), and organizational leadership roles (Director of Engineering, VP of Software and CTO). He has published 4 patents on Cisco technologies, and is an accomplished author and speaker.
Breakout
OCT 8 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM CT
Better Service Starts with Simpler Operations: Lessons from Financial Services CX Leaders
Practical ways to improve service without adding complexity
What can every industry learn from financial services? In highly competitive markets where customer trust matters and service expectations continue to rise, financial services organizations are often among the first to rethink how customer service is delivered.
In this rapid-fire discussion, customer leaders share practical lessons from improving customer and employee experiences, simplifying operations, and preparing for what's next. Attendees will leave with real-world ideas that can be applied across any contact center environment.
In this rapid-fire discussion, customer leaders share practical lessons from improving customer and employee experiences, simplifying operations, and preparing for what's next. Attendees will leave with real-world ideas that can be applied across any contact center environment.
Speakers
Bucher + Suter
Trent Cook
Chief Portfolio and Strategy Officer, Bucher + Suter
As Chief Portfolio & Strategy Officer at Bucher + Suter, Trent Cook helps organizations turn complex customer experience challenges into practical, measurable outcomes by aligning strategy, technology, and customer success.
Keynote
OCT 8 2:00 PM – 3:10 PM CT
Closing Keynote: Webex Customer Awards & Fireside Chat with Tom Brady
The 5th Annual Webex Customer Awards ceremony isn't just an awards show; it’s a front-row seat to the future of work. Witness how the world’s most forward-thinking organizations are using Webex and Cisco technology to push boundaries, reimagine collaboration, and drive real-world impact. Be part of an unforgettable evening dedicated to the visionaries shaping the future of employee and customer experiences.
Then, join us for a compelling keynote fireside chat with 7x Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady, discussing the power of collaboration, leadership, and resilience in moments of pressure and transformation. Drawing from experiences on the field and in the boardroom, the conversation will uncover how high-performing teams build trust, adapt through adversity, and sustain excellence in an ever-changing, AI powered world.
Speakers
Tom Brady
7x Super Bowl Champion, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist
Tom Brady is one of the most accomplished athletes of all time, celebrated for his unmatched focus, discipline, and sustained excellence. A seven-time Super Bowl champion, he holds the record for the most titles by a quarterback and has made 10 Super Bowl appearances and 18 division titles, earning him a place among the greatest competitors in sports history. Brady has since built a legacy as an entrepreneur, broadcaster, author, and philanthropist, currently serving as lead analyst for FOX Sports' NFL broadcast.
Cisco
Anurag Dhingra
SVP & GM, Networking & Collaboration, Cisco
During his tenure with Cisco, Anurag has held several leadership roles in the Collaboration business, including Chief Technology and Product Officer where he led the entire Collaboration software business. He was also Vice President and Head of Engineering for Webex Meetings where he was responsible for delivering applications and services to power online meetings for millions of users worldwide.
With over two decades of experience in the Communications, Collaboration, and SaaS industries, Anurag is accomplished at building high performance global teams and creating innovative, market leading products. Anurag takes pride in being a customer-focused leader, with a proven track record of strategic thinking and executing with a strong culture of innovation.
Passionate about applying technology for good, Anurag serves on Cisco's Human Rights Advisory Council and was the founding executive sponsor of Cisco's Responsible AI Framework.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India.
With over two decades of experience in the Communications, Collaboration, and SaaS industries, Anurag is accomplished at building high performance global teams and creating innovative, market leading products. Anurag takes pride in being a customer-focused leader, with a proven track record of strategic thinking and executing with a strong culture of innovation.
Passionate about applying technology for good, Anurag serves on Cisco's Human Rights Advisory Council and was the founding executive sponsor of Cisco's Responsible AI Framework.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India.
Cisco
Espen Loberg
VP & GM, Cisco Collaboration Devices, Cisco
Espen Løberg leads Product Management for Cisco Collaboration Devices. Espen joined Cisco with the acquisition of Tandberg in 2010, and since then he's managed Cisco's Video Conferencing and Telepresence business through several market transitions. When Espen isn’t passionately discussing the future of work, he enjoys spending time in the outdoors with family and friends. He holds a Master of Science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and lives and works in Oslo.
Cisco
Amit Barave
VP & GM, Webex Suite & AI, Cisco
Amit Barave is Vice President and General Manager for Cisco's Webex Suite and AI, where he leads a multi-billion-dollar SaaS business delivering collaboration solutions to enterprises worldwide. His portfolio includes Webex messaging, meetings, calling, events, and customer experience platforms, all enhanced by AI capabilities.
Amit has shaped Webex's AI strategy and led the transformation of the Webex Suite to meet the demands of hybrid work. Under his leadership, the product team has advanced AI-powered collaboration while driving customer value and market leadership.
Throughout his career at Cisco, Amit has held leadership roles across product, engineering, and business functions. He launched industry-first products in TelePresence Cloud Services and IP-Radio communications, scaling them to market-leading positions. His track record includes sustained growth across large-scale product lines and successful business transformations.
Amit holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and has been awarded 17 US patents in communications technologies. His technical expertise spans general management, product strategy, artificial intelligence, SaaS platforms, enterprise software, and go-to-market execution.
Amit has shaped Webex's AI strategy and led the transformation of the Webex Suite to meet the demands of hybrid work. Under his leadership, the product team has advanced AI-powered collaboration while driving customer value and market leadership.
Throughout his career at Cisco, Amit has held leadership roles across product, engineering, and business functions. He launched industry-first products in TelePresence Cloud Services and IP-Radio communications, scaling them to market-leading positions. His track record includes sustained growth across large-scale product lines and successful business transformations.
Amit holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and has been awarded 17 US patents in communications technologies. His technical expertise spans general management, product strategy, artificial intelligence, SaaS platforms, enterprise software, and go-to-market execution.
Cisco
Snorre Kjesbu
SVP & GM, Collaboration, Cisco
Snorre Kjesbu is Senior Vice President & General Manager of Collaboration Devices at Cisco. He is a global citizen leading a worldwide organization responsible for the collaboration devices business ranging from IP phones to immersive video systems.
Snorre’s passion for design with over 20 years of engineering experience are at the core of his 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.
He and his team at ABB were awarded the Wall Street Journal Innovation award for their work on wireless sensors in 2002. 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. He has obtained more than 20 patents in the areas of communications and video conferencing and is on the board of directors for several IT companies. When not working, Snorre can likely be seen on a pair of skis – whether on snow or water.
Snorre’s passion for design with over 20 years of engineering experience are at the core of his 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.
He and his team at ABB were awarded the Wall Street Journal Innovation award for their work on wireless sensors in 2002. 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. He has obtained more than 20 patents in the areas of communications and video conferencing and is on the board of directors for several IT companies. When not working, Snorre can likely be seen on a pair of skis – whether on snow or water.
Cisco
Vinod Muthukrishnan
VP & GM, Webex Customer Experience, Cisco
Vinod Muthukrishnan is Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Cisco’s Webex Customer Experience Business Unit, where he leads Go-To-Market, Customer, and Business Operations. A serial entrepreneur and product visionary, Vinod is passionate about solving real customer pain points and building high-performing teams and communities.
He joined Cisco through the acquisition of CloudCherry, a startup he co-founded and led as CEO, which laid the foundation for Webex Experience Management. Vinod has also held leadership roles at Uniphore and Webex Contact Center, driving innovation in AI and CPaaS. A former Merchant Marine officer and early pioneer in mobile trading, he now mentors founders, serves on the SaaSboomi Governing Council, and co-chairs the USISPF Startup Connect Program. Vinod lives in the Bay Area with his family and a vocal Husky, and spends weekends strategizing cricket plays with his amateur league team.
He joined Cisco through the acquisition of CloudCherry, a startup he co-founded and led as CEO, which laid the foundation for Webex Experience Management. Vinod has also held leadership roles at Uniphore and Webex Contact Center, driving innovation in AI and CPaaS. A former Merchant Marine officer and early pioneer in mobile trading, he now mentors founders, serves on the SaaSboomi Governing Council, and co-chairs the USISPF Startup Connect Program. Vinod lives in the Bay Area with his family and a vocal Husky, and spends weekends strategizing cricket plays with his amateur league team.
Cisco
Brian Stout
SVP, Collaboration and Workplace Experience, Cisco
Brian Stout leads Cisco’s Global Collaboration Sales and Go-to-Market organization and is responsible for the Collaboration product sales specialists, inside sales, pre-sales engineering, channel and ecosystem strategy, and routes to market. Cisco Collaboration’s $6B business is a critical part of the company’s overall SaaS transformation plan and is one of Cisco’s most competitive market segments.
Brian and his team are helping to redefine Cisco’s SaaS business strategy to bring subscription-based solutions to customers and partners. During his Cisco career, Brian has held several strategic sales roles, starting as an Enterprise Account Manager, working with key customers in the financial industry. As the Director of Operations in the Americas, leading the Commercial Segment, he helped redefine the go-to-market strategy for the US commercial business to drive consistent, strong revenue growth.
Brian led the Americas Collaboration Sales team, delivering technology transformation and hybrid work innovation while accelerating growth in the region before becoming Vice President of the Global Collaboration Sales organization. He is an inspirational leader known for building high-performing teams and laser-focused on driving results.
Brian and his team are helping to redefine Cisco’s SaaS business strategy to bring subscription-based solutions to customers and partners. During his Cisco career, Brian has held several strategic sales roles, starting as an Enterprise Account Manager, working with key customers in the financial industry. As the Director of Operations in the Americas, leading the Commercial Segment, he helped redefine the go-to-market strategy for the US commercial business to drive consistent, strong revenue growth.
Brian led the Americas Collaboration Sales team, delivering technology transformation and hybrid work innovation while accelerating growth in the region before becoming Vice President of the Global Collaboration Sales organization. He is an inspirational leader known for building high-performing teams and laser-focused on driving results.
Cisco
Tim Coogan
SVP, Global Partner Sales, Cisco
Cisco
Kristyn Hogan
VP, Global Collaboration Partner Sales, Cisco
Stay tuned! More session info is coming soon.
