Day 1 Session Speakers

Michelle Smeby, Transformation Leader 

Track A: Leadership & Professional Growth

You Are a Superhero. Let’s Discover Your Superpower So You Can Use It for Greatness

Saturday, October 3 | 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM CET

Biography:  CEO and Transformation Leader of wHolistic Change, Inc.
Michelle Smeby is Transformation Leader at wHolistic Change, Inc. With over twenty-five years of experience, she has guided sustainable business and technology

Beth Rudden, CEO & Chair of Bast AI

Track B: Innovation, Industry & Entrepreneurship

Meaning Before Math: Building the Trust Layer of AI

Saturday, October 3 | 1:30 PM – 2:15 PM CET

Biography: Beth Rudden is CEO and co-founder of Bast AI, building infrastructure that lets hospitals, universities, and public institutions deploy AI they can verify, explain, and trust. Previously an IBM Distinguished Engineer and Chief Data

Howard Mayaba, Director – H|M Agri

Track A: Leadership & Professional Growth

Hugging the AI Lion: Human-Centred Leadership Across Generations

Saturday, October 3 | 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM CET

Biography: Dr. Harold Mayaba is a qualified Agri–Food Market Consultant, Speaker, and Coach who empowers individuals and organizations to grow through purpose, resilience, and strategic insight. As the founder of H|M Agri-Food Market

Kathy Hayashi, IEEE USA President-Elect

Track B: Innovation, Industry & Entrepreneurship

Building Innovation Ecosystems: The Role of Engineering Leaders

Saturday, October 3 | 2:15 PM – 3:00 PM CET

Biography: Kathy Herring Hayashi is a technology leader with a career spanning advanced software tools for semiconductor design at Unisys, Cadence, Qualcomm, and Syntricity. She has been engaged in global microelectronics and emerging‑

Gokce Nur Yilmaz, TED University Head of Dept

Track B: Innovation, Industry & Entrepreneurship

Building an AI-Ready Engineering Program: A Cross-Generational Industry–Academia Playbook

Saturday, October 3 | 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM CET

Biography: Gokce Nur Yilmaz received her Ph.D. degree from the I-Lab Multimedia Communication Research Group, part of the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing, University of Surrey, UK, in 2011. She is a Professor at the Department

Leslie Gruis, Privacy Author

Track C: Career Readiness & Mentorship

When Opportunity Knocks: My Evolution from Intelligence Officer to Public Privacy Persona

Saturday, October 3 | 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM CET

Biography: Leslie Gruis (PhD, Applied Mathematics) served for 30 years as a mathematician for the National Security Agency (NSA), including as first president of NSA’s Women in Mathematics Society. At NSA, Dr. Gruis contributed to the debate

Priscilla Amalraj, Global Head of Digital Product Engineering & Delivery

Track D: Global Impact & Inclusion

The Heartbeat of Innovation: Centering Humanity in the Age of Emerging Technologies

Saturday, October 3 | 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM CET

Biography: Priscilla Amalraj is a seasoned technology leader with   25 years of experience at the intersection of technology and corporate strategy. She specializes in transforming IT organizations, dismantling silos, and rebuilding them to drive

Limor Bergman Gross, Executive Leadership Coach

Track C: Career Readiness & Mentorship

What Directors Wish Their Managers Knew About Promotion

Saturday, October 3 | 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM CET

Biography: I’m an executive and leadership coach, former  Director of Engineering, and trusted partner to women navigating leadership growth in tech. With over 20 years in the tech industry, including senior leadership roles at DigitalOcean,

Jan Carroll, Managing Director Fortify Institute

Track D: Global Impact & Inclusion

Flying Blind: Shadow AI, Digitisation Legacy Risk, and the Implications of the Cyber Vulnerability of Irish Micro-SMEs

Saturday, October 3 | 4:45 PM – 5:30 PM CET

Biography: Jan Carroll is a cybersecurity and AI governance strategist, doctoral researcher at the University of Limerick, and founder of Fortify Institute. She holds an MSc in Applied Cybersecurity and an MEd in Adult Education, and lectures on AI